Thread

Is audio playback on a Classic even possible?

Is audio playback on a Classic even possible? 68k 58 posts Nov 12, 2013 — Jan 13, 2025

#1 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 - 17:56

Hello! Yesterday, I got a Macintosh Classic. Without keyboard and mouse through, but it works.

I originally wanted to do what I like to do on many computers, as in: play a song.

I know very well that mp3 is out of the question - I played mp3 320kbps cbr on a Quadra 900 and it had a hard time even moving windows.

Now, I heard that 68k macs can also play AIFF. I thought of using QuickTime, but it requires 68020.

Is there any piece of software to play AIFF files, or maybe a specific, low-end format to which I could convert music, to be able to play it on a Classic?

And how to archive files in a way that they would be seen on the Mac? I send a AIFF file into my MinivMac , using ImportFl, and none of the programs I tried actually were even able to see that the file exists! What do?

#2 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 - 19:45

this is a good question.

I am pretty sure you can at-least play MIDI files on the 68000 cpu, its amazing what the amiga does with just a 68000 cpu!

I really do not know off hand, but am curious my self as to what all the audio capabilities are of the 68000 compacts.

i would also like to play some songs

#3 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 - 21:17

If it is running a version of System 7 you can make the sound a System 7 Sound file and it'll play just fine. My Mac Plus with 7.0.1 plays the theme from Ms. Pacman upon startup.

"SoundApp" on a QuickTime 3+ capable Mac should be able to make System 7 Sound files for you. I think there is a version of SoundApp (<2.0 I think) that will work on a Plus, and therefore a Classic, to play AIFFs and etc.

#4 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 - 21:29

I remember playing with sound quite a bit - as much as it was possible to do without a mic port - under System 6 on a dual-floppy SE. So yes, the processor and hardware can handle it. I don't remember the limitations as far as sample rate however, and it is strictly mono.

#5 Tue, 12 Nov 2013 - 22:22

If it is running a version of System 7 you can make the sound a System 7 Sound file and it'll play just fine. My Mac Plus with 7.0.1 plays the theme from Ms. Pacman upon startup.
"SoundApp" on a QuickTime 3+ capable Mac should be able to make System 7 Sound files for you. I think there is a version of SoundApp (<2.0 I think) that will work on a Plus, and therefore a Classic, to play AIFFs and etc.

1. I used SoundApp to convert a file on Mini vMac. Aiff, 22050, mono. On a completely separate instalklation of System 7.1 it makes a 'pop' sound and doesn't play.[After conversion]. On vMac of course.

2. I doesn't have a quicktime-capable mac.

3. It apparently converts, but trying to play an aiff results in a system hang up.

#6 Wed, 13 Nov 2013 - 22:20

EDIT: I just realised, that there might be something wrong with Mini vMac itself - i tried to play a module in Sount-Trecker; i clicked play, it made that short sound, and i heard nothing afterwards [ not even system sounds] - and it seemed to play anyway. I'll try on a real hardware next time.

#7 Thu, 14 Nov 2013 - 17:17

As far as I'm aware, Mini vMac doesn't really have sound support, if I remember correctly.

#8 Fri, 15 Nov 2013 - 15:13

You can play AIFF files with a Mac Classic with a very small application (10K !) called "SFplay" ©1991 by Reinder Verlinde.

The user interface is minimalist. Just double-clic on the file to play it (the application doesn't have any "Open..." command).

With ResEdit, change the type of the audio document you want to play to "AIFF" and the creator to "®√PL".

Here is a link to download it : http://bit.ly/17vXpPR

The music is playing in the background, allowing you to work with another application in the same time.

I used this application on a Mac LC with sytem 7.0.1, without QuickTime, so it should work with a Classic.

The files i used to play were 22 or 11 kHz 8 bits mono sound file.

#9 Fri, 15 Nov 2013 - 16:40

that is super cool

#10 Fri, 15 Nov 2013 - 22:04

You can play AIFF files with a Mac Classic with a very small application (10K !) called "SFplay" ©1991 by Reinder Verlinde.The user interface is minimalist. Just double-clic on the file to play it (the application doesn't have any "Open..." command).

With ResEdit, change the type of the audio document you want to play to "AIFF" and the creator to "®√PL".

Here is a link to download it : http://bit.ly/17vXpPR

The music is playing in the background, allowing you to work with another application in the same time.

I used this application on a Mac LC with sytem 7.0.1, without QuickTime, so it should work with a Classic.

The files i used to play were 22 or 11 kHz 8 bits mono sound file.

LC has 020, Classic has 000.

I'll try it through, thanks! :3

#11 Fri, 15 Nov 2013 - 22:22

We need to make a really cool 68kmla theme song that can play on all our 68k mac's

or maybe someone can make some aiffs that has a couple of the top songs of the Year that mac was made

http://www.jamrockentertainment.com/billboard-music-top-100-songs-listed-by-year/top-100-songs-1985.html

#12 Fri, 15 Nov 2013 - 22:34

Real quick what is the best way to make aiff files… well MP3 to AIFF.

The only problem with un compressed audio is, it takes up an enormous amounts of space.

be nice if aiff-c would work?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_Interchange_File_Format

#13 Sat, 16 Nov 2013 - 03:26

Audacity with the ffmpeg libraries installed should be able to do everything you'd want with audio

#14 Sat, 16 Nov 2013 - 18:57

I created some AIFF files with music extracts at 11 and 22kHz. :

They are playable with the SFPlay application i mentioned before.

The files are < 700K (for the 11kHz) and < 1300K (for the 22kHz), each file has a duration of 59s. Here is the link to download the files (one archive for each sampling) :

http://bit.ly/1eagrjK

The files were created on a PowerMac 5500 with the audio CD converting feature of SimpleText. It's a less known feature of SimpleText :

- choose "Open..." in the file menu

- select a track from an audio CD

- click "Options..." to select the extract and the sampling rate

simpletext.jpg.98e9dd3c6c6adb28a8ce223614b5c6d2.jpg

The resulting file is in the AIFF format.

The files play well on a my Classic II (sys. 7.1) but not on my SE (sys. 6.0.7). Perhaps the app needs Sys 7 or sound manager 2.0.

#15 Sat, 16 Nov 2013 - 19:47

thanks for the great info!

#16 Sun, 17 Nov 2013 - 10:03

The files play well on a my Classic II (sys. 7.1) but not on my SE (sys. 6.0.7). Perhaps the app needs Sys 7 or sound manager 2.0.

i think its a hardware issue.

The Classic opens but does not play 6.0.8 - 7.1 - 7.5.3

the classicII opens and plays… even in 6.0.8L

#17 Sun, 17 Nov 2013 - 10:10

works with the macintosh portable, 6.0.8

plying : Right Said Fred - I'm Too Sexy

quick time in lion allows me to convert a mp3 into anything. including aiff.

22khz variants also play on the macintosh portable. Man the portable is a beast.

#18 Sun, 17 Nov 2013 - 10:11

The files play well on a my Classic II (sys. 7.1) but not on my SE (sys. 6.0.7). Perhaps the app needs Sys 7 or sound manager 2.0.

So, what happens when you try to play a file on the SE?

Does it put out any sound at all or just refuse to start?

#19 Sun, 17 Nov 2013 - 10:19

trying the se now. i will let you know.

the app opens, it just does not output any sound.

so far the SE and the Classic get no output.

#20 Sun, 17 Nov 2013 - 17:07

I got a keyboard now; I just lack a mouse

#21 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 - 10:53

ok so/so news.

The only 680nothing machines i can get to play AIFF's is the Macintosh Portable and Macintosh PowerBook 100

I am thinking its because of the hardware allows it.

I am going to do some more testing to see how far i can push it before it skips.

right now all i have is 10 and 22Khz mono, I am going to try stereo next

#22 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 - 10:55

how about a System 7 sound file/snd resource?

#23 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 - 11:08

sorry, what is your question?

- plus

- se

- classic

i still get the normal sounds, and enhanced sounds with SoundMaster with these compacts.

just as far as sfplay(plays aiff's), the only 680nohting macs that will output sound with that app is Portable and PB100.

#24 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 - 11:32

ok the powerbook 100,

only plays 1 second of a

44khz

8bit

mono

AIFF file. and locks up solid.

next i will try

22khz

8bit

stereo

its about the same size, 28mb

#25 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 - 11:42

@uniserver

The only 680nothing machines i can get to play AIFF's is the Macintosh Portable and Macintosh PowerBook 100I am thinking its because of the hardware allows it.

I agree with you : an Apple Sound Chip may be required. I try a workaround by putting a Sound Manager 3.0 extension in the System folder (available in System Update 3.0 for 7.1] - just to test if the sound API of the Sound Manager could emulate in software what could not be done in hardware) but with no sucess in 6.0.7 ; perhaps could it work with 7.1.

#26 Mon, 18 Nov 2013 - 11:45

22khz8bit

stereo

ok this works with the powerbook 100

sounds pretty good too. But it pretty much makes the PB about useless,

its so slow, you can't multitask or use it much at all. AIFF File takes complete priority.

Even the mouse movement is lagged.

also i was wrong about the file size,

this complete 3.5 min song was 28megs @ 44khz 8bit mono, the same song was only 14 meg's @ 22khz 8bit stereo.

#27 Tue, 19 Nov 2013 - 02:51

here is a video of the powerbook 100 playing a song.

Mac Bandet and its sound effects / multitasking stopped the music from playing… but its fine

Quick reboot and it was playing AIFF's nicely again. NOT BAD FOR ONLY 500K memory usage

https://plus.google.com/photos/100890837144428718359/albums/5947783562513152497/5947783567330415154?banner=pwa&pid=5947783567330415154&oid=100890837144428718359

#28 Tue, 19 Nov 2013 - 07:36

last video i promise, the Macintosh Portable playing an AIFF, with only 1mb of ram (i realized later)

https://plus.google.com/photos/100890837144428718359/albums/5947846783905982433/5947846788051504178?banner=pwa&pid=5947846788051504178&oid=100890837144428718359

#29 Tue, 19 Nov 2013 - 16:16

here is a video of the powerbook 100 playing a song.

too sexy

#30 Tue, 19 Nov 2013 - 21:14

I was asking about System 7 sounds because I would swear I was able to play them on my Plus.

I just used SoundApp (in 9.2.2 Classic OS mode in 10.2.8 on a G4 wind tunnel) to turn a WAV version of "Dance the Night Away" by Van Halen into a System 7 Sound. It's 15 MB (about half the size of the WAV), but it plays the whole song in Classic.

Dug out a Mac Classic (Sys 7.5), and it wouldn't even try to play the 15MB file (being in the neighborhood of 8x the RAM available). So I went back and made a 30-second mono clip that weighed in at 1.4MB. I double clicked it, it began whirring away with the watch and... nothing. It plays the simple Quack, Indigo, Sosumi sounds, but not a complex 30-second System 7 sound.

Betcha it'd work on a PB100 though