SMACC

User manual

SMACC

Sleep Manipulation And Communication Clickything (SMACC) is a Windows desktop app for running sleep and dream studies — presenting cues to a sleeping participant, communicating with them, marking events on the EEG, and collecting dream reports.

In a dream-engineering session the experimenter has to deliver a precisely-timed cue to a sleeping participant, mark each event so it lines up with the EEG, talk with the sleeper, and collect a dream report — all from a dark control room, late at night, on whatever hardware the lab has. SMACC is the clickable control surface for that work: one window per job, glanceable in the dark, with a volume safety cap and explicit device routing so a misclick can’t blast or mislead a sleeping participant.

Download SMACC Installation guide

The button downloads the installer (SMACC-Setup.exe) for the latest version, which installs per-user (no admin rights) and runs on 64-bit Windows 10 or later. See Installation, which also covers the Windows SmartScreen warning on the unsigned download and how to get older versions.

Working offline? Download these docs as a single PDF.

What SMACC does

• Trigger audio cues (and design them in-app with the Audio Cue Designer)
• Trigger visual cues on a BlinkStick or Philips Hue light
• Play masking background noise
• Run biocalibrations as timed, marked tasks
• Record dream reports and administer surveys
• Talk, listen, and type with the participant over an intercom
• Mark events with EEG port codes over LSL or a hardware TTL trigger
• Review and score recordings in the EEG Annotator
• Save a detailed event log for every run

Get started

Getting started

• Installation — download and run SMACC.
• SMACC files — create and reuse a study’s configuration (.smacc).

Running a session

• Overview — the Launcher, the Session window, and the tools.
• Audio cues · Visual cues · Biocals · Dream reports & surveys · Intercom & chat · Markers & port codes

Devices, volume & timing

• Audio routing · Compatible devices · Volume & latency

After the night

• EEG Annotator — review and score recorded EEG.
• Troubleshooting · Reference · Contributing

Used by

SMACC is used in dream engineering research, including by:

• Ken Paller’s Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at Northwestern University
  • Torres-Platas et al. (2026). Intentional lucid dreaming with a transformative learning agenda. Research Square doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-8745420/v1
  • Konkoly et al. (2026). Using real-time reporting to investigate visual experiences in dreams. J Cogn Neurosci doi:10.1162/jocn.a.107
  • Morris et al. (2026). Inducing lucid dreaming based on a contemplative practice of compassion. Brain Sci doi:10.3390/brainsci16030315
  • Konkoly et al. (2026). Creative problem-solving after experimentally provoking dreams of unsolved puzzles during REM sleep. Neurosci Conscious doi:10.1093/nc/niaf067
  • Konkoly et al. (2025). Investigating dreams by strategically presenting sounds during REM sleep to reactivate waking experiences. Neuropsychologia doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2025.109229
  • Morris et al. (2025). Lucid dreaming of a prior virtual-reality experience with ego-transcendent qualities: A proof-of-concept study. Neurosci Conscious doi:10.1093/nc/niaf017
  • Mundt et al. (2024). Treating narcolepsy-related nightmares with cognitive behavioural therapy and targeted lucidity reactivation: A pilot study. J Sleep Res doi:10.1111/jsr.14384
  • Wolk et al. (2024). Lucid dreams from reactivating mindfulness during REM sleep: A pilot study. Int J Dream Res doi:10.11588/ijodr.2024.2.98233
• Michelle Carr’s Dream Engineering Lab at the University of Montreal and the Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine
  • Jafarzadeh Esfahani et al. (2024). Highly effective verified lucid dream induction using combined cognitive-sensory training and wearable EEG: A multi-centre study. bioRxiv doi:10.1101/2024.06.21.600133

SMACC is free software released under the GPL-3.0-or-later license.