How movies sound
Movies sounded different before the first Star Wars movie in 1977. Ben Burtt, a sound designer, brought Star Wars’ sound effects to life. Instead of using electronic noises, Burtt went to nature for organic sounds and taped himself for R2-D2’s beeps. Stereo sound had been around since the 1950’s. Lucas wanted better theater quality so he made THX loudspeakers. (THX is a trade name of a high-fidelity audio/visual reproduction standard for movie theaters, screening rooms, home theaters, and computers.) Lucas paired THX with the Dolby system in the projection booth. It brought clear sound to the theaters.