Lightsaber sound effect: Ignition

Hey, now most of us here know where Ben Burtt got the humming sound for the lightsabers (If you don't know, it came from the sounds of a 35mm projector and vacuum tubes in an old TV set, which was then played constantly in front of a stereo. Then a microphone was waved in front of it and the doppler effect created the sounds.)

My friends and I are doing an experiment of trying to create our own lightsaber sound effects from scratch. My question is this: Where do the ignition sound effects come from?

There are three types of ignition sounds that are used throughout the entire saga, which are the anakin skywalker/ben kenobi sound, the Darth Vader sound, and the Luke Skywalker ROTJ sound. The only thing I can figure out about it is that when turned off, the ignition sound is plyaed backwards (at least I noticed that.)

So is there any insight about ignition sounds that I am missing?

 

i wish i knew what they were made from. i've fiddles with the sounds, trying to take star wars sounds and other sounds i've found on the net to make new activations, but without knowing what the originals were made of, i can't do anything but modify the existing sounds.

 

I also wish to know how they made it.... I also would like to know how they made the sound when 2 lightsabers collide..

- Ian

 

I also would like to know how they made the sound when 2 lightsabers collide..

Different methods...consdiering all the sounds are different.
The one that stands out in my mind is how they would touch metal onto a block of Dry Ice.

 

something about an old kind of light too.

it's in the dvd commentary f episode 4, at the duel.

 

No...the thing about the light was that Obiwans hilt was made out of an old studio light fixture or flash attatchment.
Cant remember which though.

 

no, obi-wan's sabre is made of a grenade

burrt said the sabre clashed were made from an old studio light or something which made a sparking sound, and he mixed it with the squaking om meta touching dry ice.

 

obi-wan's sabre is made of a grenade

A grenade?
It certainly dosn't look like a grenade to me!

Sorry mate...you're wrong. It was a flash attatchment, a Graflex 3-Cell if I recall.

 

Part of Obi-Wan's saber, the grip, is made out of a grenade. If I'm not mistaken, and I might be, the Graflex was used for Luke's ANH saber.

 

http://www.partsofsw.com/bensab.htm

http://www.partsofsw.com/esbsksab.htm

 

I'd love to know how they made a lot of sounds in those movies.

Sound design is (slowly) becoming a real interest of mine. I just haven't the proper equipment to experiment yet.




I've always liked that "grind" during the saber locks.

 

*bump*

- Ian