Have you ever wondered why Anime Magical Girl animes such as Sailor Moon and Pretty Cure's transformations are so iconic? In addition to the fantastic and diverse soundtrack, the sound effects are on equal par to give such a smooth and satisfying effect.
This blog delves into the iconic sound design characteristics and identifies the sonic palette of Anime Magical Girl's transformation sound effects. If you want to design the sounds for your transformation animation or video game but need help figuring out how to get started, here are some tips and tricks!
Table of Content
6 Primary Sound Categories of Anime Magical Girl
Biggest Challenge And How To Solve Them
In Summary
6 Primary Sound Categories of Anime Magical Girl
While listening to the sounds of Sailor Moon and Pretty Cure from the early 1990s to the recent 2010s, we identified a recurring sonic palette that can be categorized into six primary categories:
1. Melody Phrases (Arpeggios, one-shots, 'casino'-like loops, slightly detuned at times)
2. Chimes & Shimmers (the most vital layer in magic sound design)
3. Wind, Whooshes, Risers, & Downers
4. Magic Sparkles (Bright and sharp sound, with lots of reverbs and delays)
5. Glissando (Ether sliding upwards or downwards usually with harps or synths)
6. Magic Accents (Impactful and heavy, with lots of reverbs and delays)
Among these categories, the most notable aspect of Sailor Moon's transformation is its distinct musical sound effects, particularly the melody phrases.
Let's hear some examples of the transformation in the 6 categories.
More YouTube examples:
Sailor Moon (90's Anime) All transformations
Sailor Moon Crystal All transformations
In comparison, Sailor Moon in the early 1990s was more melodic and tonal than the newer 2020s Sailor Moon Series, which featured more shimmers and subtler, more melodic with their magic attacks. The musical aspect (melodic phrases) of these anime's magical girl sound designs made them stand out most uniquely from other anime magic sound designs.
These melodic phrases are not new to Sailor Moon and have been around in both Himitsu No Akko-Chan, which premiered in 1969, and Cutie Honey, which premiered in 1973. This music aspect is the most iconic sound effect of any magical girl's sound design!
Biggest Challenge And How To Solve Them
The melodic phrases aspect of sound design might be challenging to design if you don't have a background in music theory. Your musical sound effects might clash with the music's key, producing a dissonance uncomfortable to the ear instead of a smooth, satisfying sound.
Here's what I mean
In this video, the first melodic sound effects (purple) are in the Bb key, and the music is in the G key.There is a slight clash in the harmony.
However, after bringing down the Bb KEY SFX down three semi-tones, it is now in G Key (green). It sounds much more harmonious when I pitch-shifted it down. The second example highlights the same issue.
There are two steps I took to fix this situation! (You will have to equip yourself with some basic music scale theory) Thankfully, there are online tools to help us determine keys if you do not have a perfect pitch like us!
First, I upload an MP3 file to Song Key Finder to find the music track or phrase's key.
Second, you determine the note of the sound effect using the Online Chromatic Tuner. Although this method may not be 100% accurate, it enables you to find the dominant key of any song or phrase.
After seeing the song and note keys, you can transpose sound effects to match the music's key—preferably the major scale's 1st or 5th degree. In my video example, I transposed it three semi-tones down to the 1st degree of the G major scale. Now is the time when your basic music scale theory will help!
However, if the sound effects are too stretched out and filled with artifacts after the transposition, you probably have to generate the melodies to fit the background music. As you continue reading, we will provide some basic tips and tricks for you to start creating melodic sound effects! For this pack, we created many melodies from Serum and Arturia. It is almost like composing music, but the possibilities are endless!
Recommended music notes to use:
Here are two recommended major scales we found handy for creating melodic phrases and glissandos: The major scale and the major pentatonic scale.
1) The major scale is one of Western music's most fundamental and widely used scales. It sounds bright and cheerful. Notes that we recommend to use from a major scale are major scale's 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th degrees. These notes sound harmonious and pleasant.
2) The major pentatonic scale is versatile and works well in many different keys. It consists of five notes, typically the major scale's 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th degrees. Because of its construction, it tends to sound harmonious and pleasing to the ear, making it suitable for various musical contexts. Its simplicity and versatility make it popular for melody lines, solos, and improvisation in many different keys. On a major pentatonic scale, Glissando works fine in most song keys.
In Summary
To create sound effects for anime magical girl transformations, understanding the six primary sound categories is crucial, including melody phrases, chimes/shimmers, wind whooshes, magic sparkles, glissando, and magic accents.
Our sound design session in Pro Tools
The biggest challenge often lies in avoiding harmony clashes between the sound effects and background music. This can be solved by transposing sound effects to match the music's key, preferably using online tools for accuracy, or by generating melodies that fit seamlessly with the background music, utilizing recommended major scales or pentatonic scales for harmonious results.
By following these principles, you can design transformative sound effects that evoke the magical essence of iconic series like Sailor Moon and Pretty Cure, enhancing the overall impact of the transformation sequences.
If not, you can also use our Anime Magical Girl sound effects pack to get started!
Anime Magical Girl Sound effects pack
Here are the sounds divided into 6 categories
Search for the keywords in the filename or prefix listed under each category. Do note that some sounds may fall under 2 categories!
Filename example: AMG_MELODY_Arpeggio_01, AMG_MAGIC_Poof_Melody_01
CAT 1 Keyword: Melody Phrases
'MELODY'
CAT 2 Keyword: Chimes & Shimmers
'CHIMES' & 'SHIMMER'
CAT 3 Keyword: Wind, Whooshes, Risers & Downers
'WHOOSH', 'RISER' & 'DOWNER'CAT 4 Keyword: Magic Sparkles
'SPARKLES'
CAT 5 Keyword: Glissando
'GLISS UP', 'GLISS DOWN', & 'GLISS UP DOWN'
CAT 6 Keyword: Magic Accents
'ALERT', 'CAST', 'MAGIC', 'TRANSFORM' & 'EXPLOSION'
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