In a recent blog post, YouTube explains how it produced its own trademark launch sound and snappy animation, similar to Netflix’s “Tudum.” The mini-fanfare has already debuted in the YouTube app for TVs, and it plays every time you launch the app.
The platform went into great depth about how the sound was created in collaboration with Antfood, a “sonic branding” firm. By combining various sounds, it attempted to create something “human,” “connected,” “expressive,” and “story-driven.” You may hear it for yourself by clicking here:
In fact, each component of the mix is given a unique name, such as “deep dive,” “upward flourish,” “melodic signature,” “tactile motion,” and “sentimental harmony.” There was a lot of thought (and, no doubt, money) put into this. YouTube, for example, stated that “sentimental harmony” is a major 7th chord that “represents the way YouTube allows you to discover the things you truly love.”
So far, so good, but how does the three-second piece sound? In my small music critic hat, it’s undoubtedly lovely and harmonic, albeit not as memorable as “Tudum.” The accompanying animation is also beautifully done, albeit a little dull.
YouTube, unlike Netflix, did not come up with a clever name for it, just calling it the “YouTube sound,” and I can’t think of any onomatopoeia that would do it credit. In any event, YouTube stated that the music and animation will be available “in more places in the next few weeks and months.”
