To go along with this, they wanted to take the startup sound in a new direction. It was going to be a huge revamp, where they redesigned the operating system from the ground up. īy the time Windows 7 launched in 2009, Microsoft had already started working on their next version, Windows 8. But this time, it was softer and more approachable. With Windows 7, they returned to an electronic sound. Then, they went in the opposite direction, using orchestral sounds that made these devices feel friendly and familiar. The next two sounds were very futuristic, as Microsoft showed off what these machines could really do. With Windows 95, composer Brian Eno gently encouraged people to explore this new world. That startup celebrated that Windows could actually play sound. They can take us back to what Microsoft was thinking at the key moments in their history.Īs explained in our last episode, it all started in the early 90s, with Windows 3.1. These little sounds are like snapshots in time. But they make a lot more sense when you know the context around their creation. Sonically, these startup sounds might seem like they’re all over the place. If you used a Windows computer during that time, there’s a good chance that one of those sounds triggered some serious nostalgia. What you just heard was a collection of all the Windows startup sounds from 1992 through 2009. You’re listening to Twenty Thousand Hertz.

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Learn about Matthew Bennett’s latest work here. Subscribe to Jensen Harris’ Youtube channel. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at. The application closes on May 11th.įollow the show on Twitter, Facebook, & Reddit.īecome a monthly contributor at 20k.org/donate.

Featuring former Microsoft Lead UI Designer Jensen Harris and Sound Designer Matthew Bennett.Īpply for the full time Associate Producer position here. In this episode, we explore the forces that led to that decision, unpack how Microsoft channeled the music of language into their new UI sounds, and reveal 2 secret startup sounds that were nearly lost to time. Part 2 of our series on the Windows startup sounds picks up when Microsoft made the radical decision to kill the startup sound in Windows 8. This episode was written and produced by Fran Board.

Windows 8.1 startup sound download