8 ms·

A script for automatically lowering the volume during radio advertisements and DJ announcements and turns the volume back up when songs are playing. It controls

A script for automatically lowering the volume during radio advertisements and DJ announcements and turns the volume back up when songs are playing. It controls a Sonos speaker using the Soco-cli Python library when Tunein is being used.

progmetaldev 4y ago
This is great. I wish there was a way to limit the volume on Alexa devices for different services, especially Spotify. I like to fall asleep to podcasts, but it wakes my girlfriend up when the commercials start (especially iHeartRadio commercials!), so I either have it so low I can barely hear or I have to fall asleep to rain/ocean sounds.
- midasuni 4y ago
  You could just pay for premium
  - whall6 4y ago
    Never
  - pfist 4y ago
    Unfortunately, most podcasts on Spotify still have ads for Premium subscribers.
    - chairmanwow1 4y ago
      Don’t use Spotify. Horrible experience for listening. Overcast is way better.
  - progmetaldev 4y ago
    I actually have the family premium subscription.
- buryat 4y ago
  why not just pay $10/month? sleep must worth more than that
  - georgel 4y ago
    Many podcasts insert their own ads, depending on which show they are listening to, in which case paying for Spotify won't make a difference.
    - happyopossum 4y ago
      IME ads inserted natively into podcasts don’t have the same horrible volume differences. Or maybe Overcast is fixing that for me among its many audio tweaks?
      - pfist 4y ago
        They definitely can. I listen to a podcast about indie horror games on Spotify and they regularly insert an ad that sounds like someone cranked the gain and compression to 11.
  - progmetaldev 4y ago
    I'm on the family premium subscription. These are ads within the podcast itself, unfortunately.
- satvikpendem 4y ago
  When are we getting a SponsorBlock for podcasts?
  - matheusmoreira 4y ago
    SponsorBlock is just a collection of timestamps relating to sponsored content and other annoyances. It should add support for audio only content if it doesn't alteady have it.
- autoexec 4y ago
  Since podcasts are just MP3s, why not just play them on your phone or laptop or PC and normalize volume? You could even edit the files to remove ads/intro music.
- TowerTall 4y ago
  What about getting some tiny earphones? You get to pick the volume you prefer and your gf does not have to be woken up by annoying commercials.
- metadat 4y ago
  If you pay, does it still force commercials on you?
  - progmetaldev 4y ago
    Yes, they are within the podcast stream itself. The worst ones are in the content created for iHeartRadio that makes its way to Spotify.
eastbound 4y ago
It’s funny because broadcasters have notmalized ads at +6 dB compared to the rest of the radio. It’s actually measured in LUFS, and it’s normalized worldwide for radio, podcasts, TV, movies, and commercials, so that commercials are louder. LUFS measures the loudness, which is not exactly the same as volume - it makes quiet moments louder so that everything can be heard while the car engine runs, but the drawback is limited dynamic range, which is not important on podcasts but a little more important in music. It’s double-funny that we can normalize LUFS and we’re still stuck with movie dialogs inaudible and the sound effects earth-shattering. I wish VLC had a better loudness processor, I don’t succeed to configure it to keep the whole movie at the same volume, whether they’re speaking or using automatic guns.
- haimez 4y ago
  > I wish VLC had a better loudness processor, I don’t succeed to configure it to keep the whole movie at the same volume, whether they’re speaking or using automatic guns. Probably won’t help you if you’re using VLC, but most of the streaming services now have multiple audio tracks in the same menu that would switch to another language called “<Language> - Reduce loud noises” which is pretty much that. I just find it inconvenient as an apartment dweller that the default is to blast the volume during any action sequence.
- subpar 4y ago
  Here's a great post from a post-production audio mixer explaining the many convoluted steps that go into delivering a final mix with correct loudness specs to end users. tldr, there's a lot of room for error. https://www.reddit.com/r/AudioPost/comments/y2m1u0/comment/is49bla/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 https://www.reddit.com/r/AudioPost/comments/y2m1u0/comment/i...
- dylan604 4y ago
  >It’s funny because broadcasters have notmalized ads at +6 dB compared to the rest of the radio. This has actually be regulated against by the FCC. While the FCC is pretty much a feckless shell of an org, there are rules and ways to make complaints for their violations[0] [0]https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/loud-commercials-tv https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/loud-commercials-tv
imtyler 4y ago
Aw. I want to like this, but I work in radio. If you remove ads then there's no reason for the broadcaster to keep going. I'm not trying to be controversial, but if you remove profit how can the business continue to exist? And if terminating the business is your goal, why? People seem to have a grudge against radio and I honestly don't know why. It's my livelihood. I'm not seeking sympathy, but I am curious.
- jzb 4y ago
  It’s been a while since I listened to commercial radio, but it seemed like commercials were at a higher volume than music. Adjusting volume can be useful to keep ads from being jarring. (Also used to work as a DJ, but not since the nineties…)
- gcau 4y ago
  If radio ads weren't full of yelling, car-honking, sirens and overly attention-grabbing things, people wouldn't care as much. Same as websites putting up huge, 5MB-big popup ads and not liking that people want to adblock them. Especially worse, is when the ads are far louder than the content itself.
  - amatecha 4y ago
    Oh yeah like the ubiquitous "buzzing alarm clock", crap like that should literally not be legal.
    - xnorswap 4y ago
      In some places it isn't. It's a social issue and you should petition for the change you'd like to see. For example in the UK, advertisers must comply with the Advertising Standards Authority code [1], and section 4 includes: > Radio only – Advertisements must not include sounds that are likely to create a safety hazard, for example, to those listening to the radio while driving. Which while open to interpretation, this would likely include any sirens likely to be confused with a genuine siren. Or: > Television only – Advertisements must not be excessively noisy or strident. ( That one might raise an eyebrow to anyone familiar with the long running "Go Compare" campaign! ) Of course these codes are always written in a way that's woolly and often adverts are only banned after complaints have been made. But the framework is there for standards to be written and upheld. It relies however on people being willing to put in time and effort to complain when standards are broken, and there needs to be effort made to tighten those standards in some areas to stop standards slipping, although in general standards have been tightened rather than loosened over the years. If your experience is very different, consider that it may be worth spending time organising a campaign group to lobby the FTC (or FCC?) to tighten their rules, or organise a group to put in complaints to organisations which have similar "voluntary" codes such as the BBB and also pressure the BBB to tighten their rules to have guidelines prohibiting such noises. Change doesn't happen for change sake, it requires organisation and action, but even a handful of people can effect huge change with a concerted effort. [1] https://www.asa.org.uk/codes-and-rulings/advertising-codes/broadcast-code.html https://www.asa.org.uk/codes-and-rulings/advertising-codes/b...
thedangler 4y ago
I used this API or a similar one long time ago when sonos first came out. The script that I wrote was completely different, I had it do text to speech from people tweeting an account.My friends would use it to make fun of people while we were playing video games. I also used it to always play "Bone Thugs and Harmony - It's The First of the Month" every morning on the first of the month. I should see what is available now.... hmmm

progmetaldev 4y ago

This is great. I wish there was a way to limit the volume on Alexa devices for different services, especially Spotify. I like to fall asleep to podcasts, but it wakes my girlfriend up when the commercials start (especially iHeartRadio commercials!), so I either have it so low I can barely hear or I have to fall asleep to rain/ocean sounds.

midasuni 4y ago
You could just pay for premium
- whall6 4y ago
  Never
- pfist 4y ago
  Unfortunately, most podcasts on Spotify still have ads for Premium subscribers.
  - chairmanwow1 4y ago
    Don’t use Spotify. Horrible experience for listening. Overcast is way better.
- progmetaldev 4y ago
  I actually have the family premium subscription.
buryat 4y ago
why not just pay $10/month? sleep must worth more than that
- georgel 4y ago
  Many podcasts insert their own ads, depending on which show they are listening to, in which case paying for Spotify won't make a difference.
  - happyopossum 4y ago
    IME ads inserted natively into podcasts don’t have the same horrible volume differences. Or maybe Overcast is fixing that for me among its many audio tweaks?
    - pfist 4y ago
      They definitely can. I listen to a podcast about indie horror games on Spotify and they regularly insert an ad that sounds like someone cranked the gain and compression to 11.
- progmetaldev 4y ago
  I'm on the family premium subscription. These are ads within the podcast itself, unfortunately.
satvikpendem 4y ago
When are we getting a SponsorBlock for podcasts?
- matheusmoreira 4y ago
  SponsorBlock is just a collection of timestamps relating to sponsored content and other annoyances. It should add support for audio only content if it doesn't alteady have it.
autoexec 4y ago
Since podcasts are just MP3s, why not just play them on your phone or laptop or PC and normalize volume? You could even edit the files to remove ads/intro music.
TowerTall 4y ago
What about getting some tiny earphones? You get to pick the volume you prefer and your gf does not have to be woken up by annoying commercials.
metadat 4y ago
If you pay, does it still force commercials on you?
- progmetaldev 4y ago
  Yes, they are within the podcast stream itself. The worst ones are in the content created for iHeartRadio that makes its way to Spotify.

eastbound 4y ago

It’s funny because broadcasters have notmalized ads at +6 dB compared to the rest of the radio. It’s actually measured in LUFS, and it’s normalized worldwide for radio, podcasts, TV, movies, and commercials, so that commercials are louder. LUFS measures the loudness, which is not exactly the same as volume - it makes quiet moments louder so that everything can be heard while the car engine runs, but the drawback is limited dynamic range, which is not important on podcasts but a little more important in music. It’s double-funny that we can normalize LUFS and we’re still stuck with movie dialogs inaudible and the sound effects earth-shattering. I wish VLC had a better loudness processor, I don’t succeed to configure it to keep the whole movie at the same volume, whether they’re speaking or using automatic guns.

haimez 4y ago
> I wish VLC had a better loudness processor, I don’t succeed to configure it to keep the whole movie at the same volume, whether they’re speaking or using automatic guns. Probably won’t help you if you’re using VLC, but most of the streaming services now have multiple audio tracks in the same menu that would switch to another language called “<Language> - Reduce loud noises” which is pretty much that. I just find it inconvenient as an apartment dweller that the default is to blast the volume during any action sequence.
subpar 4y ago
Here's a great post from a post-production audio mixer explaining the many convoluted steps that go into delivering a final mix with correct loudness specs to end users. tldr, there's a lot of room for error. https://www.reddit.com/r/AudioPost/comments/y2m1u0/comment/is49bla/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 https://www.reddit.com/r/AudioPost/comments/y2m1u0/comment/i...
dylan604 4y ago
>It’s funny because broadcasters have notmalized ads at +6 dB compared to the rest of the radio. This has actually be regulated against by the FCC. While the FCC is pretty much a feckless shell of an org, there are rules and ways to make complaints for their violations[0] [0]https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/loud-commercials-tv https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/loud-commercials-tv

imtyler 4y ago

Aw. I want to like this, but I work in radio. If you remove ads then there's no reason for the broadcaster to keep going. I'm not trying to be controversial, but if you remove profit how can the business continue to exist? And if terminating the business is your goal, why? People seem to have a grudge against radio and I honestly don't know why. It's my livelihood. I'm not seeking sympathy, but I am curious.

jzb 4y ago
It’s been a while since I listened to commercial radio, but it seemed like commercials were at a higher volume than music. Adjusting volume can be useful to keep ads from being jarring. (Also used to work as a DJ, but not since the nineties…)
gcau 4y ago
If radio ads weren't full of yelling, car-honking, sirens and overly attention-grabbing things, people wouldn't care as much. Same as websites putting up huge, 5MB-big popup ads and not liking that people want to adblock them. Especially worse, is when the ads are far louder than the content itself.
- amatecha 4y ago
  Oh yeah like the ubiquitous "buzzing alarm clock", crap like that should literally not be legal.
  - xnorswap 4y ago
    In some places it isn't. It's a social issue and you should petition for the change you'd like to see. For example in the UK, advertisers must comply with the Advertising Standards Authority code [1], and section 4 includes: > Radio only – Advertisements must not include sounds that are likely to create a safety hazard, for example, to those listening to the radio while driving. Which while open to interpretation, this would likely include any sirens likely to be confused with a genuine siren. Or: > Television only – Advertisements must not be excessively noisy or strident. ( That one might raise an eyebrow to anyone familiar with the long running "Go Compare" campaign! ) Of course these codes are always written in a way that's woolly and often adverts are only banned after complaints have been made. But the framework is there for standards to be written and upheld. It relies however on people being willing to put in time and effort to complain when standards are broken, and there needs to be effort made to tighten those standards in some areas to stop standards slipping, although in general standards have been tightened rather than loosened over the years. If your experience is very different, consider that it may be worth spending time organising a campaign group to lobby the FTC (or FCC?) to tighten their rules, or organise a group to put in complaints to organisations which have similar "voluntary" codes such as the BBB and also pressure the BBB to tighten their rules to have guidelines prohibiting such noises. Change doesn't happen for change sake, it requires organisation and action, but even a handful of people can effect huge change with a concerted effort. [1] https://www.asa.org.uk/codes-and-rulings/advertising-codes/broadcast-code.html https://www.asa.org.uk/codes-and-rulings/advertising-codes/b...

thedangler 4y ago

I used this API or a similar one long time ago when sonos first came out. The script that I wrote was completely different, I had it do text to speech from people tweeting an account.My friends would use it to make fun of people while we were playing video games. I also used it to always play "Bone Thugs and Harmony - It's The First of the Month" every morning on the first of the month. I should see what is available now.... hmmm