macavenger
Registered
I have used iTuneSleep for quite a while, and, for the most part, quite like it. Unfortunately it no longer works in 10.6, and from what I can tell the developer is no longer reachable. So I'm looking for a replacement. Nothing I have found so far, however, quite meets my need, so I am asking here for suggestions. My desires are as follows:
Must have:
1) A true iTunes alarm clock. This means that when the alarm goes off, iTunes starts playing, not some internal media player of the alarm software.
2) Volume control, with fade-in feature of adjustable duration, using the iTunes volume rather than the system volume for fading. The way iTuneSleep works, which I like, is that (if chosen) the system volume is first set to a user-defined level, and then the iTunes volume is ramped up from zero. This allows me to set everything to a ridiculously loud final volume to blast me awake if needed, while still being easy to catch the fade-in in mid fade if I wake up easier - I can just turn down the system volume, and since the alarm isn't trying to change it to create the fade, that limits the maximum volume it gets to on that fade, without having to fumble around to hit a stop button.
3) No requirement to leave the application running for alarms to sound. Of course, something needs to be running, but it should be a faceless background app or menu-bar accessory that is loaded on login, so I don't have to worry about accidentally quitting the app or forgetting to launch it in the first place.
Things I would like, but can live without:
1) No stop alarm button. Or, more specifically, the option to leave the music running after the alarm has been "stopped". Which means that hitting stop really does nothing
Since my alarm is my music, I typically want it to continue playing after I get up - just at a reduced volume. Thus the reason that I liked the way iTuneSleep handled requirement #2 so much. I just get up, turn down the volume, and get on with my day.
2) Multiple scheduled alarms, with the ability to quickly enable/disable each without deleting. iTuneSleep actually didn't have this.
3) Backup alarm, should any of the iTunes interaction run into problems (such as when iTunes throws up a dialog box), instead just play a user-specified system alert sound repeatedly until stopped.
So, any software out there that can meet my admittedly rather stringent requirements? Or is this going to have to be my next unofficial software development project? Thanks.
Must have:
1) A true iTunes alarm clock. This means that when the alarm goes off, iTunes starts playing, not some internal media player of the alarm software.
2) Volume control, with fade-in feature of adjustable duration, using the iTunes volume rather than the system volume for fading. The way iTuneSleep works, which I like, is that (if chosen) the system volume is first set to a user-defined level, and then the iTunes volume is ramped up from zero. This allows me to set everything to a ridiculously loud final volume to blast me awake if needed, while still being easy to catch the fade-in in mid fade if I wake up easier - I can just turn down the system volume, and since the alarm isn't trying to change it to create the fade, that limits the maximum volume it gets to on that fade, without having to fumble around to hit a stop button.
3) No requirement to leave the application running for alarms to sound. Of course, something needs to be running, but it should be a faceless background app or menu-bar accessory that is loaded on login, so I don't have to worry about accidentally quitting the app or forgetting to launch it in the first place.
Things I would like, but can live without:
1) No stop alarm button. Or, more specifically, the option to leave the music running after the alarm has been "stopped". Which means that hitting stop really does nothing
Since my alarm is my music, I typically want it to continue playing after I get up - just at a reduced volume. Thus the reason that I liked the way iTuneSleep handled requirement #2 so much. I just get up, turn down the volume, and get on with my day.2) Multiple scheduled alarms, with the ability to quickly enable/disable each without deleting. iTuneSleep actually didn't have this.
3) Backup alarm, should any of the iTunes interaction run into problems (such as when iTunes throws up a dialog box), instead just play a user-specified system alert sound repeatedly until stopped.
So, any software out there that can meet my admittedly rather stringent requirements? Or is this going to have to be my next unofficial software development project? Thanks.
