Re: help with automator
Re: help with automator
- Subject: Re: help with automator
- From: Brannock Thomas <email@hidden>
- Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:26:11 -0700
Oh, I see. I get a buzz when my laptop is connected to my desktop
speakers. It's weird because if I use headphones in the headphone
jack, no buzz whatsoever. If I use headphones on the desktop speakers
(there's a jack on the large volume control knob) and unplug the cable
from the mac, no buzz. But when I plug the cable into the mac, I get
this incessant buzz. It's basically electrical noise that's being
amplified. Theoretically, the output is a combo port and can do SPDIF,
but I'm not sure how or if that would be able to elliminate the buzz.
No big deal, I thought that was your problem, not simply the hiss of a
standard entertainment system.
The only thought I have is can your mac remotely control the volume on
the DVD player? I don't think it can natively, but with the purchase
of a USB IR device and some software, you could probably applescript a
command to increase the volume of your DVD player or HIFI Receiver
(however you have things set up) just before running the wake up. Or,
volume increase could be a part of it. Leave the laptop volume alone
and just slowly increase the volume of the DVD player. Here's the link
to a site that talks a little about it. http://www.filewell.com/iRed/details.html
It's probably the only alternative to manually adjusting the volume.
Of course, you could listen to something all night if that didn't
bother you and keep the volume low. Upon wake up time, slowly increase
the Mac's volume or change to something not so soothing :) Good luck!
Tom
On Jan 28, 2008, at 3:02 AM, James Lupton wrote:
Thanks very much for all your trying.
I do already have scheduler set to wake up the computer at 8.45,
then iTunes starts playing at 9. Unfortunately, the hiss does not go
away when the computer is in sleep.
it is the dvd player with the surround sound. even if there is no
input at all, it will hiss. this is why my only option really is to
send the music through the mac mini's internal speaker.
or get a little robot to turn my dvd player on and off when i want
it. maybe a lego mindstorms. lol.
i did think that with a bit of applescripting it would be possible
- though i have never wrote an applescript before! maybe it could
trick the computer there was no audio out cable inserted, so it
would be forced to use the internal speaker... i dunno!!
any more help would be appreciated. thanks.
On 28 Jan 2008, at 09:18, Brannock Thomas wrote:
James,
I had read your original question, and like everyone else, I had no
clue. I looked into it and what I'm seeing is quite dim. I have
looked for 3rd party software, applescripts, actions, you name it,
and nothing has led me to a solution. Here's what I'm seeing.
My macbook senses whether or not there is a cable in the 1/8" jack
and automatically adjusts the output device accordingly. It never
lists both output options at the same time. I can't remember if
Tiger did or not. I tried using soundflower, a program that creates
virtual audio devices, and when I did change to the other devices
it did not change any hum or hiss. This supports my theory that the
noise will be there as long as the cable is plugged in, unless you
can totally disable the sound card. I looked into that as well and
found no solution to disable the sound card. Otherwise, it might
have been an easy fix. Maybe if I were better at Unix I could
figure it out, but so far, no dice. I did find an applescript that
would change the output device, but as I said, the virtual audio
devices didn't change anything so i don't see how that would
either, even if you did have another audio device. However, I do
have one thought.
I have figured out that if your computer is sleeping, the hum or
hiss goes away. You might check that on your particular setup. Now,
it's not straightforward as to how to wake the computer from sleep
to do anything. Apple has a schedule feature in power management,
but that is more like a permanent setting. However, I know how to
modify that file on it's own using shell scripting. I used
Automator to write two scripts. The first one creates an iCal Wake
Up event and tells it to open an application that I call
WakeUp.app. After assigning the event, I have Otto running an
applescript to allow you to select a day of the week and time for
the scheduler, with the suggestion that it is set to one minute
prior to the iCal event. This will effectively set the computer to
wake up one minute before iCal, then the alarm in iCal will run
WakeUp.app and from there you get music. Then it prompts you for a
password to remove the scheduler. I've attached my scripts below.
What I'd really like is to have the applescript pass the day and
time to the iCal event, then you'd only have to enter that info
once. But hey, this is the best you're getting from me at 2 am.
Tom
<New Wake Up Event.app><WakeUp.app>
On Jan 27, 2008, at 4:47 PM, James Lupton wrote:
hi, i was wondering if anyone had read my original question...
"Does anyone know if it is possible to set where the audio is
played in an automator action?
my mac is hooked up to my DVD player which sends out surround
sound. however, when there is no sound coming through it, it gives
a constant hiss.
i have got into the habit of using my mac and an 'open iTunes'
automator app set in iCal to wake me (with volume adjustment
properties too). but this means i have to leave the DVD player
hissing all night.
i have a mac mini, so i was wondering if there was anyway to force
this app to play through the mini's internal speaker?
Thanks, James"
any help would be appreciated. thanks
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