The Sounds of V'ger

[Maurice]

Ever wonder how the sounds for V'ger were made? I stumbled across a video of Craig Huxley (who played Kirk's nephew in "Operation: Annihilate" and later was the eldest kid in "And the Children Shall Lead") playing the "beam": the instrument he created and which the late Jerry Goldsmith used to represent the V'ger entity in the score for Star Trek The Motion Picture. It's like the world's craziest electric guitar played with a metal tube and and a stick! If you ever wondered how those noises were made, this is the answer...and no "Friendly Angels" were involved:

Click here to see and hear it...

A related Daren Dochterman blog post here.

 

[Data Holmes]

Was used greatly in the TWOK and TSFS scores by Horner as well.

 

[Maurice]

Was used greatly in the TWOK and TSFS scores by Horner as well.

BARELY used in those scores.

 

[Data Holmes]

Was used greatly in the TWOK and TSFS scores by Horner as well.

BARELY used in those scores.

It's used a few times actually, but it's mixed back and not as prominent. It's much easier to pick out when listening to the scores alone than as a part of the film.

 

[Basill]

Hmmm. I will have to review those two latter scores to see where they used the Blaster Beam. The instances don't leap to mind. Horner certainly used the Blaster Beam more prominantly in Battle Beyond the Stars.

That Dochteman Blog has a cool Youtube link to a 1978 tv movie Dr. Strange. Blaster Beam is eriely familar but it still has those early 70's TV sounds reminiscent of Rod Serling's Night Gallery.

 

[Data Holmes]

Hmmm. I will have to review those two latter scores to see where they used the Blaster Beam. The instances don't leap to mind. Horner certainly used the Blaster Beam more prominantly in Battle Beyond the Stars.

That Dochteman Blog has a cool Youtube link to a 1978 tv movie Dr. Strange. Blaster Beam is eriely familar but it still has those early 70's TV sounds reminiscent of Rod Serling's Night Gallery.

Stealing the Enterprise uses it quite a bit... Turn up the volume, it's used a lot. But in the way that modern composers like Zimmer use electronics these days.

 

[Basill]

Yep. Heard it quite a bit that time. What's crazy is I know that piece backwards and forwards and I just never payed attention to what made those particular parts; as you mentioned, probably because it wasn't as crackly bangy as it was in TMP but more mixed in. Well, I have a totally new appreciation for one of my favorite soundtracks.

Edit: Hearing it more on TWOK soundtrack as well now. I've heard it all along, but it just didn't register.

 

[Data Holmes]

Yep. Heard it quite a bit that time. What's crazy is I know that piece backwards and forwards and I just never payed attention to what made those particular parts; as you mentioned, probably because it wasn't as crackly bangy as it was in TMP but more mixed in. Well, I have a totally new appreciation for one of my favorite soundtracks.

Edit: Hearing it more on TWOK soundtrack as well now. I've heard it all along, but it just didn't register.

Indeed. People always say it wasn't used until they really listen. The thing was that Horner used it more as an instrument within the orchestra, instead of a stand alone "voice" instrument.

The shame of it is that this amazing instrument and it's sound seem to have been lost to time, and replaced with electronic simulation which just doesn't have the... presence that the BB did.

It's also funny to think that Hans Zimmer style action score style could be rooted in trek and it's use of the blaster beam. think about that one.



Oh, and if you want a little more fun listening there is a subtle nod to the BB in the TUC score. If you are one of the lucky people to have acquired the expanded score it would be track 19, if you only have access to the regular one it would be track 9, titled Revealed. If you listen, and again crank the volume up real high, at 32 seconds into the track and again at 40 you will hear it.