Cartoons of the 1980s drew from a vast library of sound effects that can be traced all the way back to classic science fiction movies of the 1950s and 60s. Some of my favorites are listed below for your listening pleasure.
beamsound1 -- Typical laser sound
explosion5 -- Electrical burst
laser1 -- Heard often in M.A.S.K.
laser7 -- The source for this sound is the Martian heat-ray from the 1953 movie "War of the Worlds" that has been sped up
laser12 -- One of my favorite sound effects, the sound used for the Cobra lasers in G.I. Joe
laser13 -- Another Cobra laser sound effect
lasers -- Rapid fire
machinesound -- Usually used for heavy machinery being moved into position or powering up
machinesound2 -- Used for automatic doors and rotating pieces of equipment
warp1 -- Often used for magical effects