# Annoying and unrealistic computer sounds in movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 30, 2000, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-and-unrealistic-computer-sounds-in-movies/18195 "2000-04-30T21:34:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MSU\_Don](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ec9cab/32.png) [@MSU\_Don](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MSU_Don)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-and-unrealistic-computer-sounds-in-movies/18195/1 "2000-04-30T21:34:39Z")
Is anyone else annoyed by the sound effects currently used when portraying a computer at work in movies today? First off, EVERY movie that has a scene like this uses the same three sound effects… whirrs, beeps, and what sounds like an old dot matrix printer from the 70’s. And they put these effects in so unrealistically – it really distracts me from the movie when I see something like this. When you’re checking out a web page, the computer does not go “beep beep beep” as the page displays! And the fonts they use are always unrealistic too. Can’t they get an image and sound of an ACTUAL pc? Just had to get that off my chest. I’d like to hear your thoughts on this. ---
**Author:** ![Osip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4491bb/32.png) [@Osip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osip)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-and-unrealistic-computer-sounds-in-movies/18195/2 "2000-04-30T21:38:16Z")
Huh. considering my limited understanding of the computer, I have never taken serious notice of this. Although, being a locksmith, I do get really annoyed at people picking locks in seconds. Yes it can be done, but not with one pick. I am sure we all have annoying things in movies we dislike. ---
**Author:** ![Calredic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@Calredic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calredic)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-and-unrealistic-computer-sounds-in-movies/18195/3 "2000-04-30T23:05:51Z")
The thing I love about movie computers is how almost no one ever seems to use a _mouse_, even when they’re supposed to be on the internet. From my experience, moving around on the net doesn’t require constant typing (except for typing in the occasional URL or what-have-you). I guess they do it because using a keyboard can be directly implied through sound effects, without having to be explicitly shown on camera: Clacking = Keyboard Use = Computer Use. If you think _computer_ sound effects are out-of-date, though, listen closely next time someone’s supposed to be playing a _videogame_ in a movie. Ugh! The sound effects are almost always from frickin’ _Pac-man_! Maybe somebody needs to gently inform all the Hollywood foley artists that computer technology has progressed past the “Space Invaders” point. Time to get some new sound samples, folks–preferably ones from after 1985. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2000, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-and-unrealistic-computer-sounds-in-movies/18195/4 "2000-05-01T01:32:50Z")
I want one of those dot matrix monitors you see in the movies. You know, the ones that slowly display green or amber text on a black screen while going “dit-dit-dit-dit…”? Problem is, I think they only come in a 20 characters per line screen size. ---
**Author:** ![Cowboy\_Greg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Cowboy\_Greg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowboy_Greg)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2000, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-and-unrealistic-computer-sounds-in-movies/18195/5 "2000-05-01T01:35:32Z")
Not to mention that when either text is filling the screen (slowly), or a graphic is being displayed (oh-so-slowly), in the background there’s usually a high-pitched “cheepa-cheepa” noise to indicate that something’s happening on the screen. Yeah, all MY computers do that… :: shaking head :: And, speaking of unrealistic fonts – ever notice that there’s rarely an identifiable OS? For text mode, that’s understandable. But all the common GUI’s are instantly recognizable (Mac, Win9x/NT, canonical X-windows, etc.) So what do we get? Some generic plain-wrap GUI that seems to have been created by averaging out the big three. Why? The only movies I recall seeing where that wasn’t so were a couple of Crichton movies (he seems to be a big Unix fan), the hyper-modified Mac OS Finder in Star Trek IV, and the Mac OS parody in Robocop II (the menu bar apple was replaced by a skull-and-crossbones. Apple got an acknoledgement in the end credits.)