The Secret of the Goldeneye Sound 

I thought I was the only person in the world who appreciated this sound!

To me the sound represented the soviet 'hammer and sickle'. It sounds like a hammer striking an anvil.

That sound is unique because it's literally locked into the years 1994-1997

Glad I'm not the only one to love Eric Serra's glacial and industrial percussion. Thanks for sharing.

lots of respect for Mr. Kirkhope for not being an occultist or gatekeeper when asked for the secret to such a high value sound

The sound is in Perfect Dark as well for the N64. The Goldeneye 64 team designed that game too.

I always associated this sound as "The Russian Sound".

This was THE sound that made the goldeneye score so iconic. I always wondered what it was, and now I know

Just watching the 5th Element and it popped up in that during the scene where Bruce Willis is fighting the aliens after the opera. Looked it up and sure enough Éric Serra did the music, he really likes that effect.

This was a treat to watch Jackson. I went on a similar journey looking for the sound for my Goldeneye Caverns cover. Grant gave me the same explanation and I immediately went after it the way of the pitched down tambourine and it was super fun! I feel I got it very very close for that cover! I absolutely love stuff like this so I'd love to see more like this.

YES, someone else was obsessed with finding out what the sound was lmao

I like how this epic, universally shared, musical quest kinda resumes itself by simply "a tiny tambourin pitched down very low". Simplicity for beauty.

That sound is in a few X-Files episodes too. I love it. It’s weirdly captivating.

David Wise also used that sample on his Donkey Kong Country soundtracks.

Thanks for this. I've wondered what that sound was since 1995!

I was at work and we had a metal rolling ladder with hollow framing. One day i tapped it with something and it made the exact sound. I was happy.

as soon as I heard that sound I started screaming at my phone “ITS A PITCHED DOWN TAMBOURINE” Only because I used to make tracker music in the late 90s and saw that technique commonly used. for instance, the FF6 song Devil’s Lab has the same sound and when I downloaded the tracker recreation of it (again the late 90s was a weird time), it was a pitched down tambourine. And saw it from time to time in other random places

Really good watch! With the realization that the sample is a pitched down tambourine sound, I played around with a couple of different royalty free tambourine sounds, and eventually I came up with something that sounds pretty much exactly like the original sample!

Ah, yes, the famous metallic "bong" sound. I believe David Wise used it in Donkey Kong Country, too (specifically for "Aquatic Ambiance" and "Misty Menace"). It was also used in the Winters Cave theme from EarthBound.

My dad was really into synths in the late 80s early 90s(Think Oakfield, Tangerine Dream, stuff like that) . He had a couple E-MU rack mounted synths including the Proteus FX(as well as the Orchestral version). I can remember sitting for hours goofing off with those very sounds. My favorites were the Chior(called Vox IIRC) and another called Flashback.

17:39 Hostage executed

To me, the sound represented a design in the movie Goldeneye. They start the film with those sounds too, in an Classic Bond Gunbarrel intro scene.

Holy shit this just made my day! This sound has haunted me for soo long! From the game, from the film and even the fifth element! In fact I hear Goldeneye sounds, sound effects in movies all the time and it takes me straight back ha! Thanks buddy!

Grant Kirkhope also used a Roland JV1080 all over Goldeneye. You can take the tambourine sound and pitch it down on the synth and get the same sound. It has a ton of instantly recognizable sounds from the game so it's worth the purchase.

Mate, I’ve spent my entire life looking after that effect and you’ve nailed it. Bossman big up. You nailed it

YES, I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO WONDERED. Anyway, the original sample was also included as a sample in a program called "E-JAY" Electronic DJ, which is part of a line of programs offering an easy way of putting together your own Techno/Electronica music. The sample sound in that program was called "Woodcrash" if I remember right.

4:37 - Even Mick Gordon wanted to know

I am so grateful that searching “goldeneye sound” on RU-vid brought me to a place where I am not alone.

This sample perplexed me as well. I myself went through the files from a rom of the game using an application and I found the regular high pitched tambourine sound. Pitched it down in FL and sure enough that was it. I made a GoldenEye 64 watch theme remake using it. You can find it on my channel somewhere interested.

This is really not something that I would usually listen to at all, not in my field of interest, but I watched the whole thing and it was surprisingly really neat. I like your dedication and geekyness with this stuff.

As a kid I always thought of this sound as "The Sonar" and I asked everybody about it... you are my Spirit animal man... I am the same exact way when it comes to sound design. Especially recreating sounds and tones using original equipment that the source of where you heard it from first, has also used. If only you were obsessed with Derek Sherinian / Jordan Rudess sounds haha! Here's a challenge if you're up for it... : There is an Alice Cooper song titled "poison" At the very very beginning of the track, there is a Synthesizer effect that "opens" the song. it sounds like someone just "threw the third switch". Now, Layered on top of that is what sounds like feedback coming from the guitarist - so that's not a worry... Just that Synth attack is what I'm after. Here are some notes - In Omnisphere, I've discovered a patch of what sounds almost exactly like it. . . but, it's layered with something else AND its just one Sample with no detail of origin. The patch in Omnisphere is titled "Beam and Bulb" Cheers!

I really thought the sounds was just a sample of a Sonar bloop that they gave a reverb and pitch change to. This is interesting.

The highest quality version (to my knowledge at least) of this sound that's been officially released can be found on a sample CD that E-mu published in the 90s called 'Formula 4000: Protozoa,' alongside many other sounds taken from the various Proteus sound modules they made. The raw sample is called "Brass Tambourine" and has a sample rate of 25khz.

Just bizarre I spent years trying to find out what that sound was because I wanted to use it in my music and it turns out everyone was looking for the same sound. Crazy.

It's in a lot of movies from the 1990's actually... i think I've heard it in Die hard also...

I could have sworn this sample is used in X-Files seasons 2 and 3

that sound always made me think of MYST

Before I owned a gaming console, the first videogame I ever played was Myst (1993) on the PC. The score on that game is incredibly eerie and enigmatic. Additionally, I was only a young kid, probably 7 of age, so I found the whole thing to be most unsettling. And I can understand why now, it was this bloody sound effect playing tricks on me mind the whole time. The soundtrack is full of sequences that utilise it in a way that settled the mood for the entire game. As a personal suggestion, you should listen to it if you happen to have the time.

One of my favorites representing this sound is in Goldeneye - Facility. You hear the “gong” within 2 seconds after that first electronic measure. Dun dun (gong), dun dun dun

Whaaaat the hell I've always singled out that one "metal pipe hit down a long tunnel" sound, and lo and behold "goldeneye sound effect" brought me to a freaking video essay specifically breaking it down. This is blowing my mind.

Cant beleive what Im hearing. Leon being my all time favorite movie and playing a ton of GoldenEye growing up I notoced the same sound being present in both as well. Always thought it was just a coincidence. Great niche video.

There is a Emu - Proteus VST with the original sounds and some expansion packs, the sounds that you rip directly from the N64 are very compressed, the VST ones sound so goood! great video btw

I’ve always wanted to know this! There’s a song called Russia On Ice by Porcupine Tree and towards the end this sound is used, so combine that title with Goldeneye, I always thought it was an obscure Russian percussion thing. Now I know!

Thanks for doing this dude! I've had similar situations with other soundtracks, Star Fox 64 comes to mind with certain crazy brass instruments they use. I'll have to use this as a resource next time I run into the dilemma. Luv ya

Thank you so much for doing this. This has answered decades long questions for me about the creation of these sounds and where I can get them to explore with on my own. Cheers!

I don't think ive ever left a RU-vid comment before but I feel compelled to leave one here. You have resolved in full a curiosity I've had since I was a little kid and watched the Goldeneye movie and played the games. I also heard it in Leon and it is used extensively in the X-Files original scores for many episodes as well as The 5th Element movie. Something about this sound has always stuck with me and it brings on extreme nostalgia related to the 90s. I never would have guessed it was a tambourine. It's funny because as happy as I am I'm almost upset I know what it is now lol. Thank you.

Grant Kirkhope is such an awesome guy. He's super nice and ridiculously smart. I'm glad he's so willing to talk to fans and answer questions.

I heard some goldeneye music just now, wanted to find that sound, and googled goldeneye sample and this was the first thing that came up.

Wow so all it is in the end is a pitched down tambourine, wow that totally demystifies one of the coolest sounds in the universe

I sometimes run into situations myself where i recognize a sound or music sample of the past and wonder where it came from. Also, you were right with the N64 soundchip interpreting sound samples slightly different. Thats why way back in 2012, the OCRemix developed chipamp, a winamp plugin (if anybody remembers that) that could directly play the ripped music tracks / chiptunes libraries from a game on winamp without any differences. Not sure if any similar projects exist right now.

Always loved this sound, really glad I came across your video! I've been playing with the N64 Soundfonts via the sforzando plugin in Reaper. I was able to get the Infinite One sound to decay by inserting a volume envelope on the MIDI track, and rolling the notes off manually.

For me it is the most Soviet era Russian noise there can be.

i have the original e-mu protheus2 soundfont. i cant remember where i have it from, but its like the original. there are many sounds from the soundtrack of the movie and also from the game. a real bond-soundfont. its easy to use in fl studio.

You nailed it. A video explaining the exact sound I was trying to figure out how to identify. I remember it very well from Goldeneye (movie and N64 game) and have also heard it elsewhere here in there. It's a sound that seems to add suspense or mystery to whatever it is applied to. Thank you for the video.

This was a great adventure into a sample I've always wondered about, thank you for this

Dude no way man ... Im so damn jealous, I'm so glad to see so many people into the nostalgia of GoldenEye and many other old games

It's Goldeneye's 25 anniversary soon.

I spoke about this very specific sound today , mentionning leon while listening to uncompressed goldeneye . and now this pops up . my whole life i liked this sound i'm pretty sure it's in resident evil 4 and perhaps xfiles ...

Thanks for this deep dive. I love that this was always a tambourine. I wonder who at E-MU developed the "infinite" patch.

This might be the most specific sound video I've ever watched, your dedication is appreciated sir.

So this particular sound was removed from the initial version of Goldeneye for switch and xbox series x that was released a couple of days ago, and everyone went nuts over it!

Very interesting and informative video. Now I finally know how to be able to play around with the sounds I've loved since I was a child.

I was looking for this so many years! thank you!

This is my all time favourite sound! It's a huge part of my childhood, and I have never been able to know what it is. Always thought it was a downtuned bell. Thank you very much! Eric Serra is underrated

Nothing beats the industrial pipe bang noise! Love it!

For years i had no idea what this song was but i love it. I found out a few days ago and someone recommend me your video. It's interesting to see your dedication in order to get the original sound, nice video =)

This is amazing! You could practically do your own re-recording of the entire video game OST without having to worry about an N64 compressing everything for each of the single/multi player levels and the menus, opening and ending movies too if anyone put their mind to it.

I was making that sound with my mouth just before I pressed play. So cool 👍

Its really cool to see what this sample really was after hearing it in both Goldeneyes and Leon, that drove me nuts when I was younger.

Fun journey. Though I'd say you're in the EXACT generation for MIDIs and synthesizers if you played GE as a kid.

I’ve always wondered where those sounds had come from! Thank you for making this helpful video!

This makes me wanna play Golden eye again. Such an iconic sound. Thanks man!

Thank you for making this video! The sound is also used in at in The X-Files score. I'm not sure how many episodes it was in, but definitely enough that the MP3 demo online just sounds like that show to me.

You know, I always wondered what that sound was as well. I reckoned it was some kind of hollow drum struck with a hammer, plus a lot of echo. Cool to see it get explored like this!

I had no idea I needed this video, but I'm glad I somehow came across it. I absolutely love Eric Serra's GoldenEye soundtrack, and I absolutely love how Grant Kirkhope captured that flavor for the video game.

Yes dude yes!! You arent the only one that loves this sound. Its also in perfect dark, which was composed by Grant as well. Some of my favorite game tracks. Very unique. I've searched high/low too and found bits and pieces of the answer. Awesome video and detailed explanation. Thank you!!!!

stuff like this fascinates me too. the fact that you can actually look up and listen to the tracks used for n64 game sounds.. the one used extensively in ocarina of time is a real headtrip to listen to

that beautiful beautiful hollow metallic soviet sound

I used to call this "The Serra sound". I thought I was the only one had picked up this cool little effect. I used to play with MTV Music Generator on my PS2 and one day just accidentally figured out how to re-create the Serra Effect with the tambourine sample.

This was helpful to me. I've BEEN wanting to use this sound

I have looked for this answer forever. Thank you beyond measure!

I can't tell you in how many movies I've heard those goldeneye scream sounds. They're more popular than the "wilhelm scream", and noone seems to notice.

To me, this was also the "French" sound because of its association with Leon, which was a soundtrack that I loved. Thanks for the information!

I'm vicariously relieved, too. Well done.

Bro how is this the first time Ive seen this video? This sound is legendary to me.

This is probably the most recognizable sound from GoldenEye. I'm aware that could sound a little bit different from the original sample, due to the audio compression of the N64 cartridge. I always had this "musical puzzling" with this sound and with the main piano from Jolly Roger Bay (Super Mario 64).

Thank you Jackson for this video and valuable information;-) I always wondered what kind of sounds they used in this game and I thought they were extracted from Roland sound canvas (which I never owned before). Next step will be get the Proteus FX someday too. Subscribed ;)

This is a life changing video

Thank you! I've been looking for that sound since I'm a teenager!

Only this afternoon I stumbled upon a LEON clip and heard a distinct sound during the background music which immediately reminded me of Goldeneye. I then youtubed the Goldeneye OST where someone in the comments mentioned it's the same composer. Fast forward a few hours to right now and your video pops up in my recommended and I think "I bet he's talking about that weird sound like someone hitting a pot inside a cave!"

According to my own conversations with Graeme Norgate, it's from the Roland 760 Drums and Cymbals CD-ROM from the early 1990s. Its sample name, as far as I know, is PRC Spark 1 R8 (pitched down something like 22 semitones).

This sample is also a preset of the Roland R-8 drumcomputer, called “Thriller”

Oh my god, THANK YOU for going on this journey. I can not wait to play the Goldeneye sounds myself!

Hearing dog song played using infinite is something I never thought I would ever hear ever

Percussion is simply the best.

I just listened to the Soundtrack last night because I remembered how awesome it was. Thanks for this video, the sound has always puzzled me, too.

So happy to find out I wasn't the only one perplexed by this amazing sound. Super cool video.

Thanks for making this video!

This was a gem of a find thank you.

Leon was probably scored before the Proteus FX existed. The original sound is patch 086 Infinite One from the Proteus/2. And before that it was probably a patch on the Emulator III. The Proteus FX repackaged Proteus/1 and Proteus/2 sounds. The Proteus/2 was incredibly popular with composers of TV/film in the early ‘90s. And the JV-1080 was super popular in the mid/late ‘90s. Listen to patches on either of them and it’ll be eerily familiar to anybody alive in the ‘90s. The Proteus/2 125 Whistl’n Joe is the X-Files theme song patch. And tons of the JV pads are recognizable. I think Shifted Glass is the Star Trek: TNG intro pad?