FWIW...doesn't address the John Williams soundtrack mixing problem directly, but Star Wars Insider Issue #59 Q&A addressed different soundtracks found in different releases... Q: Why was the stormtrooper line 'close the blast doors' added to the Special Edition release? A: It wasn't so much added as put back in. That line was part of a New Hope from the very beginning, but an entire generation who grew up with the original Star Wars on video never heard it. There are at least five different mixes for the Star Wars audio track, with three of them dating back to the film's original theatrical release. In some markets you literally could hear different versions of the film if you knew which theater to go to. During ANH's theatrical run there was a 70mm 6-track mix, 35mm Dolby stereo mix and a 35mm monaural mix. The 70mm mix was the first rushed out the door, the 35mm Dolby had a longer lead time as Star Wars spread out from its intital 32-screen debut to its eventual spread to 1,098 screens 13 weeks later, and the 35mm mono for theaters that lacked Dolby surround all together. With each different mix there are differences in emphasis or placement of sound effects. Some are minor - the Death Star prison breakout laser sounds are a lot zingier...some are a bit more pronounced such as Luke asking 'Blast it Wedge, where are you?' instead of 'Biggs 'where are you...Princess Leia's blaster sounding like Dirty Harry's .45 or Aunt Beru having a different voice altogether. The blast door line is another example. When it came time to release SW on VHS one particular audio mix was chosen, and it became the de facto version for many many fans. A subsequent laser disc release created a fourth audio mix, taking elements from the previous three. The Special Edition prompted a fifth mix. --- Also Star Wars Insider#76 Q&A about different dialogue in the Special Edition..."because that track was taken from various available soundtracks"...Luke has different dialogue after R2 is spit out of the Dagobah swamp...C-3PO has an additional line in the asteroid field...Han on Hoth says a different word about putting up a shelter when he finds Luke... Explains some things but not everything...interesting nonetheless
