Deconstructing The Sounds Behind The Lightsaber Dream Sequence


Just a bit of fun for a Friday afternoon - and spoilers ahoy! Star Wars VII contains the most magnificence dream sequence. When Rey lays her hand on a lightsaber for the first time, the world dissolves as a cacophony of audio hallucinations plague her. It's a short sequence - lasting just under a minute - but the sound design is beautiful. After seeing the fabulous Path of a Lightsaber video I thought I'd have a go at deconstructing all the voices which went into creating such a mesmerising…

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Exporting Multitrack Surround Files in Audacity


Screenshot of a multitrack audio export.

Notes to myself! Suppose you want to create a surround sound file using Audacity. The app is a little obtuse, so this may clear up some confusion. When exporting, Audacity defaults to mixing down to stereo. You must adjust these settings: Edit → Preferences → Import/Export → Use Custom Mix Lay out your audio. Keep each track as mono. You can have as many tracks as you like and then downmix them later. File → Export If you choose a surround compatible format, like .ogg, you will be abl…

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