Michael Fremer, supervisor of music and sound effects for TRON, took time during the production of the Disney filn to describe his department's application of micro computers (the Atari 800 and the Apple II Plus) and other more sophisticated equipment to sound and music editing. Early in the production, Fremer was quick to realize that the unique visual landscape offered by TRON was every bit as challenging for his department as for the animators, since special sounds would have to be created to fit the fantastic style of the computer and animation produced backgrounds and characters.
Research on TRON's audio effects began in July 1981. "My first consideration was budget," Michael Fremer explains. "The studio gave us a budget which reflected what would be necessary for any ordinary film. But there was nothing ordinary or normal about TRON, so that put me in kind of a bind. All of our sounds had to be created from scratch rather than pulled from stock. We had to create aural effects for a newly-created electronic world, so we've had to invent sounds for everything, from the footsteps on up."
While the right sound with the right visual can create a compelling sense of reality, the wrong sound can completely undermine that reality. In a pure fantasy situation like TRON, this distinction is crucial.
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