What were polyphonic ringtones and why they changed the sound of cell phones forever

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What were polyphonic ringtones and why they changed the sound of cell phones forever
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In the early years of the 2000s the cell phones not only did they look very different from what they are today, but their sound was also totally different. In those years it was usual for devices to have only one ringtone or a few pre-set ringtones and it could not be modified beyond the given options. But as the years passed, that too would change.

It was in 2002 that the brand nokiawho in those years was leading the mobile phone market, would change the conventional ringtone of their equipment to one called “polyphonic”a predecessor of the sound of modern cell phones.

From monophonic to polyphonic

The sound of cell phones at the beginning of the new century was known as monophonic sound, which meant that it could only play one note at a time to compose the tone of the calls. This is due to the low capacity of the devices’ speakers at that time.

The Nokia 1200 phone had up to 32 polyphonic ringtones and they were considered key features to sell the devices to users.
The Nokia 1200 phone had up to 32 polyphonic ringtones and they were considered key features to sell the devices to users.

the music producer Ian Livingstonestated in an interview with The Verge, that prior to his work at Nokia between 2000 and 2004, he was dedicated to programming karaoke music backgrounds using MIDI files (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), the same type used by cell phones for their monophonic tones.

Due to the few resources he had to create ringtones, Livingstone’s job was to make the best of the resources at his disposal, so he began transcribing the available ringtones from nokia to polyphonic versions of them.

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The first cell phones with polyphonic sound were launched on the market in South Korea as an exclusive and quickly became a worldwide phenomenon. In those times, having a polyphonic telephone was not just an option, but also reflected a certain status in the eyes of the public.

What is a polyphonic ringtone

Unlike the monophonic tone, the polyphonic tones were more advanced and were characterized by playing between 4 and 75 notes at a time to create more diverse and elaborate sounds.

These types of tones use a sequencing technology to create a rich, harmonious and high quality ringtone. Polyphonic tones produce a better sound quality and melodies because they emulate real instruments by combining several instrumental sounds at the same time.

Comparing both types of sounds is similar to comparing a clarinet to a full orchestra. The difference is more than noticeable.

Ringtone changes

The birth of polyphony implied not only the birth of a new type of ringtones, but also an additional feature that stood out in order to increase the sales of the devices.

In fact, in cell phone catalogs from the time between 2002 and 2006 it is possible to find “polyphonic sound” as an advertised feature for phone company customers to make a decision whether or not to buy a device, it was a differentiator.

Catalog of cell phones with polyphonic sound 2006 (Twitter)
Catalog of cell phones with polyphonic sound 2006 (Twitter)

From then on, to compete with polyphony, other companies began to develop more advanced technology and, at present, the sound of cell phones left behind the adaptation of musical sounds to polyphony to pass to a stage in which the tones of calls from cell phones are more like a MP3 sound than to the old orchestral sounds of the early 2000s.

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