Where does Netflix’s ‘Tudum’ sound come from? Origin explained - and what it could be

• Netflix’s Tudum sound has become iconic.
• You may have heard it countless times over the years.
• But where exactly does it come from?

The history of cinema and TV is littered with iconic title cards featuring signature sounds that have been drilled into the collective unconscious over the last century. From 20th Century Fox’s fanfare to the MGM lion and HBO’s intro sound, the list goes on and on.

Over the last decade or so, a new kid on the block has muscled its way into the pantheon of instantly recognisable title sounds - I’m talking about Netflix and its ‘Tu-Dum’. It has become so iconic that the streamer’s online magazine is even called Tudum.

It has likely wormed its way into your subconscious if you’ve had a subscription at all in recent years. But what exactly is making the sound?

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Where does Netflix’s ‘Tudum’ come from?

It would sound just plain wrong at this point to open up Netflix or start one of its original shows without hearing that signature intro sound. Like seeing a dog walking on two legs or a pig wearing lipstick.

However it is a relatively new addition, at least in the grand scheme of things. When Netflix started releasing original content it didn’t yet have

Fans are convinced that the original ‘Ta-Dum’ can be traced back to one of the streaming giant’s early ventures into making its own TV - House of Cards. During the second season of the show, Frank Underwood (played by Kevin Spacey) slams his fist down on the desk and his ring makes a very, very familiar sound.

We have embedded a YouTube clip below for you to hear for yourself. Please give it a moment to load in.

However executives at Netflix have disputed this origin and instead offer up an alternative version of events. During an episode of the podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz in 2020, Netflix VP of Product Todd Yellin explains how back in 2015/16 the company was looking for its own iconic sound that would be instantly recognisable, EW reports.

During the podcast, it is claimed that Oscar-winning sound designer Lon Bender came up with the sound after hearing his wedding ring knock on a wooden cabinet. So a ring is involved either way.

What sound could Netflix’s Tudum have been?

During the episode of Twenty Thousand Hertz, Yellin mentions other sounds that were considered before settling on the signature Tudum and it is hard to imagine they would have become as iconic. In particular, they had originally wanted to use the sound of a goat bleating as a twist on MGM’s fanfare.

He explained: “I liked the sound of a goat. It was funny. It was quirky. It was our version of Leo the Lion.” While a bubbly sound “from the depths of the ocean” was also in the running.

If you are wondering why they would consider a goat, the mid-2010s was a time when editing the animal bleating into songs (like Taylor Swift’s I Knew You Were Trouble) was all the rage. Think we can safely say that wouldn’t have aged as well as the now iconic ‘tudum’.

Find out when you will hear the tudum before a brand new series of Formula 1: Drive to Survive. Let me know when you remember hearing the signature sound for the first time by email: [email protected].