For decades, nearly every microwave has sounded the same. We’ve all grown accustomed to the loud, piercing, alarm-like beep that plays whenever you press a button or the timer hits zero, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Starling, a new sonic-branding studio founded by sound designers Joel Corelitz and Colin Coogan, is working on a way to upgrade microwave sounds without replacing the cheap hardware already inside them. Why do microwave beeps sound so annoying? It’s because microwaves are designed around a really simple limitation. They rely on something called passive piezo buzzers to make their sounds, which are limited to beeps and tones. The obvious solution would be to put an actual speaker in the microwave, but that would be too expensive and too complex for an appliance that might sell for around $80. With that limitation in mind, Corelitz and Coogan have challenged themselves to create better sounds, without adding any new hardware. They built a software tool called Microwave Sound Bench that lets them test and program the frequency and duration of sounds produced by the buzzers. The software allowed them to create softer, more pleasant sounds that the grating beeps microwaves make now. Programming the buzzer could also allow microwaves to use different sounds for all its functions. Appliance companies could even develop their own distinctive sounds, giving products from different brands a distinct feel. All a manufacturer would need is to be open to putting new code in their device. Corelitz and Coogan would be happy to partner with Samsung, Panasonic or any other appliance maker to bring their sounds to actual products, but they also wouldn’t be too upset if a company took the idea and ran with it. For now, they’re waiting to see if any appliance maker wants to take that first step.
