What Happened to THX?
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- Опубліковано 19 бер 2023
- You probably remember watching movies when you were younger and seeing (and hearing) the loud THX trailer/logo.
In this latest episode of Forgotten Films, I dive into the history of THX from 1982/1983 to 2022/2023, and find out where they have been recently. I also discuss the history of the THX intro sound was called the "Deep Note" and was created by sound engineers at Lucasfilm. THX itself was created by George Lucas and Tomlinson Holman, and stands for "Tomlinson Holman's Experiment". A promotional LaserDisc by THX titled "Wow!" was made to test and demonstrate THX's Home Audio Systems, but Return of the Jedi was the first film to use THX.
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I never knew people found that sound scary. To me it meant the beginning of a magical movie experience. We used to crank the surround when it came up. Whole house would shake, it was awesome!
Yah, just remembering the audience going nuts when it played.
Wait what I missed that part where he said it was scary
@@qpSubZeroqp it was mentioned in the beginning, and something I picked up in the comments.
@@JamminJedi ahh, but I agree with your original comment
I was mortified by it every time it came on before a movie… even as an adult I still can’t really listen to it without partially freaking out…
The THX deep note - The sound of my childhood.
George Lucas, a true cinematic pioneer.
TURN IT UP
It's pretty wild how much cinema was innovated just to make way for Star Wars.
I too have THXaphobia.
sound of my childhood with opening logos like that was the gears version of lions gate
Film technologist, yes (brilliant - Avid, Final Cut, Premiere, and Resolve all owe their existence to the EditDroid, and digital filmmaking exists because of George Lucas). Director or writer, no. Like with the original Indiana Jones trilogy, he should have had Spielberg direct all his movies, and hired a real writer. Imagine how much better the prequels could have been.
I never knew George was so instrumental on modernizing sound systems! We don't give the guy enough credit.
In fact, Star Wars was one of the pinnacle films that pioneered surround sound, and subsequently Dolby surround.
Not just that. But VFX too with ILM
387 more innovations like that and he will redeemed himself for creating Jar Jar
He attracted alot of creative heads around him as an independent filmaker. Lucas himself gets more credit than he deserves.
George just sucked at directing, but he is very good at world making.
Hearing that sound for the first time in years filled me with an old warmth
The last time they were relevant was the THX reference in the movie "Over the Hedge" I love that movie
I remember seeing commercials for that one but I don't think I ever saw it. Might have to check it out now, lol.
@@kedsarama it's worth your time, watch it this Friday/Weekend with someone you care about. Maybe add some beers in idunno
that movie is great
@@kedsaramaUnderrated. Not legendary, but a kinda strong film.
🐢 🎬 🎞 🎥
I love the THX deep note sound. It was an attention grabber. The theatre could be bustling with noise then the sound hits as the lights dim and silence would fall and it was glorious.
Very true.
Hell yeah, it would grab your attention, you'd stop throwing popcorn at your sister and it was game on!
@@phattjohnson Exactly, it was great... now the sounds that play at the start go on for WAY too long, at least in the theatres near where I live. I miss the sound.
now people have such short attention spans the people in front of you shine their phones in your face... never going back to the theater. got 5.1 surround setup and I'm good.
@@Tracker5111 Heck you can get really out there setups with like 7.2 surround that have sides or ceiling speakers too and 2 subs... honestly 5.1 has always worked great for me. Feel like the era of the sound bar has kinda regressed home audio for years now... mind you some of the new ones are doing amazing things simulating true surround by having active noise analysis during setup so it can listen to the sound bouncing around your room from where you would watch/listen from
Your example how bad older theaters sounded compared to modern theaters was spot on. As a teen I was a projector operator at two theaters, one was from the 1930's with the old change over projection system, and a single set of loudspeakers behind the screen. The other had a much more modern single projector using the platter system, and speaker system, and I recall the difference's between them when it came to sound were very much like your example.
A lot of old movies, not to mention TV shows are worth watching again due to the application of surround sound. Of course, they're not all created equally as it all depends on the capability of the engineer, and his budget. The same as upgrading to HD or Blu-ray.
I worked an old theater back in the 1990's that was about the same age. THey were running 3 altec A5's left, center and right audio channels with a single surround channel. THey added a digital pickup head and it really woke the old system up! Many were surprised to know we were running an audio system, outside of the digital pickup, that was over 50 years old
Sir how old are you?
Lucas and his team were truly pioneers of modern cinema. The first sound update to theaters since the 1940’s. Crazy.
Incorrect.
You really don't read much about movie history do you?
Aside from the special effects team Lucas pioneered nothing.
George Lucas famously said: "Sound is 50% of the moviegoing experience". Sadly we no longer have THX in theaters.
FWIK Dolby standards eventually caught up and replaced it?
I don't think so,@@phillippatryndal4255 . The Dolby systems are good, but the theaters are emphasizing the immersiveness of the sound, rather than the sound quality, which is what THX was all about. The THX system had to have a certain acoustic bandwidth and EQ plot, a wide signal to noise ratio, clarity to hear whispers and leaves, yet handle tremendous impacts of sound and sustained high volume without distortion.
Now Dolby Atmos blows it out of the water.
It's not needed nearly as much. Theatres with 25-year-old equipment now have a digital 2K projector, surround sound and decent (however uneven) deep bass response. Now, whether that experience is worth £18/$25 or however the going rate for cinemas is around the world, that's another story. But muffled dialogue and mono sound is most certainly a thing of the past.
All I know is theaters today seem to have two volume settings on their equipment: loud and extra loud.
The THX logo ironically never really "scared" me as a kid, but I was always caught off guard from how disproportionately loud it was compared to almost everything else on the VHS tapes and DVD's I'd see it on. It's because of this that I still LMAO at that one time Tiny Toon Adventures parodied THX with the "T.H.U.D" sound system, it's slogan being "The audience is now deaf". XD
Got so many damn giggles out of the Tiny Toons spoof. Good times, good times.
lol I remember that Tiny Toon Adventures, was a special called "How I Spent My Vacation." I remember the grown-ups used to put that movie on, cause the scary hitchhiker guy reminded them of someone they knew, he looked similar and also wore a red hat. They would laugh whenever it showed that guy.
There is also a Simpsons parody when the THX plays, some random dude's head explodes. Then Grandpa Simpson yells "Turn it up!"
@@drpun67 Sideshow Mel and I were in the back of the theater at the time and it was terrifying
@@TheCaptainAmeliaI hope you guys made it home safe
How can somebody find this sound scary, It was so badass. It never disappoints. Just like the playstation 1 intro
It's the sound of power
I'm autistic. Low, loud frequencies can feel like they're enveloping my entire body, trapping me in a state of panic as I cling on to what sanity I can hold on to, desperately waiting for it to end even though I have neither the knowledge of when it will nor the ability to control when it does. The THX logo never quite got on the level of cars without mufflers or similarly loud and deep noises, but the empty black void surrounding the intimidating logo didn't help, either.
I hadn't even thought of the logo in years, so it surprised me to find out that I wasn't the only person who was scared of it, but now that I know why it was scary, it only makes sense. Be it autism or something else entirely, people are just different, and what some find pleasing or exhilarating, others may find unpleasant or terrifying. Life is fun.
@@LawrenceBeyer790 I have the same brain type as you, but am okay with sounds, except for monster trucks. Hate that sound. :) But the THX Logo sound is awesome. Sounds like a Boeing 757 or A330 taking off.
Fun fact: Tom Holman was my sound design prof in college. At least 1/4 of the entire course was an exhaustive review of THX. Contrary to the popular impression, THX was more of a standard than a technology. Always loved that sound though. I remember getting chills the first time the THX intro came up in a theater.
Which college?
The THX sound never scared me as a kid, in fact for me it got me pumped up to watch the movie! I just loved how epic and grand it sounded.
The wall-e thx intro carried me through my childhood, I've also never feared it
Same here, my parents occasionally bring up how I used to be obsessed with THX as a kid 😂
in around 1988 everybody used to scream during the tone for fun. I think he was referring to that old ritual. we also threw gummy bears at the screen after sucking on them to make them stick reeeeal good.
I went back and forth with being scared of it. I usually got scared when the silence would come right after it and I was in a dark room by myself
It still sounds great.
Oh man, THX was awesome. Starting up a movie to see and hear the THX sound. The history of THX and pretty much whatever George Lucas did regarding film and home video is always interesting to look at. The man was a pioneer in so many ways that he did so much for the film world that many don’t stop and think how some of the stuff we enjoy regarding films and how they’re made and put together were thanks to George Lucas, for at the very least having the ideas of making films and watching entertainment at home the best it could be.
The THX certified sound in the 1997 Special Editions of the Star Wars Trilogy is still unmatched.
It’s the best the films ever sounded, and later remixes in 2004, 2011 and 2019 just didn’t hit quite as hard as the 1997 remixes.
Weird as the 2004 and 2011 remixes were still THX certified, and the non-THX 2019 Dolby Atmos remix sounded better than those versions, but not as good as the 1997 remixes.
@@HydraSpectre1138 , Ben Burtt did the mix on 1997. the updated mixes were done by Matthew Wood.
@@matthewgaudet4064 Ben Burtt also did every pre-1997 mix. Including the 70mm six-track mix, the Dolby Stereo mix, the mono mix, and the 1993 THX LaserDisc remix (which was based around the theatrical cut but was the basis for the 1997 remix).
@@HydraSpectre1138 , also the 1985 mix for Star Wars. Which was the first digital mix.
@@matthewgaudet4064That "1985" mix that it is often called is incorrect.
Star Wars was remixed digitally in 1984, alongside the VHS/LaserDisc release of The Empire Strikes Back.
Some people also mention that Return of the Jedi was released on VHS/LaserDisc in 1985, when it actually came out in 1986.
I was a projectionist in the golden age of THX and later the digital format wars (SDDS, DTS, DD, and even, briefly, SR-D) and I always cranked up the THX trailer one full point on the fader--to thunderous applause and cheering from the audience. I may still have a pristine, never-used 70mm Cimmaron trailer somewhere in my collection. Tex was my favourite. Of note, it was explained to me by a calibrating technician that THX was also known as Thomlinson Holman's Crossover (x-over) for the proprietary crossover network he developed as part of the system. THX theaters had to have very specific RT-60 values, equipment from a specific list, and a sheetrock wall immediately behind the screen with the loudspeakers protruding from it. And rather than having the B-chain measured at one single point, as was the custom in Dolby Labs calibration (2/3 the way back, slightly off-axis), multiple mics were placed throughout the auditorium and their readings averaged.
70mm Cimmaron trailer? Is it the original mix by any chance?
@@huntercouch1561 I don't honestly recall. I found it in a booth that was being decommissioned. It was still taped up and no visible tape splices on the side, so I doubt that it was never played. Damned if I can even remember where it is now. It was definitely pre-1995 (when the remix came out).
@@W2IRT So it’s either the original mix or the 1990 revision (The 1995 version had added sound effects during the wormhole sequence)
@@huntercouch1561 Yes, I suppose it could be either one of those. It was an unplayed snipe in a box way back in the booth, so probably an original?
@@W2IRT Most likely.
I always loved the Parody of it on the Simpsons way back, where it sends a shockwave through the theatre and people's eyeglasses are shattering and stuff. Then afterwards everyone cheers and hollers like its the best thing they ever experienced lol
Lets also not forget that 2023 marks the 40th Anniversary of THX
Yup
Fun fact: THX was known for refusing to certify the vast majority of LCD TVs on the market because the vast majority of LCD TVs of the era had issues with greyish blacks, poor viewing angles, and low contrast (masked by tons of "processing" that destroyed the details in the shadows and brights), despite the obvious market pressures to certify more LCD TVs. Which brings the question: Now that they are owned by Razer, are their standards for TVs still that high?
And titan tv man
They also were notorious for certifying terribly mastered DVDs that shouldn't have gotten the label.
@@JeffDM What do you mean by "terribly mastered". THX certifies sound and picture, not extras etc, so if the problem is the lack of extras, the THX certification is irrelevant.
@@user-yg4kj2mf1p No the main movie had awful video compression and bad contrast. I can't find the one notorious example that was like that.
Signs on DVD (with THX certification) had severe macro-blocking during the slow push-in shot inside the house right when the aliens start their attack with the sounds of the dog barking suddenly going silent. That's the example that leaps to my mind.@@JeffDM
I don’t ever recall getting to hear the deep note in theatres, but I did get to hear it a lot on car trips when my siblings and I would watch movies to pass the time. An iconic sound
This video randomly popped up for me. It’s short, informative and well made. Also rediscovers and answers a question which itself was lost after being in the back of the mind.
I was shocked to see afterwards that the channel only has 2.36k subs! You definitely deserve more with this quality! Wish you all the best and doing my part by subbing.
it was very random for me as well. but i have been thinking about where that wonderful logo and sound has been in my movie experience for a couple months.
Tiny Toons did a parody of the THX logo in theaters... basically blasting a movie audience out of their seats and the title card comes up at the end "The Audience is Now Deaf"
The Simpsons also did it with Grampa Simpson yelling “Turn it up! Turn it up!!!!” “The audience is listening”
THUD. The Audience Is Now Deaf.
Great video. With all the reports of technical difficulties and quality control errors during recent screenings of Spiderverse and Oppenheimer, I think it's time that THX theatre certification made a comeback.
they sure put it in Disney for Marvel, Star Wars or Aliens movie as a good come back
IMAX sound system goes 1 octave lower than THX sound systems. When the nuke goes off in Oppenheimer you can feel your seat shaking.
The AMC theater where I went to see Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning P1 was god awful. THX or Dolby atmos has become a necessity!
We saw Oppenheimer and thought the sound was shit. Dialogue was muffled and set too low while sound effects were too strong. Seems to be a tend.
P sure it got replaced by Dolby digital.
I love this intro to the movies. I wish they still did this. I built speaker box for my truck and brought it in my house hooked it up to my receiver/amp and you hear this get progressively louder and toward the end a thunderous shake of the house. I haven't used this in years because my neighbors will complain.
I'm so glad you included the clip at 6:40... I was literally just about to look up that THX intro, as it was such a core memory for me representing THX's presence in my childhood movie experiences
The Simpsons did the best representation of the THX note sound in theatres with the glasses breaking, teeth shattering, and a head exploding.
YES!
Grandpa then yells "Turn it up!!!"
To me the "Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny" spoof version where it was THC is still my favourite variant.
Don't forget Tiny Toon Adventures - How I spent my summer vacation. The parody featured the "THUD" sound system (a division of Mucusfilm LTD). 😅😅
I've had the clip as an mp3 for 20 years. I finally looked it up on UA-cam today to what all the background noises were.
We and the the movie industry owe Lucas a lot - as well as surround sound and image and sound quality assurance, he also pushed for digital which gave us CGI. The whole movie industry has progressed in ways that it wouldn't have done, or at least at the current rate of not for Lucas. It's unlikely we'd have Dolby Atmos or the current advanced CGI or even digital cameras. I don't think anyone else has advanced cinema tech as much as Lucas has. We have to thank him a lot more than just for Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
....And then Kathleen Kennedy squandered EVERYTHING.
Wait till you find out about lupin the 3rd...
Not to mention Pixar...
Oh boy, I'm sure grateful that Lucas pioneered the technology that's made every movie for the last ten years a souless CGI snoozefest.
He was the true heir to Walt Disney.
Most theaters use THX amplifiers. Doesn't matter that you don't see the THX logo before the movie, the theater is likely using a THX sound system anyway.
I wouldn't expect someone to be scared of that sound. I always found it pretty cool, even as a kid.
Oh the childhood memories . . . experiencing the same terror upon hearing the booming THX sound as we did upon hearing the Emergency Broadcast System ("This is only a test!") on our TVs. Good times!
Strangely I wasn’t scared of it
If only, at our place it could never be scary coming out of the single mono speaker on our TV lol.
😂 I’m with you there
it raised my hair and excited me, but for years I couldn't decide if it was good or bad up until I got to the age (like 8 I think) where _I_ was the one in control of the volume knob and the movies. It went from undecided uneasyness to the greatest thing every when I learned how to play with an EQ and crank the bass up.... which subsequently got me in trouble with my mom. lol
The emergency broadcast system and NOAA announcements still wig me out though. Even the faux ones like "Of their own accord" loading screen from call of duty, and the Black Mesa Incident scene where the Opposing Forces Campaign starts get me going.
I remember a lot of “this is just a test” also
And THX. I grew up with it
When I was an audio engineer in Miami in the 80s, I had a friend who was, for a while the certified THX installer/inspector for South Florida. Toward the late 80s there was a variety of 'approved' speakers you could install, which varied depending on the size of the theater. There were also strict guidelines for installation. Speaker cabinets had to be mounted in such a way to avoid vibration, for instance. He showed me 'The Bible' and it was very specific about mounting techniques that were approved.
1:01 Home - "We're Finally Landing" which all viewers of Summoning Salt will recognize
What I hear every time I watch the history of Mariokart world records:
Whenever I head the THX sound and see the logo at very high volume. I cant help but smile, its a crazy feeling
It's Aug 2023, and wanted to say that my home theater sound system, which is recycled from used parts, uses old THX certified equipment, properly reinstalled. It STILL sounds fantastic.
@@ithecastic DankPods frequently says "Good headphones stay good", so I guess this also applies to other audio equipment.
I still have/use my THX certified home theatre. B&W 5.1 speakers. Powered subwoofer and Denon receiver/amplifier. Love rattling the windows
I run a mid-90s Kenwood digital equalizer (GE-7030) just prior to my stereo theater unit. It sounds amazing. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Probably even better than in a theatre and not to start about all the people cracking their candy bags, talking... no better cinema than a home cinema!
They make a thing called Atmos now, kind of comparing VHS to 4K BLU Ray
I remember going to Episode 3 with my Dad in a theater and hearing that deep note for the first time in a theater instead of on VHS. My whole head vibrated while my Dad said, "Alright, now we know it's good!" I loved hearing that sound all the time, and kinda miss it now!
Man, Lucas just out here improving everything about the movie-going experience. And it's a great touch that THX matches his old movie title.
When I was a kid, I used to turn the THX deep note up all the way on my TV
It's still high on my bucket list to go to a THX certified theater and hear the deep note through that beautiful surround sound.
Be careful with Cinemark XD auditoriums, they are certified but they usually don't play the deep note. Go to an actual "THX ULTIMATE CINEMA." THAT is on my bucket.
most theaters are no longer THX certified tho. they've moved on to be Doby Atmos certified.
@@CodeDonut That's a shame. But at least there are still some that are certified; mostly Cinemark theaters, so I've found.
@@silhouettoofaman2935 that's true, most of the older cinemark locations still use THX, but their newer ones have a Dolby Atmos sign posted.
Go to an IMAX theater. It goes a whole octave lower than the Dolby Atmos sound system.
THX is certainly still around in home theater audio.
I just bought an Onkyo TX-NR6100 7.2 surround receiver that is Dolby Atmos, dtsx, and THX certified.
Although we don't still get the big booming logo at the start of movies anymore, it is still incorporated in many films.
Watch the credits to the end and often you will see the THX logo.
Went to an electronics store in the late 90's and was blown away at the bass and clarity of a Logitech THX sound system on display.
They definitely weren't cheap back then, but I went home with them. Fast forward to today and I'm still amazed at their sound quality and they continue to be used daily.
My Dad worked for Audio Precision - high end audio testing equipment in Oregon. They helped create the THX sound - essentially it is just an audio test designed to hit every spectrum of audio.
I remember the first time I experienced the THX deep note in a theater in Dallas. The logo came up with the tag line “The audience is listening” and a guy shouted out “THE AUDIENCE IS DEAF!” 🤪
I would yell "Turn it up" everytime it came on. :D
That's a Tiny Toons Adventures reference! Instead of "THX" it was "THUD", then there's a voice "THE AUDIENCE IS NOW DEAF.".
Every time I hear THX that line plays in the back of my head.
What movie were you watching
@@goGothitaLOL Star Wars, I think.
Fun fact: Dr. James A. Moorer created the Deep Note sound without a traditional synthesizer. He wrote all of the code for it, one line at a time.
His NoNOISE process is also used by a friend of mine in the motion picture industry in classic film restoration. Lou DiCrescenzo.
That is one of the most satisfying sound i have known in my life!
I could only imagine what it was like to experience the first deep note iteration in theatres, it must've been epic immense
I get the same feeling being blasted by the two original THX trailers as I do when I see an Iowa class battleship fire its guns. It's just that awesome.
as the son of a huge star wars nerd and tech head, I had the pleasure of growing up to THX rattling our house at 9am on weekends when he decided it was time to tune in his sound system 😂 Episode 2 attack of the clones was our favorite
THX also makes some absolute banger audio amplifiers for everything from the smallest headphone dongles to home theater systems. They don’t make the whole unit (most of the time), but the chips for other manufacturers to use. Like the Fiio BTR7 Bluetooth headphone DAC/AMP, arguably the best Bluetooth headphone amplifier right now, uses 4 THX audio amplifier on the balanced output.
I never really thought about what happened up until now. They truely did just disappear without me even realizing it. Thanks for the flashback and update. And personally, I loved that sound and still do today.
I loved the Tiny Toons parody of the loud logo. They called it "THUD" and the tagline was "The audience is now deaf"
Spielberg having a little fun with his longtime buddy Lucas
I can remember watching movies with mono sound and a flat theater with hard seats. It was difficult to see past the person in front of me.
Movie prices when up when theaters switched to THX and stadium seating. People whined but...
I was GLAD to pay a few more bucks for premium sound and an unobstructed view. THX made all the difference in the world.
Same here. My local cinema was way behind the times with their sound setup. I got a much better audio experience watching it at home on VHS with my Pro Logic system & even though the screen was smaller, I got to see all of it unobstructed.
I have fond memories of going to see INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM in THX in Springfield, VA, in one of only a handful of theaters in the US that had the THX system at that time. It was revelatory. A few years later I had Tom Holman as my film sound professor at USC...
I miss the Time Out arcade more.
In 1988, as a member of AES, we had a Sunnyvale chapter meeting at Skywalker ranch in Marin County. After touring all the facilities, they screened the third reel of “Willow” in their very nice, large theater. It was awesome and the sound was our focus that day.
Andy Moorer’s “Deep Note” was not developed to “test” THX. It was written as the audio portion of the THX trailer logo, and was generated completely from computer code. It has been regenerated, and is now different, “bigger” than the first version. ua-cam.com/video/6grjzBmHVTY/v-deo.html
AT 5:00 the video says by the early 90s most theaters in the US were THX Certified. Not true. Most theaters were NEVER THX certified. THX theaters were always in the minority. THX is a set of specifications that have to be met to qualify to display the logo and run the trailer before every film, and they include a long lists of technical aspects. A big limiting factor was the requirement to meet a noise specification, and most HVAC systems in theaters are far too noisy to pass, even today. Another is sound isolation between theaters. Most multiplex theaters have poor isolation so low frequency energy like crashes and booms passes through the adjacent walls and bleeds into the next theater, again, still a problem today. Both the HVAC and isolation problems are extremely expensive to fix, and even expensive to build into an original design. Most theaters don’t want to spend that money. Another big problem was the interior acoustics in the theater, which were often too reverberant. Acoustic treatment would have to be added…lots of it…and that became a cost and aesthetics issue. Even stray light on the screen that would come from opening doors or exit signs is considered in the THX theater specification.
At 5:30 the video talks about home videos that “used THX”. That’s actually not what happened. These videos were released with the THX logo because they met THX specifications for home video releases. THX isn’t something you can “use”, it is always a set of specifications that something has to meet. The original “Home THX” sound system wasn't one thing, it was a set of specifications that each component had to meet, plus acoustic specifications for the room itself.
The entire original point of THX was to exhibit films in environments that matched the original creative space, and present them “as the creators intended”. When they moved on to certify specific products, their focus changed from something that most people barely understood, to complete confusion as to what THX means. In general, it means the “thing” has met a certain level of “quality”.
"scare quotes"
Excellent...and accurate!
When my dad was the first person in our neighborhood to buy Sony's new CD player, it came with a sampler disc that had the deep note on it, but layered over it was the sound of a jetliner taking off and flying over...combined together, plus my dad's massive 80s stereo system and huge speakers, playing that track had the house shaking, and I loved it.
There were roughly 7,000 theaters in the US. Over 4,000 were THX certified. Virtually all the locations that would premier new films got certified. The cheaper second run and discount theaters didn't.
Very accurate summation. I recall our circuit's sound installer working with me in a booth in Toronto. The Cineplex-Odeon theater near Yonge and St. Clair (The Hyland) was one of their showplaces, a former single auditorium made into a twin, upstairs and downstairs. The THX team came out to do an evaluation on the downstairs auditorium very early on a Sunday morning, before the day's performances were to begin. They agreed that it did indeed meet the basic criteria for the installation (HVAC and auditorium isolation, etc), and that it would be a reasonably easy month-long rebuild to get it certified.....And then the first TTC subway train of the day ran underneath the building, and that was that. Still one of the nicest theaters in the 80s and 90s, though. Saw the Canadian premiere of E.T. there, and ran that booth hundreds of times. Nice Cinemeccanica Vic-8s, 6000' reels, Dolby CP-200 rack, split surrounds in the last few years.
The first time I heard the sound was the one that you put in the end where it breaks down and the guy fixes it. It was in the DVD of “Cars” when I first heard it and I was like 4 or 5 in like 2010. I haven’t really heard it much recently but I’m glad to know it’s still around
DUDE WTF, SAME!
@@Mrgameboi LMAO
That character's name was TEX.
I still crank this up on my 7.2 thx certified sound bar to this day. My kids think I'm crazy.
First experienced the WOW demo at Bay Bloor Radio in Toronto. They had a specific room for THX gear, and was by appointment only. Being a young kid, and the store had just opened that Sunday morning, a sales rep took my father and I inside and said want to see something cool? I was BLOWN away, almost literally. And that created my lifelong interest - albeit simple as it is - in home and car audio.
I remember that place! I was a projectionist in Toronto. I ran every THX house in the city at least once. Once it went into use in the home, however, it lost its way.
THX certifications for home audio equipment also had great attention to detail. They had to be of high quality, and even to have easy-to-understand user interfaces and ease of setup. For instance, THX speakers were automatically set so the satellites and sub didn't talk over each other's frequencies, something few manufacturers care about.
Nowadays, receivers with their microphone and electronics make this setup and adjustment easy.
George Lucas going out of his way to invent a new sound system and sell it to almost every movie theater just so people can hear Star Wars better 😂
He reinvented a lot of things to make Star Wars work. He changed the way movies were made and marketed.
@@skycloud4802lucas has to be one of if the most influential figures of modern cinema
Now we need Christopher Nolan to invent an even better sound system so we can hear his movies better
Well, I'm sure the promise of "more money" didn't hurt either.
I have sweet Creative 5.1 speaker system with THX logo on every speaker :D Its amazing, I have it for 16 years now.
I was always floored by hearing the THX note at theaters. It inspired me to create on the Korg Kronos keyboard that I would go on to purchase later in time. The Kronos also has a factory sound that sounds similar to the THX note.
The THX brand is alive and well. You can get THX certified speakers and A/V processors that go from average middle of the ground to taking out a personal loan to pay for all your stuff.
It's not a surround stage format, it's a label to certify the equipment meets high standards to reproduce sound intended by the producer(s).
When you have a media format with the THX brand, it means the picture and audio are recorded on the media reproduce picture and audio quality to meet specifications that are as accurate to it's original intention.
THX audio and video quality is pretty much the standard and so not really a big deal.
The things that have taken the spot light is new Dolby Atmos technology.
I was a manufacturer's rep when THX was first debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas. It was a huge difference in sound quality. Up to that time, sound systems in theaters were designed for longevity and robustness, since they were expensive. Loud and sturdy, but not high fidelity.
I saw the first run of Twister at the Waikiki Theater in Honolulu when it first came out. The system there was last upgraded about a decade prior, during a major renovation, so in movie theater terms, it wasn't that old. In fact it sounded pretty good.
7 months later I was doing product training with Monster Cable and the final night we had a choice of going to one of San Francisco's finest restaurants or go to Skywalker Ranch. I took the latter. Cut to the chase, we were treated to be the first outside group to see the new THX intro with the busted THX and their trusty repairman (never laughed so hard ever). Then the movie started. It was Twister, in full glorious reference THX in the Stag Theater. I heard sounds I never heard at the Waikiki 3. Dialog was crisp and tight, environmental sounds were natural and well placed, the score was full bodies and detailed.
Here in Honolulu, NONE of our theaters are THX certified. We have the recliners which we can munch $8 popcorn and $6 sodas, but the sound is just okay.
1000W Z906 here and yes, I still feel the bass notes when watching movies, when playing games....I keep it under 50% though as I have had police on my doorstep when maxing it....all being said...THX is still alive! Awesome 5.1!
that logo and sound were in a ton of movies i saw growing up. satisfying.
Imagine going from a mono system to a 9.1 surround sound system, THAT was THX.
To be fair to THX, they actually still do some amazing stuff despite their reputation for sticking a label on anything. They worked with massdrop as well as S.m.s.l to create an amazing set of amps for headphones or speakers. They demo'd their amp technology at a show and to prove how efficient the technology was, they powered their whole show off a battery the size of thumb nail. The amps they ended up releasing used such tech and ended up being amazing and I actually own one.
If you look at the instrumented test based reviews of inexpensive speakers, the THX certified ones are always pretty good and much better than the other inexpensive speakers.
They powered it all off a coin cell battery?
@@MarkShank The Logitech Z623 and Z625 speakers are THX certified and are great.
I really hearing the THX "test" audio rotating its way all around the theater at the beginning of a movie! Loved it so much that I used THX as part of my PC's startup audio.
I remember getting our first set of THX speakers in the house. Blew my mind when I was a kid. Oh, the good old days.
We take so many things for granted nowadays. High definition movies with perfect sound with the click of a button. I can’t imagine what it was like to go to a theater in the 70s and watch a movie where you could barely understand the dialogue and could hear police sirens outside, while you could barely see the screen through the haze of *PEOPLE SMOKING INDOORS*
Oh, please.
I saw plenty of films back then and the sound was fine.
It was nothing like what was shown as a demo in this video.
Not sure how it was in 'murica, but in my Nordic home country smoking has ALWAYS been prohibited in cinemas. This is probably because of celluloid film that was highly flammable stuff 😅
Ah yes, THX---the logo everyone older than 25 can physically hear just by seeing it.
Definitely not just people older than 25, I'd say 20+.
I’m 28 and I remember it
@@madamebkrt Lower it by a few years more than that
Anyone 17 or older have heard this.
Actually not older than 25. I'm a 2003-born (20) and can still hear it.
I think it's interesting that the two versions at 3:55 and 7:14 are in a different key and that the first one goes considerably lower with the sound. Maybe they adapted to home sound systems
That Pixar-esque sequence at the end, just *gold*...
not ending the video with "THX for watching" joke is a crime
I somehow didn't even think of that at the time
A few points:
First, the THX logo sound was basically copped from the 1970 Beaver and Krause track "Spaced," from their "In a Wild Sanctuary" album (which I was involved in mixing). It is available on UA-cam. Bernie said in a 2010 interview:
"The cut Spaced came about because we were looking for a vehicle to do a piece that began on a single note and spread into a giant glissando with four notes ascending and four descending, ending on a major resolving chord. We wanted to do something musically that was technically impossible with traditional instruments. It ended up being copied on Mazda ads and as the THX audio signature that ran for many years…a virtual lift of our work. It even begins and resolves on the same note and chord."
Second, while THX was important for extending the frequency response and dynamic capabilities of theatrical sound systems, the most important innovation making "Return of the Jedi's" sound possible in wide release was Dolby Surround, which allowed stereo audio to be recorded optically on motion picture film and used Dolby A noise reduction to allow the high frequency bandwidth of the theater audio system to be extended to about 10 kHz without objectionable hiss. (10 kHz is the practical high frequency limit of optical sound recording on 35mm film, once multigeneration optical printing was taken into account. Hence, it was not really high fidelity by the standards of time, but was a vast improvement on what had done before in optical sound.) Dolby Surround used a matrix encode/decode method to create surround audio from the two stereo tracks on the film--the output of the Dolby Stereo decoder was four audio channels: left, center, right, and (mono) surround. The surround audio was reproduced from a multiplicity of speakers on the side and rear walls of the theater. It made it possible for "Return of the Jedi" to be reproduced in surround in wide release, as opposed to previous surround methods that relied on magnetic coating on the release print and worked like a tape recorder. (Mag sound on release prints dated back to Cinerama, CinemaScope, and VistaVision in the early 1950s. Surround, at least at the "roadshow" presentation level, predates Dolby Stereo by decades.) The main downsides to mag release prints are increased printing cost and the tendence of the mag coating to wear off as the print was repeatedly projected.
It should be added that about 15% of "Jedi's" engagement offered 70mm prints with mag sound. According to Michael Coate, "the 70mm prints of Jedi were intended to be projected in a 2.20:1 aspect ratio and were blown up from 35mm anamorphic. The noise-reduction and signal-processing format of the prints was Dolby “A,” and the soundtrack was Dolby processor setting Format 42 (i.e. three discrete screen channels + one discrete surround channel + “baby boom” low-frequency enhancement).
"For the release of Jedi, Lucasfilm introduced the THX Sound System (in two markets) and (unofficially) introduced their Theatre Alignment Program (TAP) to evaluate and approve the theaters selected to book a 70mm print. "
Ioan Allen of Dolby was instrumental in making Dolby Surround happen, and in replacing the generations-old "Academy curve" used for theatrical reproduction of optical soundtracks in theaters. This is basically an 18 dB/octave 5 kHz lowpass filter that attenuates the high-frequency hiss from optical sound tracks so it wouldn't be too objectionable to audiences.
The "mono" example in the video under discussion is nonsense--it has a huge suckout in the midrange, and unintelligible dialog, whereas actual Hollywood mixing practice for Academy mono audio was a big 3 kHz peak on the dialog channel in the mix, which, combined with careful micing in production sound, made dialog very intelligible in theaters. A realistic "mono" example would instead have very intelligible dialog processed with a 3 kHz bell-shaped peak, and a 5 kHz high frequency rolloff.
Thanks for this "acoustic history" deep-dive!
I normally roll my eyes at UA-cam comment “experts” but actually all this information lines up with what I know so yea good on ya! The one expert in the comments who actually is lol love it!
This is good info. Could you explain how Dolby Atmos fits into all this?
@@Vialated979 Dolby Atmos has little to do with the technology discussed above. Atmos was an evolution of Dolby Digital (which used Dolby's AC3 codec at the time of its introduction). Dolby Digital is a 5.1 format (left/center/right/left surround/right surround/LFE), which prints an optical pattern between the film sprocket holes that can be read by the projector, turned into a digital bitstream, and decoded by the AC3 decoder. It was a major step above Dolby Surround, as Dolby Digital could deliver a true high fidelity soundtrack (20 kHz audio bandwidth with low nonlinear distortion and vanishingly low noise), whereas even Dolby SR (the ultimate Dolby analog film technology) was limited to the audio bandwidth that could be optically printed on the release print.
Later versions of the Dolby codec family allowed for more channels, and the evolution of theatrical projection from film to digital allowed a higher digital bitrate than film could provide, creating the .opportunity to do more in the theater than Dolby Digital 5.1 could do. Dolby Atmos, an "immersive" format with height loudspeakers, had a rather different design philosophy than Dolby Digital, being "object-based" instead of channel-based. This allowed a much more flexible way to accommodate different numbers of loudspeakers in a given theater, as up to 128 sound "objects" (such as dialog) could be applied to one or more loudspeakers in a way that optimized the subject spatial impression for any given venue. But Atmos was developed well after THX.
@@Vialated979atmos is a continuation of his original sound design
For the first few years, everytime u saw and heard that logo, you knew you were bout to watch a banger!
I remember going into a Circuit City where they had a theater room and you could watch a loop of Indy and his dad getting into a bi-plane attached to the blimp and getting attacked by Japanese Zeros in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. That was where I bought my Technics 5.1 surround sound full rack stereo system so I could have real theater sound in my barracks room when I was in the Navy in 1995. I still have the speakers, I upgraded everything else over the years. Watching that opening THX sound theme was phenomenal. I used to crank that all the way up and shake everything. I did it again in the beginning of this video! Still SOOOOOO good!
6:47 i have felt a wave of nostalgia that hit me like a tsunami
Me too especially since I rewatched Cars yesterday on DVD.
I've been so mesmerized by the Deep Note that I literally made my grad work about it. In the end it evolved into a more generic sound synthesis platform but still, nothing beats the awesomeness of the Deep Note. Such a cool and amazing sound!
Is there an interview with Ben Burtt on how he created that sound? I wanna see it! (Hint: Ben Burtt is another one of my heroes!)
@@ebinrockSorry but I wouldn't know. I've made the work about the algorithm, so I did not get to know the history behind it that much :(
@@madrigo Actually, I made a dumb uninformed comment, sorry. I didn't watch the video all the way through when I posted it. The video mentions someone else who created the sound. Ben Burtt is still awesome, though!
@@ebinrock My satellite dish ears tell me it's FM synthesis, which was getting a big push in the late 70s. Possibly a Fairlight, or, on a much smaller budget, a Yamaha DX7.
Nostalgia trip and instant goosebumps at the sound..
I once had a nightmare about me being stuck next to the THX logo, with the booming sound being louder than normal, and I couldn't escape. True story.
Tht logo never scared me as a kid, I loved it, lol.
THX, 20th Century Fox, and Universal Pictures were openings I loved way too muchwhen I was kid.
Oh yeah these intros were epic 😁 What was the one with a white, gleaming horse? Columbia?
@@MLX1401The horse is Tristar. They used to be their own thing. Once upon a time, Sony was called ScreenGems and owned by Columbia. Then ScreenGems became Sony pictures, and Sony bought Colombia. Sony then bought Tristar, merging them to become “ Columbia Tristar”. They still keep the ScreenGems name around but I don’t know if it’s a separate entity or not.
@@MLX1401Tristar Pictures
@@BOX_corporation. That's the one 😁
I remember my first experience with the THX experience at Pacific theaters in Lakewood, CA. I don't even remember what movie it came attached to, I know it was a big one, like Ghostbusters kind of big. And I also remember that after seeing/hearing/feeling that intro for the first time, me & the entire theater audience were so pumped, we would have been happy leaving the theater right then & there.
Loved that sound! Always got me so excited to see the movie.
short, concise, full of info and no fluff, this is a great video and i wish more content were like this
Man, what happened indeed.
Having had a hobby that has plunged me into the depths of this stuff, they used to be on everything. All kinds of movies, games, even a few live concerts. Hell they even reached the short-lived HD-DVD with two separate releases. Then suddenly, around 2006 they just stopped being there. You had a few big budget movies (including an anime movie distributed by WB, of all studios) still getting the seal of approval. After 2007 though, the only movies certified were either Lucasfilm productions or Alien/Aliens, (and one now rather obscure Japanese comedy) but, all the same. Their releases dried up back in 2012 and a lot of people wonder why. I mean hell, back at their peak, Pioneer got them to certify just about every Tenchi Muyo thing they could over in Japan, including remasters of a multi-episode OVA series.
Who knows why Creative stopped licensing them out, or why studios just stopped caring. It could have been perfect for Blu-ray since the picture and audio quality mattered more than EVER with those, especially back in the early days when they wanted to wow people as much as possible (hence the name of that demo LD from 1990). In a weird twist of fate, it still would be fitting since BD is slowly becoming more and more of a niche market, especially what with streaming taking over and more and more niche films getting their due.
Not to mention, the fact that they've essentially all but disappeared after Razer bought them out (and has been reportedly just using the brand as a name they can slap on anything and everything, the QC has apparently gone down the toilet) has definitely left the generation that grew up with it being abundant wondering what happened. The logo being on everything was great advertising, there's no better way of pronouncing who you are than a loud, rather unsettling synth glissando. You may not know what they were, but you sure as hell knew _who_ they were.
And about those games; most don't know this but the game being certified by THX did not in fact mean that THX played the games and gave them their thumbs up. What it means is that the studio that worked on the game were given the big thumbs up in terms of the project and all their equipment being tuned up to THX's specs. It didn't mean the game was good, (nor did THX certification on movies) but it did mean that the game sounds like it should and was designed and tested on calibrated equipment.
It is what it is, though. We probably won't see a return any time soon, but we do at least have what we have for now.
Not surprised to see you here. Love your uploads!
Had the laserdisks and THX sound system at home when they came out. There was nothing like it anywhere. Ah, the good old days.
I swear to god, I clicked this video to hear the sound, and you delivered.
i always appreciated being thanked for watching my movie :)
0:23 Turn it up! TURN IT UP!
2:41 Tomlinson Holman Xrossover, because the speakers had left and right channels that crossed over each other.
Fun fact: Pixar also originated from Lucas while he was trying to make CGI for Star Wars. And so did digital video editing.
Half-marks. The crossover is the circuit that hard-limits LF and HF sounds with a very specific rolloff, with low sounds going to the woofer and bass bins and highs going to the tweeters. It was a proprietary box in a locked cage within the audio rack. You fed it audio out from the CP-200 or CP-55 sound processors, and got line level out that fed the bi-amped PAs for each channel.
Back in 2019 I finished my home theater setup in the basement. I put in a 65" OLED tv and ATMOS sound system. It amazes me how much better the picture and sound quality is than our local theater. Dark movies at the theater have crushed blacks and at home they look fantastic.
Massively underrated channel. Good story, interesting presentation. Where are all that subscribers? You deserve more
It is fascinating to me that so many young people (based on the comments here) were intimidated and scared of the THX sound and logo. I'm old enough to remember the sound systems being implemented in the theaters so, to me, hearing that THX sound made me think "oooh, something good is about to happen!!"
Yeah what a bunch of poons lol 😂. I agree with you, it grabbed your attention that something is about to go down!
I had a THX certified sound system in 99 for my home system, I still use it to this day. 😊
I remember THX and I was born in 2005 but that sound brings back many memories of my younger years
The THX sound never scared me. No, my experience with THX is closer to that Tiny Toons parody. “The audience is now deaf”
Fun fact, THX would create an exclusive trailer for Terninator 2. Based of a scene from that movie. This would later be remade into the cavalcade trailer. Replacing the T2 with an ice sphere that explodes when struck by lightning and including a stormy background. The trailer was also sped up too compared to the T2 one.
I've seen that one! So cool
I remember THX movies, you could actually feel the sound of the movie
Logo and sound always gave me goosebumps..
Ooh hearing that THX sound again on my Dolby Atmos TV just gave me goosebumps!