If you’re in your 30s, chances are high that you’ve used Windows 95 before. And that is by no means a minor experience. You should know that, with such a system, microsoft was finally consolidated at the top of the preference of users who wanted to purchase a PC for homes, thanks to the graphical interface that was finally arrived on a platform that was ready to stay. Everything had to be perfect Bill Gatesand that’s why he spared no detail, including the simple introductory sound of just 7 seconds, for which he paid thousands of dollars.
If you don’t remember what we’re talking about, it must be because, from Windows 95 onwards, the introductory sounds of each operating system have taken on significant importance. Here we leave you the clip that we will talk about next.
Does it bring back memories? Well, this little audio has many more anecdotes behind it than most think, but one of the most impressive details of its history is who was chosen to create it, what Microsoft told it to believe and how much they paid it. We tell you all the details.
YOU CAN SEE: Who composed the initial sound of Windows XP and why is it so iconic?
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Windows 95: which celebrity created the popular introductory sound?
This system was to be the long-awaited direct successor to Windows 3.1, the first version of Windows that had achieved some fame, especially in business circles, which began to embrace it for its workgroup networking capabilities.
The idea with Windows 95 was to finally present an OS ready to be used in home areas, with an incredible ease of use not seen in Windows before, with multimedia capabilities out of the box and with great compatibility between devices.
The market for Microsoft was clear and what they wanted to relate to back then was the future. Therefore, they sought out one of the best experimental artists and composers of the time: Brian Eno.
You may not have heard much about brian eno, but you should know that he is one of the most innovative musicians of the last decades, having developed in a wide variety of genres from rock, electronic music, ambient and, of course, experimental sounds. He has also worked with artists of the stature of U2, David Bowie, talking heads, Coldplayetc.
How much did they pay you?
Microsoft contacted Brian Eno due to his great quality as an atmosphere sound designer. When he accepted, the company was very precise in what they were looking for: a sound “sentimental, emotional, futuristic, optimistic and inspiring”.
According to a Techtalk post, to accept the deal, Eno and Microsoft agreed to a payment of $35,000 only for the initial sound and not for all the other system audio that was included. Of course, one attempt was not enough for the composer and he created approximately 85 short musical pieces (or ‘micro-songs’) until he found the piece we all already know.
What specifically were you asked to capture?
Eno may have taken up the challenge enthusiastically, but what will surely go down in history as unusual is that he revealed himself not to be an active Windows user. This was what he commented for an interview with Mental Floss published in 2013:
“The idea came at a time when I was completely devoid of ideas. I had been working on my own songs for a while now and I was lost. I really appreciated when someone came to me and said, ‘We have a specific problem, solve it for us.’ The guy from the agency told me: ‘We want a piece of music that is inspiring, universal, blah blah blah, futuristic, sentimental, emotional’ and all that list of adjectives. At the bottom it said very clearly: ‘It must last 3.25 seconds’. I thought it was so much fun and amazing to try to make such a small piece, like a little jewel. In total, I made 84 pieces. I got completely into that world of ‘micro songs’. When I went back to working on songs that were three minutes long, they felt like oceans of time.” Additionally, Eno confessed: “I have never used a PC in my life. I do not like. I used a Mac to compose the pieces.”