
Direct url to thx sound test video movie#
It encompases everything from the quality of the speakers, to the quality of the acoustics, to the quality of the picture - almost everything about the movie going experience. It’s all about how a movie is played back to an audience. It has nothing to do with how sound is recorded. Tom Holman was the engineer in charge of research for this new endeavor.and to be clear THX is not a system for encoding or decoding audio. Taken loosely from George Lucas' student film, THX 1–138, sometimes called, at least in house, it was called Tom Holman's experiment. This time insisting that, to be able to show his new film, theaters would have to go a step further - and become THX certified.Īndy: And that's where THX came from. Because of this rock star status, Lucas was able to use his weight and influence again. The first 160 or so theaters that played Star Wars, did so on Dolby Stereo.īy the time Return of the Jedi was in production, Star Wars was a cultural phenomenon and George Lucas was a filmmaking rock star. George Lucas insisted that if you wanted the 70 millimeter first run of Star Wars, you had to put Dolby Stereo in your theater.Īndy: And that was exactly what happened. So he knew something had to change.Īndy: George Lucas liked to use his muscle if you will, when bringing out a new film. Before the release of the original Star Wars, it was still common for a lot of movie theaters to have a basic mono sound system. A standard, by which we can measure the theaters and we can assure that the sound sounds the same in the theater as it does in the mixing theater when the artists were mixing it.īut this wasn’t the first time George Lucas had used his influence to change the cinematic experience. Look, let's invent something, or let's come up with a system. Of the three speakers he found, one was disconnected, one had fallen over, and the other one was turned around backwards. So there should be three speakers behind the big screen.

The sound systems of the day consisted of left, center, right and surround. In the early 80s he was the head of the Digital Audio Department in the Lucasfilm Computer Division.Īndy: When they got there, they were a bit horrified. They were scouting theaters in San Francisco for the debut of Empire Strikes Back and they went to a well-known theater, one of the old majestic theaters, to make sure that the sound system was okay. If It wasn’t for George Lucas.Īndy: For Empire Strikes Back, George Lucas also hired an audio engineer, besides myself, Tom Holman. In 1980, that type of bad theater sound might have been what you experienced as Darth Vader revealed that he was Luke Skywalker’s father. Luke: He told me you killed him.ĭarth Vader: No, I am your father. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father. Still, before we dive into what’s behind that sound, let’s imagine what movies might sound like without THX.ĭarth Vader: If you only knew the power of the dark side. The visual is mainly a three-letter logo. If you’ve been to the movies any time since 1983 it’s likely that you’ve encountered the announcement that your theater is THX certified. The stories behind the world’s most recognizable and interesting sounds. You’re listening to Twenty Thousand Hertz. Soon the previews are over, and the lights fade out completely. You’re settling into your seat - it's one of the nice ones with a headrest, and it leans back - you’ve managed to balance your popcorn on the arm rest. To get your 20K referral link and earn rewards, visit 20k.org/refer.Ĭheck out for all of your file sending needs! Our website is 20k.org.Ĭonsider supporting the show at. The Weight of it All (Instrumental) - Kaleigh BakerĢ0K is made out of the studios of Defacto Sound and hosted by Dallas Taylor.įollow the show on Twitter & Facebook. Southern Queen (Instrumental) - Lost Terra



What is THX really? How was “The Deep Note” created? And why does it elicit such a reaction from those who hear it? Featuring Andy Moorer, creator of “The Deep Note” and global director of marketing for THX, Rob Cowles. The accompanying sound logo called “The Deep Note” has fascinated, terrified, and mystified audiences for over three decades. Since 1983 one of the most memorable parts of going to the movies has been the THX certification played during the previews. This episode was written & produced by Kevin Edds.
