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Venerable sound capture app Audio Hijack reimagined for v3
For an independent app developer, a 13-year run with a flagship app is nothing to sneeze at. When that flagship app owns its particular niche of the OS X ecosystem as thoroughly as Rogue Amoeba's Audio Hijack, however, that kind of longevity is less surprising. Since 2002, chief amoeba Paul Kafasis and his merry band have been improving and enhancing Audio Hijack/Audio Hijack Pro alongside the company's other production-centric products. Despite all the attention lavished on AHP's core "capture live audio from any app" functionality, it wasn't necessarily the easiest tool to love from a usability perspective. Podcasters and broadcasters found ways to use AHP to record independent sides of a Skype conversation, for instance, but the mixing option to accomplish that common task was tucked away in a complex plugin matrix. And the basic Audio Hijack vs. Pro distinction created some consumer confusion. With the announcement today of Audio Hijack 3 (no more Pro), an entirely rebuilt app with a classy new UI, those concerns are now in the past. The new Audio Hijack looks fantastic; it uses a simple, easy to understand block-based interface that still delivers enormous capture, routing, filtering and archiving power for almost anything audio-related that might happen on your Mac. Select a predefined "session template" to put together the core inputs and outputs you need, or build your own from scratch. Drag in a origin block to define an audio source -- an app, voice calls, system audio, microphones or even a record player -- then connect further blocks to record the signal (with clear time-elapsed and filesize indicators plus pause and split controls), listen and monitor on headphones, perform EQ or noise filtering, and even use the Audio Unit plugins familiar from the old AHP app. The system is slick enough for you to throw in a meter or filter mid-flow while you're recording audio and it doesn't miss a step. The new-look app comes with a generous upgrade policy; owners of any previous version of Audio Hijack can license the new AH3 for $25, versus the full purchase price of $49. Anyone who bought the existing product after mid-February 2014 (when the beta of AH3 was announced) is entitled to upgrade for free. It may take some getting used to for AHP veterans, but there's a lot of awesome under the hood here to go with the shiny facade; download the trial, and check out the great interview with Paul over at Jason Snell's Six Colors.
Intermission transforms audio streaming with TiVo-like replay
I've been a huge fan of Rogue Amoeba products for years. They offer clever audio solutions for OS X. Rogue Amoeba's new Intermission (US$15) utility fills a role on my Mac that I never even knew I needed. Intermission enables you to pause, rewind and skip through live audio streams. This lets you take control of any audio you listen to, regardless of application. It just works, always passively listening and ready for you to take charge. Let's say you're listening to Spotify or Pandora, and you hear a great song. You can immediately rewind and play the song again. Intermission automatically buffers that audio for you. Or, say you're listening to a live stream. I do this all the time here at TUAW for product announcements and financial results calls. Intermission lets you immediately skip back and review what someone just said. This is perfect for anyone who listens to live audio from their Mac -- whether it's a sports broadcast, a talk show or a teleconference. I even tested Intermission with Skype. As long as you don't need to do person-to-person interaction, you can pause the audio, hit the restroom and pick up where you left off listening. It's brilliant. My favorite use was when I tested Intermission with Rogue Amoeba's free LineIn utility and a headset. LineIn allows you to pass audio from the default system input to the default system output. I warn you this solution is completely impractical, but it showcases some of the coolness of the app. Normally Intermission doesn't listen to audio entering your Mac, only to audio being transmitted and played back. LineIn re-routes audio from input to output, so you can control that audio stream with the Intermission app. With LineIn and a headset, you can attend class or listen to talks at a conference and use Intermission to automatically buffer whatever you're listening to. It basically enables you to buffer real life. Did your attention stray? You can "TiVo" back five seconds and replay whatever he or she last said. To make this work, you have to listen through the computer, which means setting up your microphone directionally to listen out and using good earphones to avoid any feedback issues as well as cut out the overlap between the live talk and what you're hearing through the head set, but it is possible (I tested it!) and it does work. Unfortunately, I was unable to get in touch with Rogue Amoeba while writing this review, so I'm unsure as to how long the buffer records. I suspect you can't start playing Pandora the night before in order to build up a long enough feed that you can skip songs whenever you like. Also, Intermission does not offer any record-to-file features that I could find. For $15, I think most people will find Intermission an excellent value -- especially anyone who regularly attends internet-based conference calls and training sessions, anyone who loves listening to sports and anyone who enjoys talk radio over the net. It's a really clever app that stood up well to all my testing and tweaking. Because of its functionality, Rogue Amoeba cannot sell Intermission through the Apple App Store. You can purchase a copy instead at the Rogue Amoeba storefront. A demo version is available for download, with a menu option for registering your product. The demo version overlays noise after 10 minutes of buffered playback. Update: Rogue Amoeba replies, "The buffer is three hours (we do note that on the site). It writes to disk in raw audio, so that's a couple gigs of space -- we'll see what happens in the future, as far as increasing that (if we compress the audio, we can record for a lot longer, obviously), without taking up more space -- but compressed audio is harder to seek through."
Powerful, fast audio editor Fission updated to version 2, available on Mac App Store
Rogue Amoeba does magical things with audio on the Mac. I've long been a fan of their software, and one of their best applications just got a big update with Fission 2. If you've ever wanted to split, edit, join or otherwise mangle audio clips regardless of format, Fission is a great tool. Not only that, the magic sauce in Fission keeps quality of the audio high even when dealing with formats like MP3. A couple of new features of note include support for making Enhanced Podcasts using AAC and SoundCloud support built right in. Full press release below, but if you go to Rogue Amoeba's website you can download a generous demo version. If you're already familiar with Fission 2, buy it in the Mac App Store. Previous owners of Fission have an upgrade path, and if you bought a copy after April 1 of 2012, your upgrade should be free. Show full PR text September 17th, 2012 Fission 2 - Fast Audio Editing on the Mac Is Better Than Ever Fission IconBoston, MA - Rogue Amoeba is proud to announce the availability of the next major version of this fabulous software: Fission 2. Rogue Amoeba's snappy audio editor Fission has long been the tool of choice for editing audio files quickly and easily, with none of the quality loss caused by typical audio editors. Now, it's better than ever. The most noticeable change in Fission 2 is the complete overhaul of its user interface. Every aspect of Fission has been examined and considered, with enhancements made across the board. The editing workflow is now a snap to learn for new users. Existing users of Fission will be instantly familiar with version 2, but will also enjoy a gorgeous new interface that's as fast to use as ever. As well, Fission is no longer limited to saving to a file's original format; thanks to a new exporting engine, Fission can now export audio to a multitude of file formats. After editing a file, users can save it to MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, FLAC, AIFF, or WAV, getting the exact audio file and format desired. The new Batch Converter tool uses that same engine to make it possible to transcode dozens of files in seconds. Drop an album's worth of FLAC files on the Batch Converter, and you can have a folder full of MP3s with just 2 clicks. Converting from one format to another format couldn't be simpler. Speaking of FLAC, Fission now has full support for the popular lossless audio format. FLAC files can be opened, edited, and saved, making it possible to change them as needed, or just export them to a smaller format for portability. Fission 2 now also supports WAV audio files, in addition to its "original four" formats of MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, and AIFF. Improvements to saving aren't limited to just file formats either, as Fission now has support for sharing directly to SoundCloud. SoundCloud is the world's leading social sound platform, allowing anyone to create sounds and share them everywhere. With SoundCloud support in Fission, it's now easier than ever to get audio onto the web and shared with others. Put it all together and Fission 2 adds up to one of the fastest and easiest-to-use audio editors in the world! All this and more is now available in Fission's free trial, right from our site. Key Features In Fission 2 Brand New Interface: This update features a gorgeous new interface, streamlined for fast and easy use, and offering both dark and a light themes. Multiple Windows: You can now open multiple audio files simultaneously in Fission, for easy copying and pasting back and forth, or simply to multitask. Cross-Format Conversions: Export from AIFF to AAC, from Apple Lossless to MP3, or any other combination you desire. Batch Conversions Too: With the new Batch Converter, it's a snap to convert dozens of files with just a few clicks. Chapterized AAC Files: Podcasters rejoice! Fission lets you make Enhanced Podcasts with AAC in just seconds. SoundCloud Support: Upload audio directly to your SoundCloud account. New Formats: Fission now offers full support for opening, editing, and saving the FLAC and WAV audio formats, in addition to MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, and AIFF. Plenty of other stuff too! Links & Information Fission can be purchased through the Mac App Store or directly from Rogue Amoeba's online store for just $32. A fully-functional free trial is available on the Rogue Amoeba site. While in its trial state, the quality of audio saved through Fission will be degraded through a series of audio fades. Owners of older versions of Fission can upgrade for just $15. For users who purchased Fission after April 1st, 2012, a complimentary upgrade is being provided, with upgrade information being sent directly via email. Fission information link: http://rogueamoeba.com/fission Direct download link: http://rogueamoeba.com/fission/download.php
Rogue Amoeba brings back Airfoil Speakers Touch, without direct AirPlay feature
Airfoil Speakers Touch, the iOS app from Rogue Amoeba that was yanked from the App Store last month under somewhat confusing circumstances, is back in business. The company announced today that AST has returned to sale, but it's now stripped of its marquee in-app purchase option. The ability to receive audio directly from other iOS devices or from iTunes (emulating an AirPlay hardware device), added in version 3, was removed to accommodate Apple's review requirements. When AST was first pulled from sale, Rogue Amoeba was told that it was due to the use of private APIs; the problem, as founder Paul Kafasis said on the company blog, is that the app didn't use any. The streaming functionality added in v3 was cleanly reverse-engineered, and after further conversation with Apple it was acknowledged that the original communication around the removal was poorly handled. Even with the awareness that the app met the letter of the law for approval, Apple's review team stood its ground and would not clear the app -- using the blanket (and frustrating) "we know it when we see it" rule. Kafasis's frustration with this stance is evident: "It's clear that despite previous claims, Airfoil Speakers Touch was not in fact using private APIs. The Enhanced Audio Receiving add-on was implemented entirely from scratch and conformed to Apple's published guidelines. Regardless, Apple is using the authority they provide themselves in the guidelines and program license agreement to remove apps they don't like. Specifically, they cited a provision in the App Store Review Guidelines which allows them to reject apps "for any content or behavior [they] believe is over the line". That's certainly disappointing, and frustrating, but it's the nature of the system Apple has created." Rather than leave past purchasers and future customers hanging, the company has brought the app back without the problematic AirPlay streaming feature. If you still want to stream from iTunes or another device to AST, there is a workaround guide on the Rogue Amoeba website (currently slammed with traffic).
Apple pulls Airfoil Speakers Touch from the App Store (Updated)
Update: CoM says a tipster tells them this is because Airfoil Speakers Touch may be duplicating functionality we're going to see in iOS 6. That was our guess as well. Apple has pulled Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil Speakers Touch from the App Store. The app, which made it possible to stream from a computer to an iOS-capable device using Airfoil, had been on the store since 2009. Airfoil Speakers Touch 3 was released last month. The developers say that Apple informed them of the removal on Tuesday, but did not receive a clear answer as to why Apple removed the app. As far as they can tell, they're in full compliance. Airfoil Speakers Touch 3 added the ability to receive audio from other iOS devices and iTunes. We'll have more on this story as it develops.
Airfoil 4.5 allows streaming from your iOS device to your Mac and more
Airfoil for the Mac has been around for a long time, and has always been a great way to transmit audio in a fashion with more flexibility than Apple's own AirTunes (now AirPlay) standard. With Airfoil 4.5, the feature set has grown considerably, and Airfoil has fully joined the AirPlay client & server continuum. Airfoil 4.5 will now allow your Mac to accept audio directly from any iOS device, meaning you can stream audio from apps on your iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad directly to your Airfoil-running Mac. Airfoil will now also send audio from iTunes directly to any AirPlay-compatible speakers. Finally, Airfoil 4.5 comes with several small improvements and additions to its remote control support. Airfoil 4.5 is a free update for owners of Airfoil 4, and it comes with preliminary support for OS X Lion. It costs US$25 and requires Mac OS X 10.6.
Looking forward to AirPlay
As you may have heard, Apple had some sort of event on Wednesday. In amongst the Big News like iPods and iOSs and iTunes and iTVs Apple TVs, Steve Jobs briefly mentioned AirPlay, a replacement for the AirTunes music streaming system used in the Airport Express multi-purpose device. I've built my home audio solutions around AirTunes, so this was, for me, the most interesting thing Apple announced. Details on how the system will actually work are rather thin so far but TUAW has been sleuthing around to try and figure out what we can. First, the best bit. Jobs showed an iPad (running the forthcoming 4.2 version of iOS) being fired up, pressing a few buttons, and streaming its output to a big screen TV via an Apple TV. This addresses my number one complaint: a friend comes to my house, I show them the Airport Express system, I show them the Remote app so they can use their iPhone to control my iTunes... and they ask me why they can't also stream their own music directly from their device. Sure, this is going to be tough on battery life, but it's not like I'm short of chargers. They want to listen to their own music and if you could see inside my iTunes you'd know why. And now they will be able to! I was briefly concerned that this jazzy new functionality would not work with my existing Airport Express devices. Fortunately, Apple's sneak peak at iOS 4.2 confirms that an Airport Express will be able to receive a stream from any iOS 4.2 device, so more good news there too.
Rogue Amoeba on background audio and Airfoil Speakers Touch
Dan Wineman, a developer with Rogue Amoeba, has posted an interesting article on the company blog. I'm a big fan of developers who can explain things clearly to non-developers without sounding condescending, and Dan does a great job covering how the limited version of multitasking available in iOS 4 poses a problem for Airfoil Speakers Touch. For those who aren't familiar with Airfoil, it is Rogue Amoeba's program for Windows and Mac which allows you to send audio to AirPort Express units, Apple TVs, and iOS devices. Previously it was of limited use for iPhone and iPod touch owners because you had to keep the app running in the foreground for the audio to play. While Dan said that adding background audio was easy, there were deeper issues involving how iOS 4 manages background processes, especially due to how Airfoil works on the network. It's a good read. Even as a non-programmer, I'm fascinated by the attention to detail that good programmers go into to make sure their applications work, especially when dealing with limited "resources" like you'd find in mobile devices. Remember when it seemed that CPU speed, RAM, disk space, and bandwidth were not going to be limiting factors anymore because desktop computers kept growing and growing and dial-up Internet access was being replaced by DSL and cable? Then along come mobile devices which brought back all of those limits. Although, it's worth noting that the average cell phone has more processing power than the Apollo computers, so I guess limitations are relative.
Macworld 2010: Rogue Amoeba shows off RadioShift 1.5
Leading indie Mac software shop Rogue Amoeba had a piece of prime real estate on the front wall of the Moscone expo floor, and CEO Paul Kafasis gave us the latest news on RA's product line. Overall, Paul expressed satisfaction with the traffic level at the show, and he was pleased with the investment he made to exhibit on the floor. The recent RadioShift 1.5.x refresh (first introduced at the very end of 2009; the latest version, 1.5.3, came out February 3) now features thousands of additional streaming sources, including many in the Windows Media and Real Media formats that are inaccessible to iTunes users, and several sources previously only playable via the station websites. The web radio tuner & recording app received a thorough UI facelift, improved compatibility with RA's Airfoil audio distribution utility, better third-party player installs, and more sophisticated fallback logic to handle stream dropouts and hiccups. RadioShift 1.5 requires Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and costs US$32. Speaking of Airfoil, the most recent update (3.5 on 12/16) added support for both EyeTV synchronized playback and VMWare Fusion/Parallels Desktop audio. Airfoil can send your Mac's audio to any networked Mac, PC, AppleTV, iPhone/iPod touch, or Linux workstation. The app is $25, or you can get a bundle of both Mac and Windows version for $40. The company's Pulsar client for Sirius/XM satellite streaming radio was also recently updated; it runs $15 for browserless playback of the radio services (with a separate Sirius/XM online account). It's definitely a good sign that independent Mac developers like RA, Boinx and Omnigroup are maintaining their high profile at Macworld Expo. We look forward to seeing the blue unicellular beastie with the eyepatch sunglasses and the automatic rifle back next year.
Followup: Transmit TV audio through your Mac
After my post earlier this week about transmitting Mac audio, readers contacted me about extending this solution. Although they liked the idea of direct audio while working out on a treadmill or exercise bike, several stated that they also wanted to watch from the sofa once the spouse or the kid go to sleep. The idea was the same: audio transmission to an iPhone or iPod touch. The source was different. They wanted to watch live cable TV or their TiVo. And for the punchline, their media center Mac lacks a tuner. Was there a similar quiet Mac-based solution that would let them transmit the TV audio from these non-Mac sources? If your Mac has a microphone jack, internal or even through an external USB solution, the answer is yes. You can easily connect your TV audio to your Mac just like you would connect it to a pair of speakers. Run a cable between a spare audio output (modern TVs usually offer more than one, if not, you can use a splitter) to the microphone jack on the Macintosh. On my low-end TV, this means an RCA stereo cable that feeds to a standard stereo minijack plug. Setting up the Mac host is simple. Instead of feeding audio via Soundflower, as described in the earlier post, choose your microphone audio input in the Skype settings. Start a call to your iPhone or iPod touch, switch the TV source (usually via a "Source" button that picks which signal to watch, such as Composite 1, Component 2, etc.) to your normal cable or TiVo input. Set the external speaker volume to zero. The signal arrives at the Mac microphone independently of those speakers. You may find that the audio out signal tends to be on the low side. Many TV speakers provide their own amplification. If this is a problem for you, you can hook in an inline amplifier. (I use an old Radio Shack 277-1008C.) Alternatively, you can boost the audio via a third party program like Rogue Amoeba's Audio Hijack Pro. This solution takes a few more cables, components, and connections than the Mac Audio-to-iPhone through Skype set-up discussed in the earlier post. But if you have the cables on-hand already, it offers an inexpensive solution compared to many other wireless TV headsets on the market right now.
TUAW Tips: Send Mac audio to your iPhone for cheap
Earlier this month, I wrote about connecting my old Mac mini to my television . My mini offers a great Apple TV-style lifestyle with none of the Apple TV limitations. It's a real Mac running real Snow Leopard, albeit on an older, admittedly limited mini. I have Front Row, EyeTV, QuickTime, and more, all ready to entertain me on demand, as well as standard system access to mail, web browsing, etc. The sound in my living room is powered by a couple of speakers that shipped with an ancient computer monitor. Their audio works fine for close-up TV watching and Wii playing. Move across the room and those speakers prove how limited they are. Add in a treadmill with its motor noises, and the sound decreases to virtually nothing. So how can one listen to those great shows that are playing back on that lovely large screen across the room, especially when walking or jogging on the treadmill? I messed around with several solutions until I stumbled across one that really worked well for me. Using my home's 802.11g Wi-Fi network, I could call my iPhone from my Mac using Skype. With only the most minimal of lags, I was able to transmit live audio and watch my favorite shows on the Mac while listening on the iPhone from my treadmill. Read on to learn how I accomplished this...
Fission 1.6 makes iPhone ringtones even easier
Rogue Amoeba has released version 1.6 of the nifty lossless audio editor Fission with a handy new feature: built-in iPhone ringtone saving. Fission has always been a great application for making relatively simple edits to audio files: cropping, trimming, cutting and pasting, etc. Now it makes turning MP3, AAC, AIFF, Apple Lossless, or WAV files into iPhone ringtones a one-step process. Once you save a file as a ringtone it will automatically be passed to iTunes for syncing to your iPhone.Of course you can do it the old-fashioned way with GarageBand, but if your audio file just needs simple editing the Fission method will likely be easier and faster. In addition to the ringtone saving (and various bug fixes), version 1.6 allows you to insert periods of silence into a file and exactly set the location of the playhead.Fission 1.6 is a free upgrade to registered owners; it's $32 for new users and a demo is available.[via Macworld]
LiveDiscKit
Moments before our Macworld 2008 interview with Paul Kafasis he told me about the unique way the demo CDs they were giving out worked. What's the main problem with software on CDs? Those apps are suspended in amber, frozen in time, and many other overused metaphors. The fine folks at Rogue Amoeba make living, breathing code. They don't stop updating it for a second, and they wanted to make sure that the app you installed off of that CD was the most up to date version available.Impossible, you say. Piffle! Not for Rogue Amoeba (that one celled organism is a determined little guy). They looked at the problem and thought of LiveDisc. LiveDisc is an application that is burnt onto the CD. This application points to the most recent versions of the actual app that you want the user to install (an Internet connection is required). A simple solution to a highly specific problem, which is why I like it so much.Rogue Amoeba is now sharing LiveDisc with other devs in the form of LiveDiscKit, an open source plugin for Interface Builder. Simply tweak a few settings, point it at the right places, and you're set to press a large number of CDs which will never go out of date (CD pressing functionality is not included with LiveDiscKit), that is assuming CDs stick around for much longer.
Rogue Amoeba video demo of RadioShift Touch
As mentioned toward the tail end of this morning's liveblog chat with Rogue Amoeba's development team, there is a version of RadioShift in the works for the iPhone and iPod touch; the proof is in the (video) pudding. You can see the full-res QuickTime here.As in the desktop version of RadioShift, you'll be able to review a radio guide and tune into thousands of streaming programs from stations around the globe. The in-progress version has a ways to go (it doesn't actually play audio yet!) but it's exciting to see the efforts of a major Mac developer extended onto the iPhone.
Rogue Amoeba Live Chat!
What do you take when you mix mutant powers, the right to bear arms and a bad case of dysentery? Why, Rogue Amoeba of course! TUAW is delighted to host Paul Kafasis of Rogue Amoeba today as we chat about Apple and its developer program. Today we discuss how Apple makes third party development pure Heaven -- and pure Hell. Please join us in the chat, where we will be talking and taking questions from TUAW readers. Note that if you want to disable the 'chirp' from the chat widget or turn off the autoscroll feature, those options are at the bottom of the chat window -- here's what they look like turned OFF:
Security Update 2008-002 issues may be cleared up by Rogue Amoeba fix
As many of you have reported, there are a few hiccups for some who have installed the latest Leopard security update. Two of the areas of concern are ssh (no connectivity or a crash) and printing (errors out, documents never finish spooling), with various fixes offered (reinstalling the 10.5.2 combo update, installing a standalone SSH build) and various degrees of success reported.One emergent common thread for some of the problems is the presence of a Rogue Amoeba audio utility, and the gang in the petri dish have responded with a revised version of the Instant Hijack framework. The new 2.0.3 version aims to address a bug that has been latent since the introduction of Leopard's position-independent executables feature, where certain sensitive processes (like, say, ssh) could be run from a randomized memory address, avoiding attack vectors that depend on targeting a specific vulnerable spot within the code.Up until the 2008-002 security patches, according to RA, the PIE feature wasn't used for anything yet -- after the update, surprise surprise, ssh is being moved around when it runs. Since Instant Hijack inspects newly launched processes to see if they have audio properties, it tries to look at the ssh instance in memory -- hey, wherdja go? Hence the problem.If you have been experiencing ssh issues and have Rogue Amoeba apps installed, try the patch and let us know what happens.[via Daring Fireball + Apple discussions]
Rogue Amoeba on code signing, iPhone SDK
Mike Ash at Rogue Amoeba has published his fairly extensive thoughts on Apple's code signing policies and plans, as well as how they relate to the iPhone SDK. He makes some solid points and elaborates on thoughts that are being bandied about elsewhere on the 'net. In his critique of some points in the iPhone SDK announcement, his concerns regarding the "banned" iPhone apps are quite valid, in my opinion. Out of the list of apps to be denied (illegal, malicious, unforeseen, privacy, porn and bandwidth hog), he picks out a couple that are of concern. In regards to the issue of "porn", he notes that "...Apple is making moral judgements of the apps they sign." To me, it seems like Apple chose the safe option and just categorically denied materials that could sully their reputation, which I personally think was a good (if not obvious) choice. But the question arises, as it always does, about the definition of porn and obscenity... and who makes the call. Apple, as gatekeeper, gets to make those decisions for all of us. I can see some torrid debates arising in the future.Also of particular (and potentially more controversial) concern is the category "unforeseen," which provides a fairly broad scope for Apple to add to the list later. Again, it's likely a smart decision on Apple's part and a good way of sealing off loopholes without making the list read like a legal contract (see "License Agreement"), but leaves open the option for some heavy-handed control over what you can put on your iPhone.Of course, this initial list is incomplete, with restrictions outlined in the SDK license agreement (as pointed out in Rogue Amoeba's subsequent post). If you take an interest in this debate, be sure to check out Mike's post, "Code Signing and You."
Nicecast gets full Leopard support
Today, Rogue Amoeba updated their Nicecast software to 1.9. Nicecast, as you might already know, lets you create your own internet radio station on your Mac. The biggest new "feature" in Nicecast 1.9 is that it fully supports OS X Leopard (10.5). In addition to getting Leopard support, Nicecast also received three new notable features: The update includes Instant Hijack 2 (which allows you to Hijack the audio of applications that are already running) Soundflower 1.3 support "Track Titles" drawer added This update is free to all existing Nicecast owners running both Tiger (10.4) and Leopard. You can also download a free trial of Nicecast or purchase the new version for $40. In similar news, Rogue Amoeba also posted on their blog that they are "hard at work" on the Leopard-friendly version of Audio Hijack Pro (version 2.8).
Show floor video: Rogue Amoeba moves to the beat
We stopped by Rogue Amoeba's booth last week and chatted with Paul Kafasis, CEO and big amoeba on campus, about all of their apps. Paul was kind enough to give us a quick demo of Airfoil 3 (I loves me some Airfoil Speakers) and Fission. Check out the full interview after the jump.
MakeiPhoneRingtone returns from the Dead
Rogue Amoeba, our favorite weaponized unicellular developer, has ressurected its free custom ringtone utility. Like an uncanny Zombie movie, iPhone firmware update 1.1.2 has dragged MakeiPhoneRingtone back from the beyond. 1.1.2's ringtone support once again allows you to add custom ringtones. Drop any AAC file onto its icon and the utility processes your audio and hands it off to iTunes, where you can sync it to your iPhone. As I discussed in my earlier post, you need to keep your ringtones about 40 seconds or shorter. But other than that, you're simply good to go.
