Background Noise

[USS Excelsior]

When the landing party beamed down to numerous planets what was that same background noise we kept hearing supposed to be.

And it wasn't there on any other Trek series or even TOS movies.

 

[Michael]

Which background noise?

 

[EEE]

There are something like 4 or more sounds you could mean...

1. Transporter console energization (focus on switches).
2. Dematerialization (disappearing things/people).
3. Rematerialization (appearing things/people).
4. Semi-standard planet background sound (wind-like sound).

 

[USS Excelsior]

There are something like 4 or more sounds you could mean...

4. Semi-standard planet background sound (wind-like sound).

That's it.

 

[Christopher]

When the landing party beamed down to numerous planets what was that same background noise we kept hearing supposed to be.

It was supposed to be an audio ambience suggesting an alien environment, that's all. I think the original idea was to create a different "alien" ambience for each world they visited, but they ended up just reusing the same one from "The Cage," which was a mix of wind sounds and a transporter-like "shimmer" sound that was seen in the episode to be created by the vibrating leaves of Talosian plants.

In my first work of published Trek fiction, I mentioned in passing that "Talosian windsingers" had been transplanted to many worlds during their spacefaring period, so that the same chimes could be heard on multiple planets, but that a blight killed them all off by the TNG era.

 

[erastus25]

One of my friends raised on 24th Century Trek actually has a difficult time watching TOS because he finds the background tracks extremely annoying. Especially on the bridge. I think he's a whacko, but, whatever...

My favorite background noise is still the singing plants that make Spock smile on Talos. A total WTF? moment.

 

[perigee]

Just for note, sonny - this ol' dog remembers that sound was available on vinyl, as an interstitial on the album "Inside Star Trek," ( Copyright 1976 CBS, Inc / p 1974, Manufactured by Columbia Records.) If'n I remember correctly, you can grab about a 30-45 second clean cut of it.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

I like how they use the sound at the end of the new Trek movie trailer

 

[Christopher]

^^Err, that's a transporter beam sound effect at the end of the trailer, not the "Talosian ambience" effect. They're very similar since they were composited from some of the same audio elements (evidently), but not exactly the same.

 

[Ronald Held]

Can someone post or legally link to that ambient planet sound file?

 

[Michael]

Can someone post or legally link to that ambient planet sound file?

Here, at 4:30. It's just a YouTube clip though, not the original sound file which would be illegal to post.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Actually if you listen closely, it starts with the transporter sound effect, but the END of the trailer, it had clearly become the planet-sound-effect.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

^^Err, that's a transporter beam sound effect at the end of the trailer, not the "Talosian ambience" effect. They're very similar since they were composited from some of the same audio elements (evidently), but not exactly the same.

I agree that at first its the transporter effect, but after that, it transitions to the ambient sound effect for the end of the trailer. It starts at about the time that it says Summer 2009

 

[Philo]

Actually if you listen closely, it starts with the transporter sound effect, but the END of the trailer, it had clearly become the planet-sound-effect.

It's been awhile since I watched it but I remember distinctly noticing it too.

I absolutely adore that sound effect, btw. Well, it's not just one but you get the idea.

 

[A beaker full of death]

One of my friends raised on 24th Century Trek actually has a difficult time watching TOS because he finds the background tracks extremely annoying. Especially on the bridge. I think he's a whacko, but, whatever...

Then he's an ass. The background noises and voices on the bridge were nothing short of brilliant, and added a measure of verisimilitude the other series never tried to match.

 

[Kolrad]

I remember the first time I saw the scene in "The Cage" when the landing party examine the plants that are making the shimmering sound, I said to myself "so THAT'S what was making that sound in all those other episodes!"

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

There are something like 4 or more sounds you could mean...

4. Semi-standard planet background sound (wind-like sound).

That's it.

I love that sound effect, the eerie polystyrene planets of TOS are some of the best sets for SF series around

 

[Timo]

...You mean they add a measure of verismilitude that the other series never tried to match?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

I was thinking that, there's something lost in translation

 

[cooleddie74]

There were also a couple of TOS planets with ambient background noise that sounded like windchimes and eerie moaning.