8 Classic Tech Sounds that Defined Our Digital World [VIDEOS]

Some examples of tech audio are in fact so well-known that they cross over into mainstream culture, as some of our examples below will show. We've picked eight classic sounds that will send you down memory lane, with some interesting snippets of info to go along with them, giving you the background behind the sound.

Check out our selection and let us know any memories you have of the sounds we've picked out -- and do share any of your favorite geek audio files we've missed in the comments below.

1. AOL's You've Got Mail

Described as one of the most famous sounds of the 1990s, AOL's "you've got mail" pronouncement is familiar to anyone who used the company's online services, with the well-known phrase later becoming the title of a sugary-sweet Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks movie.

The man behind the voice is voice actor Elwood Edwards. His wife worked for AOL in 1989 and she took a tape recording of Edwards' saying "welcome," "goodbye," "you've got pictures," and "file's done" into work where the AOL execs decided to make Edwards the official voice of the service.

2. Apple Sosumi

Here, ex-Apple employee Jim Reekes explains the naming convention behind a famous Apple sound.

Apparently a joke at the expense of the Apple lawyers back in 1990, the "Sosumi" legend still lives on at the company as the name of the style used for copyright notices, as can be seen in the site's source code today.

3. The Nokia Ringtone

In 1993, Nokia selected a guitar solo from Gran Vals, by the Spanish composer Francisco Tarrega, to be the trademark ringtone of the brand, and throughout the 1990s it really was. Now officially the "Nokia Tune sound mark" and almost too much of a cliché to actually be used as a ringtone, the audio snippet lives in parodies, such as the phone sketch from the excellent Dom Joly below, among others.

4. The Microsoft Sound

This music was the classic arpeggio that accompanied the Windows 95 startup screen. Microsoft was all about the big budgets back then, and as such, the tune was commissioned out and composed by ambient music superstar and composer Brian Eno. This final version -- just six seconds long -- is said to be one of 84 options Eno composed for the project.

5. Intel's Bong

The "Intel Inside" trademark five-note "bong" sound was created by Austrian-born composer Walter Werzowa and is used heavily in the chip maker's advertising and branding campaigns.

In fact, Intel recently attempted to take it viral, with a series of videos in which employees tried to capture the sound through various daredevil stunts, such as this human cannonball effort.

6. Mac Startup Sound

As well as the Sosumi beep, Jim Reekes is also responsible for the Mac startup sound, which has been heard on Macs since the early 1990s and was composed on a Korg in his home studio.

However, the sound does not seem that popular with Mac users. Searching for "Mac startup sound" returns numerous results from people asking how they can turn off the default noise, perhaps after experiencing scenarios like this:

7. iPhone Commercial Ringtone

Do you know what's interesting about the iPhone ringtone from the original commercial? It was never on the phone. The very simple, classic-sounding ringtone was a creation of the ad agency. Users found a workaround to get a similar sounding tone on their phones via GarageBand, but the fact is that familiar tone we were all used to hearing in the ads was, essentially, a fake.

8. MSN/Live Messenger Notification

The notification noise from Microsoft's messaging service has to be one of the most irritating noises in tech, and sounds positively evil if you get several messages in rapid succession. Someone likes it however -- enough to turn it into a song. DJ David Guetta's dance-floor-aimed effort is an almost unforgivable remix of the ghastly sound. Press play at your own peril...

BONUS: Music Using Only Sounds From Windows XP and 98!

This video shows that although the sounds we hear every day can become the boring aural background of our digital lives, some find inspiration in them. That, or they have a lot of time on their hands...

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