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Dial-up modem sounds analyzed and explained

Dial-up modem sounds analyzed and explained

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Alexis Madrigal at The Atlantic remembers the sound of a dial-up modem so fondly that he has scoured the internet to find out exactly what all those grating tones meant.

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Dial-up modem source Leon Brooks
Dial-up modem source Leon Brooks

It's always a shock to realize that current and future generations may never know the joy of playing with a lengthy phone cord, think that owning a Walkman is cool, or remember the iconic sound of the dial-up modem. Alexis Madrigal at The Atlantic remembers that sound quite fondly, so much so that he scoured the internet to find out exactly what all those grating tones meant. After asking on Twitter, Madrigal received a detailed breakdown of each section of the sound from former BBS operator Miso Sunasowa. For Madrigal's complete dissection of the tones, take a look at the full article on The Atlantic.