25 sounds from the 1980s-1990s that will make you smile

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Windows 95 came out almost 25 years ago. But your memory probably still stores the melody of her screensaver!

Computers

Starting Windows 95

Personal computers in those years were a curiosity, so most of us could only see them in computer science lessons at school, and even then with one eye. But the sound of entering Windows 95 is forever etched into the memory of anyone who once heard it (if, of course, you were lucky and had speakers, haha).

Dial-up-modem connection

This is probably one of the most memorable sounds for those who were lucky enough to have a computer with Internet access in the 90s. If you are under 20 now, then hearing this, you might think that somewhere nearby, a portal to hell has opened. In fact, this is how in the 90s (and even in the early 2000s) people were connected to the Internet.

Floppy drive operation

Floppy disks have long become obsolete, but how fondly we remember them. Due to the stepper motors installed in the drives, the sounds produced were so inimitable that nowadays enthusiasts use floppies as musical instruments. Eight of these machines can easily be found in the Apocalyptica group.

Dot Matrix Printing

The dot matrix printer is another hellish machine that makes a terrible noise. This device is, in fact, an improved version of the typewriter. The image in it is formed in the same way: many needles hit the paper through the ink ribbon and leave small dots on it, from which letters, words and pictures are formed.

New message in ICQ

If you had the Internet in the nineties and early 2000s, then you certainly had ICQ, or, as this most popular messenger in the CIS at that time was affectionately called, ICQ. A piercing "a-oh", which could not be confused with anything, notified users of a new message, making their hearts beat faster. This sound has remained in our memory forever.

3D Pinball: Space Cadet from Windows

If there were more sounds in "Klondike" or "Minesweeper", probably these games would have taken the place of "Pinball", but it happened as it happened. Built since the days of Windows NT, the game has been a beloved hit for those who prefer drive to highly intelligent gameplay. Unfortunately, starting with Windows Vista, Microsoft removed the game from the standard kit, which greatly annoyed die-hard fans.

Doom original soundtrack

The ancestor of all shooters, Doom was installed on any computer in the 90s. The game allowed you to relieve stress, taste adrenaline and just join the wonderful world of computer games, which were head and shoulders above the console counterparts. The soundtrack and special effects in the game deserve special praise. They are just gorgeous.

Consumer electronics

Audio cassette with chewed tape

Compact cassettes, or audio cassettes, were incredibly popular. They were used not only in stationary equipment, but also in portable ones. Domestic tape recorders and players at that time were not of the highest quality, and not everyone had imported ones, so our tape recorders often "chewed" tapes with their favorite recordings, giving their sound a comical and slightly frightening effect.

Rewind VHS cassette

VCRs appeared in our homes much later and were just fabulous devices. It was considered a good practice to rewind the videotape to the beginning, so that the person who will watch it after you immediately enjoys the film, and does not waste precious minutes on rewinding.

Dialing a number on a rotary telephone

The overwhelming majority of citizens had rotary dials on their phones. Push-buttons were a source of pride, and devices with caller ID and answering machine generally seemed like devices from the future. Dialing a number on a rotary dial had one peculiarity: because of the spring that smoothly returned the dial to its original position, dialing numbers, especially zero and nine, took a certain amount of time. At the same time, a characteristic sound was heard.

Television

Tom and Jerry Screensaver

Hearing these sounds, we threw all our affairs and ran as fast as we could to the TV so as not to miss the beginning of our most beloved cartoon. Younger children were a little frightened by the formidable roar of a lion, but it was worth turning away for a couple of seconds, and now a new pursuit of the irrepressible cat for an inventive mouse began. Well, or vice versa.

Santa Barbara Screensaver

Imported serials were an outlet for adults. Children and adolescents had little joy from all these soap operas, but it was simply impossible not to remember them. It seems that "Santa Barbara" ran endlessly, but in fact, the entire series was never shown on Russian television.

Welcome to the Jungle Screensaver

“On Wednesday evening, after lunch…” As 20 years ago, the voice of the wonderful Sergei Suponev sounds in the ears, inviting two teams of guys to compete in strength and dexterity. For the sake of fairness, it must be said that the program was still broadcast on Saturdays and not in the afternoon, but in the morning.

Gadgets

Montana watches

Unique representatives of Chinese consumer goods, which became simply cult in the early 90s. The clock was incredibly cool: it beeped at the beginning of every hour, had a backlight, a stopwatch with a timer, an alarm clock and, most importantly, built-in melodies! The number varied depending on the model (usually there were eight or 16), and they were reproduced through a piezo speaker at the bottom of the watch.

Tamagotchi

An egg on a chain with a pet living inside, which had to be taken care of in every possible way: feeding, walking, and so on, was immensely popular. Original tamagotchi were rare, and more often clones and unsuccessful copies that did not differ in quality fell into our hands, although this did not bother anyone. The gadget squeaked disgustingly when the dinosaur, fish or puppy wanted to eat or needed to be cleaned, which attracted unwanted attention, especially if it was during school lessons.

Standard ringtone Nokia 3310

The most famous Nokia device, which became the hero of anecdotes and incredible stories, of course, had a branded Nokia Tune ringtone and announced it to all the surrounding area when they called you. The melody was also in the earlier phones of the Finnish company, but due to the popularity of the Nokia 3310, it was remembered in its performance.

Games

Soviet slot machine "Sea Battle"

When no one had any consoles or computers, we went to play slot machines. One of the most memorable of them, "Sea Battle", imitated the torpedo attacks of enemy ships by a Soviet submarine. The design of the machine was very primitive: painted decorations, several light bulbs, tin boats and a periscope, through which all this could be observed. But the characteristic hiss of torpedoes and explosions with successful hits still echo.

"Wait for it!" ("Electronics IM-02")

"If you get exactly a thousand points, you can see a cartoon!" This legend was passed by word of mouth, and every owner of an amazing gadget tried to get them. Some even succeeded. The only pity is that the joy of victory was replaced by disappointment: of course, there was no cartoon there, and there wasn’t even close.

Tetris (Brick Game)

The Tetris game that has always been part of these portable gaming gadgets has become a household name for them. The first "Tetris" had only a few games (from two to eight), but with the development of technology, the Chinese industry began to rivet models with tens, hundreds and even thousands of games. It is clear that there were about a dozen and a half different games, and everything else turned out to be just their variations, but how cool it sounded all the same - 999 in 1!

Screensaver of the 9999 in 1 cartridge for Dendy

This cartridge was supplied with most clones of the Japanese prefix Famicom (the official clone of which is known in our country as Dendy), and it was with it that many of us began acquaintance with the wonderful world of video games. I am sure that if you turn on this music and close your eyes, you will immediately see a couple among the palm trees on the shore of the gentle ocean.

Super Mario Bros. Soundtrack

Super Mario Bros., for simplicity of the soul we call "Mario", was the first number in the list of the cartridge "four nines". But even if the game were the last, or, say, the 2937th in a row, it would still remain the most favorite game of all children and adults. Absolutely all sounds are beautiful in it, from the soundtrack to individual special effects. That only is the sound of breaking bricks, the jingle of coins or the melody that sounds after Mario falls into the abyss.

The beginning of the Battle City levels

No less favorite toys were "tanks", which are actually called Battle City. Here it was already possible to play together, which was much more fun and made it possible to persuade his father to let him play with him on a color TV, and not an old black and white.

Dog laugh from Duck Hunt

Duck Hunt was even cooler to play. A light pistol, it's almost like a real one: you aim, pull the trigger, hear a shot and, if you're lucky, the sound of a duck diving down, and not the disgusting laugh of an arrogant dog that you wanted to shoot or even strangle with your own hands. It's a pity that this was not foreseen in the game.

SEGA screensaver

16-bit consoles were already the big league. Solid box, chic design, gamepad with six buttons! And what about games? Games here simply amazed with graphics and sound! Each of them opened with a branded screensaver, which was forever imprinted in the ROM of our brain - no more, no less.

PlayStation Screensaver

Playstation was not just a major league, it was just space. These were only in game libraries or one or two friends from the class, who automatically became the most respected people. We were breaking the pattern not only from the amazing games, but also from the very splash screen for turning on the console. Even now, she gives me goosebumps.

The list goes on and on, remembering games, TV shows, cartoons, toys and everything else that gave us joy more than 20 years ago. Each of us may have a slightly different list of items, so I suggest continuing it with other worthy copies in the comments!