PodcastStudio
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Hands-on with Belkin's Podcast Studio
After getting a look at Belkin's unique podcast solution, the Podcast Studio, we thought we'd take a look out on the CES show floor for it, and we've got the pictures to prove it. Due to the odd design and poor choice of lighting in the Belkin booth, these photos look a little more arty than they should. Hey, we're not complaining. Check the gallery and be taken on a magical visual journey.%Gallery-13180%
Belkin's Podcast Studio, the self-contained podcast producer
Apparently the Belkin folks are rolling out a little something for the podcasting community this CES season. The company's Podcast Studio is a self-contained, iPod-interfacing podcast production device... and not much else. The unit features dual XLR and 1/4" inputs, a built-in microphone up top, an embedded speaker, and the styling of some 1950's-space-opera transmogrifier. You can slot your iPod in the top and record directly to the player, thus eliminating the need for a computer nearby -- until you need to get it online, of course. The only thing it's missing is your smarmy, high-falutin' opinions about avant noise-rock.
GarageBand 3: First Impressions
After some initial impressions of iPhoto 6, I figured GarageBand should be next on my list, as it too seems to have received some of the most significant updates in the iLife 06 suite. As with the iPhoto impressions, it's the same drill here: I opened GarageBand, poked around in the Podcast Studio and thought I'd post some impressions as a prelude to a real TUAW review: Once again, it feels like Apple was able to add in a bunch of new features while at the same time making the app feel generally zippier and more responsive. Bake those code ninjas some cookies When scrolling back and forth in a track, GarageBand also has a popup/overlay, like iPhoto's, that displays a real-time scrolling track time. Awesome You can add a parental advisory to your podcast right within GarageBand The New Project window has both new "Podcast Studio" and "New Movie Score" options. I imagine the movie score works in tandem with iMovies I absolutely love the media browser. I don't remember if the previous version had anything like this, but it's present in the same form in all the other iLife apps, and it's incredibly handy GarageBand asks you to change the podcast track to a video track if you simply drag a movie onto it. Effortless swapping between the two. It also splits a video's audio into a separate track for you to do with as you please GarageBand has an "Export" preference pane with pre-set podcast export settings like mono, spoken, musical and higher That "ducking" feature Jobs demoed is about one of the coolest and handiest additions I can think of, especially to a podcasting app So that's it for now. Stay tuned for more lengthy reviews from TUAW as soon as we can put them together.
