The THX Deep Note has been a staple of the movie theater experience since its premiere in 1983 alongside the release of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. The audio logo’s creator, Dr. Andy Moorer, constructed the iconic sound in 1982 while working for the computer division of Lucasfilm. Moorer set out to create not just any sound, but something emotional that prepared audiences for the film. “You would start with chaos that you couldn’t really hear into, but was constantly moving and evolving,” he said in an interview with The New York Times. “And then slowly, like a flower opening, the form would take shape and crystallize into the big chord. I wanted the beginning of it to be mysterious, so it would tell a story.”
Today, advancements in digital technology have allowed Moorer to develop a new version of the Deep Note, called Eclipse. Eclipse, thanks to 40 new layers of sound added to the original 30 and fine-tuning to balance any range of speaker systems, is compatible with Dolby Digital 7.1 and Dolby Atmos systems, making for more enjoyable cinema and home theater screenings. THX describes the Eclipse as being “intensely more complex, taking the audience on an epic sensory journey unlike anything they’ve experienced before.”