Star Trek Sounds

From LoveToKnow Sci-Fi

The lasting appeal of Star Trek sounds is a testament to Gene Roddenberry's vision of a universe in which the people of earth play a peaceful rule in exploring "new life and new civilizations".

Star Trek sounds are distinctive.

The Unique Universe of Star Trek Sounds

Skill and subtlety in representing a new and different role for mankind in the future are key factors that bring the Star Trek universe to life. When you listen to the sounds and pay attention to other artistic features in the original Star Trek, they aren't over the top, as you'd expect with a Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers style of storytelling. In fact, during the first couple of seasons of the original series, the budgeting and focus was on creating vibrant and insightful stories that spoke to enduring ideas about what it is to be human and humane instead of on monsters and gore.

From trying to create an effective Enterprise bridge design where the actions of the crew, captain, and activities viewed in space could all be shot effectively, to representing the visual and auditory aspects of beaming, phaser fire, jumps to warp, intra-ship movement via turbo lift, and even the sounds and appearance of musical instruments, everything in the original series had to help establish a baseline for a world that doesn't exist, and do it on a tight budget.

Science Fiction Sound Effects

Sound effects for science fiction venues are an art as much as a science. Rather than capturing the quintessential hyena laugh, a sound artist working to create futuristic effects blends sounds like a cook creating a recipe. The final result must be close enough to what the viewer expects to be immediately accepted, but unique enough to the mood and focus of the story to help create or reinforce its mythology. How do you know what a viewer is going to expect a 23rd century transportation device to sound like? That's where talent comes in.

The Star Trek universe relies heavily on components like sound to establish what you perceive as a unique experience when you see an episode or movie, something new enough to be exciting, but familiar enough to be recognized as an old favorite. The television series and motion pictures that followed the original Star Trek expanded on and altered many of the sights and sounds viewers had come to expect, but however they morphed to accommodate future storylines, they were still recognizable as part of Gene Roddenberry's final frontier.

Download Star Trek Sounds

Star Trek sounds are popular online downloads. From the minds of sound designers to your personal electronic device, they are perpetuating the Star Trek mystique. You could do worse than adopt a Star Trek sound as your personal ringtone or to identify common tasks on your computer. You don't have to attend a convention to show your respect for the Federation, although you're certainly welcome to do so, just try a tribble purr or some other alien critter speak.

The following list of online sites will get you started. Whether you're a fan of the original series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, or any of the other many Star Trek offerings, chances are that a familiar sound, like a phaser blast or transporter powering up, will give you a welcome vision of a hopeful future.