How to Record a New Alert Sound on a Mac

If you don't like the standard alert sounds (warning beeps), and you're set up to record, you can create whatever you want: an evil voice telling you to get to work, some spooky music, or your dog barking.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer Microphones
• Mac OS 9.0

1. Select Control Panels from the Apple menu and choose Monitors & Sound.

2. Click the Sound icon.

3. Choose your Sound Monitoring Source (where the sound you record is coming from). Mostly likely, you will choose Built-in Mic or External Mic. (Your other choices are Sound In, Expansion Bay, Zoomed Video, Internal Modem, and PC Card. Expansion Bay enables you to record from a CD.)

4. Plug in a compatible microphone - one with a 1/8-inch (mini) plug - if you chose External Mic.

5. Click the Alerts icon. Under Alert Sound, click Add.

6. Test the volume before you record. The speaker icon shows you how loud the sound will be.

7. Click the Record button.

8. Start your sound: "Houston, we've got a problem!" for example.

9. Click the Play button to check the sound. Then click Save. The name you choose for the sound will show up on your Alert Sounds menu and will be highlighted.

10. Delete the sound if you don't like it by highlighting it and clicking the Delete button.

Tips & Warnings

• Try to keep your custom alert sounds brief - just long enough to get your attention. Your alert sound recorder gives you 10 seconds, for example, which is much more time than you should need.
• To record your alert sound from a CD, start it playing first, and then click the Record button at the appropriate moment.
• You can also select spoken alert sounds through the Speech control panel.