I watched the mono track the other day. It's still awesome, even if it does have the .44 Magnum sounds when Leia fires the blaster during the chasm crossfire.
The 1997 SE mix seemed to be a concious effort to expand the mono mix. A lot of elements of that are there. It has the 3PO tractor beam line and "Close the blast doors". It has the .44 Magnum gunshots. It has all the various beeps inside the Falcon. I'm going to have to re-watch the 1997 SE (oh heaven forbid!) and see how close it really is to the mono track. I know it leaves out the faint sounds of the cantina just before Ben and Luke and the droids walk in (which I always liked in the mono track).
Originally posted by: hairy_hen
As the Star Destroyer flies about halfway overhead there is a bright flash of light that on the old stereo is not accompanied by any sort of explosive sound effect. On the '93 THX one was added; the '97 special edition supercedes it with a longer, higher-pitched and more "stereo-ized" explosion sound. I don't know if the mono had any sound there or not...
As the Star Destroyer flies about halfway overhead there is a bright flash of light that on the old stereo is not accompanied by any sort of explosive sound effect. On the '93 THX one was added; the '97 special edition supercedes it with a longer, higher-pitched and more "stereo-ized" explosion sound. I don't know if the mono had any sound there or not...
No effect there on the mono mix.
As for which is my favorite, it's tough to say. I grew up on the 1977 Dolby Stereo mix on video, so that's what I know best. To this day when I hear the tractor beam line, it sounds out of place. The mono sounds the most polished and complete. The 1985 is a very faithful but higher quality version of the 1977 Dolby mix. The 1993 is a rockin' track that could be the best, but new sound effects creep in at times and that distracts.
Neil