--- title: "Automate Sony Headphone Settings on a Mac" description: "Save noise canceling, ambient sound, EQ and Speak-to-Chat as scenes, and apply them with one click, a shortcut, on connect, on a schedule or when an app opens." url: https://opensoundconnect.app/features/scenes language: en --- # Scenes for every part of your day A scene is a set of headphone settings with a name. Apply it from the menu bar, or let it switch by itself when the headphones connect, at a time of day or when you open an app. Applies to: [MDR-1000X](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/mdr-1000x), [WH-1000XM2](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xm2), [WH-1000XM3](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xm3), [WH-1000XM4](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xm4), [WH-1000XM5](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xm5), [WH-1000XM6](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xm6), [WH-1000XX](https://opensoundconnect.app/headphones/wh-1000xx) · Updated 2026-11-03 ## Short answer In Open Sound Connect, open **Scenes** (⌘5) and choose **New Scene** (⌘N), or **Capture Current** to save what your headphones are set to now. A scene can set noise control and the ambient level, the equalizer, DSEE, Speak-to-Chat and Pause When Taken Off. Apply it: - with one click in the menu bar or the sidebar; - with ⌃⌘1 to ⌃⌘9; - automatically **on connect**, on a **schedule**, or when an **app** comes to the front. ## What a scene can change A scene holds any of these settings, on the models that have them: | Setting | Values | | --- | --- | | Noise control | Noise canceling, ambient sound or off; wind reduction where your model has it | | Ambient level and Focus on Voice | The level, and voices in front or not | | Equalizer | A preset, or your own curve with Clear Bass, including curves from **My Curves** | | DSEE | On or off | | Speak-to-Chat | On or off | | Pause When Taken Off | On or off | Give it a name, an icon and a color. Settings your headphones don't have are skipped, and the app tells you which; so the same scene works across models, applying only what each one supports. ## Three scenes to start with The first time you open the app, it creates three you can use, edit or delete: - **Deep Focus:** noise canceling, with Speak-to-Chat off so talking near you doesn't pause your music. - **Out & About:** ambient sound at level 12, so traffic and announcements come through. - **Conversation:** ambient sound at level 18 with Focus on Voice, for talking without taking the headphones off. ## Apply a scene - **Menu bar:** click the headphones icon; every scene is a button at the bottom of the panel. - **Sidebar:** the first five scenes are listed under **Quick Scenes**. - **Keyboard:** ⌃⌘1 to ⌃⌘9 apply the first nine scenes, in the order of the **Scenes** menu. More shortcuts in [keyboard shortcuts](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/sony-headphones-keyboard-shortcuts). The app sends each setting, reads it back from the headphones and tells you how many were applied. A checkmark on a scene means the headphones already match it. ## Let scenes switch by themselves Each scene can have one trigger: 1. **On connect.** Applied when your headphones connect to the Mac, for example noise canceling every time you sit down at your desk. If several scenes use it, the first one runs. 2. **Schedule.** A time of day and the days of the week, such as weekdays at 8:30. It runs while the headphones are connected; if they aren't, the app lets you know. 3. **App.** Applied when a chosen app comes to the front, for example Deep Focus when you open your editor, or Conversation when your video call app opens. It runs at most once every ten minutes per scene, so switching between windows doesn't keep resetting your headphones. Pause all automations at once from the Scenes page when you want your settings left alone. ## Ideas - **Meetings:** a scene with ambient sound and Speak-to-Chat off, triggered by Zoom, Microsoft Teams or your browser. See [Sony headphones for meetings on a Mac](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/sony-headphones-meetings-mac). - **Focus:** noise canceling with your favorite equalizer curve, on connect at your desk. - **Commute:** ambient sound on a weekday morning schedule. Scenes are saved on your Mac, not in the headphones, so they're there whenever your headphones connect to this Mac. Noise control and the other settings themselves live in the headphones; see [noise canceling on a Mac](https://opensoundconnect.app/features/noise-cancelling) and the [equalizer](https://opensoundconnect.app/features/equalizer). ## Common questions ### Do scenes work on my phone? No. Scenes are saved on your Mac and run in Open Sound Connect. The settings a scene applies stay in the headphones, though, so they're still set that way when you switch to your phone. ### Can a scene change settings my model doesn't have? No. Settings your headphones don't support are skipped, and the app tells you which, so one scene can be used with different models. ### Why didn't my scheduled scene run? Scheduled scenes run only while the headphones are connected to the Mac and the app is open. Check that automations aren't paused on the Scenes page, and turn on **Open at Login** in Settings so the app is always running. ## Where to next - [Keyboard shortcuts](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/sony-headphones-keyboard-shortcuts): Every shortcut for noise control, scenes and pages in Open Sound Connect, and how the menu bar panel fits in. - [Noise canceling and ambient sound](https://opensoundconnect.app/features/noise-cancelling): Switch noise canceling, ambient sound and off from the menu bar or keyboard, with the ambient level and Focus on Voice. - [Meetings: Zoom, Teams, Meet, Discord](https://opensoundconnect.app/guides/sony-headphones-meetings-mac): Speaker and microphone settings for Zoom, Teams, Meet and Discord, plus a scene that sets up your headphones for calls. - [Equalizer and Clear Bass](https://opensoundconnect.app/features/equalizer): Sony's presets, your own band curve and Clear Bass, set in the headphones from your Mac. --- Open Sound Connect is independent software. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sony. Sony, DSEE, DSEE Extreme and LDAC are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Group Corporation or its affiliates. Apple, Mac, macOS, Finder, Safari, Xcode and App Store are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. The Bluetooth® word mark is owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. Other names are trademarks of their respective owners.