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Making the Sounds of Vista
Bengt writes "The sounds of Vista took 18 months to get right for Microsoft. Artist Robert Fripp recorded hours of sound, and assisted Steven Ball in choosing between several different options. A clapping rhythm was rejected for 'sounding too human', and a techno beat was removed from considering because it was just the opposite." From the article: "If it seems like overkill to go to all that trouble for a few seconds of sound, consider this: Microsoft estimates that the clips such as the e-mail alert will be played trillions of times in years to come. That's a lot of opportunity to annoy, offend -- or, if the job is done right -- please or appease computer users the world over. One major concern was that the startup sound not grow grating after a time. You want a sound that people will love the first time they hear it, but it's a paradox to also say, 'Oh and by the way, we need people to love it the tenth, or the hundredth, or the thousandth time they hear it,' Ball said."
The poor saps are gonna be hearing that a lot... shortly after The BSOD Sound and the We Think You're a Damned Pirate sound.
you had me at #!
I keep my speakers muted, you insensitive clods!
Just don't make it like this guy's startup sound: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Mt1bgsvsWms
AOL's three little beloved words ranks right up there with "I love you" ...
That guy's gotta be wishing he had a better agent negotiating royalties.
Well in fact this is the reason of all the delays! The other problems etc, they were just to give the composer a bit more time. As you can hear, it really was worth the effort!
- Feed guitar notes into delay, reverb and replay tape-loop system?
- Hire Brian Eno to help you?
- Reform King Crimson yet again?
- Sell out to Microsoft?
Personally, I'm going to wait until the remixed, remasterd versions of the Vista sounds come out with additional material in a special boxed set available only from Discipline Global Mobile...Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)
http://www.lawrenceperson.com/
> Is it too much of a stretch to think that Microsoft employs both programmers
> *and* a few sound artists?
Yes it is, especially if you ever used their stuff!
This seems to underscore Microsoft's focus on flashiness over function, to me.
What is "this", which underscores Microsoft's focus on flashiness to you? That Robert Fripp spent 18 months on it? That they did an article about it?
Oh no! How could they've an article about it and so on, when Robert Fripp and that clueless reporter should be working on improving the security of Windows Vista!
Get a clue.
Hire a decent musician, spend 18 months and millions of dollars futzing with stuff he recorded and RELEASE A TURD anyway. That's the unique Microsoft development process (tm).
Let me guess... the BSOD sound is going to be "One More Red Nightmare"? :)
(mainly for computers for which I'm not the only user)
- Earth-shattering kaboom
- Beethoven's 9th (yes, all of it)
I'm in ur WolframTones modifyin' ur compositions
Okay, I'm feeling pretty dumb right now.
:)
On the other hand, Eno and Fripp aren't exactly strangers. So hey, at least I was in the right neighborhood.
Q: Why aren't there any British PC manufacturers?
A: They haven't quite yet figured out how to make a computer leak oil.
RMS, which I doubt touch code due to his missionary position
Erm... not an image I needed right before dinner...
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