The 20th Century Fox fanfare, MGM’s Leo the Lion, and the deep THX tone are iconic sounds that are part of cinema’s brand image.
Netflix’s “ta-dum” audio logo has quickly become a recognizable, memorable, and iconic intro. But how did the team manage to breathe new life into the genre?
Something that screams "Netflix"!
In 2015, Netflix’s vice president of products,Todd Yellin, was looking for “something that screams Netflix.” Yellin is a former filmmaker with a knack for sound design, and he led the process of creating the “ta-dum.”
He knew that Netflix users had no patience for a long intro. So the idea was to look for something that consisted of short sound effects.
Tension Release
Yellin wanted a sound that would make viewers think:
"Wow, I'm about to treat myself—I'm about to have an incredible experience."
Even though Netflix is in the technology and entertainment industry, the audio logo couldn’t sound too electronic—like the Xbox sound or the Mac startup chime. And it had to make the audience think of “Netflix” without actually saying the company’s name (like the PlayStation sound signature).
Several keywords were suggested to describe this sound: tension, release, eccentric, and others. The main goal was to create the sensation of something that would build tension and then release it.
How many clauses, you say?
After numerous unsuccessful attempts to secure such a major project, Yellin turned to Oscar-winning sound editor and sound designerLon Bender(Braveheart, The Revenant, Drive, The Hunger Games).
Bender experimented with a variety of sounds: those based on music boxes, those that evoked the passage of time, doors opening, as well as sounds created using unusual instruments and real-life sounds from movies. Yellin and Netflix’s head of brand design,Tanya Kumar, must choose from among20 or 30 proposals.
Among Bender's top three suggestions are the sound of a goat, a crackling sound "from the depths of the ocean," and the "ta-dum" created from the sound of a wedding ring.
Yellin said:
“I liked the sound of a goat. It was funny. It was unique. It was our version of Leo the Lion.”
Yellin felt the pressure to choose the right option: “The sound we were going to choose would get millions, hundreds of millions, billions of impressions!” One day after work, Yellin played the sounds for her daughter, who was 10 at the time. For her, there was a clear choice, and it was the “ta-dum” sound that caught her attention. A working group described the first draft of the “ta-dum” as signifying a “beginning,” “dramatic,” “interesting,” and even “a movie.”
Sound designer Bender describes how he created the two percussion sounds:
“It’s a combination of music and the sound effects of those taps—which are my wedding ring, the one I’m wearing—as I tap it against the side of a piece of furniture in our bedroom. To add different textures to it, I’ve softened it with other sounds.”
Bender added a deeper anvil sound and a few muffled thuds. But he wasn’t entirely satisfied. The sound still needed something else to create a sense of “sway”—something that became the signature’s final tonal swell, which he calls the “flower.” This sound comes from his colleague,Charlie Campagna(sound designer for “Blade Runner 2049”), who extracted the “flower” from a longer recording he made in the 1990s. The sound comes from a 30-second guitar phrase that was digitized and reversed. “I’ve always had it because it was so beautiful, but I never got to use it,” Campagna said. The idea is to create “the blooming sound” that introduces the movie or show viewers are about to watch.
All in all,it took a year to create the ta-dumwe knowtoday.
Bringing the Audio Logo to Life
Netflix also has a second audio logo—a longer one based on the “ta-dum” sound that plays before the streaming service’s movies when they’re shown in theaters. This longer sound was composed by legendary composerHans Zimmer(The Lion King, The Dark Knight, Gladiator, Interstellar, The Crown, …).
The result is a 16-second orchestral version—a sort of dazzling, spectacular crescendo punctuated by the signature “Ta-Dum” in a lower register, like a heartbeat.
The Netflix audio logo has become memorable not only because it was carefully designed, but also because of its frequent repetition.
Should all brands sound like this?
Not all brands can afford to invest as much as Netflix does in their audio logo. But isn't the most important thing to leave a strong and memorable emotional impression through the use of music and sound?
Key takeaways from Netflix’s audio logo creation workflow:
- Clearly define how your industry relates to sound and music
- Select as many keywords and concepts as possible to serve as the basis for the sound design
- Experiment, experiment, and experiment relentlessly
Do you remember what you thought the first time you saw and heard the Netflix logo: “Wow, that’s original!” Yes, it’s different while still staying true to the conventions of the film industry. Audiobranding professionals would agree thata successful audio logois one that:
- createsan element of surprise
- is easily recognizable
- stirs up an emotion
- conveys the brand's fundamental and unique character
- only works in the long run
The Netflix Tudum is one of the sound identities that have shapedthe history of the audio logo.
Sources:
- Ta-dum! It’s Netflix Podcast
- The Netflix "Ta-Dum" Sound Almost Included a Goat's Bleating
- Here’s the story behind Netflix’s iconic intro sound. A goat is involved.
- A wedding ring saved us from having to hear a goat before every episode of *Nailed It!*