The distinctive synthesized crescendo that is THX’s audio trademark is one of the most iconic sounds in all of film and for their 35th anniversary, they’ve now shared the sheet music behind the sound.
George Lucas started THX with audio scientist Tomlinson Holman in 1982 to work on a set of standards for movie-theater audio and video, in a move that also led to the creation of Lucas’ audio company Skywalker Sound.
In 35 yrs we have NEVER shown this! View the never-before-seen score of #DeepNote THX’s audio trademark 🔊 created by Dr. James A. Moorer a former employee of #Lucasfilm. #DeepNote debuted at the premiere of #ReturnOfTheJedi on May 25th 1983 // 35yrs ago #THXLtdEntertainsAt35 #RT pic.twitter.com/9LLF6Ul17m
— THX Ltd. (@THX) May 25, 2018
The company gets its name from Lucas’s first major motion picture directorial debut THX 1138 (1971), a sci-fi thriller set in an Orwellian-style dystopian future starring Robert Duvall and Donald Pleasence. And like many other in-movie references – like A113 popping up in Pixar movies – 1138 also pops up in other Lucas movies, like the registration plate of John Milner’s yellow Ford Coupe in American Graffiti and it’s even the number of Princess Leia’s cell on the Death Star in Star Wars Episode III: A New Hope.
The “Deep Note” was composed by Dr. James Moorer, who had worked at Lucasfilm with Lucas. It debuted just over a year later in a trailer attached to screenings of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.
It’s also been parodied in The Simpsons…
And then of course there’s the Shrek version…
THX now certifies consumer electronics, car audio systems and live entertainment in addition to movie theaters. And last month, the company announced it was working on a new version of the “Deep Note” trailer to mark its 35th anniversary.
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