SoundDroid
This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (August 2017) ) |
The SoundDroid is an early
History
Catmull built an in-house project to produce 3 specific digital tools for filmmaking--an image compositor, a nonlinear picture editor, and a digital audio workstation. Experts were drafted to lead each project, and Catmull hired James A. Moorer, at the time one of the leading figures in the new realm of digital audio.
The audio project that became SoundDroid was done in close collaboration with the
In the early 1980s the audio signal processor (ASP) was tested to solve a number of post production problems. Noteworthy was the development of noise subtraction where a "fingerprint" of recorded noise could be subtracted from an audio wave, resulting in an otherwise-impossible cleaning. This was used on the Milos Foreman film
Moorer developed an acoustic logo for the SoundDroid, a sound that would run through all the frequencies and spin through a range of speakers and would be dramatic. The SoundDroid development was closely aligned with the TAP/THX program at Lucasfilm to improve movie theater sound and experience. The sound Moorer invented for THX he called "Deep Note." It was the sound played by the SoundDroid when it was booted up.
Deposits for SoundDroids were taken from a few big players in digital audio--Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson-- but only one SoundDroid prototype was ever built and the product was never commercialized.
EditDroid and SoundDroid were the beginnings of the desktop tools digital revolution.
The executive team at The Droid Works left Lucasfilm in 1986 to start
Capabilities
Complete with a trackball, touch-sensitive displays, moving faders, and a jog-shuttle wheel, the SoundDroid included programs for sound synthesis, digital reverberation, recording, editing and mixing.
References
- ISBN 0-937404-67-5.
Sources
- Kunkes, Michael (January 1, 2006), Digital Dreamcatcher: Droidmaker Chronicles the Early Years of Lucasfilm, The Motion Picture Editor Guild, archived from the original on June 13, 2016.
- Leider, Colby (2004). Digital Audio Workstation: Mixing, Recording, and Mastering on Your Mac Or PC. McGraw-Hill. p. 398. ISBN 0-07-142286-2.
- Rubin, Michael (2005). Droidmaker: George Lucas and the Digital Revolution. Triad. p. 518. ISBN 0-937404-67-5.
- Tracy, Eleanor Johnson (1985), "Droids for Sale: Star Wars' George Lucas is pushing new technology", Fortune, CNN.