A method for a control device, the method comprising: receiving, via a configuration interface, one or more first user inputs associating a particular playback mode with one or more playback devices, wherein the particular playback mode is associated with at least one particular routine and the particular routine is associated with particular media content; receiving one or more user-defined acoustic parameters for the particular media content that is associated with the particular playback routine, wherein the one or more user-defined acoustic parameters are configured to cause the one or more playback devices to play back the particular media content in accordance with the one or more user-defined acoustic parameters; associating a particular trigger condition with the particular playback mode, wherein the particular trigger condition comprise a condition that causes the particular playback mode to be executed; receiving one or more second user inputs that activate the particular trigger condition for the particular routine; and after receiving the one or more second user inputs, communicating the particular trigger condition to a routine service hosted by a remote server, wherein the routine service: identifies, within a routine database, the particular routine associated with the trigger condition, and executes the routines within a routine execution function, and issues commands directly to the one or more playback devices that cause the one or more playback devices to play back the particular media content according to the one or more user-defined acoustic parameters. receiving, via a configuration interface, one or more first user inputs associating a particular playback mode with one or more playback devices, wherein the particular playback mode is associated with at least one particular routine and the particular routine is associated with particular media content; receiving one or more user-defined acoustic parameters for the particular media content that is associated with the particular playback routine, wherein the one or more user-defined acoustic parameters are configured to cause the one or more playback devices to play back the particular media content in accordance with the one or more user-defined acoustic parameters; associating a particular trigger condition with the particular playback mode, wherein the particular trigger condition comprise a condition that causes the particular playback mode to be executed; receiving one or more second user inputs that activate the particular trigger condition for the particular routine; and after receiving the one or more second user inputs, communicating the particular trigger condition to a routine service hosted by a remote server, wherein the routine service: identifies, within a routine database, the particular routine associated with the trigger condition, and executes the routines within a routine execution function, and issues commands directly to the one or more playback devices that cause the one or more playback devices to play back the particular media content according to the one or more user-defined acoustic parameters. identifies, within a routine database, the particular routine associated with the trigger condition, and executes the routines within a routine execution function, and issues commands directly to the one or more playback devices that cause the one or more playback devices to play back the particular media content according to the one or more user-defined acoustic parameters.