Mac models from early 2016 and earlier make a chime sound when they start up. Mac models from late 2016 and newer don’t have a startup chime, with the exception of MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017). Apple.com HT202768 Jim Reekes. In the link below is an interview with James Reekes the original creator of the startup chime. Unplug all audio devices from your Mac, and then open the Sound system preferences. In here, go to the Output tab, and ensure your Internal Speakers device is selected. Now drag the output volume slider to the left to silence it. Note that this may only mute the startup sound on a restart, and not necessarily on a cold boot.
Adding a Startup Sound to Your Mac. In order to do this you are going to use the built-in Automator app to create an app with shell script that runs the required commands to play a music file when you start your Mac. Click on Launchpad in your dock and search for and click on “Automator,” and it will launch for you. The startup chime was a central part of Apple marketing and an iconic sound associated with the Mac. An update in 2016 removed the startup chime and was thought to be lost to the product for good. If you're a Mac user, then you're undoubtedly familiar with the startup chime that plays when you boot up or restart the computer. Some people love the classic sound; others, not so much.
Introduction: Customize MacOS Boot
Did you know that the T2 security chip offers more than just protection of your Mac computer? Learn how you can customize macOS systems with ease and make a unique and comfortable operating system with a custom startup sound you will love.
The tips in this article will work for any device with the T2 security chip, including iMac Pro, the latest iMac 2020, earlier Mac Pro 2019, Mac mini 2018, MacBook Pro 2018/newer version, MacBook Air 2018/newer model.
What Is .AIFF File Type?
AIFF is a standard for audio files stored on Apple computers and devices. AIFF abbreviation means the Audio Interchange File Format, which Apple developed back in 1988.
AIFF files' extensions are .aiff and .aif. These files are not compressed like mp3, so they require more storage space on your disk.
How to Change macOS Startup Sound
If you are not happy with your current macOS startup sound, you can easily modify it. It is possible to add slight changes to your T2 chip system. This way, you will pick a different macOS boot chime.
By the way, all your boot chimes, also known as tones or sounds, can be found in the Mac folder:
Follow our guide on how to change macOS startup sound, and you will get a fun boot chime within minutes.The first thing you should do is jailbreaking. Please beware that you follow all the steps described in this guide at your own risk. While nothing should damage your Mac computer, it is still risky to interfere with the operating system code and change macOS startup sound.
- Step 1. Before you can jailbreak a Mac computer, it must be put into DFU mode. How can you do this? Please follow our simple instructions on how to boot Mac into DFU mode.
- Step 2. Now you can start jailbreaking Mac with the T2 security chip. Please see our guide on how to jailbreak the T2-equipped macOS device.
- Step 3. You get full access to your T2 security chip file system as soon as you finish jailbreaking. Your macOS computer should show a black screen.
Here is what you must do - launch Terminal. Now SSH into the security chip and enter the following command:
Get a new window in Terminal via Command + T shortcut or using this SSH command:
If you are asked for your root passcode, enter alpine.Apple T2 security chip files are in read-only mode by default. You can turn them into writable files with the following command:
- Step 4. Since you wish to change the macOS startup sound, you need to get into the folder, which keeps the boot chimes. Use the following command to proceed:
It is the next command to use if you wish to get inside the folder with sound files:
All the files you will see are saved .aiff - this is the Audio Interchange File Format used by Apple on its computers. There are startup sounds and various VoiceOver chimes in multiple languages. - Step 5. Every Mac with the T2 chip has its startup sound chime turned off. It is a default setting, which you can enable through NVRAM and the following command:
- Step 6. Would it be great to copy the available .aiff files and have them converted into mp3 sounds? You can make it happen.Launch a new window in Terminal on a second Mac (Host) computer (do not use a jailbroken device). Use this command:
Users who hare copied the .aiff files to their folder on Desktop will see this on a local non-jailbroken macOS device:
Instead of 'checkm8' enter your username or regular name.You can convert .aiff sounds to mp3 online. If you like to use the default startup sound, look for the one 4-second-long file: AXEFIAudio_VoiceOver_Boot.aiff However, if you wish to use a custom chime, you will have to do a couple of things. Firstly, remove this file from a computer:
Secondly, proceed to the next step. - Step 7. Search for a 4-second mp3 file with a sound you wish to hear during a macOS startup. Use an online converter to turn mp3 into .aiff format and save this new file to your Desktop folder. You must rename the file into: AXEFIAudio_VoiceOver_Boot.aiffMake sure the name is correct. This way, it will replace the original chime once you copy it to the jailbroken computer using this command:
Since the computer you have jailbroken (which T2 chip files you have changed) still shows the black screen, let us address this issue. Boot this macOS device using the Power button.If you followed our guide on how to change the macOS startup sound correctly, you would now hear your custom chime.
Afterword. If you ever reboot your computer, the default Apple startup sound will return. But you can use two commands on a jailbroken macOS gadget to turn the custom chime into a permanent boot sound (enter them after Step 6):
1) The first command looks like this:
It will turn into a long string as the macOS snap is named. Example (com.apple.os.update-47B4872F1111CD3A9D9B6F5451673CB47C6F6F13518AF0C5FA3A0198CF1773B8E7B22D9FE42EC0C658715E10E3DFDC43)
2) The second command is like this:
It could turn into something like this:
Now you made the boot startup chime persistent. We hope you enjoy your new custom Mac chime sound.
The classic Macintosh startup sequence includes hardware tests which may trigger the startup chime, Happy Mac, Sad Mac, and Chimes of Death. On Macs running macOS Big Sur the startup sound is enabled by default, but can be disabled by the user within system preferences.[1]
Startup chime[edit]
The Macintosh startup chime is played on power-up, before trying to boot an operating system. The sound indicates that diagnostic tests run immediately at startup have found no hardware or fundamental software problems.[2] The specific sound differs depending on the ROM, which greatly varies depending on Macintosh model. The first sound version in the first three Macintosh models is a simple square-wave 'beep', and all subsequent sounds are various chords.
Mark Lentczner created the software that plays the arpeggiated chord in the Macintosh II. Variations of this sound were deployed until Jim Reekes created the startup chime in the Quadra 700 through the Quadra 800.[3] Reekes said, 'The startup sound was done in my home studio on a Korg Wavestation EX. It's a C major chord, played with both hands stretched out as wide as possible (with 3rd at the top, if I recall).' He created the sound as he was annoyed with the tri-tone startup chimes because they were too associated with the death chimes and the computer crashes. He recalls that Apple did not give him permission to change the sound but that he secretly snuck the sound into the computers with the help of engineers who were in charge of the ROM chips. When Apple discovered this, he refused to change it, using various claims in order to keep the new sound intact.[4] He is also the creator of the iconic (or 'earconic', as he calls it) 'bong' startup chime in most Macintoshes since the Quadra 840AV. A slightly lower-pitched version of this chime is in all PCI-based Power Macs until the iMac G3. The Macintosh LC, LC II, and Macintosh Classic II do not use the Reekes chime, instead using an F major chord that just produces a 'ding' sound. The first generation of Power Macintosh computers also do not use the Reekes chime, instead using a chord strummed on a Yamaha12-string acoustic guitar by jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan. Further, the Power Macintosh 5200–6300 computers (excluding the 5400 and 5500, which have the 'bong' chime like the one in the PCI-based Power Macs) use a unique chime, which is also in the television commercials for the Power Macintosh and PowerBook series from 1995 until 1998, and the 20th Anniversary Macintosh uses another unique sound.
For models built prior to the introduction of the Power Macintosh in 1994, the failure of initial self-diagnostic tests results in a Sad Mac icon, an error code, and distinctive Chimes of Death sounds.
The chime for all Mac computers from 1998 to 2016 is the same chime used first in the iMac G3. The chord is a F-sharp major chord, and was produced by pitch-shifting the 840AV's sound. The Mac startup chime is now a registered trademark in the United States,[5] and is featured in the 2008 Pixar film WALL-E when the titular robot character is fully recharged by solar panels as well as in the 2007 Brad Paisley song 'Online'.[6]
Starting with the 2016 MacBook Pro, all new Macs were shipped without a startup chime, with the Macs silently booting when powered on.[7] In 2020, the startup chime would be added to these models with the release of macOS Big Sur, which allows it to be enabled or disabled in System Preferences.[8] On the macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 beta, it was discovered that the new lower pitched chime was brought to all older supported Macs. In a firmware update included in the macOS Catalina 2020-001 Security Update, and the macOS Mojave 2020-007 Security Update, the new startup chime in Big Sur is brought to all Big Sur-supported Macs including the unsupported 2013 iMac.
Happy Mac[edit]
Mac Startup Sound Mp3
A Happy Mac is the normal bootup (startup) icon of an Apple Macintosh computer running older versions of the Mac operating system. It was designed by Susan Kare in the 1980s, drawing inspiration from the design of the Compact Macintosh series and from the Batman character Two-Face.[9] The icon remained unchanged until the introduction of New World ROM Macs, when it was updated to 8-bit color. The Happy Mac indicates that booting has successfully begun, whereas a Sad Mac (along with the 'Chimes of Death' melody or one or more beeps) indicates a hardware problem.
When a Macintosh boots into the classic Mac OS (Mac OS 9 or lower), the system will play its startup chime, the screen will turn gray, and the Happy Mac icon will appear, followed by the Mac OS splash screen (or the small 'Welcome to Macintosh' screen in System 7.5 and earlier), which underwent several stylistic changes. Mac OS versions 8.6 and later also includes the version number in this splash screen (for example, 'Welcome to Mac OS 8.6').
On early Macs that had no internal hard drive, the computer boots up to a point where it needs to load the operating system from a floppy disk. Until the user inserts the correct disk, the Mac displays a floppy icon with a blinking question mark. In later Macs, a folder icon with a question mark that repeatedly changes to the Finder icon is shown if a System Folder or boot loader file cannot be found on the startup disk.
With the introduction of Mac OS X, in addition to the blinking system folder icon, a prohibition icon was added to show an incorrect OS version is found. The bomb screen in the classic Mac OS was replaced with a kernel panic, which was originally colored white but was changed to black in version 10.3. With Mac OS X 10.1, a new Happy Mac was included. This is also the last version that had a Happy Mac icon; in version 10.2, the Happy Mac symbol was replaced with the Apple logo. In OS X Lion 10.7, the Apple logo was slightly shrunk and modified. In OS X Yosemite 10.10, the white screen with a gray Apple logo was replaced with a black screen with a white Apple logo and the spinning wheel was replaced with a loading bar. However, this only applies to Macs from 2013 and later, including the 2012 Retina MacBook Pros, and requires a firmware update to be applied. All earlier Macs still use the old screen. The shadow on the Apple logo was removed in OS X El Capitan 10.11. In 2016+ Macs, the Apple logo appears immediately when the screen turns on.The Face ID logo for the iPhone X was based on the Happy Mac.
Sad Mac[edit]
A Sad Mac is a symbol in older-generation Apple Macintosh computers (hardware using the Old World ROM and not Open Firmware, which are those predating onboard USB), starting with the original 128K Macintosh and ending with the last NuBus-based Power Macintosh models (including the first-generation 6100, 7100, 8100, as well as the PowerBook 5300 and 1400),[10] to indicate a severe hardware or software problem that prevented startup from occurring successfully. The Sad Mac icon is displayed, along with a set of hexadecimal codes that indicate the type of problem at startup. Different codes are for different errors. This is in place of the normal Happy Mac icon, which indicates that the startup-time hardware tests were successful. In 68k models made after the Macintosh II, the Chimes of Death are played.
Models prior to the Macintosh II crash silently and display the Sad Mac, without playing any tone. PowerPC Macs play a sound effect of a car crash, and computers equipped with the PowerPC upgrade card use the three note brass fanfare death chime (A, E-natural, and E-flat), followed by the sound of a drum, same as the Macintosh Performa 6200 and Macintosh Performa 6300.
A Sad Mac may be deliberately generated at startup by pressing the interrupt switch on Macintosh computers that had one installed, or by pressing Command and Power keys shortly after the startup chime. On some Macintoshes such as PowerBook 540c, if the user presses the command and power keys before the boot screen displays, it will play the 'chimes of death'. The chimes are a fraction of normal speed and there is no Sad Mac displayed.
Old World ROM Power Macintosh and PowerBook models based on the PCI architecture do not use a Sad Mac icon and will instead only play the error/car-crash sound on a hardware failure (such as missing or bad memory, unusable CPU, or similar).
Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar and later instead use the Universal 'no' symbol to denote a hardware or software error that renders the computer non-bootable.[11][12]
Sad iPod[edit]
On the iPod, if damage or an error occurs in the hardware or the firmware, for example, if its files are deleted, a Sad iPod appears. This is similar to the Sad Mac, but instead of a Macintosh, there is an iPod, and there are no chimes of death. The icon also lacks a nose, and the frown is flipped horizontally. It also does not show hexadecimal codes indicating what problem occurred in the iPod. This error screen will not show up when a problem occurs in the newer iPods.
Chimes of Death[edit]
The Chimes of Death are the Macintosh equivalent of a beep code on IBM PC compatibles. On all Macintosh models predating the adoption of PCI and Open Firmware, the Chimes of Death are often accompanied by a Sad Mac icon in the middle of the screen.
Different Macintosh series have different death chimes. The Macintosh II is the first to use the death chimes, a loud and eerie upward major arpeggio, with different chimes on many models. The Macintosh Quadra, Centris, Performa (including the 6200 and 6300, which were also Power Macintosh models, only occurring after the screen lights up), LC, and the Macintosh Classic II play a generally softer and lower pitched version of the upward major arpeggio, followed by three or four notes, with slight variation depending on the model of the Macintosh. The PowerBook 5300, 190, and 1400 use the second half of the 8-note arpeggio as found on the Quadra and Centris models, or the entire death chime if the error occurs before the screen lights up. The Macintosh Quadra 660AV and Centris 660AV use a sound of a single pass of Roland D-50's 'Digital Native Dance' sample loop, and the NuBus based Power Macintosh models (including 6100,[13] 7100, and 8100) series use a car crash sound. The Power Macintosh and Performa 6200 and 6300 series, before the screen comes on for these models, along with the Power Macintosh upgrade card, use an eerily dramatic 3-note brass fanfare with a rhythm of drums and cymbals; the former plays the 8-note arpeggio instead when the screen is on. The pre-G3 PCI Power Macs, the beige G3 Power Macs, the G3 All-In-One, and the PowerBook 2400, 3400, and G3 all use a sound of glass shattering; these models do not display a Sad Mac icon. Since the introduction of the iMac in 1998, the Chimes of Death are no longer used in favor of a series of tones to indicate hardware errors.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^About Mac startup tones Apple. November 8, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2020
- ^Hardwick, Tim (October 30, 2016). 'Classic Mac Startup Chime Not Present in New MacBook Pros'. MacRumors. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ^Whitwell, Tom (May 26, 2005) 'Tiny Music Makers: Pt 4: The Mac Startup Sound', Music Thing
- ^Pettitt, Jeniece (March 24, 2018). 'Meet the man who created Apple's most iconic sounds: Sosumi, the camera click and the start-up chord'. CNBC. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
- ^'Apple's Classic Mac Startup Chime is now a Registered Trademark'. Patently Apple. December 12, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
- ^Apple Sound Designer on Iconic Startup Sound. Obama Pacman. March 10, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
- ^Hardwick, Tim (October 30, 2016). 'Classic Mac Startup Chime Not Present in New MacBook Pros'. MacRumors. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
- ^Peters, Jay (June 23, 2020). 'The Mac's iconic startup chime is back in macOS Big Sur'. The Verge. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- ^Hertzfield, Andy (November 19, 2011). Revolution in The Valley [Paperback]: The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made. O'Reilly Media. ISBN978-1-4493-1624-2.
- ^'Macintosh: 'Sad Macintosh' Error Code Meaning'. Apple. November 30, 2003. Archived from the original on June 17, 2009. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
- ^'OS X: 'Broken folder' icon, prohibitory sign, or kernel panic when computer starts. Apple'. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
- ^Delio, Michelle (August 2, 2002). ''Happy Mac' Killed By Jaguar'. Wired.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2011.
- ^'Weird Mac Startup and Crash Sounds'. 512 Pixels. November 14, 2011.
Mac Startup Sound Key
External links[edit]
Mac Startup Sound Effect
- The Original Macintosh: Boot Beep – Folklore.org