Timer app with random durations

February 18, 2013 7:23 PM

I'm looking for a timer app, for either iPhone or iPad where I can set a series of random alarms according to certain requirements.

I want to use it to time some solo improv exercises.* Ideally, I could set up minimum and maximum time periods between alerts, and I need to be able to set those to as low as a few seconds. For instance, it might beep after 30 seconds, then 70, then 40, 20, 80, 60, 30, 90, 80, etc.

Bonus qualities: ability to include messages with the alarm and ability to set quiet/sleep hours

Does such a thing exist? Free would be lovely, but I don't mind paying a buck or two for an app that works as I described.

*Specifically, Mick Napier's Solo Character Switch from Improvise: Scene From the Inside Out though I could probably use it for other solo exercises

posted by booksherpa to technology (5 answers total)

This Random Timer might work but I'm not entirely sure. You might try Seconds. Searching for "random interval timer" was yielding some ideas for Android, so you might poke around those suggestions and see if they have iOS equivalents.
posted by barnone at 4:06 PM on February 20

Ultratrainer seems to have some random intervals, but I'm not sure if you can set the minimum/maximum length of intervals.
posted by barnone at 4:09 PM on February 20

And this is an online interval timer. If you select "Custom timer" from the drop down menu where it says 'type', you can enter your preferred intervals. Of course it's not entirely random, but if you enter 30 or 40 intervals, you're not going to remember what's coming next!
posted by barnone at 4:12 PM on February 20 [1 favorite]

Barnone, thank you so much for all your research; I really appreciate it. None of the timers you linked did quite what I needed, but I did get a solution. Chairface decided to write an app to do what I need!

I love MetaFilter!
posted by booksherpa at 6:59 PM on March 8 [8 favorites]

Also, MeTa. :)
posted by booksherpa at 7:08 PM on March 8