Blog #52 - Stormtrooper Tutorial

Sith Holocron

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This original version of this tutorial I found ages ago on the Massassi Temple site. It was written by Tobbi Dala and the original version of the tutorial can be found through this link. What I've done here is to do some minor spelling corrections, add new pictures that show the tutorial using the most current version of Goldwave (the main program used in this tutorial) as of 20APR2017, and to provide new permanent links to 2 audio files needed for the tutorial.

 

After the large tutorial quote, I'll be showing examples in this tutorial in action. I asked Zhaboka to record some lines that would be used to illustrate the tutorial in action and he was kind enough to assist. (Zhaboka's line replaces the line that the original tutorial grabbed from Mysteries of the Sith.)

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So, you are tired of the Stormtrooper's dialogue, or it just doesn’t fit the action of say your new cutscene? Well then, you are fortunate! Fiddling around with various sound software the other day, I finally discovered a way to make a normal sounding sound file have that filtered sound of a stormtrooper. Now I’m sure that some of you already know how to do this, but I had never gotten my stormtrooper sounds to be this precise. Also included are ways of making garbled radio chatter like the x-wing pilots in Star Wars: ANH, and an easy way of making sure your new WAVs have the correct header when saving it. So - without further ado - here’s some tips on how to make your own filtered WAVs:
OK, you need a program for this. It is a sound editor called Goldwave, you can download here. Now remember that this sound editor is a shareware program, you can use all the fancy stuff, save your stuff and so on, but it shuts down after you have used it for a while. Not a problem though, just open it again. :D

 

Remember, if you’re going to buy an audio shareware prog, this is it.
I have mostly all of the fancy sound stuff out there, but this one is still my favorite since the days of Dark Forces because it can handle a variety of sound formats including Dark Forces VOC files.

 

Note: For this Tutorial, I’m using Goldwave version 6.27. And I’m using sounds from both “Jedi Knight” (JK) and “Mysteries of the Sith” (MOTS), since the stormtroopers in MOTS don’t have any "clicking" sounds when they speak mysteriously enough...
1. Grab i00s111z.WAV from here.
2. Grab Sample.WAV from here. (This is our unfiltered test line - provided by Zhaboka.)
3. Open them both up in Goldwave, and this is what you should see:

 

e3sNSqZ.png

 

4.Select the unfiltered sample - Sample.WAV - which we will making into a Stormtrooper. Access the "Effects" pull-down menu from the top toolbar. Now choose "Filter", followed by "Bandpass/stop"
This is the filter that you will use:
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5. For this particular WAV file, change the presets as shown. Just set it to "Dynamic" and the steepness to 2, that should do it. Now these variables vary on other sound files, you are going to have to experiment with them yourself. And there are loads of other FX you can come up with, com radio chatter and so on. I myself managed to fix up a filter that sounded exactly like the Rebel pilots garbled radio communications with each other on the attack of the death star. I’ll show you how to do that further down.

 

OK, take a listen to the new rebel commando WAV - it sounds like a Stormtrooper, right? Well, almost. First, we have to polish it up a bit. Select this part of the i00s111z.WAV, copy it and use "paste at beginning" on the Sample.WAV, like this:

 

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6. This lets the our new Stormtrooper WAV have those clicking sounds that are missing from our Sample line. Repeat it with the end "click" noise from the i00s111z.WAV file, like this:

 

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Highlight the whole section by pressing "CTRL" and "A" and - for this sample - save as "result"

 

There you go, with the filter laid and both clicking sounds, the end result should look something like this:

 

o6syt6f.png

 

OK, that should be it! You may find it a bit too quiet, so did I. that's easy to fix though. Just raise the volume of it in Goldwave. :D

 

Oh yeah, the garbled X-Wing radio communications a la Star Wars: A New Hope ... which makes the sounds a bit Wobbly. (Watch the film again, if you can’t remember! :D )
That's another filter called "Mechanize." To access "Mechanize", once again go to the "Effects" pull-down menu from the top toolbar. Now choose "Filter", followed by "Bandpass/stop" I recommend testing which Modulator you wish to use: Sine, Triangle, or Square.

 

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This one is easier to apply, but harder to get it right, since there are fewer options. On some sounds, you have to use another filter to make them more radio-like.
GoldleaderGoingIn.wav here was a Stormtrooper WAV which I used mechanize quality 20 on. Since it already had a radio-ish quality to it, it sounded exactly like the rebels
in A New Hope.

 

Well, that's it really. Experiment wildly, as the results can be weird! :D

 

Happy editing!

 


Now here's what the sound files sound like - so you can hear it for yourself! The lines will first appear without the filter and then with the filter.

 


Special Thanks to:

 

Tobbi Dala (of Massassi Temple), the original creator of the tutorial.
Zhaboka: For recording new lines.
HK-47: To extracting the line as it appeared on the original tutorial. Though it wasn't used here - as I used Zhaboka's new lines instead - the effort was and is most appreciated.

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So you'd need the full version or would you be able to do this with the demo?

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There's probably a limit of how many times you could do this with the trial version.  Care to test how far you go with the trial version for us?

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There's probably a limit of how many times you could do this with the trial version.  Care to test how far you go with the trial version for us?

I may indeed, but not yet. I'm also unconvinced I want to replicate this filter. I'm trying to imitate a helmet sound effect, not a stormtrooper comlink. 

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You could skip the copy and paste portions of the tutorial and see how that sounds as well. Making the attempt and checking the results in-game will provide you with results you can witness for yourself without bias.

 

I'll probably be amending this tutorial to show how you can run a batch of sound files through just the filtering part.

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So you want to do a large batch of sound files using the same filter?  What we'll need to do first is to make a preset.
 
Presets store settings, parameters, and shapes for quick retrieval the next time the effect or command is used. Most effects have a Default preset, which can be changed so that the same settings are used every time the effect window is shown. See Options | Window for a setting to automatically update the Default whenever an effect is used.

Making a Preset

To add a new preset:

  • Open a pre-existing sound file that you don't care if gets altered.  Alternatively, either create a new one or make a copy of one you can't bear to lose. You have to have a file that can be altered in order to put in a new preset.
  • Enter in all the new parameters and/or draw the new shape. Use this guide as an example.

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  • Type in a new name - where it currently says "Default" - for the preset in the drop down list. (Let's choose "Stormtrooper Filter" as the title.) This name should be the same as one currently in the list unless you intend to replace it. 
  • Choose the Add ZyGNkO5.png file button.

So now you have a new Bandstop/Pass filter.  So what's next?  Here's where I explain how to run a batch of files through the filter.  Batch Processing is a powerful tool for processing and converting a set of files automatically.

Use Batch Processing to:

  • Compress all your .wav files to .mp3 to save disk space
  • Convert iTunes .m4a to .mp3 for playback on any portable audio player, USB flash drive for you car or TV, etc.
  • Adjust volume levels of all your songs so some songs aren't louder than others
  • Update file information, metadata, tags
  • Remove pops/clicks, equalize, and maximize volume levels to restore all your old vinyl albums or tape recordings
  • Insert or append an audio leader or trailer in a set of files
  • Create a comprehensive list of effects and edits that you use frequently so you can apply them to files currently opened in GoldWave in a few clicks

Each tab contains settings to configure edits and effects, conversions, destination folder, and file information. These are explained below.
When everything is configured, you can use the preset controls to save all the settings, then choose the Begin button to start processing all the files. A status window will appear showing the progress and listing any errors that occur.
Files are processed one at a time in the order they are listed. Each file is processed as follows:

  • Click on File on toolbar, then choose Batch Processing.  Like this:

XECSH28.png

  • Choose your files on the Source tab.
  • Effects and editing commands are executed in the order they appear on the Process tab. This is the area where we add the Stormtrooper Filter.
  • On the Process tab, click the I7ND1U9.png button.
  • Click Goldwave button and scroll down to . . . 

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  • Then click this P1y96vf.png and then click Add. Then click Close.
  • The file is converted, compressed, or encoded into the file type and attributes specified on the Convert tab and saved in the destination folder specified on the Destination tab.
  • The original file is overwritten or deleted only if that option is selected on the Destination tab.
  • Optional: File information can be changed based on the settings on the Information tab. The Information tab enables you to add information to a MP3 such as the track title, Artist, Album, Genre, etc.
  • Now you're ready to run the batch. Click Begin.
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If anyone winds up actually using this, would you kindly post a YouTube video of the filtered lines in action? Thanks!

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I will definitely use this one day. When I do I'll put a video up on YouTube and link it here. Thanks SH! 

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Once I get confirmation from users that they've used the above information to their satisfaction, I'll combine my entries and post this in the Tutorial section. I think this community needs new tutorials.

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