"space is weird and strange" exposition sound in 1st G1 Transformers ep?
October 27, 2018 4:54 AM Subscribe
In the first episode of the generation 1 Transformers cartoon, during the
"Many millions of years ago.." narration
there's a "space is weird and strange" audio used. What is this audio?
Based on slater's clip, I second the idea that it's a theremin. Lots of the G1 soundtrack sounds like synths and maybe a small soundtrack orchestra. I have a set of MP3s that I downloaded a few years back where someone was trying to remaster various bits of incidental music from the show and there's lots of funky jazz bits that strike me as holdovers from 70s TV soundtrack styles.
posted by Slothrop at 8:45 AM on October 27, 2018
posted by Slothrop at 8:45 AM on October 27, 2018
Very well could be a Theremin, but I have a hunch it isn't. Since a Theremin is just a simple wave made by a simple oscillator it could really be any synth playing a simple waveform. It also sound like it has some filtering happening that wouldn't be part of a Theremin, but could possibly be added.
The main characteristic of this sound is the heavy delay (echo). That's most of what you're hearing.
You can hear the signal popping on and off and delaying heavily with a sound similar to many dub recordings. This sudden on-off is something you can't really do with a Theremin by itself, but can do with a mixer of some kind. But it also sounds like no matter what the source it was done in mixing and not at the instrument (like dub). It also doesn't have the long swoopy pitch changes that are the signature of a Theremin, these are mostly short and in one direction.
In any event, though they may not have actually used one, the sound that it's recalling is definitely the sound of a Theremin, usually through a delay, which is the classic default spooky space sound.
(As I finished writing this House of Dark Shadows came on the TV, opening with the sound of you know what.)
posted by bongo_x at 10:47 PM on October 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
The main characteristic of this sound is the heavy delay (echo). That's most of what you're hearing.
You can hear the signal popping on and off and delaying heavily with a sound similar to many dub recordings. This sudden on-off is something you can't really do with a Theremin by itself, but can do with a mixer of some kind. But it also sounds like no matter what the source it was done in mixing and not at the instrument (like dub). It also doesn't have the long swoopy pitch changes that are the signature of a Theremin, these are mostly short and in one direction.
In any event, though they may not have actually used one, the sound that it's recalling is definitely the sound of a Theremin, usually through a delay, which is the classic default spooky space sound.
(As I finished writing this House of Dark Shadows came on the TV, opening with the sound of you know what.)
posted by bongo_x at 10:47 PM on October 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: slater: yes
bongo_x: I think I've heard this other places besides this bit of exposition, too.
posted by oonh at 2:24 AM on October 28, 2018
bongo_x: I think I've heard this other places besides this bit of exposition, too.
posted by oonh at 2:24 AM on October 28, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by slater at 5:45 AM on October 27, 2018 [1 favorite]