startup / shutdown sounds - please improve them!

[DFreeze]

I know that the startup and shutdown sounds are probably what most people will disable anyway, but just as with the rest of the artwork: first impressions are essential. The wallpapers have had quite some flack recently (not completely undeserved), but there's a lot of movement there to open up the creation and selection process. Not so with the sounds.

I hardly read any thread about them, nor do I see any proposals in the wiki. I've ranted about the wallpapers being bland and not communicating the message of Ubuntu, and the same can be said about the sounds. There's a slight African feel to it (which is nice), but that's completely undone by the crash-cymbal (too pop/rock, doesn't fit in with the rest of the sound). I would imagine a kind of Lion King, Shaka Zulu (remember that?) choir sample, combined with some native drums and maybe some synth / bass underneath. That's it. Plain and simple and with a strong reverence to the origin of the distro. Although I'm a musician, I'm not very good with recording, but perhaps someone here gets inspired by these ideas (I can dream, right?), or even better: a group of recording enthousiasts forms a sound-team and Hardy Heron will have a nice overhaul.

Ubuntu has been stubborn about the human color scheme for so long (although poorly implemented so far), let's then be stubborn about human sounds as well :)

[lyceum]

http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/%22Borealis%22+sound+theme?content=12584

Best sounds I have found. They are default in Ubuntu Studio 7.04.

[smartalecks]

http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/%22Borealis%22+sound+theme?content=12584

Best sounds I have found. They are default in Ubuntu Studio 7.04.

My god, I love you!!! TYTYTYTYYY These are freaking PERFECT :D

[DFreeze]

http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/%22Borealis%22+sound+theme?content=12584

Best sounds I have found. They are default in Ubuntu Studio 7.04.

Yeah, I know them. I have UbuStu on a different partition. I like them better than the Ubuntu ones, for sure, but they are a bit long for my taste. And off course, they don't have the Ubuntu feel (earth, Africa, whatever does the 'human' touch), but they weren't designed to do so.

Are there any more themes already made that I'm not aware of and that could fit in the Ubuntu artwork?

::EDIT::

I just found the Gnafrica (http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Gnafrika?content=61309) sounds on that same website. They are a good step in the right direction!

[JayBee808]

I just made the conversion from XP to Gutsy, and am extremely happy with the results.

I run a small recording/synthesis studio, and have plenty of tools for sound creation. I would love to contribute something back to the Ubuntu community. My programming skills are stuck back in the 80's somewhere, not much interest in that. However, contributing sounds would be something I could easily do.

What can I do? If anyone wants to pitch some ideas, I'd be more than happy to get involved in this area.

[jjfourtwenty]

just disabled my sounds :D

[catfacts]

The sounds are all to long they need to be at max five seconds not 30 some like it was in dapper. They got a bit better but since the sound drives on my comp aren't recognised they play full blast. Ugh.. especially when i start it in school. No I just have to disable them.

[lyceum]

As much as I love Borealis, I have been thinking of making my own batch of sounds. Any suggestions, other than nothing over 5 seconds?

[lyceum]

My god, I love you!!! TYTYTYTYYY These are freaking PERFECT :D

Yeah, that was my reaction when I first heard them to. You are welcome :)

[DFreeze]

I'm sorry I haven't replied to my own post for a while. Especially since two people volunteered to create some alternative sounds! AWESOME, dudes! I'm don't know if there are criteria for making sounds for Ubuntu. I bet someone from the art-department could come up with some set of rules, but as with the animal wallpapers (https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Artwork/Incoming/Gutsy) (scroll down a bit to see them), if they are really good and many people love them, they would probably get the attention (and review) they need to get included.

But just to give you something to go with, here are some keyword for your inspiration (just my opinion, so please chime in with other ideas or keywords)
- Africa (obvious, but essential I would say)
- native instruments (I'd say mostly drums and vocals, but that's me)
- powerful but cheerful (imagine a classroom full of african children singing: that almost always sounds cheerful and swinging)
- not sure if the singing should actually mean anything (a word or sentence) or just be an aah or ooh. One could reason that Ubuntu as a distro is already a statement, so why not let the theme sound say something similar. It just shouldn't become some political thing or be in any way offensive to some people
- one could also use vocals for making the groove (short oohs and aahs like in the Shaka Zulu thing)

I hope this gives you something to get started. If not, please request more info and we'll try to help you guys help us! Man, isn't this community wonderful? If you're given something truly great for free, it just urges many people to give something back. Let's make this the best OS on the planet!

[DFreeze]

Oh, I just realised I'm focusing on the startup and shutdown sounds, but offcourse we could try and make a whole desktop-sounds package together. I'm not really sure how the system sounds would have to be to be meaningful, but not intrusive or irritating. Maybe one of you can feed us some ideas?

[earobinson]

I dont like my computer making sound.

[CAD-MAN]

I dont like my computer making sound.

I feel the same way. The only sounds I really want my computer to be making are when I tell it to play music, or videos, etc.

But I agree that the Ubuntu Studio sounds are much better than the default Ubuntu ones.

Nevertheless, I still went to system > preferences > sound and turned all sounds off.

[JayBee808]

I know this has thread has been idle for a while, but I am still interested. I have spent the last three months learning Ubuntu inside and out. I love it. I have installed it on almost all of my computers, including some of my studio workstations. I would like to create the sounds entirely with the UbuntuStudio tools, paired with some real instruments and analog synthesis.

I agree with the African/Human/Natural element to the sound themes. I also think it should have some futuristic, and modern elements as well. Ubuntu Linux is the apex of today's technology, It also represents what good humans can accomplish when they cooperate and work together on something. I like the noises that computers used to make in the old sci-fi movies and other old depictions of what the 2000's would be like. Some of that is pretty cheesy and dated, but soft electronic, comforting tones, might work well. I don't like Window's loud bangs and beeps when it wants to tell you something. Just a few soft little sounds to add the aural dimension to the OS would be nice. While I think it is okay, my girlfriend absolutely despises the "jungle" noises currently playing upon login. As I type this I am listening to Sun Ra's "Space is the Place" which might be influencing me a little; it has a nice marriage of call-and-response, and far-out space noises.

I'll work on some demos this week, and get them up on my website for anyone who cares to check them out.

Is there a preferred manned in which to distribute a sound theme?

:guitar:

[DFreeze]

Can't help you on the way-we-do-things-around-here thing, maybe the wiki can give some clues. But I just wanted to voice my enthusiasm about your plans. I'm glad you like what Ubuntu has to offer, and propose to give some of your skills and time back.

When some sound-scheme emerges, we could try and see whether we can get the attention of the people responsible for the desktopsounds and work things out to a new and exciting theme!

I can give you only ideas and cheers, and I really hope you can get UbuntuStudio to give you the tools to realise your plans. I like the idea of subtle old-school tech bleeps combined with human, african, nature sounds. Of course you'll need some synths, pads, whatever to glue the thing together, but I take it you'll know just how to do that. Good luck! ...and thanks for listening ;)

[argraff]

I've got a mbira! Granted, I have no idea how to tune it or play it...

Anyway, just wanted to say I'm interested and listening! :)

[DFreeze]

Hey JayBee808, any luck on those sounds yet?

[MadsRH]

Hi
I've made eight start/end sounds for Ubuntu. Please post comments on these sounds ;)

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=695540 (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=695540)

I actually like the default Ubuntu sound. It has that african/human/natural element to it.

MadsRH

[mech7]

does anybody know why the download links dont work in the first post ?

[Vadi]

I like the sounds :s

I don't get any shutdown one though. Just before/after I login. And they frequently play at full blast in the middle of a lecture - but that's OK window there are lot more of XP ones.

[duckgoesoink]

I like the sounds :s

I like the default sounds too - but maybe that's because I'm new and haven't tired of them yet.

[Vadi]

Right, and that's good then - when you get tired, you can always change them easily. What people are saying though that they aren't good enough by default :/

[JayBee808]

Hey, sorry this is taking me so long...

I've had some technical difficulties with my equipment. My primary audio hardware is MOTU, and it is turning out to be nearly impossible to get it to work with Ubuntu Studio, or JACK specifically. MOTU is not Linux friendly. I really would like to use Ubuntu for all the sound design, but at this point, the only machine that is running JACK audio has an on-board sound card. I could give in and do it with Windows 2000, my studio's "native" OS.

What do you guys think? Should I stand up for the principles of Freedom, or would it be acceptable to do the work in Win2K, so that it actually gets done? Is it appropriate to do work for Ubuntu on a Win-box?

Either way, I haven't forgot, and this is a high priority job for me. :(

[DFreeze]

hey JayBee808, sorry to hear you're having hardware trouble with Ubuntu. I for one am fine with how you make the sounds. Off course, "made in Ubuntu" would really be a plus, but the licence you choose for your sounds determines if they are 'free' or not. Not the way you made them...

I assume you've exhausted all options Ubuntu has to offer to get it to work (forums, IRC, Wiki, bugreports, ...). Not to patronize, but there's just so much help available.

Anyway, good luck trying to get it to work, and making up your mind about how to create the sounds. Wish I could help you, but the most advanced soundcard I have is a SoundBlaster Live of approximately 7 years old.