MWGblog

I see a lot of posts about people’s preferred earphones for mobile use. I have used the Etymotic ER4S earphones for the last 5 years and I could not be happier. They have amazing sound isolation and even include a few different choices for “eartips.” I bought them years ago along with a mobile headphone amp. (My audiophile tendencies betray me.)

Whether for mobile podcast recording with my Sound Devices 722 (review coming soon) or just listening with my computer or iPod – these headphones have been rock solid and offer tremendous sound. They are not cheap, but I am still on my first pair 5 plus years later. [Amazon has a good price for them.]

Congratulations to my partners in Grape Radio for making #11 in Food & Wine magazine’s “Become a WIne Expert in 28 Days.”

My friend Craig Syverson put together this great intro piece for my forthcoming video. Thanks Craig!

Now that the new edition of The Levelator™ has been released, the GigaVox Media team is hard at work on the next free software for podcasters and we need your help. We’ve just posted a (new) very short survey. Your answers will help shape our future development efforts. Thanks!

I’ll be heading out next week to CES for Monday through Wednesday. I am speaking on Tuesday along with some other great folks from the podcasting world. If you around and and want to meet up, shoot an email to michael AT mwgblog DOT com. I’ll be hitting most of the spots others have mentioned as well as getting my fill of high-end audio and home theater gear at the Venetian.

Many podcasters who conduct interviews have started using legal releases for the use of the guest’s voice and/or likeness. Obviously this is a good idea, yet it can be a bit of a hassle faxing forms back and forth. As a result, people don’t always follow through.

A few months back I was out at lunch with Denise Howell and we got to discussing how to make the release process more user friendly for podcasters. We came up with the idea of a click through acceptance form on a website. Over the holidays I had one of my blog developers put together a plugin for WordPress to accomplish this.

It is simple and straightforward. The plugin, when installed, creates a Podcast Release page on your site and provides a link to send to your interview subjects. It also sets up an admin page in your WP admin section to enter whatever release text you require. When your guest comes to the page, they enter their name, email and check that they accept the terms. The plugin then sends an email to both you and your guest with the release text, name, email and the IP address of the submitter.

The plugin is not distributed with Release Text because it should be custom tailored for your particular use case. You can cut and paste your current release text or create your own. If you need a example, the Podcast Brothers have posted a release on their site. (It is located in the section right above the shows.)

If you want to see how it works, I have a sample page setup here.

Installation instructions:

1. Download Podcast-Release Version 0.1

2. Extract the files to the wp-content/plugins/ directory. (Just copy the whole folder)

3. Activate the plugin via your WP admin console.

4. Within the WP admin console navigate to Plugins -> Podcast Release

5. Complete the required setup information, including your preferred “Release Text”.

6. You will have a new page on your site.: http://yoursite.com/podcast-release/.

Please post any feedback, comments or suggestions.

Download: Podcast-Release 0.1

Download: Podcast-Release 0.11 (For WordPress 2.1)

Disclaimer: I make no representations or warranties as to whether or not this process of release authorization is considered enforceable. Use it at your own risk.

Doug Kaye and I made an appearance on Podcast 411. Rob Walch interviewed us about The Levelator and the plans for GigaVox.