About - Skywalker Sound

We are storytellers. We look for partners who wish to collaborate from script to screen. Whether it’s gathering real-life, organic sounds, or developing new techniques, we are eager to explore, create, and venture into the unknown. Skywalker Sound is the industry’s most respected team for designing, editing, and mixing sound for every medium, genre, and format across film, television, music, immersive and beyond. Our artists enrich stories and the characters that inhabit them. From R2-D2, the Tyrannosaurus rex, and WALL•E, to the whip-crack of Indiana Jones, crashes of the sinking Titanic, and the F1 race at Silverstone, Skywalker Sound artists have imbued iconic moments with life and emotion.

History

Members of the Sprocket Systems post-production team from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, 1983.

What today comprises hundreds of artists partnering with filmmakers from around the world began over 50 years ago with one artist and one filmmaker. In 1975, Ben Burtt was hired by George Lucas to create sound designs for Star Wars: A New Hope. Their collaboration helped redefine the role of sound in filmmaking. Originally known as Sprocket Systems, Lucasfilm’s postproduction division ushered in a new era of cinema that emphasized technical innovation to empower the imaginations of storytellers. The division contributed to breakthrough achievements like the THX Sound System and the SoundDroid non-linear editing tool.

Ben Burtt mixes Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in C Theater at Sprocket Systems' early Kerner facility.

Standing, L to R: Tom Johnson, Howie Hammerman, Gary Rydstrom. Sitting, L to R: Ben Burtt, Randy Thom, Gary Summers.

Moving to Skywalker Ranch in 1987, the group soon changed its name to Skywalker Sound, becoming the world’s premier postproduction facility, as well as a top destination for music scoring and engineering. From Oscars to Grammys, our award-winning artists partner with filmmakers to push the boundaries of every genre.