My first Apple II was acquired in October 2023. Being a Mac guy since 1984, I was accustomed to "good audio." There was nothing about any Macintosh I ever used that made me think, "Wow, this audio is bad!" But when I first tested the IIc with music and gaming apps, I was really quite shocked at how awful the audio was. To be fair, the IIc was based on tech that came out in 1977, and Steve Wozniak only intended the speaker for simple beeps and clicks. The Mac came 7 years later, with many advances. Even so, good sound is good sound no matter when a sound making device came on the scene.
So it was a pleasant surprise when I learned about the Mockingboard in 2023 and the fact that a modern creation was able to fit the board INSIDE the IIc, retaining its compact form factor. I finally got around to reviewing the kit, and I must say that, despite the caveats, it really makes a noticeable difference. Not every app is Mockingboard aware, but for those which are, your ears will thank you for having added it.
One of the first things I show in the video is the Sweet Micro History segment. I found an article in SOFTALK magazine on Internet Archive, and I spent a lot of time slimming down the content in order to build a text timeline. Sadly, that was really the best and only source for the history I had available. But knowing it's really best to reconfirm such info, I reached out to Sweet Micro Founder, Rod Nakamoto, who created the first Mockingboard product in the late 70's. Many times when you try to contact a "famous name" in computing history, no reply comes. But I was overjoyed that Mr. Nakamoto replied back a day later with corrections and new info, found no where else, such as Woz having purchased 100 Mockingboards to give as gifts to his friends.
Rod unfortunately didn't have any photos from back in the day, so I improvised. I used some photo content from the SOFTALK article and with AI I was able to improve the look. I then used a Manga edition AI to generate some artwork that in the end fit well into the timeline. I think the end result came out halfway decent.
Work on this video began more than two months ago. It was shocking how many hours I invested in it. But the end result is a comprehensive look at the Mockingboard, both past and present, will a full installation segment, testing and an overview of the Good and the Bad. Be sure to check out the TEXT DESCRIPTION under the video on YouTube because I have a lot of links there, including a link to my software compatibility list.
I also learned a few new things after the video was finished, such as the fact that the MacEffects backlit keyboard's backlight has an impact on audible noise. But that is a subject for another video.
Happy New Year 2025 to one and all! I hope this video will inspire some of you to pull those Apple II machines from the closet in 2025 and put them to good use.
So it was a pleasant surprise when I learned about the Mockingboard in 2023 and the fact that a modern creation was able to fit the board INSIDE the IIc, retaining its compact form factor. I finally got around to reviewing the kit, and I must say that, despite the caveats, it really makes a noticeable difference. Not every app is Mockingboard aware, but for those which are, your ears will thank you for having added it.
One of the first things I show in the video is the Sweet Micro History segment. I found an article in SOFTALK magazine on Internet Archive, and I spent a lot of time slimming down the content in order to build a text timeline. Sadly, that was really the best and only source for the history I had available. But knowing it's really best to reconfirm such info, I reached out to Sweet Micro Founder, Rod Nakamoto, who created the first Mockingboard product in the late 70's. Many times when you try to contact a "famous name" in computing history, no reply comes. But I was overjoyed that Mr. Nakamoto replied back a day later with corrections and new info, found no where else, such as Woz having purchased 100 Mockingboards to give as gifts to his friends.
Rod unfortunately didn't have any photos from back in the day, so I improvised. I used some photo content from the SOFTALK article and with AI I was able to improve the look. I then used a Manga edition AI to generate some artwork that in the end fit well into the timeline. I think the end result came out halfway decent.
Work on this video began more than two months ago. It was shocking how many hours I invested in it. But the end result is a comprehensive look at the Mockingboard, both past and present, will a full installation segment, testing and an overview of the Good and the Bad. Be sure to check out the TEXT DESCRIPTION under the video on YouTube because I have a lot of links there, including a link to my software compatibility list.
I also learned a few new things after the video was finished, such as the fact that the MacEffects backlit keyboard's backlight has an impact on audible noise. But that is a subject for another video.
Happy New Year 2025 to one and all! I hope this video will inspire some of you to pull those Apple II machines from the closet in 2025 and put them to good use.
