I have run into a bug in version 1.3.2 of Quake 3 for Mac OS X that others have run into, but is not well documented. This bug effects the sound in the game, characterized by high pitched, sped up sound that make all the actor voices sound like little kids, and all the guns sound like tin cans. Another symptom to this problem is the opening sequence (where the "id" logo is busted out of steel) will have no sound. No in game preferences help in solving this problem (except maybe to mute sounds altogether, which is not an optimal solution).

The fix for this is a convoluted one, but not difficult. Follow these steps if you are experiencing this problem:

1. Open the Audio MIDI Setup application in /Applications/Utilities.
2. Make sure you in in the Audio Devices tab. For reference. steps 2 through 6 will involve only the right side of the Audio MIDI Setup window.
3. Pick your Default and System Output ports (most likely "Built in Audio").
4. Look to where it says Audio Output, and look for the field labeled Format.
5. Make sure the Source is correct (likely either "Line Out" or "Digital Out").
6. Set the Format to 44100.00Hz.
7. Quick Audio MIDI Setup and launch Quake 3.
8. Your sounds should be restored to normal. If not, open up Audio MIDI Setup again and make sure the settings are correct.

I would have never thought of this fix on my own, so credit should go to where it is due. The forum member "stroehman" from the Inside Mac Games Forums explained the answer to me in response to my post on this subject. I'm just hoping this page will help others who are looking for the solution to this problem.

I am not yet sure if this problem is related to specific hardware (multi CPU machines, too fast of hardware, certain sound cards), an OS X 10.3.x problem, or simply a bug in the Quake 3 code. If I ever discover which set of machines this problem seems to crop up on most, I will update this page with that information.

Happy Fragging!