Over the last few decades, Apple has produced some of the most recognizable sounds ever made. In this episode, the Apple design team pulls back the curtain on their sound design philosophy and process, from the evolution of the classic “Tritone” alert, to the surprising origins of the Apple Watch sounds, to the inspiration behind the latest notification tones. Featuring Billy Sorrentino, Hugo Verweij and Kelly Jacklin. Sign up for Twenty Thousand Hertz+ to get our entire catalog ad-free. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at mystery.20k.org. Follow Dallas on Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Watch our video shorts on YouTube, and join the discussion on Facebook. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/20k. Find the right doctor, right now at zocdoc.com/20k. Claim your $75 sponsored job credit at indeed.com/hertz. Get a free Netsuite KPI Checklist at netsuite.com/20k. Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: www.20k.org/episodes/the-sound-of-apple Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You're listening to 20,000 hz.
I'm Dallas Taylor.
When I think of Apple, one of the first things that comes to mind is their impeccable design.
From the unmistakable white packaging, to the gentle curve of the iPhone's metal and glass, to the colorful animation that appears when you activate Siri, every aspect of these devices has been crafted to be sleek and beautiful.
While Apple is renowned for its stunning visual design, sound design is just as important to the Apple experience.
Sound really is at the beginning of the design process.
It isn't a coat of paint at the end.
That's Billy Sorrentino from the Apple design team.
The sound team is sitting at the table from the very beginning of ideas, the very beginning of pulling new products.
Ultimately, we're hoping users can feel that they can tell that those sounds feel innately part of the device itself, rather than, you know, hey, let's make a cool ringtone.
Our sound design team is audio engineers, classical composers, folks who are incredibly gifted at spatial audio or some more advanced ways of thinking about sound.
But sound designers are far from the only people in the Apple design team.
Of course it is human interface designers and industrial designers, but it's so much more than that.
We have 3d designers, graphic designers, interaction designers, CAD modelers, and then of course haptics design and sound design.
But unlike other companies where the departments are siloed off from each other, we.
Really are all together in projects.
We all sit together all the time.
We work together, we play together, we make together.
So it is one studio.
What's great about being a sound designer around that table is that it really feels like you're kind of jamming together.