The New Rootly Ringtones: How Research-based On-Call Sounds

Getting awakened by a page in the middle of the night can be tough. You’re still half asleep, but somehow you have to get into alert mode. At Rootly, we’re refining that experience. Our latest improvement is the new Rootly Ringtone, which we commissioned from Lisbon-based artist and sound engineer, Gorjão.

João Maria Gorjão, a multi-instrumentalist with a bachelor’s degree in musical sciences, worked directly with JJ Tang, Rootly’s CEO, to understand what we were looking for in the sound that would wake up responders: the tone of a modern pager that ensures you’re awake but also sets you up for productivity.

A Sound Based on Research

Rootly had a very specific goal for these ringtones. And we also wanted them to have a very specific energy: it is an alarm, but it should feel positive. Our objective was to find how a modern pager should sound.

João started his journey toward these ringtones by diving into scientific papers, exploring the relationship between alarms, pagers, sounds, and the human brain. He also looked at how common alarms in our daily lives are constructed.

João built a musical language that was cautious not to become too melodic but could still be pleasant to hear. Then he introduced different types of distortions and played with concepts like a clock ticker to add an element of increased urgency to the ringtone.

Tranquil and Energetic Variations

How you want to get notified about an incident can be personal. That’s why we’re bringing two variations of the Rootly ringtone: a “tranquil” one and an “energetic” one (which is now Rootly’s default sound).

João designed both to make sure you’ll wake up. Both have a distinctive sound that will make you immediately realize you’re being called for a potential incident, but they use different techniques to do so, achieving the ‘calm’ and ‘energetic’ vibe of each.

For the calm Rootly ringtone, João introduced a more bubbly sound in the main track, but in the harmony, he introduces a chaotic element that is frequently changing. These unexpected sounds between the gentler notes trigger your brain to awareness status.

For the energetic Rootly ringtone, João used a similar melody to the calm one, but built several layers of dissonant sounds into it. He also introduced several distortions that will make sure you’re on your feet in no time when the ringtone goes off.

Using the new Rootly Ringtones

The new ringtones are available in our latest iOS app now. Check them out in your app settings under Sounds. The calm variation is called “Tranquil Tones”, while the energetic one is the “Default” sound. Visit our changelog for more details about this release.

‍