hear BEAMING?

[RobertScorpio]

All of the TREK shows have a beaming sound effect...but can the characters here it too? And, if so, just what exactly are they hearing? it isn't to stealthish if you're trying "sneak" around..

Rob
Scorpio

 

[Kadratis]

What would be the point of the sound effect if they can't hear it (other than making it look and sound cool)?

 

[Biggshow]

What would be the point of the sound effect if they can't hear it (other than making it look and sound cool)?

Exactly, because spaceships make a "woosh" sound in a vacuum.

 

[Chuckling]

One could make a case for more selective use of sound effects.
There are times when silence is golden and times when it is not.

One needs to chose what is appropriate and when.

We ignore the noises surrounding us when they are familiar. We only notice when they're not.

Maybe a case could be made for making different kinds of Trek noises in the future.

Chuckling

 

[RobertScorpio]

What would be the point of the sound effect if they can't hear it (other than making it look and sound cool)?

Because its a tv show.

But what are they hearing then? The atoms being torn apart?

 

[RobertScorpio]

Well, lets asume they can hear them. In fact, in BALANCE TERROR, doesn't the Romulan Commander hear the effect first, and then see the beaming signal?

My question is, if the sound can be heard, and it just isn't for our benefit at home, what are they hearing???

Rob

 

[darkwing_duck1]

I always liked the explanation John Ford used in "The Final Reflection". Essentailly stated, most transporters use a "hypercarrier wave" signal overlaid on the main transporter beam during subject dematerialization/materialization to stabilize and reinforce the signal. It's a safety feature that reduces errors in the d/m sequence phases of transport. The sound is a parasitic vibration created by the interaction of the two signals.

It IS possible to have a silent transporter (the Klingons did in TOS, for example) by omitting the hypercarrier wave from the process. However, there is a significantly increased chance of mishap when doing so.

That's why Klingon captains in fandom had "personal transporteers", transporter operators whose training the captain KNEW and TRUSTED so as not to turn him into a "scramble case" (for an example of what THAT could result in, reference the transporter accident in TMP).

 

[Timo]

I've never really understood where John M. Ford got the silent Klingon transporters from.

Is there a TOS episode where TPTB forgot to loop in a sound effect for the Klingon device? Precious few opportunities for that, as the Klingon episodes don't really feature onscreen beaming using the Klingon device IIRC.

Is there some other sort of a TOS plot reason for requiring the Klingon transporters to be silent? "Day of the Dove" has the Klingons getting the drop on Kirk's landing party, but there's nothing to suggest they would have beamed down within earshot of Kirk's posse.

In general terms, it seems odd to assume that a machine or a phenomenon would lack sound unless otherwise stated. Most things that involve motion also create sound, as sound basically is motion. When you remove a person from the atmosphere within a room, or insert him there, there is going to be a lot of air movement. And one would certainly assume some sort of commotion from the act of tearing atoms apart...

The idea of personal transporter operators is certainly an intuitively good one, even if you don't happen to live in an empire where assassins wait behind every corner!

Timo Saloniemi

 

[darkwing_duck1]

I've never really understood where John M. Ford got the silent Klingon transporters from.

Is there a TOS episode where TPTB forgot to loop in a sound effect for the Klingon device? Precious few opportunities for that, as the Klingon episodes don't really feature onscreen beaming using the Klingon device IIRC.

"Day of the Dove", the only TOS ep that featured a Klingon transporter in operation; the only example he had to work with when he wrote his novel.

Is there some other sort of a TOS plot reason for requiring the Klingon transporters to be silent? "Day of the Dove" has the Klingons getting the drop on Kirk's landing party, but there's nothing to suggest they would have beamed down within earshot of Kirk's posse.

That's exactly what they DID do, rewatch the ep.

In general terms, it seems odd to assume that a machine or a phenomenon would lack sound unless otherwise stated. Most things that involve motion also create sound, as sound basically is motion. When you remove a person from the atmosphere within a room, or insert him there, there is going to be a lot of air movement. And one would certainly assume some sort of commotion from the act of tearing atoms apart...

Given the way transporters are said to work, there SHOULD be a loud BANG (at least when DEmaterializing) as air molecules rush in to fill the void left by a transported object.

The idea of personal transporter operators is certainly an intuitively good one, even if you don't happen to live in an empire where assassins wait behind every corner!

Timo Saloniemi

Very true, and the transporteer also frequently served as an officer's personal small craft pilot.

 

[T'Leisha]

The transporter sound effect seemed a little unclear on the show. I recall several occasion's when i've wondered "Well can't they hear them beaming in?" and also several occasion's when i've noticed that they do seem to notice the noise first before much of a visual effect is seen. Unfortunately i dont think there has been any sort of official/canonical statement on or off screen regarding what is heard when people are beaming in. They could've just put a "They heard us beaming in!" somewhere.
I had always just assumed that they did hear a sound. I figured that if you cant hear it then why have it?

 

[Kemaiku]

The air would be displaced by the mass manifesting, as well as the annular confinement beam/matter stream forming and pushing the air away.

Although unlike a lightening bolt this would be happening quite slowly so it would be a gradual and "softer" displacement that might only cause a low ambient noise.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

I remember them making the point that the Andorians would hear teh sound in "The Andorian Incident"

 

[Basill]

The air would be displaced by the mass manifesting, as well as the annular confinement beam/matter stream forming and pushing the air away.

Although unlike a lightening bolt this would be happening quite slowly so it would be a gradual and "softer" displacement that might only cause a low ambient noise.

I agree. I've always been fond of the idea that the high pitched whines and the low hums where caused by a fairly complex interaction; between the atmosphere and not only charged particles, but with the so called confinement beams and newly transported matter as it builds up (or dissipates, depending on which direction of transport.) Rather than simply pushing a large mass of air out of the way in one fell swoop to clear for transport, what if the atmosphere is stirred and trapped as it flows like water over magically appearing pebbles in a stream while it is forced out of the way. Of course it would eventually reach a nice crescendo as the pressures build up and the air gathers like a mini storm, only to die off as it reaches freedom outside the newly formed object. Of course de-materialization might have a similar albeit different effect, and TOS certainly had different sounds for beam-ins and beam-outs. Sometimes this scenario seems like only way to get such sounds; which to me seem so similar to the string and wood wind sections of an orchestra. I use to think it would be neat if they showed a piece of paper or drapey cloth suddenly fluttering in a newly created breeze as a group materialize in some long dead air space. Have they ever done that?

 

[Ptrope]

In "Assignment: Earth," when Scotty tries to beam Gary Seven off the rocket gantry, Seven hears the transporter effect, and turns to a sitting position, scooping up Isis, before he starts dematerializing. I take that as pretty solid evidence that the effect is audible.

 

[StolenThunder]

With their block colour suits and beepy tricorders Starfleet has never quite been big on stealth anyway.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

In "Assignment: Earth," when Scotty tries to beam Gary Seven off the rocket gantry, Seven hears the transporter effect, and turns to a sitting position, scooping up Isis, before he starts dematerializing. I take that as pretty solid evidence that the effect is audible.

He could have 'felt' that he was about to be transported, and the sound effect coming at the same time would be a coincidence.

 

[Ptrope]

^^

In the world of Star Trek, clearly Ockham had a beard ...

 

[Kemaiku]

True, in The Voyage Home she "felt" herself being transported before the visual/audio component of the effect kicked in, it could cause a sudden and mild nausea in the pit of the stomach for those who haven't been transported before. Which could be due to the confinement beam or matter stream causing their subatomic structure to monetarily become disconnected from the outside world or asynchronous with it before the dematerialisation starts.

But in cases where one person is nearby to a beam effect they seem to hear the distortion in the air as the beams form and push the air aside. When beaming out the effect sounds somewhat louder and in Enterprise we do see air gradually rushing inward, but slowly enough to avoid a much louder sound from the displacement.

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

Recently whenever I read a thread like this I can`t help but hear these guy's voices:

Wanna bet how long it will take until we see this very discussion in the opening scene of an upcoming episode?

 

[zephramc]

Aside from the buzzing/whining sound of the transporter beam, when one member of an away team beams up to the ship from a planet or wherever, shouldn't the rest of the group hear the air filling the vacuum where the person beamed had just been standing (perhaps a whooshing sound or slight thunder sound)?

Just curious, as I'm certainly no expert at fluids or thermodynamics.