another question about controlling the d..n beep!

[aspirinjunky]

hi,

sorry if this topic has been beaten to death. I've searched and
searched, but haven't found anything helpful, so I thought I'd ask the
experts for the final word:

Is there a way to fine tune the conditions that cause emacs to beep?
I'd like to kill the sounds for trivial errors (like during searching
and deleting) without actually disabling the bell (with visible-bell),
because there are certain times when I'd like the bell to actually
ring (for instance, when my alarm clock goes off.)

any advice would REALLY be appreciated (potentially marriage saving.)
my wife hates the incessant beeping while I'm editing when she tries
to nap, but I use the alarm clock to remember when to wake her up!

thanks in advance,

d...