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Let It Beep: The rise and fall of the Mac startup chime
Episode 29

Let It Beep: The rise and fall of the Mac startup chime

Who was behind the infamous Mac sounds that have become part of your daily routine?

Twenty Thousand Hertz

November 27, 201718m 35s

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Show Notes

For over two decades, every time you turned on a Mac, you were greeted by a familiar sound. It’s appeared as a punchline in The Simpsons, and in movies like WALL•E. It’s a sound some of us tried to hide from our parents as we turned on the computer in the middle of the night. It’s a sound that’s transcended technology; the sound that makes a Mac feel like a Mac. But no longer; the iconic Mac startup chime is going away. 

But, while we all recognize the sound, we rarely think of who made it. On the eve of the boot beep's retirement, Mark Bramhill, from the podcast Welcome to Macintosh talks with creator Jim Reekes about the most fun and iconic sounds he designed during his time at Apple. 


Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by Defacto Sound.

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Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/letitbeep

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