tools

SpeakPipe Voice Recorder now uses HTML5

~ shawn

SpeakPipe logoSpeakPipe, a popular voice recording tool used by many podcasters, was recently updated to use HTML5 instead of Flash. This should make SpeakPipe compatible with the widest range of web browsers, especially those running on mobile devices. An e-mail from its developer outlined these changes in the newest version of SpeakPipe:

HTML5 version of the widget: The widget now uses browser capabilities to record audio from a microphone. The main benefit is that it doesn’t require to use the Flash player anymore. The latest versions of Chrome and Firefox support this feature. For browsers that don’t support HTML5 audio recording yet (like Safari and Internet Explorer), SpeakPipe still uses the Flash player. Unfortunately, iOS devices still don’t support audio recording in a browser, so SpeakPipe still needs to use the native app on this platform. The good news is that the latest Android versions support HTML5 audio recording, so SpeakPipe works on Android in the latest versions of Chrome or Firefox without requiring any additional apps.
The widget checks for issues with recording: If there are any issues with the audio during recording (e.g., high or low recording volume, muted microphone or background noise), the widget shows a warning message and asks the user to check the recording and re-record if necessary.

It handles upload errors and allows users to retry the upload
If a user experiences problems with their Internet connection when uploading audio, the widget shows a warning message and allows them to retry the upload.
Enhanced performance: Now users don’t have to wait for audio processing after recording messages. They can listen to or upload the message immediately after clicking the Stop button.

If you use the SpeakPipe WordPress plugin, you can update to the latest version of the software thru your WordPress dashboard. Everyone else using the service can find details on how to get the latest version at the SpeakPipe installation guide.

Auphonic Goes Free-mium

~ admin

Auphonic broke the news yesterday that their service is no longer entirely free. While they’ve had a downloadable version of their software available for €69 since February, but for the first time since their launch two years ago, their online service now comes at a price.

Auphonic is an invaluable tool for podcasters. It allows audio files to be automatically leveled, topped and tailed and many other features. So what will happen now it is no longer free?

Well, that depends how much you use it. If your podcast is a weekly release of under 30 minutes, then you probably don’t have to worry about it since the first two hours a month are free for all users.

If you want to use it any more than that, then you’ve got two options (not included the one-time cost to download their software) Either buy recurring credits starting at €9 for nine hours per month, or buy one-time credits that last until you use them up, they start at €9 for five hours.

So what else do we need to know? Well, Auphonic is an incredible service for those that use it, sometimes it’s like a magic button that just tidies up your podcast in no time, and now they need some support, well €1 per hour seems like a pretty reasonable rate and something that most podcasters would easily be able to afford. If you don’t think so then let them know. It’s always tough to gauge how a new product might be accepted into the market so help out the services that help us by dropping them a line.

-Jackson Rogers, OzPodcasts