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Delia Derbyshire and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop team did sterliing sci-fi work.

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R2-D2

The electronic chirps and twitters of the beloved astromech droid are a keen example of the power of sound effects. Nary a word was uttered by Artoo, but we knew what he was trying to say even before C-3PO translated for the audience. The sound was, of course, developed by Ben Burtt, who used the sounds of an ARP 2600 synthesizer and his own voice to produce R2-D2's silicon salvos. The ARP in question was recreated virtually via Symbolic Sound's lofty Kyma system for more recent Star Wars movies.

Martian war machines' death ray

George Pal's stunning 1953 adaptation of Wells' novel floored audiences with its fabulous depiction of an attempted takeover by our Martian neighbours. From the hissing, metallic throb of the Martian War Machines to the resonant blasts of their ray of destruction, the Oscar-nominated sound effects broke new ground and set impossibly high standards for future film makers (rather than try to better them, filmmakers simply re-used the effects from this film). The terrifying sound of the Martian death ray was achieved by reversing and reverberating the kerrang from a quartet of amplified guitars.

The Borg

If the voice of any alien is as recognisable that of the Daleks, it must be the frequency-shifted timbre of Star Trek's biomechanical Borg. The classic threat, "You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile", was processed through Symbolic Sound's Kyma system by talented Hollywood sound designer Francois Blaignan. As this is the third time we've mentioned Kyma, you've probably guessed by now that this software-driven mainframe is frequently the tool of choice for Hollywood sound effects designers. Unfortunately, its price tag puts it out of reach of all but the most dedicated, but we can come pretty close with readily available graphical sound design languages such as CSound and MAX/MSP.

For a comprehensive guide to sampling, check out the latest Computer Music Special (volume 34), which is on sale now.

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