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Comment by thom | Hacker News Reader

I notice this more with sounds than graphics. Sometimes a film will have the goblin sound from Elder Scrolls: Arena, or that one futuristic door opening sound that exists and I’m transported back. Although somehow I’m annoyed every time I hear the Wilhelm scream.

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One common cash register in the US uses the exact sound from Sonic the Hedgehog that plays when you collect a ring. I haven’t determined if it was ripped from it or they simply share a common source.

Edit: found this summary:

> “Did some searching, and found out there's actually a story behind this. "Sega sold their intellectual properties to a company called Sammy, who used those sounds to make Pachinko machines. Pachinko isn't as popular as it used to be now, so Sammy has been licensing out those intellectual properties to Chinese manufacturers who make most of the cheap electronic devices for 'Merica, registers included."

I'd perhaps be slightly suspicious of the explanation as Sega didn't sell IP to Sammy, the companies merged (the general holding company for the group is Sega Sammy Holdings, but in the west we mostly only see the Sega side of the business). If they got that wrong, would the rest be right?

AFAIK the ring effect is FM synth generated (it's not like the Mega Drive is very good at digitised audio), so it's probably original to the game, but I suspect random cash register manufacturers are just ripping it off myself, rather than actually licencing it (are two notes and some synth parameters copyrightable in the end? probably depends on how much you can spend on lawyers...).

Ring sound effect is a square wave using the sega master system's sound channels, not an FM synthesis effect using the Yamaha FM chip.

This is incorrect. While some sound effects in the Sonic games on the MD/Genesis do use the PSG, the ring sound is not one of them. I double checked just now using the oscilloscope view in my emulator. Looks like the ring sound effect alternates between channels 3 and 4 depending on which way it's panned (unclear why it's done that way since any FM channel can be panned left or right).

Crap, you're right, I was thinking of the Jump sound effect.

It might have something to do with surround? https://rec.games.video.classic.narkive.com/cEZltqT1/sega-ge...

Some kind of fast-food order management software common at least in Russia uses the ICQ incoming message sound to notify someone about something. Back in the day I used to think it was the actual ICQ they use in the kitchen.

“uh oh”, that was such a strange sound, in hindsight

Something I learned when working on the Sonic the Hedgehog movie is that SEGA doesn’t own that ring sound. They have a license to use it in video games but it’s owned by a 3rd party. It had to be relicensed for use in the movie.

The Motorola FLEX computer-aided dispatch (read: 911) software uses AOL Instant Messenger sounds in its built-in IM client. It messes with my brain whenever I hear it being used. I think about conversations with old friends late at night…

The cash registers at Stewart's locations in New York all play the ding noise from Windows 98.

Hah I knew there was a reason that sound was so familiar and comforting

that sound is in Gilbarco registers commonly found in gas stations

You might enjoy this video (specific to Doom, but that game uses a lot of those sounds): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bgFpss0YFE

Many of those very familiar sounds have their origin in Sound Ideas' The General Series 6000 library: https://www.sound-ideas.com/Product/42/General-Series-6000-S... .

Tip for anyone who enjoyed that particular type of video - scroll through that user decino's videos looking for thumbnails with bright yellow backgrounds. Those are the ones where he digs into tech behind Doom and Doom II, usually with some really nice, simple, visualisations.

He also played through a few interesting wads - Going Down and Overboard were two of the most creative I've seen (by same author iirc)

The two that I notice these days are a pottery breaking sound[1], and the creak of a wooden door opening[2].

[1]: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8-HUM65Wwig&t=564s

[2]: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8-HUM65Wwig&t=2991s

Pretty interesting that I knew precisely which sounds you meant before even clicking the links

I think the Wilhelm scream is just annoying. It's an unnatural and goofy scream. I still appreciate it as a tradition though.

I’m honestly surprised they get away with it, given that these days there must be a fairly large audience that‘s familiar with it (and thus anyone who screens the movie with authority to demand changes, like the director, might notice and want that audience reaction).

> there must be a fairly large audience that‘s familiar with it

That's exactly why they "get away" with it. Most of the people who are familiar think it's funny. And it is.

Even if it were funny, my point is that I would expect directors to be deliberate with when and where they put funny things in their movies.

Just comes across completely hackish when I hear that in a movie now. Cringe for the poor editor being forced to put it in as the director is giggling away to themselves about it.

I think these days it is so recognisable that sound editors tend to put it in just as an easter-egg.

There is an electricity sound clip that I hear in many places, including model Sci-Fi when something is arcing. Always puts me in mind of the AfterDark screensaver with the monkey powered clock, which used that sample when it would electrocute the chimp when it slowed down.

Is it the one Blizzard used for its title card in StarCraft Broodwar?

...and for every single Protoss structure warp-in.

is this the one they use for iron man occasionally?

I don't think I've heard it in there. Though there is another common one from games that also makes its way into films. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0dD_TACPx0#t=5m51 is one of the ones I'm thinking of.

I'm pretty sure Top Gear has used the exact sound of the siege tank from Starcraft going into siege mode a few times before.

Ugh, the children laughing one is used everywhere

Also the "angry mob" one used in Fight Music https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yYNgJ7OU-3k

It's so cringe; do they expect you not to notice that, hey, here's that sound clip from the '50s again? It takes me out of whatever I'm watching.

“Diddy laugh” seems to be the name chosen for it.

I'm tired of hearing the same exact bear stock sounds every time a bear appears on screen in any media. I swear the fx guys have been using the same 4 sounds for at least 30 years.

Is it the Disney lamp chimney effect hahah? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdW1lGqZAv4

Ahh yes!! I hear the simcity police sound in police procedural shows all the time. I wonder what the original source is, come to think of it, it’s clearly not sim city…

The sound-texture of my adulthood is desktop and mobile notifications from Slack. [0] and [1] (first sound).

There is some perverse ad that incorporates a subtle version of the first sound from [1] into its jingle, and I stiffen up every time I hear it. Also, Slack TV commercials incorporate [0], and many complain about it on Twitter and elsewhere, it's a "traumatizing" sound.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7iGyCdA0xk

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_zsCWwNnR8&t=2s (first sound played)

Yeah, I can imagine that’s painful. But I hope joyful sounds balance it out! One that I always notice is the TiVo bi-bip - every time I hear it on a TV show I have happy memories of a great device.

Seems like I hear the tesla coil from Red Alert all the time

Maybe someone will enjoy this deep dive on the Roblox death sound https://youtu.be/0twDETh6QaI

haha. Unexpectedly funny.

Yup! Sometimes I'll hear a door opening creek or spell casting sound from Morrowind in my kid's youtube videos.

I'm just waiting to hear "wololololo" somewhere now.

Not sure if it's the same sample, but Minecraft has a 'wolololo' tribute in the 'Evoker' enemy. They chant it and turn nearby sheep to different colors.

the AoE turkey gobble sound is in just about every movie which features a turkey

I had a toy cop car as a kid in the early 90s that played this sounds effect.

I heard it a million times playing with it, and I've heard it in movies and TV shows a million times since.

https://youtu.be/9FxgVS7bylA

Bad boys, bad boys whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?

You might like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bgFpss0YFE - tracking down Doom's sounds.

edit: curse you sidpatil!!!!!

There is this one crowd gasp I swear is used everywhere

https://youtu.be/V5eaDhCVNJU

Ahah carmageddon used that.

Yeah explosions are often taken from the sound bank that total annihilation took from and every time the intro plays in my head

To me its "that chair creak" that often gets used for people siting down or getting out of chairs, also makes an appearance as the creak of a rusty gate hinge but to me it stands out as part of the soundbyte for exiting the Command Chair in the Goldsrc mod Natural Selection.

Does the "Amen break" [1] qualify? Man, I love that one.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amen_break

At one point in an Uruk-Hai scene in LotR, I swear I heard one of the Sandpeople sounds from A New Hope

The 90's "double explosion" sound, boom-BOOoooom.

This is one of the ones I was poking for, I think I found it:

https://soundeffects.fandom.com/wiki/EXPLOSION_-_SHELL_RICCO...

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