Freesound Forums

Any person know how make this laser sound (0:55 to 1:00):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESVDcGuCm5M&t=0:55

Need to trawl the cartoon SFX archives for the original,
e.g. ... https://soundeffects.fandom.com/wiki/Sound_Ideas,_SCI_FI_-_LASER_RAY,_VARIOUS_PITCHES

Wow, Timbre, I didn't know that archive existed. The SciFi section alone is replete with many classic and famous sounds from the 50's, 60's, and beyond. There's the War of the Worlds "Heat Ray" sound, the Star Trek photon "Torpedo" sound, silly noises used in Super Friends and scores of other cartoons, etc.! Amazing. The one the OP asked about sounds more like this, unless my auditory memory got sidetracked while browsing: SCI FI - HIGH PITCHED RAY which in turn was apparently also composited into this one: SCI FI - HIGH PITCHED RAY 02 and who knows how many others?

But the question was "how to make" the laser sound, not where to find it.

If that was literally the intent, I can tell you that I would make such sounds using Analog Box 2. You can get a feel for the wide variety of oscillatory flavors you can produce from just a single circuit by the examples I posted with titles beginning with "PhaserVariations" in my SciFi pack. I thought for sure I had posted one of my phaser circuits on the ABox2 google group (mailing list), but apparently not, because if I had, it would have been in this thread, but ... no phaser there. Anyway, you can pick up Analog Box II for free here: https://sites.google.com/site/analogbox2/download .

I want know how create many sounds from Hanna Barbara sci fi cartoons. Also Doctor Who TV series (pay by tax money).

Side question: can AudioBox make sound like movie 'Forbiden Planet'. I know people movie's sound effect create use analog circuits.

zimbot wrote:
But the question was "how to make" the laser sound, not where to find it.

There's a hint of a Jacob's-ladder crackle in it ... https://freesound.org/search/?q=Jacob%27s+ladder

zimbot wrote:
... the Star Trek photon "Torpedo"

That sounds like someone abusing a spring-reverb ... https://freesound.org/people/tombola/sounds/9893/

SieuAmThanh wrote:
I want know how create many sounds from Hanna Barbara sci fi cartoons ...

Even if you has access to all the old mechanical apparatus, the best that could be achieved would be a sound-alike impersonation, not exactly the same.

If you play the laser sound in a lower pitch it sounds like a moving mechanical device
(eg. electric shaver, lawnmower, document shredder?) and a synthesizer bleep (also used as car alarm, door alarm).

Close is good, no need exact, nut curious how create that sound.

Also can hear it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzKykm9iOAY&t=27m51s

SieuAmThanh wrote:
I want know how create many sounds from Hanna Barbara sci fi cartoons. Also Doctor Who TV series (pay by tax money).

Side question: can AudioBox make sound like movie 'Forbiden Planet'. I know people movie's sound effect create use analog circuits.

It's Analog Box II, not AudioBox -- and it can do some amazing things if you learn how to control it and take the time to create the circuits for it, but admittedly there is a bit of a learning curve. One of the hardest things I tried was the "astrogator" sound from Star Trek (hard, I say, because I never could get it quite right) -- I managed to get pretty close at times, but there was a sort of squeaky wheel sound that I could only get close to and not fully make it. Those original sounds were not generated with math, or a computer, or even a synthesizer (though a modified Hammond organ is not out of the question). Most were real "things", with speed manipulation and layering.

If you want to know more about the original techniques, you might enjoy reading the discussion on rec.audio.pro where someone shared some memories of the Panasonic [EDIT: oops, obviously I meant Paramount! LOL] sounds including notes from audio engineers who had created many of them, before those notes (and many tapes) were lost in the infamous fire. But that whole thread might also have some other good stuff buried in it somewhere. Start here: https://groups.google.com/g/rec.audio.pro/c/46FHQGA1lsE/m/01LBDeRc6BwJ

As for HB cartoon sounds, the mastermind behind most of that was the very man whose name became synonymous with putting sound effects to film by recording planned, synchronous actions using custom-made gadgetry: Pat Foley. You can find various articles online about foley work and what would eventually be known as "sound design". Look it up, along with articles about (or by) other sound design legends like Ben Burtt.

Timbre wrote:
There's a hint of a Jacob's-ladder crackle in it ...

That sounds like someone abusing a spring-reverb ...