Media community Blubrry has its podcast publishing plugin for WordPress, PowerPress 4.0. The update adds support for the latest iTunes podcast specs and more.

iTunes upgrades include:

• An updated iTunes image requirement — RGB 1400×1400 — throughout the plugin for better cover image quality throughout.
• “Feature Episode” that allow podcasters to designate a primary episode, which can be used to introduce the podcast or lead in to a new series.
• An iTunes Order feature that allows a podcaster doing a series of episodes to have each listed in the desired order.

Other PowerPress 4.0 offerings include:

• A new video player option: VideoJS HTML5 JavaScript player — a player that has its own plugin. By adding this plugin, the new player will be available as an option in PowerPress video players list.
• A Feed Episode Maximizer “option” for shows with episodes in excess of what can currently be included in a feed. This feature allows the podcaster to maintain the latest 10 episodes in iTunes with all of the extensive episode data. The rest of the episodes are listed in a way that maximizes the number of episodes that can be listed on iTunes / Zune etc. Perfect for the serial podcaster with an extensive episode library.

See the Blubrry site for details.

The Pro Tools Expert blog has shared their take on 5 tips for recording great voiceovers that apply directly to podcasts.

They include:

• Banish (computers) to a separate room or to a specially designed cupboard.
• The room needs to be as dead as possible, especially at mid and high frequencies.
• Don’t record in front of a table. The reflections off the table will colour the sound. Radio broadcasters use special ‘acoustic’ tables which are acoustically transparent.
• Make sure the page turns in the script are placed so that the VO artist doesn’t have to turn the page in the middle of a line.
• Make sure the VO artist has a glass of fresh still water to keep everything lubricated and sometimes an apple can help to reduce mouth clicks that won’t go away with a drink.

Most of these seem obvious, but you still hear plenty of podcasts that could benefit from them.

See the site for the full article.

Alesis has introduced the iO Mix, a new docking station that turns your iPad into a 4-Channel recording studio.

The Alesis iO Mix lets you mix and record four channels of audio directly into GarageBand or other compatible Core Audio apps, turning the iPad into a multitouch portable studio.

Around the back, iO Mix lets you connect microphones, instruments, speakers, headphones and more to your iPad, which could make it a great audio podcasting workstation.

Features:

• The world’s first mixer/multi-channel interface for iPad
• Mix and record up to four channels, or a stereo mix into your iPad
• Works with mics, instruments, speakers, headphones, video monitors and projectors
• Four combo XLR-1/4″ input channels, each with trim, channel gain, pan, and low & high EQ
• Switchable 48V phantom power for use with studio condenser microphones
• Guitar-direct (DI) switch for guitar recording without an amp
• Balanced, stereo 1/4″ outputs and 1/4″ headphone output with separate volume controls
• Direct Monitor switch for latency-free input monitoring while recording
• Switchable limiter for clip-free recordings
• Hinged door completely encloses and secures your iPad
• Core Audio-compliant: works with virtually any app in the App Store
• Video output for connection to TVs and projectors: perfect for presentations, meetings and VJs
• Mountable to a mic stand using the Alesis Module Mount (sold separately)
• Complete routing and signal-management controls
• Power supply also charges your iPad

Apple has quietly updated iMovie for iOS so that it will run on the original iPad.

iMovie for iOS now is supported on these devices:

• iPhone 4
• iPhone 4S
• iPod touch (4th generation
• iPad 2 Wi-Fi
• iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G
• iPad (3rd generation) and
• iPad Wi-Fi + 4G.

Previously, Apple only supported iMove on the iPad 2. As of iMovie version 1.3, though, you can officially install it on the iPad 1.

To install iMovie on the original iPad:

• Select your iPad in iTunes and navigate to Apps;
• In the Sync Apps area, find and select iMovie;
• Sync your iPad and you’re done!

Note: iOS 5.1 or higher is required.

iMovie is $4.99 in the App Store.

via hhh

Developers have released Audacity 2.0, the latest version of the free digital audio workstation application.

Some of the new features in Audacity 2.0 include:

• Many effects significantly improved, especially Equalization, Noise Removal and Normalize. Vocal Remover now included plus GVerb on Windows and Mac. VAMP analysis plug-ins now supported.
• Improved label tracks with Sync-Lock Tracks feature in the Tracks Menu. Multiple clips per track. Tracks and selections can be fully manipulated using the keyboard. Many more keyboard shortcuts.
• New Device Toolbar to manage inputs and outputs. Timer Record feature. New Mixer Board view with per-track VU meters.
• Automatic Crash Recovery in the event of abnormal program termination.
• Fast “On-Demand” import of WAV/AIFF files if read directly from source. FLAC now fully supported. Added support for optional FFmpeg library for import/export of AC3/M4A/WMA and import of audio from video files.

Audacity is popular with podcasters, especially on Windows, because it offers solid basic recording and editing features, and is free and open source.

Audacity 2.0 is free and available now for Linux, Mac & Windows.

In a talk at South By Southwest, being held March 9-18 in Austin, Texas, filmmaker Kevin Smith (Clerks) said that podcasting saved his career.

“I had no idea, but that would become the fucking center of everything I’m doing now,” said Smith. ”The ultimate freedom that allowed me to walk away from the ‘heroin’ [money] of the movie business – what gave me the strength to walk away – was podcasting.”

In 2007, Smith launched SModcast, a weekly podcast, with friend Scott Mosier, and he’s been doing it ever since.

Smith also noted several ways he’s made money from his podcast:

• “People would tweet left and right: ‘You put out so many free podcasts; how can I pay it back?’ ” said Smith. “I was like, ‘Go buy a T-shirt’ and they were like, ‘Cool.’ “
• Paid advertising – The first sponsor was adult product Fleshlight.
• A paid version of the podcast which contains bonus features, but no ads.
• Taking the podcast on the road, selling tickets and merchandise.
• Creating a podcast network of affiliated shows.

“In terms of filmmakers, it was me and Peter Jackson on the Web,” said Smith. Then, one day, he said ‘I’m going to get offline and go make classics’ and I was like, ‘I’ll stay here.’ ”

via cnn

Every couple of years, Wired, the New York Times or some random tech pundit declares that blogging is dead.

Most recently, the NYT said that blogging was dead because the young are switching to Twitter – as if they were interchangeable.

Stats from Nielsen, though, show the number of blogs growing at a steady pace for six years, from about 36 million in ’06 to 173 million last year.

Here’s how they profile bloggers:

• Women make up the majority of bloggers;
• Half of bloggers are aged 18-34;
• Bloggers are well-educated: 7 out of 10 bloggers have gone to college, a majority of whom are graduates;
• About 1 in 3 bloggers are Moms, and 52 percent of bloggers are parents with kids under 18 years-old in their household; and
• Bloggers are active across social media: they’re twice as likely to post/comment on consumer-generated video sites like YouTube, and nearly three times more likely to post in Message Boards/Forums within the last month.

While the buzz may wear off blogging, podcasting and other forms of citizen media, it probably means that the technology has matured and moved into a steady growth phase – exactly what the Nielsen stats show.

Apple today released a major update to iMovie and also introduced iPhoto for iPad:

• iMovie now allows you to turn the HD video on your iPad and iPhone into trailers, even as you’re recording. The new Theater view lets you preview and choose from nine templates in a range of genres including Fairy Tale, Superhero and Romance. Trailers feature  customizable graphics with soundtracks written by legendary composers such as Academy Award-winner Hans Zimmer and performed by world class musicians like the London Symphony Orchestra. You can also share your movie trailers to YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook, and use AirPlay to stream them to Apple TV in high definition resolutions up to 1080p.
• iPhoto has been reimagined for iOS to take full advantage of the Retina display and intuitive Multi-Touch gestures on iPad and iPhone. Simple gestures can be used to select and compare photos side by side and flag your best shots. iPhoto gives you full control over color, exposure and contrast, and you simply touch the parts of the image you want to change. You can enhance pictures by adding beautiful Apple-designed effects with just a tap, or apply adjustments exactly where you want them with fingertip brushes. In addition to posting photos to Facebook, Flickr and Twitter, you can beam photos between your iPhone and iPad; stream photos and slideshows to your Apple TV with AirPlay; and use iCloud to publish photo journals to the web and share your stories with friends and family in a whole new way.

Apple also released an update to GarageBand that adds social media sharing.

iPhoto, iMovie 1.3 and GarageBand 1.2 are available today for $4.99 (US) each from the App Store. iPhoto is a universal app that runs on iPad 2 or later and iPhone 4 or later. iMovie is a universal app that runs on iPad 2 or later, iPhone 4 or later and iPod touch (4th generation).

Apple today updated GarageBand for iOS, adding new collaboration and editing features for musicians, and social network sharing that could be useful for podcasters.

Here are the highlights:

• GarageBand 1.2 introduces Jam Session, a feature that lets groups of people wirelessly connect their iOS devices to play instruments and record live music together. Jam Session automatically synchronizes the tempo, key and chords of your Touch Instruments. After jamming, everyone’s tracks are automatically collected on your iOS device for you to edit and mix.
• GarageBand also introduces Smart Strings, a new Touch Instrument that allows you to ‘play’ a string orchestra with one finger.
• The new Note Editor is probably the most welcome addition. It allows you to fine tune a Touch Instrument recording instead of replaying it from scratch.
• Integration with iCloud keeps your GarageBand songs up to date across your iOS devices, and you can share your finished songs directly to Facebook, YouTube and SoundCloud.

GarageBand 1.2 will be released today for $4.99. Updates are available for free to existing customers.

New iPad Features Retina Display, A5X Chip, 5 Megapixel iSight Camera & Ultrafast 4G LTE

Apple today introduced the iPad 3, featuring the company’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a 5 megapixel iSight camera that can capture 1080p HD video. The new iPad with Wi-Fi + 4G connects to AT&T’s and Verizon’s 4G LTE networks.

The new iPad Wi-Fi models will be available in black or white on Friday, March 16, priced at:

• $499 (US) for the 16GB model
• $599 (US) for the 32GB model and
• $699 (US) for the 64GB model.

iPad Wi-Fi + 4G for either AT&T or Verizon will be priced at:

• $629 (US) for the 16GB model
• $729 (US) for the 32GB model and
• $829 (US) for the 64GB model.

Beginning today, iPad 2 will be priced starting at $399.

Here are the details on the new features:

• The new iPad’s Retina display delivers four times the number of pixels of iPad 2, so dense that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels when held at a normal distance, making web pages, text, images and video look incredibly sharp and realistic. The 3.1 million pixels in the Retina display are more than one million more pixels than an HD TV, and with 44 percent increased color saturation the new iPad displays colors that are unbelievably richer, deeper and more vivid. Movies are now capable of playing at full 1080p HD-resolution, delivering an incomparable viewing experience on a mobile device.
• The new A5X chip with quad-core graphics was specifically designed by Apple to deliver a fast, responsive user experience while supporting the incredible Retina display.
• The 5 megapixel iSight camera features advanced optics for taking stunning pictures and recording full HD video. Backside illumination allows you to take great photos in low-light conditions and a new video image stabilization feature removes the bumps and shakes typically seen when filming with a hand-held device. Images can be enjoyed on the large Retina display, then edited, enhanced and easily shared with friends and family using the built-in Photos app on iPad.
• iPad Wi-Fi + 4G with built-in next generation 4G LTE has support for fast networks worldwide including HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA, and now both CDMA and GSM iPad users have the ability to easily roam internationally. The world-ready iPad delivers blazing download and upload speeds so web pages load incredibly quickly and email with large attachments can be sent and received easily. Personal Hotspot can be used to share the fast network connection on your iPad with up to 5 other devices using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB.
• With iOS 5.1, the latest update to the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, the new iPad has a number of new features and enhancements including: a redesigned Camera app with video stabilization technology; the ability to delete photos from Photo Stream; support for dictation in English, French, German and Japanese; and Personal Hotspot; iOS 5.1 also works seamlessly with iCloud, a breakthrough set of free cloud services including iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream and Documents in the Cloud, that works seamlessly with your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content and push it to your devices.
• The new iPad also supports dictation. Instead of typing, tap the microphone icon on the keyboard, then say what you want to say and the new iPad listens. Tap done, and iPad converts your words into text. You can use dictation to write messages, take notes, search the web and more. Dictation also works with third-party apps, so you can update your Facebook status, tweet, or write Instagram captions.

“The new iPad redefines the category Apple created less than two years ago, delivering the most amazing experience people have ever had with technology,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The new iPad now has the highest resolution display ever seen on a mobile device with 3.1 million pixels, delivering razor sharp text and unbelievable detail in photos and videos.”

Apple also introduced the iPhoto app, along with major updates to iMovie and GarageBand, completing its suite of iLife apps for iOS. iLife and the iWork apps, Pages, Keynote and Numbers, have all been updated to take advantage of the new iPad Retina display.