Howdy all.

I've got this great idea for an iTunes script (or AppleScript Studio application perhaps). Hopefully someone else is working on it right now. There are one or two similar script apps out there already, but none adequately fulfill the task I seek as yet. (If something like this currently exists, please supply a link to it). The program would be a "Playlist Time Machine" of sorts. Here is a description...

1) In "active" mode, it could monitor a playing playlist and indicate what time each tune will begin. This would be cool!

For example, the operator would be able to:

arrange the music for a party/event so that the slow dances would begin at about a quarter of every hour

then pick up the pace right on the hour of every hour (or reasonably close anyway)

tell the guests "Yah, your request will start around 8:07 PM" (much to their amazement)

schedule some birthday music to play around 9:22 PM (to coincide with the hostess bringing in the cake)

forecast which songs can physically fit into a restricted time-span (such as a 3:00 AM cutoff point)

make changes in iTunes anytime, and instantly see how all the playlist items get time-shifted

and so on.
Most importantly, the operator can just walk away to have fun... with full knowledge of what will happen and when (within a resolution of several seconds, hopefully). No real need to check back unless further changes for the future are necessary (satisfying and/or cancelling requests, etc.)

This would need to be more accurate than iTunes is currently. If I edit the start/stop times for a song in iTunes (meaning I tag the tune to skip a vocal or instrumental introduction, or I shave off some dead space at the end of a mp3)... iTunes still shows the total length. For example: I've set Stevie Wonder's "Do I Do" to end after 8:21, but iTunes incorrectly insists on displaying the full duration of 10:28. So the Playlist Time Machine needs to read the actual start and stop times from the option tags, and do the math.

2) When the playlist being monitored is non-playing (specifically: not yet activated), this would be called "planner" (or "setup") mode. In that state, the operator would enter in some field the time the playlist will be triggered. In this mode, each song's begin time indicators would calculate their values in reference to the intended trigger time.

3) If the playlist being monitored gets paused while already running, then all the little begin time indicators become clocks... and start counting to show what time the songs[i] will begin, as soon as play resumes. This could be called "standby" mode or something... strictly entered into as a result of pausing a playlist after it had already been initiated.

Note that the "scheduling ability" provided to the operator here is really a matter of choosing songs of approximately the right length, and then start the ball rolling at the proper time. (This is NOT like an iCal event triggering songs at very specific times or anything. Song scheduling with precision to that degree isn't the objective. The app merely indicates exactly what time things will happen based on the items in the que... and to that extent it is quite accurate). But again: it's by judiciously picking a selection of songs, that a fair amount of control can be achieved to plan (and edit in real time) an entire evening of music.

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I think amateur party people and 'semi-pro' DJs would find such a tool useful. Most -- if not all -- of the ability already exists in iTunes 4. It just needs to be extracted and tweaked somehow. I believe -- depending on the degree of difficulty -- this software could be anything from freeware (a group project perhaps) to shareware in the $10 to $25 dollar range. (I have never used AppleScript Studio, nor done any significant scripting since OS9).

So... any thoughts... feedback... criticism... or VOLUNTEERS?

Cheers,

-HI-

ps: my name is Evan <efranc AT mac DOT com>