The excellent podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz recently published a two-part series exploring “The Sound of Apple.” The episodes include conversations with multiple Apple Design Team members, audio engineers, and more, highlighting Apple’s work on creating “some of the most recognizable sounds ever made.”
Part one of the series, “The Sound of Apple 1.0,” covers Apple’s sound design philosophy:
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.
Part two of the series, “The Sound of Apple 2.0,” offers a deep dive into Apple’s use of haptics – and how some of the most iconic iPhone ringtones were created:
In Part 2 of our deep dive into Apple’s iconic sound design, the Apple Design Team unpacks the iPhone’s trio of default ringtones, the evolution of their alarm sounds, the UX sounds of the AirPods Pro, and much more. Along the way, legendary beatmaker Flying Lotus breaks down his collaboration with Apple, and the Design Team reveals how they use haptics as a standalone “instrument.” Featuring Billy Sorrentino, Hugo Verweij and Flying Lotus.
You can find both episodes on Apple Podcasts – or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find transcripts on the Twenty Thousand Hertz website:
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