# Re: \[psychtoolbox\] Playing Macintosh System Sounds

**URL:** <https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/re-psychtoolbox-playing-macintosh-system-sounds/1186>\
**Category:** Uncategorized\
**Created:** [July 21, 2000, 8:54pm UTC](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/re-psychtoolbox-playing-macintosh-system-sounds/1186 "2000-07-21T20:54:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Allen\_Ingling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Allen\_Ingling](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/u/Allen_Ingling)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2000, 8:54pm UTC](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/re-psychtoolbox-playing-macintosh-system-sounds/1186/1 "2000-07-21T20:54:14Z")

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> \>Dear fellow PTB users,  
> \>  
> \>To play a beep, I use the following command:  
> \>  
> \>SND('Play',sin(0:0.3:4000).\*0.75);  
> \>  
> \>and then I can vary loudness, frequency, etc. by altering the values.   
> \>To play a system sound, I do the following:  
> \>  
> \>SND('Play','Wild Eep');  
> \>  
> \>or  
> \>  
> \>SND('Play',Droplet');  
> \>  
> \>My problem here is that I cannot vary the loudness of these system   
> \>sounds. Does anyone know if it possible to vary these sounds?  
> \>  
> \>Thanks,  
> \>Larry James

dear larry  
  
your statement of facts, above, is correct. However, there's an easy work   
around. If you read the snd into a array, then you can alter its volume   
etc by manipulating the values. The following is copied from HELP SND:  
  
you can use ResEdit to copy snd  
 resources (e.g. from the System file) into individual files (one file  
 per snd), which you can access with MATLAB's READSND and WRITESND  
 commands. You can get ResEdit from Apple's web site:  
  
\<[http://swupdates.info.apple.com/Apple.Support.Area/Apple.Software.Updates/](http://swupdates.info.apple.com/Apple.Support.Area/Apple.Software.Updates/)  
US/Macintosh/Utilities/ResEdit\_2.1.3.sea.hqx\>  
  
Does that do the trick for you?  
  
best  
  
denis