Predator Sound Design

[sofakingloud]

Anyone have any info on the creation process for the sound when we see through the predator's thermo vision?

[bcgood]

Lol, I have the 1st predator on DVD, classic stuff. I would have to watch it again to try and help you, give me a couple days I've been really busy.

[cubivore]

hahaha, every time i see a security cam with night vision i hear that damn sound in my head.

[statikcat]

Most likely it is an analog synth. I do not know for sure though.

[charles maynes]

A lot of that was created by John P., who shared an Academy Award with Steve Flick for Robocop-

He is an unearthly sort of talent...

some key components for the Predator vision sounds were an H3000 and an Analog 8 track. He also had an AKAI sampler I think....


others may chime in, I worked him with much later, but I remember discussing some of the shows he had done, and that was certainly one of the more note-worthy and iconic....

[Berolzheimer]

Originally Posted by charles maynes

A lot of that was created by John P., who shared an Academy Award with Steve Flick for Robocop-

He is an unearthly sort of talent...

some key components for the Predator vision sounds were an H3000 and an Analog 8 track. He also had an AKAI sampler I think....


others may chime in, I worked him with much later, but I remember discussing some of the shows he had done, and that was certainly one of the more note-worthy and iconic....

Ha, just yesterday I found myself hearing P's voice slating, "For Predator, this is creature growls....."

[Energie]

loved that almost rythmic sound when it cut to the predators view, man, what a great flick all around!

[charles maynes]

Originally Posted by Berolzheimer

Ha, just yesterday I found myself hearing P's voice slating, "For Predator, this is creature growls....."

Yeah- I am surprised those slates are still on the digital files.... the Weddington slates are generally quite entertaining...

[bcgood]

Sounds like a simple synth sound and plenty of effects from the Eventide.





Here's a short 16/44.1 wave file for your listening pleasure.

PredatorAudio.wav

bc

[smurfyou]

Wow, of all synth pictures to dig up where in the world did you find that? Those aren't too common...

[charles maynes]

the synths that I recall that John used back then were-

ARP 2600 (owned by Steve Lee)
Yamaha DX7
Akai S1000

[Berolzheimer]

And add to that all manner of obscure software synths & sound manglers. Which one
had to be VERY PATIENT to use back then.

And of course a 1/4 " analog tape machine.

And a mixer.

I personally am quite glad those slates are still extant, I'd be very bummed if they got "mastered" out.

[introvert]

Originally Posted by charles maynes

Yeah- I am surprised those slates are still on the digital files.... the Weddington slates are generally quite entertaining...

I don't know who's responsible for them, but I've heard some hilarious slates on recordings from Aliens.

[bcgood]

Oh, and you guys are welcome for the sound clip.

Over 210 downloads to date.

[Segs79]

I have been trying to recreate the Predator's heat vision effects with the equipment that I have. I HAVE HAD NO SUCCESS! From what I know there are at least 3 key elements.

THE SNAP - The main element is a pre-recorded whip crack with some tonal modifiers. Notice through the course of the film, the sound of the snap goes from being distant with reverb (pre-guerilla camp attack), to more accented and crisp (post guerilla camp attack). The end shots when Arnie is covered in mud, the snap is even more accented and sounds a whip. Predator 2, the POV change is "tech" style, but there are some shots where they used the original "whip" track.

THE HEARTBEAT - In theory (being a Predator junkie) this alien has either 3 hearts or 1 big one with three different ventricles. According to the DVD text commentary, John P. and Dave Stone spent an entire afternoon squishing spoonges in different liquid solutions to create what they thought would be an alien heartbeart. I take it that I would be next to impossible to recreate this. They also added in some real heartbeats. John P. then added a sweetening effect to the overall track. The heartbeat is actually a 4/4 rhythmic pattern (36 seconds)that loops twice, then brakes off into an alternate (but similar...if that makes any sense) 4/4 pattern (20 seconds) before getting back onto its regular rhythm. Trust me I've been listening to it for 21 years now. Predator 2, this heartbeat is mainly absent from the film. For the most part, replace by a regular human heartbeat. This was either a mistake on the directors part, or a play on the original notion that the Predator was able to fine tune what he was able to hear.

THE BUZZ - In theory, its either a scanner-for-prey or it acts like a battery light (but in sound) letting him know that all his gagets (filters, scanners, recorders, camoflauge, etc.) are either working correctly or powered up. This is the one element I can't figure out. Not sure what it is. It's either created via synth as you all have suggested, or like the lightsaber, some kind of noise created by interference. Any suggestions please post.

I have no idea why Paul W.S. Anderson, other then the fact that he's an idiot did not use these sound effects for AvP. Also for the heat vision shots in AvP requiem the directors resampled and looped the exact file that was used for Aliens Vs. Predator 2 PC vidoegame. Not sure why, but I am ASSUMING that Fox either lost the original masters, or John P. has them in his library. But these are topics for a different forum

Thank You

[charles maynes]

Dave Stone is on the Yahoo Sound Design group.... you could ask over there....

[Big Andy]

Almost every music studio in LA has an H3000. Those things we one of the original Digital Pitchshifters. They are fun to play with, but noisy as hell. Most studios turn'em off and put them on a rack in the back....the way back.

[ggegan]

Back in the mag days before digital workstations I used to use the H3000 on the dub stage to sample fx from one location and trigger them on the fly at a different location. Sometimes we would record a bit of dub stage foley with it or even some vocal grunts or breathing. It was especially useful for M&Es, but I used it for finals a lot too. The cool thing was you could record two different length samples and loop them separately to create seamless fill or wierd background tones. You could also pitch the sample to create a sweetener or vary the sample for multiple iterations. It was great for coming up with Boom sweeteners in a pinch. I would trigger the sample manually in sync to picture, simultaneously recording it on a sweetener track of a 4th 6 track recorder and then patch the output back to a fader, that way I wouldn't have to retrigger it every time I updated the scene. I had to trigger it 2 frames early because of the playback head delay (we usually mixed listening to the playback head instead of the sync head) Very crude by today's standards, but at the time it was high tech.

[DAVESTONE]

Originally Posted by charles maynes

Dave Stone is on the Yahoo Sound Design group.... you could ask over there....

Hello. I wanted to join the discussion, and I'm thrilled that people are interested in "Predator." Thanks to Gary Gegan for telling me about this forum, and a big "Hey!" to Mr. Maynes. You figured it out pretty well, Segs79. I'm sorry to say that I've lost touch with the great John P., but if I can find him, we'll certainly talk. My favorite memory of the heartbeat gag is that we were manipulating the sponge inside a big flower vase... just because we liked the way that it resonated. John and I conceived of the BUZZ as just a necessary "constant" for all the POV shots. Foley Artist Vanessa Ament called these shots "Preda-Vision." John made a synth buzz that we liked, and we knew we had to get into it with a "slam" every time we cut to it. The little "slam" would whip the audience into Preda-Vision, and, once that was established, we could add detail specific to the graphics, whether it was targeting animation, or distorted live-action images from heat vision. Where we see the guys in the jungle, Don Bassman and his crew on the dub stage ran individual "normal" DIA tracks and Vanessa's Foley through an Eventide harmonizer. I always had our editors split ALL tracks for Preda-Vision, going back to the earliest temp dubs, so we could easily try different treatments. Splitting tracks like that was "sound editing 101" in those days.

[charles maynes]

(genuflecting...) I am not worthy.......



Good to see you here Dave!!!!!

[Berolzheimer]

Originally Posted by charles maynes

Good to see you here Dave!!!!!

I'll second that. Hiya Dave!

[Segs79]

Thanks for responding Dave, I am very flattered, and thanks for the info.

I have been trying to recreate "the buzz" using a few patches on my desktop workstation, but i can't seem to figure it out, or it doesn't sound right. Just for fun I tried squishing spoonges in a vase, sounded neat, didn't recorded it though.

I am wondering if the original tracks of the whip, heartbeat and buzz were lost for the sequel and AVP series. In the sequel the whip was replaced or enhanced to sound more technological. The heartbeat for most of the shots was replaced by a human heartbeat. In AvP the Preda-vision sound effects were completely revamped (thumbs down). In AVP requiem (and the pc videogames) a 4 sec resampled section of the 'vision' effects were used (rather annoying). Not that it makes a big deal to the average viewier, but it drove me nuts. I hope new Predators film goes back to the original effects and remaster them.

[Ale]

Ok its an old thread but anyway.
Does anyone know from where this creature growl does come from.

Self done mouth effect or could it be a sonar effect from a whale?
Like this. It sounds is so the same.
Anyone knows for sure?

Spermwhale sonar effect

Spermwale_Growl.mp3


Ale

[mikevarela]

god, that sounds spot on.. brought me right back.

ps. I'm hoping the newly released 3rd film has even a modicum of talent the first did. It was the first tape I bought with my own money. Ha

[Ale]

Hi Mike

Just want to let you know that I am not sure anymore if the soundfile was wrong renamed in the past. It is sure that it is a whale sample but I am not sure if it is a spermwhale

Look here for comments in an other post
From where com the original alien and predator sounds - Avid Audio Forums

It sorted out that the growl effect has be done with mouth.


Ale