I picked up a Griffin Powermate last week on a whim. It is a usb connected solidly built alluminum control knob. You can press and turn it to trigger events. It also has a blue LED light for giving status feedback. It can work on Mac and Windows.

It comes with a number of default actions for controlling applications like iTunes, Safari etc. You can add your own and even trigger scripts with it. Griffin provides some apple script samples with the software for the powermate. These can do things like place the led into a triple flash alert mode.

I took the supplied scripts and saved them in a Scripts subfolder on my mac. Then I setup a new Control group for podcasting. You can only choose one active set per powermate at a time. Yes you can connect multiple powermates if you really want. I then found and added the applescripts for controlling skype that I found over at Mystic Coders. Next I put together triggers to toggle muting both an active skype call and the input audio level for my Mac. This way if I am on Skype with someone and they are recording I can mute for coughs, interuptions etc. I have the action also zero out then restore the input audio level as well. That solves muting my mic if I am the one doing the recording. ##Setting up the Triggers

For the Trigger: Mic-Mute: Under Advanced I check to match light state for "Default" This only runs the below actions if the light is in the default state. This keeps it from running twice once we change the light state while muted.
* Action: InputVolume-0: AppleScript: set volume input volume 0
* Action: Skype-MuteON: AppleScript: run the skype mute script from Mystic Coders
* Action: PM-LightPulse: AppleScript: run the Griffin provded script: AlertX3.scpt

For the Trigger: Mic-UnMute: Under Advanced I check to match light state for "Alert x3" This only runs the below actions if the light is in the alert state as defined in the Griffin script. This keeps it from running twice once we change the light state while unmuted.
* Action: InputVolume-72: AppleScript: set volume input volume 72
* Action: Skype-MuteOFF: AppleScript: run the skype unmute script from Mystic Coders
* Action: Clear Light State

That does it. Now when I go to record a podcast I flip my active control set for my powermate to my Podcast set. Press the knob to mute and again to unmute. It flashes while muted to ensure I know I am muted to save me from talking for several minutes without getting it recorded.

Ever since I got my first iPhone, the 3GS, I have wanted to use it to record audio.  I have been in podcasting since it started.  Six years ago.  Not the five Apple tried to claim in iTunes.  Five is how long they have had it in iTunes.

I also had gotten an Owle Bubo (http://www.wantowle.com/) for Christmas last year.  It is a great camera grip and comes with the Veracorder mic to better aim your audio when making video.  The veracorder mic is below.  It's short and can be bent to angle toward your source.  It works on the iPhone3GS but has been broken on the iPhone4.  

Combined with the FiRE field recorder app (http://www.audiofile-engineering.com/) it makes a great hand recorder for questions, notes etc.  Especially since the FiRe app supports the Izotope (http://www.izotope.com/) audio processing plugins like Noise Gate, Hiss Reducer.  Sure you can only use one at a time but its cool for field use.  Even better is you can turn on pass through audio.  Where I am going is I wanted to be able to use my iPhone or now iPad as an inline noise gate for my sound board.  Why not?  I have it so why not use it?

To this end I needed a way to split audio in and out.  So I originally picked up a splitter cable from http://www.kvconnection.com/  This was made to work with the iPhone.  But it never would override the internal mic.  Now I find it works on the iPad.  I tried it again with the iPhone4 with little joy.

Next I go for the Griffin iMic.  The device itself works on the iPad and briefly FiRe recognized it fully and pass through audio worked. Then it quit.  Recording then playback can be heard through the output.  But the live pass through quit for a reason I cannot explain.  I have emailed the developer of FiRe.  I also find I cannot try it on iPhone 3GS or 4.  Because those reject the camera connector kit plug.  This is really irritating since I know that the iPhone4 changed the audio on the dock connector to be usb audio device.  So if Apple would just let the camera kit usb plug work I am betting the griffin imic will work fine.  All avoiding the inconsistent nightmare that is the headphone jack.  

In a nutshell which is appropriate since the changes and inconsistency are driving me nuts, get your act together Apple.  PLEASE!

My dad bought this radio when I was a small kid. I remember it being the center piece of his big radio rig setup. It is still in pristine shape and works like a champ. It still has the original box and manuals. I think I might make a project to scan in the manuals. Maybe even try and get them into ePub for my iPad. Then I will likely post them to this blog for anyone else interested in them. Also below is a sample audio clip from the radio piped into my sound board.

It was two weeks with iPad as of this past weekend. Here are some of my observations.

#1 - I am keeping way less content on my iPhone than I did before moving video etc to my iPad.

#2 - I have not purchased any iPhone only apps since getting iPad. But boy have I blown some green on iPad apps of various uses.

#3 - I have spent way too much catching up on Supernatural now that I have a small tv in my hands. Yup more $$ but worth it. It's a rocking great show.

#4 - I love reading my magazines and books on iPad. Though it can be a little tedious getting pdf downloads of various Forensic and Security magazines. They really need to embrace authenticated RSS feeds. Then I can automate the download and syncing onto my dropbox account where it's easy to open the PDF on my iPad.

#5 - Developers need to get certain apps updated for iPad. 2X bites for things like IM clients.

#6 - The camera connector kit works great for photos and audio. But the iPad is NOT a true 720HD player. I can copy from my Kodak Zi8 camera onto the iPad, but not play the video till I sync it back to my Mac with iPhoto.

#7 - iPad doubles my iPhone battery life. Because I am rarely carrying my iPhone around the house any more. Heck I realized I left the house without my iPhone the other day. Then I realized it was in my pocket. I had forgotten it was even there. I was taking iPad to the coffee shop for some reading and hot tea relaxation.

#8 - iPad battery lasts a really really long time. I only have to fully charge it about every other day. And that is with watching a couple of episodes of Supernatural each night before bed.

I have loved this Belkin unit for a travel kit since it came out in 2008. Guess what? It can charge your new iPad just fine.

http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=400738