Frequently Asked Questions
(For
Macs running OS X only! WILL NOT work on Windows!)
What is SonicMood?
How Did SonicMood Begin?
System Requirements
Installation
Running SonicMood
Recording SonicMood’s
Sound
Playing SonicMood Through Rogue Amoeba's
Airfoil
Trial Period
Registering SonicMood
- Registration Problems
- No Sound
- Distorted Sound
- Won't Accept a Soundfile
- QuickTime is too old or couldn't be found
- Basic Troubleshooting Questions and Quick Fixes
Uninstalling SonicMood
Program Incompatibilities
What is SonicMood?
It is "generative music," or "algorithmic music" I suppose. It attempts to be "ambient music" in the sense that it's designed to be either "actively listened to with attention or as easily ignored, depending on the choice of the listener" (Brian Eno - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambient_music).
There is a school of thought that talks about "emergent behavior," phenomena that happens when a number of simple and possibly random processes combine. Here's a couple of links that give some insight into the idea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergence and http://scienceblogs.com/oscillator/2010/01/designing_emergent_behavior.php. I sometimes think that's part of what's going on with SonicMood. It's certainly something I was thinking about while I was developing SonicMood early on.
Also, I suspect I was influenced a little by John Cage and his "chance music" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cage).
So SonicMood creates "generative music" by taking three MIDI instruments and playing them according to some programmed algorithms, the instruments and programming depending on the "Mood". It then optionally adds nature sounds from AIFF, MP3 and other "soundfiles" to each "Mood". These nature sounds are played in loops, but have a range of random start, pause, and fade times to minimize the perception of repetition. Twenty-one soundfiles are supplied with the "SonicMood Plus" download. Up to 32 can be played together with each Mood.
Out of the box SonicMood includes 32 pre-programmed "Moods," but you can modify them or make your own using SonicMood's built-in Mood editor.
SonicMood can also display beautiful pictures in its "picture window" to go with the sounds. You can create a timed "slide-show" using those saved images.
I should mention that I'm a fan of the radio show "Hearts of Space" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearts_of_Space) which plays lots of "ambient," "electronic," and "experimental" music. They are on our local PBS station (KCHO) Sunday evenings, followed by "Lighthouse" (locally produced, not the "Christian Radio" station) which also features "ambient" music.
How Did SonicMood Begin?
I originally wrote SonicMood because I was looking for something to mimic the sounds wind chimes make; peaceful, soothing, relaxing natural sounds. Being stuck inside on the computer all day made me miss that ambiance. Using a Mac with it's built-in MIDI synth, I soon realized I could do a lot more than simple wind chimes. So I started playing with various sound-generation algorithms to get the effect I was looking for while keeping the load on the CPU as low as possible - after all, SonicMood is intended to run in the background while the user does "real work." Later I gave SonicMood the ability to play "soundfiles" - just digital recordings like MP3's and AIFFs that add to the overall effect. They can be any recorded sound but I include 21 nature sounds like birds, crickets, rain, thunder, etc. And there's more on our web site including foghorns, trains, and city sounds, too (maybe you'd want to wake up to those sounds - SonicMood has both a sleep and a wake timer).
System Requirements
SonicMood is a Universal Binary (runs on Mac Intel and PPC) and works with OS X versions 10.3.9 (Panther), 10.4 (Tiger), 10.5 (Leopard), and 10.6 (Snow Leopard). On-line Help is available here for all versions. Please try before you buy to be sure SonicMood’s performance on your computer is acceptable.
Installation
You need to mount the SonicMood.dmg file first. This is the file you downloaded; it's a compressed "disk image" file. Just double-click on the file icon and OS X will uncompress and mount it as a drive on your desktop. A window will open containing a "Read Me" file and a folder that contains the SonicMood program and the SonicMood Soundfiles folder. You can drag the SonicMood folder to your Applications folder (there’s a “shortcut” just to the right) or anywhere else you'd like it. When you're done, unmount the disk image on the desktop by right/control-clicking it and selecting "Eject SonicMood" from the contextual menu.
After you launch SonicMood, you can add soundfiles to SonicMood from any "Sound Files..." folders you may have also downloaded. First click the "Edit" button on the SonicMood toolbar, or select “Edit Mood” (⌘I) from the “Edit” menu. In the window that opens click the "Soundfiles" toolbar button. Here you can select from a list (check or just double-click) up to 32 soundfiles for each Mood. If you want all Moods to use these same soundfiles simply check the box that says "Use selected soundfiles with all Moods".
If the soundfile list is empty, you can just “drag & drop” soundfiles (MP3’s, etc.) or folders containing soundfiles onto the empty list. You can also use the “+Files” and “+Folder” buttons to add soundfiles. After you’re done, the list should contain the names of the soundfiles you’ve added. Then you can proceed to select them for Moods as mentioned in the previous paragraph.
That's it! Look at the topic "Soundfiles" (under “Mood Editing”) in the Help window for more information.
Running SonicMood
To run SonicMood, just double-click its icon. You'll see a "nag" screen first - it appears each time you start SonicMood until it's registered. You'll probably want to play with it for a while to be sure it's for you, so you can click on "Not Yet" to go on without registering.
The first time you run SonicMood you may want to click the "Help" button at the right side of the window's toolbar. A Help window will open in your browser. Read the “Overview” to give yourself a basic idea of how SonicMood works. While you’re reading, SonicMood will begin playing. Simply close the browser window when you're through.
As the Mood plays you will hear instrumental and natural sounds together in relaxing, melodious harmony. The nature sounds may be quiet at first and gradually swell in volume. Adjust the overall loudness using the "Master" and/or the "Instruments" and "Soundfiles" “Volume” sliders. You can pause SonicMood by pressing the space bar or clicking the pause button. Double-click on another Mood in the "Moods List" to select a different Mood. Click the "Edit" button (on the toolbar) to display the Mood editing controls ("Edit" window). The "Picture" window (click the "Pictures" button on the toolbar) will open a window you can use to display pictures. Add photos, etc., just by "dragging & dropping" onto the window.
Recording SonicMood’s Sound
You can record SonicMood's sound by selecting "Record Audio..." (⌘R) from the "Mood" menu, or clicking the "record" button if you've added it to SonicMood's toolbar. A "Audio Record" window will open. Click the "Record File" disk-icon button, type in a name for the file and select the folder you want it saved in. When done, the "Record" button will be active. Select the “Recording Method” next, either “MIDI” or “Digital Audio.” Select the desired settings if “Digital Audio.” You can set a length for the recording, too, under "Recording Length" (be sure to check the box). Click “Record” to start the recording, and click "Stop Recording" to stop the recording and save it. If you use the “MIDI” recording method, this records the instrumental but not the soundfile sounds.
In order to record SonicMood in Digital Audio mode, you’ll need to have downloaded and installed “Soundflower” from the “cycling ’74” web site’s download page here: http://code.google.com/p/soundflower/downloads/list. After Soundflower is installed, you should also run “Soundflowerbed.” You’ll find it in the “Soundflower” folder the installer added to your Applications folder. Just double-click to run it. Afterwards, you should see a “flower” icon on your menu bar. Click the “flower” and select your speakers from the items below “Soundflower (2ch).”
Note that as of October 8, 2009 the latest version of Soundflower is 1.5.1. You'll need this version if you are running 10.6, "Snow Leopard." Otherwise, you can use the previous version. If you're running 10.4.x, "Tiger," then you should use the earlier version of Soundflower, 1.4.3.
SonicMood will record ALL sounds coming out of your computer’s speakers while recording in Digital Audio mode. So be sure to mute any other audio sources your might have running, including Apple Mail (the "you've got mail" ping), etc. Or you can go to System Preferences, Sound and select the “Sound Effects” tab to modify the alert sound settings. Select different speakers or a lower alert volume as an alternative to muting Mail, etc.
If you want to convert any MIDI file(s) you've recorded to MP3 format (to play on your iPod, for example), you can use iTunes (v7.0.2 or later). Just drop the MIDI file(s) onto the iTunes playlist and select the file(s) you wish to convert. Then select "Convert Selection to MP3" from iTune's "Advanced" menu. iTunes will convert your MIDI files to MP3, ready to load into your iPod.
Playing SonicMood Through Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil
In the main Airfoil window, be sure the device you're sending to is "deselected" as an active output (i.e., "available"). SonicMood must be selected as the Hijack application. Under the Edit menu in Airfoil, the 'Advanced source settings...' item then becomes available (otherwise it will be shaded out). When selected, a choice between Standard Mode (Hijack one audio stream) or MegaMix Mode (Hijack all audio streams) becomes available. When MegaMix Mode is selected both the MIDI and soundfile streams are sent by Airfoil to the selected output device. Note that Airfoil may insist that SonicMood be restarted in order to be Hijacked.
Trial Period
Note that until you register, you'll get a window asking if you want to register each time you start SonicMood. Other than that SonicMood will operate without restriction for 14 "actual use" days. That should give you enough time to decide if you want to keep it. If you’ve tried an earlier version of SonicMood but didn’t register then, your trial period is reset to 7 additional days with each new version. So you can come back and try a newer version at any time.
Registering SonicMood
If you've received a "code" via email from us after visiting the Purchase page and buying SonicMood, your next step is to "register" it. First, make sure you have the latest version by downloading it from the Downloads page. Then "install" it (see Installation above for help). Finally, run SonicMood and click "Register" on the nag window that appears. In the appropriate spaces enter the name and code you received in the email (the name might be your email address - the code you enter should include the "hyphens") and click "Accept". A small window should appear thanking you for registering. Click "Ok" and the windows will disappear and you won’t be nagged again!
NOTE: The “alphanumeric” code you've received won't work with versions of SonicMood earlier than v4.8.8. Instead, SonicMood will say "Your User Code is not Valid..." If you want to use a version earlier than v4.8.8, contact us for a different registration code, otherwise just download and install the latest version.
Registration Policy
SonicMood is registered to the user, not to a particular computer. If you are the registered user, you can install SonicMood on more than one computer. As long as you’re the one using it, there’s no problem.
Upgrade Policy
A registration is good through two increments in the major version number, with a “round up” of the bug-fix version number (the third digit). After that, you will need to pay a reasonable upgrade fee. For example, if you purchase and register version 5.2.1 your registration code will work on all versions until version 7.3.0. But starting with version 7.3.0 you'll need to pay the upgrade fee which will provide you a code that'll work up until version 9.3.0. Note that this does not apply to anyone who registered before v4.8.6; they all got free upgrades for life.
You can see when you will need to upgrade by selecting the “About SonicMood” window from the “SonicMood” menu. This window will show you which version you registered with and when you need to upgrade. The “Newer Version is Available” window will also tell you if you’ll need to pay an upgrade fee when a newer version becomes available.
Use Policy
Whatever you make using SonicMood is yours, there are no copyright issues. For example, if you are a musician who'd like to include some sounds you've recorded with SonicMood, to add to your own original work, you have our permission to do so and even copyright your resulting work.
SonicMood Problems
If SonicMood displays the error message window, heave a big SIGH and then please email us the Error Message. As the text in the window says, you can copy the error message and then paste it into the email. If you have any other clues such as the version of the operating system, the version of QuickTime, which flavor of Mac, etc. you have, feel free to include them in the email. Thanks!
Registration Problems
If the "registration name" you receive is your email address, and you right-click on it and select "copy link," what you paste into the "name" field may include the extra words "mailto:" at the beginning of the name. In that case please delete "mailto:" so that only your email address remains. Otherwise SonicMood won't recognize your registration and will complain.
If you try to register SonicMood and receive the error "Your User Code is not Valid..." be sure you are running the latest version of SonicMood, because the code you received will not work with versions of SonicMood prior to v4.8.8. If you want to use an earlier version, please contact us for a different registration code.
Also, we changed the way we use the registration "Name" to generate a "Code" starting with v4.8.6, to circumvent some piracy. It’s therefore possible that a very few registered users may need a new registration code. If you’ve registered an earlier version of SonicMood and update to v4.8.6 or later and it complains that you're not registered when you know you are, contact us for a new code. Thank you, and we're sorry for any inconvenience this might cause you.
No Sound
There are several possible explanations for this:
First, be sure you haven't accidentally paused SonicMood. Check that the "pause/play" button at the upper left is showing the two vertical "pause bars" and not the right-pointing "play arrow."
Next, check that the two volume sliders at the upper right are enabled (if the small round button next to a slider is "grayed out" click it to restore its sound) and at least mid-way in their travel. Also be sure the Master Volume slider is at least mid-way up.
Also check that both the "Instruments Enabled" and "Soundfiles Enabled" items are checked on the "Controls" menu.
Then open the "Edit" window to the first "left-most tab" page and insure that all three instruments have their "rel vol" knobs enabled. Then do the same for the "right-most tab" page for the soundfiles.
SonicMood may (rarely) fall silent if you end another program which uses Quicktime.
Another audio application may have set the audio output sample rate too high. See this Apple article for information on how to reduce the sample rate: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300832
Finally, earlier versions of SonicMood would fall silent if it had been running continuously for over 26 hours (even if paused for some or all of that time). This is due to a bug in Quicktime. SonicMood v3.2 and above circumvent this problem, however.
Distorted Sound
We've received reports that a sound-enhancing program called "OSS 3D" may cause distorted sound with SonicMood under Leopard, although apparently it sounds fine with Snow Leopard. We also understand that the developer, "Subband Technologies, LLC," sold the program to "Joesoft" and it's now called "Hear." We have used "Hear" and the current version (v1.0.3) doesn't cause detectable distortion.
We do have firsthand knowledge of a problem between SonicMood and Hear that causes SonicMood to increase its memory usage every time a new Mood is selected. We have also shown that the problem is caused by Hear since the same memory increases happen when using QuickTime to play MIDI files, if Hear is running.
Won't Accept a Soundfile
You cannot play 8 bit soundfiles on an Intel-based Mac. SonicMood checks for 8 bit files if you're running on an Intel-based Mac and will not add them to the soundfiles list. 8 bit files work fine on PPC-based Macs so they will show up in the soundfiles list there.
Note that all soundfiles provided with SonicMood and on our website are 16 bit and pose no problem.
QuickTime is too old or couldn't be found
If you see this message, you need a newer version of Quicktime. It is a free download from www.Apple.Com/Quicktime/download/mac.html so just download and install it and you'll be up and running.
Basic Troubleshooting Questions and Quick Fixes
If SonicMood crashes on you and you need help, here are some questions we'd like answered:
- What version of OS X are you running?
- Are you using an Intel Mac or a PPC Mac, and which one?
- If SonicMood crashed at launch, did you see any messages (the "please wait" window, for example) before you saw the crash window? Does the SonicMood window itself ever appear?
- If the crash occurred while you were using SonicMood, what were you doing just before the crash happened?
- Did you put SonicMood's folder into your Applications folder?
- Does the account you're logged into have "Admin" rights? To check (if you're not sure) open System Preferences and click the "Accounts" button under "System." On the left-hand side of the page that opens, you'll see "My Account." Under your user name it should say something like "Admin" or "Standard" or something else...
If SonicMood's "Crash Reporter" window never appeared, please look in the "~/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/" folder for a "SonicMood xxx.crash" file with the most recent date and time, and email it to us.
Quick Fixes:
You might just need to reset the prefs file. To do that hold (and keep holding) the "Command" key when you double-click SonicMood's icon to launch it. A window should open asking if you want to reset the preferences. Click "RESET" and see if SonicMood comes up successfully.
If that doesn't work, you could try deleting the default Moods and prefs files manually. Just delete the whole SonicMood folder (the default Moods and prefs files are inside the folder) here: "~/Library/Preferences/SonicMood/" .
Finally, it's possible you have a damaged copy of SonicMood. If all else fails, try re-downloading SonicMood from the download page
Quitting SonicMood
Press "Command-Q" or select "Quit SonicMood" from the SonicMood menu, or select "Quit" from the Dock menu for SonicMood.
Uninstalling SonicMood
To uninstall SonicMood simply drag the "SonicMood.app" file to the trash. After that, go to the "Users/[your user name]/Library/Preferences" folder and drag the “com.BitOfParadiseProducts.SonicMood.plist” file and the “SonicMood” folder to the trash. Finally, go to the “Users/[your user name]/Library/Application Support” folder and drag that “SonicMood” folder to the trash.
SonicMood Program Incompatibilities
Trying SonicMood with your setup before buying it is always a good idea. If it works for you, great! If not, let us know and we'll try to figure out why.
If you use the System Preference application "Smart Scroll", when you scroll in a SonicMood window and then click the window's title bar, the window will "jump" down a little. You can prevent this by adding SonicMood to the list on Smart Scroll's "Misc." page and un-checking the "Wheel" checkbox.
Adding a Mood file created with a newer version of SonicMood (v4.8.5 or later) to v4.8.1 will cause that version to crash due to a bug in v4.8.1.