Help me identify the clichéd sound effect used to label locations in certain films and tv shows.

I think you're talking about http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?HollywoodOs beeps, which are reminiscent of someone typing rapidly on an old https://www.google.com/search?q=vt100&hl=en&site=webhp&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch with electronic keyclicks turned on. IIRC, a lot of them really did blip a little on keypress, if you enabled it, so that it would provide feedback the way a typewriter did.

In the olden days of BBSs, that's sort of what the screen looked like as it downloaded the display, though without the accompanying beeps. But film-makers hate stuff that's too quiet, so they add beeps, which mean "computer" to them. Same as they would insert a "neigh" over a horse that has no reason to neigh, or a bicycle bell when someone's riding a bike but has no reason to use the bell other than to reinforce to the viewer that he is, in fact, riding a bicycle.

Same as they would insert a "neigh" over a horse that has no reason to neigh Derail. I hate it when foley artists do this, it jarrs me right out of the moment because a) its invariably the same library whinny used over and over a la the Wilhelm Scream and b) horses just don't spend a lot of time vocalising unless theyre upset about something so it pushes my 'animal in distress!' buttons. By this point I'm feeling so jarred that I give up the immersion and start looking for stainless steel bits and stirrups which is always amusing in period and fantasy pieces. Lay off the whinny, I'm looking at you The Tudors, and thank you Game of Thrones for not doing this.

That is the effect I had in mind, and I do think its ultimate reference is computer terminals of the early 80s. VT100s (not just DEC's but the myriad of clones), TN3270s, etc. had a keyclick setting that if turned on would issued blips, tinny whistles, etc. as you typed. And thanks to auto-repeat, you could get sound effects almost exactly like that by holding one key down (DEC VT100s actually had a control sequence that would make the auto-repeated keyclick beep into sort of a musical note varying by key). The auto-repeated keyclick would only print the same character over and over, but I think you're seeing 30 years of Hollywood-ization at work. If you're looking for what a sound effect person would call it, though, no clue. :)

Voilà: "computer sound effects, text display". And http://www.audiosparx.com/sa/display/sounds.cfm/sound_group_iid.5540 are a bunch. (Adding to derail, that damnable library front door. You know, "squeeeeeeak-squeak, squeaksqueak". Every single house on television dramas has that same door.)

Late to the party, but is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWPBr4L1eyE&t=0m27s the effect you're referencing, col_pogo?

It's definitely not morse. I'm sure it's an attempt at emulating a teleprinter.

I know what you are talking about col_pogo, and it is not Morse Code, nor is it Beeping Computers. There is not an actual computer on screen -- just overlaid text. I'm sorry I can't identify it for you, but the example that jumps to mind is the US Navy (or another branch of the military) used to do it in recruiting commercials, to indicate all the amazing places you could serve.

xedrik: Yes, that's another example of the effect I was wondering about. A good one, since it shows us a link between the actual computers that might have made this sound and the more high tech version I saw in Game.