Star Wars Music Minute Chrysanthe Tan

📣 This episode was published during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn't exist. If you want to support the cause, consider donating to the Entertainment Community Fund, which provides financial aid to industry workers. There's also a Google doc that lists a variety of funds you can donate to, including a pizza fund for the various strike locations and a water fund for strikers at the hot Disney lot.
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In minutes 11-15 of The Rise of Skywalker, we see Rey training in the jungle of Ajan Kloss under the light guidance of General Leia Organa; Kylo and Rey have their first Force chat of the film; and Rey reunites with Poe and Finn. Star Wars author and Rey aficionado Riley Silverman is here with me to discuss Rey's epic "training suite" theme, Leia's as a "lowercase j" jedi, shortcuts in music and filmmaking, and more!
 
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
1:43 - Leia as a lowercase "j" jedi
6:40 - End of the lightspeed skipping scene.
8:51 - Shortcuts. Re-using the Martial Chords/Holst Chords from the Death Star blow-up scene in ANH.
17:56 - Peaceful soundscape of Rey training on Ajan Kloss.
20:58 - "Leia Trains Rey" – new incidental motif – a tender string line.
26:31 - Mishearing the Rey/Leia conversation in theaters.
32:46 - Rey's pump-up training suite is reminiscent of Luke's lifestyle montage on Ahch-To (in TLJ minutes 21-25).
39:33 - Imperial March and Kylo Ren's Aggressive theme with one note out of place.
44:10 - Music raising the stakes during Rey's training. Duelistic Strings (incidental motif). Kylo's intrusion.
49:46 - Awesome sound design in Rey/Kylo's concurrent flashbacks.
1:00:14 - Rey studies ancient texts. Independent Jedi Study. Continuity from TLJ to TROS.
1:10:57 - Poe and Rey bicker like divorced (but still good) co-parents.
1:22:47 - Final thoughts about these minutes and TROS as a whole.
1:34:53 - SWMM Questionnaire
1:45:09 - Where to find Riley's books.
Things to Check Out:
Holst: Mars (from The Planets) - https://youtu.be/UJbEgyhx1ng
Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/
Musical Themes:
Martial Chords
Force
Rey A (Theme A-Phrase)
Leia Trains Rey
Rey B (Chimes)
Imperial March (Theme)
Kylo Ren A (Aggressive)
Duelistic Strings
Where are we in the soundtrack?:
End of FYC 2. "Falcon Flight"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
New: Wondrous space magic.
Previous: Epic space magic.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
New: How many different people are involved in the process of putting music in the film? Who has the final say?
Previous: How many different screams are there? How do people go about designing music for a scene or character in the first place? Writers start with a blank page and somehow use words to convey scenes; what is the musical/sound version of that process like?
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
New: Across the Spider-Verse (composed by Daniel Pemberton)
Previous: Gentlemen Jack (composed by Murray Gold), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (composed by Danny Elfman). Doctor Who.
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Guest: Riley Silverman
Check out all of Riley's Star Wars books: https://www.rileysilverman.com/books
Star Wars: Exploring Tatooine: An Illustrated Guide
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: Treasures from Batuu
Star Wars: The Life Day Pop-Up Book and Advent Calendar

The She Series Book (Riley wrote essays for Lucille Ball and Marsha P. Johnson): https://www.etsy.com/listing/1448145344/the-she-series-book
Riley is on BlueSky, Threads, and Twitter as rileysilverman or rileyjsilverman
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⭐️ Join the Discord server by becoming a patron at any level! https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan
Leave a voice message, and I might play it on the s

📣 This episode was published during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn't exist. If you want to support the cause, consider donating to the Entertainment Community Fund, which provides financial aid to industry workers. There's also a Google doc that lists a variety of funds you can donate to, including a pizza fund for the various strike locations and a water fund for strikers at the hot Disney lot.
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In minutes 6-10 of The Rise of Skywalker, Palpatine has a chat with Kylo Ren, Poe and Finn lose a game of Dejarik to Chewie, a spy gives the Resistance information, and the Falcon lightspeed skips to evade TIE fighters. Klaudia Amenábar of RuPalp's Podrace returns to the show to discuss the Resistance polycule, octatonic brass, Exegol sound design, and more!
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
3:43 - Listening to the beginning of these minutes.
8:21 - The "Palpatine" in Rey's theme.
24:49 - Trio of characters interacting for the first time.
28:31 - David Acord and Matthew Wood explaining the sound design of Exegol.
40:11 - Exegol lightning compared to Force lightning.
49:44 - Quibble about the physical descriptions of characters in Star Wars books.
53:52 - The Rise of Skywalker polycule.
1:01:07 - Octatonic planing horns.
1:09:51 - Why do we hear the Emperor's theme when we see TIE fighters?
1:17:54 - Rebel Fanfare (planing triads), March of the Resistance, lightspeed skipping.
1:24:40 - John Williams loves/hates us (violinists).
1:32:54 - SWMM Questionnaire
Things to Check Out:
Klaudia's blog post/newsletter about Trigun: https://buttondown.email/klaudiascorner/archive/trigun-is-better-than-cowboy-bebop-not-clickbait/
Interview about the Trigun Stampede soundtrack: https://www.japanaradio.com/node/98
The album for season 1 is in two parts:
https://open.spotify.com/album/0tNFMwQRWZkDuxxhbrBZti
https://open.spotify.com/album/6csNXzQg2Eq9qRexsVT2s8

Solo 8: Dolby Atmos Train Heist (Minutes 36-40 with Klaudia Amenábar) - https://youtu.be/ofMbtzYWYD0
Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/
Musical Themes:
Imperial March (Theme)
Kylo Ren A (Aggressive)
Emperor
March of the Resistance (A Section)
Rebel Fanfare
Where are we in the soundtrack?:
OST 2. "Journey to Exegol"
FYC 2. "Falcon Flight"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
New: Poetic. Epic. Hopeful.
Previous: Poetic. Epic. Inspiring.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
New: How are certain sound design choices made? Which decisions come from the producers vs. sound designers, etc? How is the sound design process different across the various types of Star Wars media?
Previous: The stories behind how various bits of music ended up in the films/shows. "How did that get there?"
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
New: TRIGUN STAMPEDE (anime series composed by Tatsuya Kato)
Previous: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (composed by Joe Hisaishi)
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Guest: Klaudia Amenábar
RuPalp's Podrace: https://rupalps-podrace-a-queer-star-wars-podcast.simplecast.com/
The Mystery Spotcast: A Supernatural Rewatch: https://the-mystery-spotcast-a-supernatural-rewatch.simplecast.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kaludiasays
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@kaludiasays
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/kaludiasays
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Join the Discord server by becoming a patron at any level! https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan
Leave a voice message, and I might play it on the show...   https://starwarsmusicminute.com/comlink
Where else to find SWMM:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/StarWarsMusMin
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/652WVfMTLwJpVZ82i8uhFA
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/star-wars-music-minute/id1552988763
YouTube: https:/

This is an introduction to the music of THE RISE OF SKYWALKER with an emphasis on the first 5 minutes. In the episode, I also go over my aims for this season of Star Wars Music Minute, talk about balancing meta-commentary and media-commentary, and share my favorite thing about the TROS score.

Mastering engineer and film music restoration expert Chris Malone joins Xanthe for the season finale to talk about all things Empire Strikes Back soundtrack. We cover a ton of ground, from analog recording technology and methodology to the unique issues affecting The Empire Strikes Back releases. This episode contains many visuals, including spectogram displays that allow us to see tangible differences between various mixes.
This episode is also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DVwqsZ9Wv60 
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
5:08 - Do you have one of these Empire Strikes Back soundtrack albums?
12:25 - Film music is recorded to part of the film. There wasn't always an expectation to produce a separate soundtrack album.
18:04 - When, where, and how the Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back scores were recorded. Terminology: 35mm magnetic film, magnetic tape, sprockets, tape machine, magnetic oxide particles, 50Hz tone, reproducer.
24:09 - Using magnetic film for synchronization. Limitations of the tape technology.
33:51 - John Williams editing together multiple takes with Ken Wannberg.
46:05 - What is a 24-track tape? Why does the width of tape matter?
49:58 - What is a live mix, and why is it an important reference for the ESB soundtrack albums?
1:02:53 - Listening to minutes 126-128 (end of the End Title music) while looking at the spectral frequency display.
1:10:27 - Diagonal splices.
1:23:07 - Different version of the Imperial March in the End Credits.
1:37:39 - Differences between the original ESB soundtrack and the Special Edition release.
1:57:37 - Comparison example: "Hyperspace" track on the 4CD and Special Edition releases. Listening for the violin presence and spatial movement of the horns and trombones.
2:09:17 - More spectogram comparisons: "City in the Clouds" and last note of the "Main Title."
2:21:21 - Applying the Hippocratic Oath to score restoration.
2:30:00 - If something was recorded in mono, should it stay mono?
2:40:31 - When it comes to restoring a film score, which sorts of recording artifacts is the engineer trying to correct?
2:42:21 - Example of "wow."
2:48:02 - Flutter.
2:53:13 - Why Chris champions the CD as an audio format.
3:01:21 - What type of gear does Chris use when listening to/analyzing music? (Question from Alex Cunningham)
3:12:06 - Was the ARP 2600 synthesizer overdubbed or recorded with the orchestra for the Empire Strikes Back soundtrack? (Question from Ender Smith)
3:13:58 - What has the transition to digital production done for Star Wars? (Question from Fr. David Mowry)
3:18:14 - Differences between the original 1954 20th Century Fox Fanfare and the one John Williams re-recorded for ESB.
3:20:28 - Eric Tomlinson's technique for recording punchy-sounding brass.
3:25:02 - The original trilogy scores (especially The Empire Strikes Back) could sound 1000x better than they sound on any of the current releases. What might prevent it from happening?
3:28:49 - The 2018 Disney releases of the Original Trilogy (the albums that are on Spotify).
3:39:03 - SWMM Questionnaire
Things to Check Out:
Cinematic Sound Radio's 2-part interview with Chris Malone: http://www.cinematicsound.net/interview-with-chris-malone/
The Goldsmith Odyssey's interview with Chris Malone: https://goldsmithodyssey.buzzsprout.com/159614/4802774-odyssey-interviews-chris-malone
Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/.
Cues:
12M3 "Finale"
Musical Themes:
Imperial March (Theme)
Imperial March (Vamp)
Han & Leia (A)
Han & Leia (B) - Theme Form 1 (1980)
Where are we in the soundtrack?:
"The Rebel Fleet/End Title"
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Star Wars Music Minute Questionnaire:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
Simply the best. Thematic orchestral richness. Well of richness.
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
Everything there is to learn about the first three scores (1977, 1980, 1983). How

Chrysanthe covers minutes 121-125, answers listener questions, and shares their 30 takeaways, trends, surprises, and highlights from The Empire Strikes Back season of Star Wars Music Minute. This is part 1 of a 2-part season finale! 📹 YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/RoEzVlLUFt8  ⭐️ Patreon/Discord server: https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan  ----------- Timestamps: 0:00 - Hello there! 1:51 - Minutes 121-125. 23:47 - 30 takeaways, trends, surprises, & highlights from this season. 1:55:06 - Listener questions. 1:55:24 What new tools, techniques, approaches, or critical lenses did you encounter this season? 1:59:46 Do you think the Death Star and/or Imperials motif should have returned for ESB? 2:02:59 - The critical consensus remains that ESB is the best Star Wars film. Is it the best sounding Star Wars film too? 2:03:39 - How did the (music) writing change from ANH to ESB, and what surprised you the most about it? 2:07:30 - What kinds of guests and/or voices do you want on future seasons of the show? 2:12:08 - How did you go about arranging the dense "Asteroid Field" cue? 2:36:20 - In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like (according to all the guests this season)? 2:39:15 - Acknowledgements Things to Check Out: Dominic Sewell Music on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/dominicsewellmusic Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/. Cues: 12M2 "To Hyper-Space" 12M3 "Finale" Musical Themes: Force Han & Leia (A) Main Theme (A Section) Rebel Fanfare Descending Heroic Tetrachords Yoda (A Section) Yoda (B Section) Imperial March (Theme) Imperial March (Vamp) Where are we in the soundtrack?: "Yoda And The Force" "The Rebel Fleet/End Title" --------------- STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE: 1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like? ESB answer: Filigree, fanfares, flow. SOLO answer: Intricate orchestral storytelling. ANH answer: The Cosmic Force. 2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about? ESB answer: Is there an internal "sonic style guide" at Lucasfilm or Skywalker Sound that's specific to Star Wars? I mean even things like relative loudness of music and dialogue, a specific protocol for mic'ing or looping in aliens, etc. Especially curious if there's anything in the Star Wars style guide that goes against current industry norms. SOLO answer: The working relationship between the composer and music editor. ANH answer: I'm curious about how other people experience and engage with the music of Star Wars, on both a macro and micro level. I want to know how other people are making sense of it or analyzing it with frameworks different than mine. Basically, I'm interested in doing what this podcast already gives me the excuse to do -- talk to people about Star Wars music. 3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars? ESB answer: E.T. (John Williams) SOLO answer: Moonrise Kingdom ANH answer: There Will Be Blood (Jonny Greenwood) ------- Patreon: https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan  Twitter: https://twitter.com/StarWarsMusMin YouTube: https://youtube.com/starwarsmusicminute TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@starwarsmusicminute? Instagram: https://instagram.com/starwarsmusicminute Email: podcast@starwarsmusicminute.com Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin

Justin Leo Kennedy is back for another sound design deep-dive! 🎉 Today, it's all about R2-D2. Using a virtual ARP 2600 synth emulator and a recording of his baby crying, Justin attempts to reverse-engineer Ben Burtt's iconic Artoo beepspeak, teaching us a lot about sound synthesis along the way. 
We also discuss minutes 116-120 of The Empire Strikes Back, which feature two of Justin's other favorite sounds –the Millennium Falcon's hyperdrive failure and Artoo's scream.
Check out the YouTube version of this episode to follow along with the live demonstration! https://youtu.be/4crbLjDl5zg 
Timestamps:
0:00 - Hello there!
10:48 - You may recognize this music from when we were on Hoth.
18:19 - Added Vader scene that cuts into a cue.
39:37 - Little motifs and punctuation sprinkled throughout the orchestra.
44:37 - Cloud City visual comparisons. (This is the timestamp I promised, audio listeners!)
46:43 - Hyperdrive malfunction sound design.
53:47 - Semiotics.
1:03:23 - Band Batch shoutout.
1:14:50 - R2D2 sound design deep dive begins.
1:19:42 - Introduction to the ARP 2600 and ARP 2600 plugin/emulator (It wasn't showing up on screen yet).
1:29:25 - It's showing up now!
1:30:00 - Tour of the virtual ARP 2600.
1:39:43 - Recording of Justin's baby crying.
1:49:03 - Closer examination of the modular synth, patch cable routing, oscillators. Justin's 3 attempts at making the R2 sound.
1:58:41 - Justin's third and best attempt at making the Artoo sound.
2:00:38 - Modulating the speed of the sample and hold with a low frequency oscillator (LFO).
2:09:30 - Shoutout to anyone who is still listening.
2:19:46 - Yearning Vader and heartbroken Luke.
2:33:17 - Artoo's scream.
2:43:44 - SWMM Questionnaire.
2:53:05 - Shoutout to Justin Scheid.
Things Mentioned:
Cherry Audio Arp 2600 plugin: https://cherryaudio.com/products/ca2600
ESB 22: An Editor's Film (Minutes 106-110 with Dan Golding) - https://youtu.be/cdNMS0dVI54
ESB 4: Snowspeeder Macroharmony (Minutes 16-20 with Jennifer Harding) - https://youtu.be/nnflnU9iecM
ESB 16: Attack of the Envelope (Minutes 76-80 with Jeremy Sawruk) - https://youtu.be/b0tIuc_2fkc
Artful Design: Technology in Search of the Sublime (Ge Wang): https://artful.design/
ESB 1: The First Five Minutes of Empire (Minutes 1-5) - https://youtu.be/c58MO8zcneY
Solo 24: Better Call Maul (Minutes 116-120 with Band Batch) - https://youtu.be/4C2IUmCxr4I
Video of Ben Burtt demonstrating Artoo's sound, but it's not zoomed in: "How sound designer Ben Burtt made Star Wars’ iconic sound effects" (Roadtrip Nation) https://youtu.be/WBKKXjNf1sE
Blast Points Podcast episode about the ESB mono mix: https://blastpointspodcast.com/2019/07/10/episode-178-the-mono-mix-strikes-back/
Daft Punk breakup video "Epilogue" - https://youtu.be/DuDX6wNfjqc
Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/.
Cues:
12M1 "Losing A Hand"
Musical Themes:
Pseudo Bald Mountain motif
Dark Side (Melody)
Dark Side (Ostinato)
Leia
Droids
Imperial March (Theme)
Main Theme (A Section)
Where are we in the soundtrack?:
"Rescue from Cloud City/Hyperspace"
"Yoda And The Force"
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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:
1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?
New answer: mrrrm mrrrm mrawww. R2D2 beeping sounds.
Previous answer: pwsh vrrrrum shhpt
2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?
New answer: More about the recording sessions. What kind of relationship did John Williams have with the engineers? What was it like in that studio? What kinds of conversations took place?
Previous answer: "Duel of the Fates" orchestration.
3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?
New answer: TRON (composed by Wendy Carlos)
Previous answer: I, Robot (composed by Marco Beltrami), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) (composed by John Du Prez), Spirited Away (composed by Joe Hisaishi)
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Justin Leo Kenn