Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Friday, 25 April 2008 13:26
Opinion and Analysis
Page 2 of 3
The second set of Vista Ultimate Extras are two new Vista Sound Themes.
According to the otherwise still
mostly useless ‘UltimatePC.com’
site from Microsoft, the new Sound Themes are nice new aural additions.
Clearly, in addition to delivering Ultimate users new visual scenes, Microsoft likes giving aural - or we wouldn't have seen these sound themes arrive before arguably more important Extras, whatever those are planned to be.
The first is called “Ultimate Extras Glass”, while the second is called “Ultimate Extras Pearl”, and after hearing them on own computer, they are cool, but I’d hardly call them “Ultimate”.
The UltimatePC.com site notes that: “The Ultimate Extras Glass Sound Scheme utilizes the same design language and principles as the default Windows Vista sound scheme, however this set has an additional glassy “edge” that can be heard as a more percussive envelope applied to each of the sounds. From one point of view, the sounds in this set feel like they are made with glass instruments.”
Continuing its explanation of the Ultimate Extras Glass, the site says: “The sounds in this set have a sort of clinking glass root with a polished or “frosted” haze effect applied to their outer surface — this is intended to be directly analogous to the transparent glassy window effects that are built-in to the Windows Vista chrome.”
The second sound theme is described thus: “The Ultimate Extras Pearl Sound Scheme further extends the internally-subtle design attributes of both the Windows Vista default sound scheme and the Ultimate Extras Glass scheme, with less focus on reverberant, sometimes clinking, glassy sounds in exchange for a richer, milky, more percussive sonic palate.”
The explanation continues: “The Pearl sounds are harder and less reflective and reverberant, more like the rich and rounded surface of a pearl in contrast to the fragile resonance of a wine glass. More concretely, the Pearl sounds are cleaner dearer and brighter than the Glass sound scheme.”
Please read onto page 3 for more information on the Sound Themes – and for a clue as to when Microsoft will really deliver some worthwhile “Ultimate Extras”.
