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How The THX Noise Was Created

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the audience-is-listening dept.

devilsbrigade writes "The blog MusicThing is running an interesting interview with Andy Moorer. Mr. Moorer is the man who created the sound called Deep Note, now heard in every THX-enabled movie theatre. The interview is originally from last year, but the tech-heavy discussion is still a timeless analysis of a great sound." From the article: "The score consists of a C program of about 20,000 lines of code. The output of this program is not the sound itself, but is the sequence of parameters that drives the oscillators on the ASP. That 20,000 lines of code produce about 250,000 lines of statements of the form "set frequency of oscillator X to Y Hertz. The oscillators were not simple - they had 1-pole smoothers on both amplitude and frequency. At the beginning, they form a cluster from 200 to 400 Hz. I randomly assigned and poked the frequencies so they drifted up and down in that range."

40 of 243 comments (clear)

  1. Now the art is by Too+many+errors,+bai · · Score: 5, Funny

    to turn that sound into an onomatopoeia. Any takers? "Bhhwuhhhhhhhhhhoooooh"

    1. Re:Now the art is by im_thatoneguy · · Score: 3, Funny

      "NEEEERRAAAOOOWWWWWUUUMMMMMMMMMM"

      was how I was always told to spell it in Kindergarden.

    2. Re:Now the art is by GundamFan · · Score: 2, Funny

      A comment modded funny that actualy made me laugh... Wow this moderation thing may actualy work.

      --
      I don't give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way.
      Mark Twain
  2. pfft ... 20k lines of C by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    could've done it in 5 lines of perl

    1. Re:pfft ... 20k lines of C by dgatwood · · Score: 2, Funny
      Could've done it on 5 lines of C... and a very large data file, of course....

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    2. Re:pfft ... 20k lines of C by gkwok · · Score: 3, Funny
      That sounds about right.
      use MPEG::MP3Play;
      my $mp3 = new MPEG::MP3Play;
      $mp3->open('deepnote.mp3');
      $mp3- >play;
      $mp3->close;
    3. Re:pfft ... 20k lines of C by Ossifer · · Score: 2, Funny

      I wonder how many lines of C it takes to THX-encode an entire 2-hour movie...

      I didn't realize Hollywood enployed so many coders...

    4. Re:pfft ... 20k lines of C by Ossifer · · Score: 3, Funny

      It's called "humor", Gavin...

  3. I always thought it was by Orrin+Bloquy · · Score: 5, Funny

    THEEEWWWWAANNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG

    You know, a slowed down version of the sound of what happens after George Lucas unzips his fly.

    --
    "Made up/misattributed quote that makes me look smart. I am on /. and I must look smart."
    1. Re:I always thought it was by eclectro · · Score: 2, Funny

      THEEEWWWWAANNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG

      George Lucas is filing papers against you for copyright infringement for using the THX(tm) sound in your post.

      He's doing it using the loose change that dropped out as he was unzipping his fly.

      --
      Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
  4. This Is Very Old by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    This was posted a long time ago...what's next? Bell makes phone call?

    1. Re:This Is Very Old by nurd666 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Ug Make Fire! Story next on RockDot.org

  5. They created it by by geekoid · · Score: 5, Funny

    recording the sound inside my head when my former wife talks.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  6. Yeah but... by jlramirez · · Score: 2, Funny

    how much of them lines are gotos?

    --
    "Me claiming Satan exist is just as valid as you claiming an atom exists" - 1inChrist
  7. Could you add one more line of code by Unknown+Poltroon · · Score: 4, Funny

    to please for the love of god turn the damn thing DOWN A NOTCH?!?!?!

    --
    All Troll + "offtopic" mods are meta moderated as "Unfair", because you abused the system.
    1. Re:Could you add one more line of code by R2.0 · · Score: 3, Funny

      The first time I heard the sound was the first run of "Die Hard" in a brand new theater. they started with closing the curtain, and sloooowly opening it accompanied by the sound. In the awed silence thast followed, I said loudly and distinctly "Big deal!".

      My date was mortified; still got laid, though.

      --
      "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
    2. Re:Could you add one more line of code by animaal · · Score: 5, Funny
      My date was mortified; still got laid, though.


      Do you know for sure that she got laid? She might only have told you she did out of spite ;)
  8. I like the THX signature sound so much... by E-Lad · · Score: 5, Funny

    That depending on the movie that follows it, that sound is the best part of the sitting.

  9. Brown note... by GillBates0 · · Score: 4, Funny
    I randomly assigned and poked the frequencies so they drifted up and down in that range."

    No luck finding the Brown note, I presume? Somehow "poked" and the "brown note" bring colorful images to the mind.

    --
    An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
  10. And I always thought by Rooked_One · · Score: 2, Funny

    it was just the movy skreen starting up. Don't they run on 8 cylenders ?

  11. Re:Blasting Speaker Noise by Locke2005 · · Score: 5, Funny
    Their stated goal was to demonstrate the clarity or depth or somesuch without being overpowering...

    But there actual goal was to get everybody in the theater to SHUT THE FUCK UP and listen to the movie, which requires a burst of sound so loud that nobody can talk over it.

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  12. er, um... by hackwrench · · Score: 4, Funny

    where exactly did you go to kindergarden?

    1. Re:er, um... by Dirtside · · Score: 3, Funny

      Probably at the Death Star's day care center.

      (I couldn't find the original link at The Onion, alas.)

      --
      "Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
  13. So, in other words ... by ScrewMaster · · Score: 4, Funny

    I randomly assigned and poked the frequencies so they drifted up and down in that range.

    He fiddled with it until it sounded nice.

    --
    The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
  14. Re:THX, DTS, etc. by blackraven14250 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Probably the THX logo.

  15. it can't be that complicated... by ALpaca2500 · · Score: 4, Funny

    How'd you make this crunching noise, in this part of the song, here?

    Well, it's, it's really a combination of... I used celery. I broke celery sticks, and then pitched it down, and I added lots of reverb. I guess I'm giving away some trade secrets here.

    But nobody will ever really know exactly how much celery you used.

    I also added corn starch, and then we went and crashed our van. And recorded that. And I mixed it in.

    It sounds incredible.

    1. Re:it can't be that complicated... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Having watched a couple hundred commentaries and read 'If Chins Could Kill' it seems the produce section is the foley artist's friend. Also, having watched several 'making of' DVD extras I'd say that the foley artist's enemy is whatever section of the market they buy their actual food.

  16. Simpsons by PoitNarf · · Score: 4, Funny

    My favorite use of this sound was in a Simpsons episode. Video here:

    http://media.putfile.com/The--Simpsons--THX--Parod y--DIVX

    --

    "0101100101? It's just jibberish. *looks in mirror, gasps* 1010011010@!? AHHHHHH!!"
  17. I bet he's a real party anmal by Linker3000 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I can imagine Mr Moorer is a real chick-puller at parties:

    "Hey, I invented this really really famous sound - it goes like...well..actually I have it here on my iPod, or you can come back to my place to hear it on my home theatre if you want? Here take this copy on CD, it's free..."

    Think Rick Moranis in Ghostbusters!

    --
    AT&ROFLMAO
    1. Re:I bet he's a real party anmal by Khaed · · Score: 2, Funny

      Think Rick Moranis in Ghostbusters!

      Yeah, but then when he gets them home he's screwed because he locked himself out...

    2. Re:I bet he's a real party anmal by AMoorer · · Score: 2, Funny

      The last time I tried that, the lady looked at me blankly. It turns out there is not a single THX theater within 150 miles of the town she lives in (Tallahassee, FL).

  18. Found the right line.... by technoextreme · · Score: 2, Funny
    Who put the bop in the bop shoo bop shoo bop?
    --
    Ooo man the floppy drive is broken. No wait. The computer is just upside down.
  19. I know what it really is. by blair1q · · Score: 3, Funny

    They put a lavalier (wireless microphone) on Lucas and followed him around for a day-in-the-life thing, and at one point he pulled out his wallet and opened it.

    So they sampled that, air-balled it once, and patented it.

  20. Super Mario World's keyhole sound by tepples · · Score: 4, Funny

    deepnote.mp3: No such file or directory (ENOENT)

    I would plug in Super Mario World (either on cartridge or on an emulator), head to Donut Plains, grab the cape, fly up near the end of the stage, and stick the key in the hole. This causes the game to play a humorous sped up version of "Deep Note".

  21. Here's how it *really* went down by popo · · Score: 5, Funny

    George Lucas: How'd you make that sound Andy?

    Andy Moorer: We electrocuted a sperm whale.

    George Lucas: God damn that sounds great.

    Andy Moorer: [Giggles} I *know*

    George Lucas: Thing is... we need a story that's not going to bring those Greenpeace punks down on top of us.

    Andy Moorer: I coded the sound with 20,000 lines of C?

    George Lucas: Nice. Let's go with that.

    --
    ------ The best brain training is now totally free : )
  22. Blasphemey by iamlucky13 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be obsessed with Ruby on Rails this week. You're like 4 coding fads too late (perl, php, python...).

    Now I'm just going to sit back and wait for somebody to tell me I'm wrong and it could be done in 3 lines with AJAX

  23. Obligatory Grandpa Quote by Robber+Baron · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Turn it up!
    Turn it uup!"

    --

    You're using her as bait, Master!

    1. Re:Obligatory Grandpa Quote by ZeroExistenZ · · Score: 2, Funny

      turn it up!

      --
      I think we can keep recursing like this until someone returns 1
  24. He was a Gentoo fan... by Schraegstrichpunkt · · Score: 3, Funny
    how much of them lines are gotos?

    None of them. Not a single one. I'd guess that there probably isn't any branching or looping logic in the entire program...

    Talk about -funroll-loops!

    --
    http://outcampaign.org/
  25. Or you could just use your voice! by dea9 · · Score: 2, Funny

    The songstowearpantsto.com guy did.

    It's rad.

    mp3: http://www.archivestowearpantsto.com/tracks/0072_t he_thx_sound_with_just_my_voice.mp3