Twenty Thousand Hertz Explores The Death & Rebirth of Windows Startup Sounds
Hear Part 2 of The Award-Winning Podcast’s Deep Dive Into Microsoft’s Sonic History, Revealing Two Secret Noises Nearly Lost to Time:
“Go listen to this podcast…it’s both a good listen and a funny time capsule. You’ll know immediately when you started using computers as soon as you hear the right startup sound”
Art by George Butler
Today, Twenty Thousand Hertz — the leading podcast about sound — releases “Windows_Logon.wav,” the second episode in a two-part series uncovering the epic, intricate history of Windows startup sounds. In the first episode “Ta-da! It’s Windows” – which The Verge says to go listen to, if you haven’t – host Dallas Taylor broke down the sonic logos that have introduced millions of computer users to a world of possibilities: from a triumphant “ta-da” in the early ‘90s, to ambient compositions from both Brian Eno and a British rockstar, all the way up until Microsoft made the radical decision to kill the startup sound all together in 2012’s Windows 8.
In “Windows_Logon.wav,” Taylor explores the forces that led to that choice, unpacking how Microsoft channeled the music of language into their new UI sounds, while revealing two secret startup sounds that were nearly lost to time. Featuring conversations with former Microsoft Lead UI Designer Jensen Harris and Sound Designer Matthew Bennett, the episode takes listeners through the death and rebirth of the Windows startup sound.
Listen to “Windows_Logon.wav” Here
Windows 8 was a huge revamp, with an all new operating system — so the natural inclination was to create novel, exciting music to kick off the user experience. But after the designers had gone through countless iterations of micro-music and decided on a winner, they realized something: In the 20 years since Windows 3.1, when, where and how people used computers had changed quite a bit. Back in the ‘90s, people would sit down at their desk, press the power button and wait for their machine to boot up — so part of the startup sound’s job was to announce, “Hey, I’m ready to go!”
But in 2005, laptops outsold desktop PCs for the first time ever. Computer usage was now a casual, everyday occurrence — booting up didn’t really need a big fanfare, it was just a given. So with some sadness, former Microsoft Lead UI Designer Jensen Harris decided to turn the new startup sound off by default. But the new sound was still there, buried deep in a media folder, and named “Windows Logon.” Of course, the few people who stumbled across that wav file had no idea just how much time had been spent on it.
Removing the startup sound made the UI sounds even more important. Between Microsoft’s own UI and the myriad of online experiences people were having everyday — IM-ing, Googling, Facebook posting and more — platforms were coming together to form a full soundscape of technology, barraging users with noises from all angles. With Windows 8, sound designer Matthew Bennett wanted to create a calmer, more intuitive experience for people. So he designed a suite of soft, gentle tones that all sounded remarkably similar—breaking with the traditional mindset that UI sounds should have a lot of contrast in order to be understood by users.
With Windows 10, they pushed this concept even further. Embracing the idea that music is a universal language, the Microsoft team began exploring the inherent melody of language, aspiring to create sounds that made sense regardless of background or culture. Ultimately, every sound on Windows 10 was developed around a linguistic sensory model, combining phrases in countless languages to compose sounds based on the contours of spoken language.
Microsoft had removed the startup sound from Windows 8 and Windows 10. But over the years, the team began to hear from people who missed it, nostalgic for the old models — and then the designers realized that some people actually didn't just miss it, but needed it. Those who were visually impaired, for instance, really needed a startup sound to know when their system was booted up and ready for their input. So with Windows 11, Microsoft decided to bring the startup sound back. Created by composer Phi Bui, with help from Josh Cain and Savoy Schuler, the Windows 11 startup sound was named Petals, as in flower petals. It was meant to represent a small idea blooming into something greater, and it sounded delicate, elegant, and simple.
In the early days of startup sounds, it was trying to make an announcement, celebrating the advent of technology, attracting attention to the grand phenomenon of kicking off the age of computers. In the decades that followed, the primary purpose of UI sounds had changed: now, they were centered around functionality, to support people being productive and being creative.
“I think the future of sound design is less about sound and hearing and more about sound and feeling,” Bennett shared. “It's all about creating that immersive experience that supports attention and focus, and giving people what they need, when they need it, and then getting out of the way.”
Twenty Thousand Hertz is an Ambie and Webby award-winning show about the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds. Produced out of the sound design studios of Defacto Sound, the podcast previously revealed the origins of Netflix's "Ta-Dum" for the first time ever, in addition to dissecting the HBO Theme & Static Angel, the McDonald's "I'm Lovin' It" jingle, and much more available here: https://www.20k.org/archive
About Twenty Thousand Hertz
Twenty Thousand Hertz is a lovingly crafted podcast that reveals the stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds. With 20 million+ lifetime downloads, 125,000+ listeners per episode, and 3 Webby awards to its name, Twenty Thousand Hertz is the world's leading podcast about sound. Episodes of Twenty Thousand Hertz have been featured on Planet Money, 99% Invisible, Endless Thread, and Every Little Thing. The show has also been covered by The New York Times, Marketplace, Entertainment Weekly, Salon, Popular Science, and many others.
About Dallas Taylor
Dallas Taylor is the host and creator of Twenty Thousand Hertz, a lovingly crafted podcast revealing the stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds. Dallas is also the Creative Director of Defacto Sound, where he has led thousands of high-profile sound design projects - from blockbuster trailers and advertising campaigns, to major television series and Sundance award-winning films. Additionally, Dallas is a TED mainstage speaker, a regular contributor to major publications, and a respected thought leader on the narrative power of sound.
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