Chime sound "problem"

[vworks]

Hi!
I have a mac pro 4.1 since 3 months now. I have also a 1.1 which I do not use since I got the new one.

I have this strange "problem"on the 4.1 and I don't remember having it on the 1.1 or on my macbooks before (I work on mac since 2000). The chime sound when I start the mac pro is very low. Everytime.
When i do a PRAM reset, the sound is loud but on the next reboot the sound is again very low, inaudible...

Should I be worried about something? I find this behaviour a bit strange...

Thanx !

 

[h9826790]

Hi!
I have a mac pro 4.1 since 3 months now. I have also a 1.1 which I do not use since I got the new one.

I have this strange "problem"on the 4.1 and I don't remember having it on the 1.1 or on my macbooks before (I work on mac since 2000). The chime sound when I start the mac pro is very low. Everytime.
When i do a PRAM reset, the sound is loud but on the next reboot the sound is again very low, inaudible...

Should I be worried about something? I find this behaviour a bit strange...

Thanx !

The chime volume is sync with your OS volume settings. So, if you turn down the volume inside the OS (or mute it), the boot chime volume will also decrease (or OFF accordingly). That’s normal.

By performing a PRAM reset, you reset the system volume as well, that’s why the boot chime volume back to the default level.

 

[vworks]

Well the that is exactly my point - it does not change with the volume control...

 

[DeltaMac]

You did ask if there was anything that should make you worry.
The volume of the boot chime would not be one.

Is your system volume affected that way after a reboot (and is a very low volume), or just the boot chime?
Do you have any sound volume problems during normal use?

How often do you actually need to restart?
The Mac Pro that I use sometimes goes several weeks between reboots. It just sits sleeping when I am not actively using it.

 

[vworks]

Well I restart it almost every day.
No other problems concerning the sound.
The chime sound is really very low.
I am used to louder than that...

 

[DeltaMac]

If you don't have any problems with system volume during normal use, then the volume of the boot chime is really not an issue.
Have you run your hardware test? (Restart, while holding the D key. )
That will test your basic hardware, and may report an error, if found, with the audio part of the logic board.
If that test passes, then you may choose to ignore the boot chime volume.

 

[vworks]

)))
I am a bit hypochondriac...
I run AHT more often than I should. I know a bit about macintosh and OS X, I am not a newbie in apple world but this is the first time I notice this chime ''issue" and I wondered if someone noticed also something similar.
ps. no problems detected after AHT last week

 

[DeltaMac]

You said that you got this Mac Pro not long ago.
Did the boot chime just recently change, or has it done that since you started using this Pro?
Likely just a difference in how the audio chip starts up, compared to other Macs. Probably it is a different result on your MPro 1,1.
(Each Mac model is --- different, and hardware interplay can't always be expected to be identical.

You have external speakers plugged in to the Pro, correct?
I know on the mini that I have, boot chime does not sound through external speakers/headphones, only on the internal speaker. Occasionally the boot chime will be so quiet that I miss hearing it. I generally use the mini while wearing headphones, and the boot chime doesn't play through connected headphones, only the internal.

I am just curious ---
What is your workflow on the MacPro? Do you use it for music production, or as a DAW? Or, just listen to music?

 

[vworks]

You have external speakers plugged in to the Pro, correct?

Yes.
The sound of the chime on the mac pro is always, if I am not mistaken, on internal speaker...at least it is my case.
The boot chime did not change but I am not sure because as far as I remember, I didnt observe this at the beginning, and I am a good observer (being a photographer, it helps ).
I mainly retouch photos (raws and scans) and surf on the web. I also watch movies a lot.
I listen to music but do not use pro tools or this kind of software.

 

[wonderspark]

I used to have a 'startup sound mute' feature running, since I always hated the startup sound. It worked well, but stopped working upon one of the OS X updates. Maybe it was Yosemite... but now it's very, very quiet. I can live with that. But yes, it's very quiet regardless of the system volume, and it only got that way after Mavericks or Yosemite, not sure which.

 

[Dr. Stealth]

I may be mistaken but are you running High Sierra? I remember resetting my PRAM used to make the BONG volume up pretty loud and it would stay LOUD until you re-set the volume in System Preferences. But since I upgraded to High Sierra when I reset PRAM the loud BONG only happens once then on subsequent boots the volume goes back down to what it was set before the PRAM reset.

This is how you control the volume of your BONG sound..... (not very intuitive on Apples part)

System Preferences - Sound- Sound Effects.

Move the slider up and you will have your loud BONG back.

 

[h9826790]

I may be mistaken but are you running High Sierra? I remember resetting my PRAM used to make the BONG volume up pretty loud and it would stay LOUD until you re-set the volume in System Preferences. But since I upgraded to High Sierra when I reset PRAM the loud BONG only happens once then on subsequent boots the volume goes back down to what it was set before the PRAM reset.

This is how you control the volume of your BONG sound..... (not very intuitive on Apples part)

System Preferences - Sound- Sound Effects.

Move the slider up and you will have your loud BONG back.

View attachment 738703

Yes, and make sure the output is the internal speaker, but not something else.

 

[vworks]

Jesus, Dr.Stealth, you are the man!
It worked!!
I am running Lion and Snow leopard, but this resolves the 'issue'.

Thank you, I am not worried anymore hahah.

 

[h9826790]

Jesus, Dr.Stealth, you are the man!
It worked!!
I am running Lion and Snow leopard, but this resolves the 'issue'.

Thank you, I am not worried anymore hahah.

I think you said "it does not change with the volume control", and it does now?

 

[vworks]

Yes, exactly - that's what I said.
But my interface sound effects were at the lowest.
WhenI put them to the max it didnt work with the jack cable to my stereo, but when I unplugged it, it worked with the internal speaker - the chime is loud when the volume of interface sound effects is on max.
So the volume keyboard control does not affect the chime.

 

[h9826790]

Yes, exactly.
But my interface sound effects were at the lowest.
WhenI put them to the max it didnt work with the jack cable to my stereo, but when I unplugged it, it worked with the internal speaker - the chime is loud when the volume of interface sound effects is on max.
So the volume keyboard control does not affect the chime.

I see. I though you tried to change the internal speaker's volume, but it didn't change the chime's volume. Yes, the start up chime's volume is sync with the internal speaker's volume, not anything else, because the chime will only output from the internal speaker. If you select any other output in the OS, the keyboard controls the selected output source, but not the internal speaker. You can temporarily change the output to internal speaker, adjust the volume accordingly. Or open Audio MIDI setup in Applications -> Utilities, and adjust the internal speaker's volume at there (no need to make it as the default output. Just slide it up or down as you wish).

 

[vworks]

h9826790, you are a f***** encyclopedia ))
Thanx!