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GOOG-411's "Biddy-Biddy-Boop" Sound Backstory

Posted by kdawson on from the party-to-whom-i'm-speaking dept.

Chris Albrecht writes "The bippedy-bippedy-bippedy sound you hear when using 1-800-GOOG-411 is actually a senior voice designer at Google. (Here's the sound.) The technical term for that noise is the 'fetch audio,' and it's more complicated to design than you'd think. For the first time, the voice of GOOG-411 talks about how he came up with it, how important that sound is, and how people now ask him to 'perform' it."

12 of 194 comments (clear)

  1. Twiki? by yourpusher · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is that you?

  2. Swedish Dirty Talking by TractorBarry · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well I speak Swedish and all I can say is that is one big potty mouth he's got there.

    No wonder his sister got bitten by a moose.

    --
    Sky subscribers are morons. They pay to be advertised at !
  3. If you don't know what this is about by TorKlingberg · · Score: 5, Informative

    If you are also not American, or just haven't hear of it, Wikipedia article here:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GOOG-411

    Basically, GOOG-411 is an experimental Google telephone service. Users can call and use speech regocnition to do local business search. I think American phones have letters on the number buttons, so 1-800-GOOG-411 means 1-800-466-4411.

  4. Easier method suggestion. by WK2 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wouldn't it have been easier to have just made that sound by audio recording a dying cat?

    --
    Write your own Choose Your Own Adventure. http://www.freegameengines.org/gamebook-engine/
  5. Re:free phone call? by bev_tech_rob · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It doesn't allow you to make a free phone call, it is a free alternative to the 411 service that the phone companies change you ($1.50 per call on Alltel). I put it on my speed dial just now and gonna start using it. Tried several numbers to see if I could hear the sound, but the response to my query was instantaneous and thus heard no sound....

    --
    You're messin' with my Zen Thing, man.....
  6. Re:Turn up your Mac by rueger · · Score: 5, Funny

    It is quiet, but possibly the problem is that your Mac defaults to a rather low sound level out of the speakers. My G4 certainly did, and even listening to music was annoying because it was so quiet, even with the audio turned up full.

    The fix is of course simple and entirely intuitive, as are all things on a Mac.

    a) open iTunes

    b) In the Window menu, choose Equalizer

    c) Crank the Pre-amp setting to 12

    Now all of the audio on your Mac will not only be loud enough to hear, it will be louder than the same audio on a PC, which can only be turned up 10

    --
    Three Squirrels
  7. Next week on Googledot... by ComputerPhreak · · Score: 5, Funny

    The revealing backstory about the Googleplex's custom-made toilet paper. The technical term is actual 'bathroom tissue', and it's more complicated to design than you'd think. For the first time, Sergey Brin discusses the choices of materials and the unparalleled softness, and how often he gets thanked by Google employees after they wipe their asses.

  8. Re:"senior voice expert"? by BorgCopyeditor · · Score: 5, Funny

    Actually, the audio hourglass cursor first created by the senior hourglass expert was green-lighted by the Senior VP for Cursors, but nixed by the Chief Audio Officer or CAO. External audio/cursor mediation consultants were brought in and a compromise was reached by which the same sound would be re-recorded, but this time under the auspices of the CAO's handpicked Special Cursor Liaison Officer to the office of the Senior VP for Cursors.

    <caseykasem>and that boy grew up to be ... Paul Allen.<caseykasem>

    --
    Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying.
  9. What the Flip? by camperdave · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm fairly sure others will join me in asking: What is GOOG-411'?
    Why do they have a "Biddy-Biddy-Boop" Sound?
    Why would I want to know the Backstory?
    How is this in any way important, newsworthy, or even interesting?

    --
    When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  10. Obligatory Spaceballs by noidentity · · Score: 5, Funny

    YouTube video

    Dark Helmet: Now what is it?

    Radar Technician: I'm having trouble with the radar, sir.

    Dark Helmet: What's wrong with it?

    Radar Technician: I've lost the bleeps, the sweeps, and the creeps.

    Dark Helmet: The what?

    Colonel Sandurz: The what?

    Dark Helmet: And the what?

    Radar Technician: You know. The bleeps. [makes bleep sound effect]

    Radar Technician: The sweeps. [makes sweep sound]

    Radar Technician: And the creeps. [makes creep sound]

    Dark Helmet: [to Colonel Sandurz] That's not all he's lost.

  11. Re:Turn up your Mac by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    c) Crank the Pre-amp setting to 12

    Somehow, "This one goes to twelve," doesn't have quite the same ring as, "This one goes to eleven."

  12. Re:"senior voice expert"? by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The technical term for that noise is the 'fetch audio,' and it's more complicated to design than you'd think.
    As a sound designer, I can tell you that this really is not much more complicated than it sounds. We sound designers and music producers work very hard to give the impression that there is some very sophisticated techno-magic in what we do and that it not only requires extremely complex procedures but superhuman "ears". A great deal of it is just playing around with the bits and pieces, seeing what works. That, and having a very good sound engineer buddy.

    Sometimes, the best sounds are ones that were made in the most simple manner, with a stoned guy in front of a mic going "biddy biddy boop" for example.
    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.