Ben Burtt on Lightsaber Sound Design

Ben Burtt talks about creating the sounds for the lightsabers in Star Wars. As he worked on "A New Hope", Burtt probably wasn't aware that he was inventing modern sound design.

• Category

  Entertainment

[Datelesswonders]

Does this explain how the clashing sound was made?

[digitaldave1234]

He also recorded sounds of Kenneth Strickfaden's lab equipment from Frankenstein, and I'd bet some of those high-energy sounds ended up in the Lightsaber family.

[lukepc92]

A stormtrooper with a lightsaber? HERESY!

[mmmdubstep]

I love the shot of him swinging the shotgun mic around like a lightsaber. Pure awesome. Man's a genius.

[D3cyTH3r]

Another one of the production crew who just happened to hit pure gold on the same movie. Your music, sfx, model-makers, casting, and actors all do the same and you have yourself a timeless classic

[Bleakmage]

I didn't hear one, so. . .

[brandonwrightmusic]

that is so interesting

[sixfoursoul1]

wow I thought it was just a synthesiser ...this is way more indepth that I thought.

[Curiousonic]

You can hear when the lightsabers are clashing that it is the same sort of sound as the laser pistols in the film. To create that he hits a tight, thick steel wire.

[1littledaddy1]

You described that very well!

Absolutely Brilliant!!!

[Andrea Patane]

Sound rules! 

[Marcel Sirer]

"Genius..." XD

[Firestorm1820]

That's very interesting.

[ShnarfV2]

The tension spring on a radio tower was used for the Blaster Sound.

I can't link the video directly, (watch?v=aTbtHVFyKoQ?t=1m45s) but there is the last segment.

As far as I'm aware, the lightsaber clash was meant to have been achieved by using welding robs/welding equipment. I'm not 100% sure, but it does seem plausible.