7 Comments

Retrotastic: Apples vintage system alert sounds – From the Beep to the Eep

January 11, 2009 by in Apple,AV with 7 Comments

Time for a trip down MacOS memory lane.

I have been a Mac user since OS 6, and when you have been a Mac user as long as I have you get to know and love the old alert sounds. With every new OS release Apple eliminates a swath of their old alert sounds, from System 6 to System 7 we lost Clink-Clank and who could forget the hysterical Monkey noise. Over the other OS changes we lost ChuToy, Submarine, Laugh as well as the dearly missed Wild Eep to name a few.

Some alert’s even have their own back story – for example “Sosumi.” The sound’s unusual name was coined during a trademark dispute with the Beatles. The sound’s name also exists currently in an inside joke on Apple Computer’s website, where it marks the CSS class denoting a copyright notice #.

Anyway, might as download all these alert sounds and bring your modern machine back to the good ol days. Windows users don’t fret, they are encoded a WAV’s so you can join in on the fun.

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  • http://fjdekermadec.com FJ de Kermadec

    Wow, I had forgotten most of these had even existed!

    Now that this great post forces me down memory lane, I’ve always found Laugh to be suitably ironic for an alert sound…

    On a side note, I do not recall losing Submarine… It appears to be very much current in Leopard, and it is amongst the very few alert tones that sound mellow and soothing rather than jarring…

  • D

    Yes, Submarine as well as Sosumi are still around. Thanks for the rest, though!

  • http://www.macgurulounge.com Matt

    Thank you for these! I remember them back in System 6 and System 7 days. There used to be a package of eWorld sounds that I liked as well. I know no one really ever used Apple’s online service, but I liked it (despite its ultra-high prices).

  • M

    Better yet are all the crash sounds that each model had (breaking glass, screeching tires..)

  • Kel

    Wow – another user! I quite liked the thing too :0)

  • http://xxloverxx.smugmug.com xxloverxx

    All those startup sounds and death chimes are in Mactracker – Package Contents – Resources =)

    IMO the only one in there that sounds like a real death chime is the Performa 5400

  • http://niknaksoldpeculiarblog.blogspot.com/ Paul Downie

    Amazing Stuff! I’ve already got me mini set to Quack.

    About the only one that’s missing is Bell Telephone; what are our chances?

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