Sweet Dreams Gradually Lowers Your System Volume On A Schedule

I need a software the does the exact opposite of this. I often find myself dosing off when I'm working, so I need something to scream at me once in a while to make sure I'm still in reality.

resilient

This will improve my sleep by being installed on my roommate's computer. Thanks. :)

I get a endless ok box that keeps wanting to be clicked even running in xpSP2 Compatibility on Win 7. Any fixes ? Really could do with this.

martyjw

@LawrenceLiverless: Yes, if you play your songs through iTunes and install this program and have Windows. :)

This is a great idea! I'm gonna have to give this a try.

Conger

Very nice idea. I'm used to setting my iHome to sleep mode, but having the variable volume could really add a lot.

This is really great, and so simple. Can I get my ITouch to do this? I often have it playing through speakers before I go to sleep.

LawrenceLiverless

I was looking for something like this for my Mac, so I ended up writing an apple script for it. After I got finished I added some other stuff to it. Now it will launch insomniaX (keeps a macbook from sleeping with lid closed) launch pandora and ask how long to play music for. Once the time period is over it turns off insomniaX so the macbook goes to sleep.

SujayaEscargot

@LawrenceLiverless:
You can't - as far as I can tell - not make it lower the Volume. But you can set a Timer, which suspends your iPod Touch after a set amount of time. To do so, go into your Clock-Application on the iPod (or iPhone), tap Timer, set the the time, then tap the box above the green "Start"-Button. On the very top of the list appearing it should say "iPod-Suspend" or something similiar. Tap that, then start the timer.
Now you may hear Music, the Timer will still run in the background. When it reaches Zero, the iPod Touch will Suspend, stopping playback.

Hope, that helped =)

@Henry: My Apologizes, but I didn't meant to make my first sentence posted above to be a double-negative :D
Also, after Tapping "iPod-Suspend" you have to tap the upper right button, which is labeled "Set" or somethin similiar (I don't know it exactly, because my iPod's language is german).

On my Mac I use Awaken for this. It's not free, but it's worth the cost for me because it's a good alarm clock, too.

Cormophyte

would be cool if we would a have a script for something like this, not a gui.

mfresco

At first I thought this mean "system volumes", like system processes. I couldn't figure out why or how those would be/could be turned down...

@resilient: Same here. I would love to set something that would automatically dim my music from 10pm to 11pm (the time at which my room mate goes to bed without fail) and turn on rudely at 7am in case I shut off my alarm and went back to bed (and I can't set too many back alarms to ring before 7am because then my room mate complains.)

dunvi

@Cormophyte: agreed, Awaken is a nifty program.

thejackpot101

The thing about timer-based shutdown applications is that they will always leave your PC running longer than necessary or shut it down right in the middle of your favorite audiobook.

I personally prefer NightTunes ([www.earlybirdapplications.com]), which is an iTunes plugin and simply sends your PC to sleep after the current playlist is finished.

seboslaw

Couldn't this also be used for a wakeup call? Just tell it to amp up the volume at ? Either way, it lets the media player keep running the whole night, doesn't it?

NaomiHelle

I like this. Any solution for Mac?

keycool

this would be a nice new feature for XBMC, as well!

sideshowmel

my soundcard is maudio and uses its own panel... can this be set to work with that?

urbanturban666

@SujayaEscargot: Do you have that script somewhere we could get at it? I wouldn't mind taking a look and seeing if it would be tweakable to my circumstances.

glennsim

@Henry: Thanks, Guys!

LawrenceLiverless

Hmmm... Interesting idea, and simple.

HeffeD

@NaomiHelle: Seconded for the need to amp it back up

GardnerMarigold

@martyjw: I have that same annoying problem. I really want to start using it tonight. It looks like it's going to be earbuds and a Sansa clip again, I feel bad b/c I always end up rolling over on it in the night.

ThePioneer

@NaomiHelle: Not if you have it shut down your computer after the timer runs out.

@NaomiHelle: I've always wanted to set up something that wakes me up with a gradual increase in volume. Rather than waking up startled by an alarm, waking up slowly as the volume increases...I imagien that would be awesome.

Tony Bullard Jr

@martyjw: I have the same problem, any ideas on how to fix it? It's in german, i dont even know what it says :S

nachomaster

@Cormophyte: Really, you would pay money for that? I mean, yeah, it's a helpful thing to have, but it doesn't seem like something that would take more than an afternoon's worth of coding, so it seems hard to justify giving someone else money for it.

Tachyon0118

Doesn't appear to install on Vista :(

Flenser

@keycool:

I use iWannaSleep for Mac. Not as good as Sweet Dreams (volume only gets down the last 30 sec or so) which I have been using for ages, but still nice.

Ferox

After getting the error message translated, it appears you have to set the properties for the .exe so it runs in Windows XP compatibility mode.

Flenser

@NaomiHelle: Only 120 mins...which is 2 hours. Can't be used as an alarm clock.

Orisue

and it's portable too!@mfresco: Well, it doesn't take a lot of resources to begin with. It's a small installer-less app. You can run it off of a usb stick.

PotentChr0nic

There's been plugins for winamp that do this for ages ;-)

pvcrisp

@Tachyon0118: Not even an afternoon, I just posted a script in an earlier comment that can do it and I had no experience in apple script when I started.

SujayaEscargot

@glennsim: -- the purpose of this script is to be a sleep timer for pandora

-- this starts application insomniaX to prevent macbook form sleeping on lid close
activate application "InsomniaX"

-- activates insomniaX using hotkey
tell application "System Events" to tell process "Insomniax" to keystroke "p" using command down

-- opens pandora in firefox
tell application "Firefox"
OpenURL "http://www.pandora.com/"
end tell

-- set initial volume
set volume output volume 100

-- find how long to sleep
display dialog "how many minutes do you want to play music:" default answer 60
set howlong to text returned of the result
set sleeptime to howlong * 3 --number of seconds between sound reduction

-- loop to reduce volume plan to add more stuff here later
repeat 20 times
do shell script "/bin/sleep " & sleeptime -- wait # seconds before conntinue
set curVol to output volume of (get volume settings)
set NewVol to curVol - 3
set volume output volume NewVol

end repeat

-- silence volume
set volume output volume 0

-- allow mac to sleep again
tell application "System Events" to tell process "Insomniax" to keystroke "p" using command down

SujayaEscargot

@NaomiHelle: I third this opinion. There has to be something out there that does an incremental wake up. It is obviously possible.

blackrider23

works perfect in ubuntu under wine

Kevin Booth

It needs to implement an extra option for "task when time is over" -- custom command or keystroke - so I can have it pause or stop my Winamp. It's cool if my volume is all the way down but I don't want my long random playlist playing all night to nobody. And I don't shut down my PC.

Drakar2007

@keycool: virtualize!! and then iwillquit to shut your mac off

Irving Larios

@NaomiHelle: Foobar2000 has an addon that let's you configure Foobar to do what you want on a schedule. I currently have it set as an alarm when I REALLY need to wake up on time, aka speakers blasting at 6 in the morning, and as a sleep timer, decreasing the volume in 5 minute increments until it mutes. Yes, it changes the system volume, not just Foobar's volume.

Using TaskScheduler and Foobar2000, this can all be completely automated. (auto wake computer from standby, auto start foobar2000, auto blast/mute music, auto reset volume, and even automate which playlist you use, since you probably have a different playlist for waking up and falling asleep)

[pelit.koillismaa.fi]

Leandri

I'm getting a repeated message ("Kein Mixer-Gerat Gefunden") when running this which I believe translates to "no sound mixer." I'm running Win 7, anybody got the same problem/ a solution?

@ThePioneer: Lol, I had similar problems in the past. Woke up once half strangled xD Perhaps that contributed to my Sansa's eventual death..

Terrific. I'll probably use this tonight!

Natnie

Thats awesome, I always end up waking up with my computer blaring out music at 2am in the morning. Problem sorted.

@rusty: yup, same problem here. Any fixes?

@Leandri: Great tip, thanks!

schmappel

@keycool: Get a real computer.

Apeiron242

This is cool, but isn't everyone so worried about using so much electricity that they shut down their computers at night, I even unplug my laptop and set it to sleep when I am not using it during the day.
I am sure, although I have not looked, that there are nightstand alarm clocks that would do the same thing, and not use any additional juice.

Cntr78

what good is Sweet Dreams if you don't go to sleep...

SukritiKinza

Freeware from apple.com- iTunesShut "A utility which allows you to Shut Down, Restart, Sleep, Pause or Quit iTunes after listening to a predetermined number of tracks, length of time, or entire playlist in iTunes. You can optionally have the volume fade out over this period, if desired." http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/ipod_itunes/itunesshut.html

AlvinaMioli

@martyjw: idk its something to do with device not found, but im not exactly sure...

AstridMamercus

Best if used with that pillow keyboard featured a few days ago.

newmansan

Hmmm, one can also imagine creative mind games or revenge applications of this too. You secretly install it on pc of someone you don't like to have it turn their volume up when they are away and pc is locked so they get in trouble for annoying others.

Or you have it selectively turn up and down on your own pc while away on vacation to annoy neighbors :)

Or you have it go up and down in advance for short durations when you know that really annoying room mate who edits or records music streams is going to be working...

endless possibilities.

Con Sumer Zealot

There's an opposite version of this: Citrus Alarm Clock. You can set it to fade in gradually over any amount of time to gently rouse you from your slumber. I love it, it works really well. And it's free! http://www.brothersoft.com/citrus-alarm-clock-65222.html There's a new version now but you have to pay for it...the old version works really well in my opinion though.

WhitneyScaurus

No luck on vista x64 box..

Eddie Groves

This is a very nice idea. I was wondering how I would make this run throught a scheduled task? So it would "Start" automatically, maybe by running it with some parameters?

SandersEriphyle

ohh c'mon!!!
You can't possibly be falling for this gadget.
Any player that has been around for a while (winamp, Windows Media Player, Sonique, etc) HAS this feature enables or has a plugin that does it.
I really don't find it that amusing, besides the fact that it lacks the ability to work as a wake-up caller.
Every since I found Aimp I've been happily using this embedded-feature (which includes various options, not only fading volume) and I can't complain about it.

Try it out, any audiophile will respect it nice set of features and sound quality. I'm impressed that lifehacker hasn't done a post on it yet.

mandin82