Übercaster: The Complete Podcasting Software
Many loyal Mac users are forced to use GarageBand as their only choice for podcast creation, production and releases. I am here to encourage you to “leave the garage and feel at home” while taking Übercaster for a spin. Odds are you will not return to GarageBand after you learn about the many features of Übercaster.
Übercaster comes to us from Pleasant Software based in Offenburg, Germany. The creators of Übercaster give us a simple definition – “… the first complete podcast production suite for the Mac.” The cost for this software is $79.95, but they offer you a five episode test run to use the program and determine if it fits your needs. I recommend getting the trial and using every episode to see what makes Übercaster tick. This is a more complex program than Garage Band, but once you learn everything it can do, you will quickly see how powerful this software is.
There are numerous features to discuss and share that are available within Übercaster. One of the newest upgrades which has quickly turned into one of my favorite features is the built-in support for VoIP applications using the bundled Pleasant Connect – and dedicated features for recording straight from Skype, Gizmo or iChat. Yes, you can record Skype, Gizmo or iChat conversations directly within Übercaster without having to resort to additional software that you would have to drag and drop into GarageBand and match up in post-production. In fact, Übercaster now uses the official Skype API to communicate with the popular chat application. No additional drivers or special configurations needed. For those of us that use these VOIP services when making podcasts, this is a very valuable feature.
Another valuable thing that you can do with sound bytes in Übercaster is to edit the start and stop times for each file without altering the file itself. If there is a sound file you have that you don’t care for, say, the first 1.5 seconds of, have it begin at the 1.6 second point. Same with the ending. Set a start and stop point, and Übercaster will only play that segment you specified.
An additional feature that is very progressive is the ability to not only record conversations (via VoIP, iChat, Skype, Gizmo, etc) live but also audio live. For example if you have a guest musician for your podcast and they are with you in person, one click of a button and you can record their performance. The key is that the performance is recorded in a separate track which then allows you to adjust the balance and make sure the audio sounds as fresh as possible.
I encourage you to take a look at Übercaster. Take the trial run and leave your thoughts in the comments. I did the same thing and haven’t returned to the garage since.
Category: Reviews | Tags: application, Garage Band, Mac, podcasts, Ubercaster
About the Author I am a developing social and digital media junkie on an adventure through life. Right now I am on the chapter in the book where I live in Los Angeles. Reach me on twitter @ahr19. Thanks for reading my post.
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As a longtime podcaster on Lost and someone who remembers when Ubecaster was in Beta I can tell you first hand just what a great app this is. There is simply nothing else like it for podcasting, a whole studio laid out with the overall workflow in mind, in one place. Multi-mics for studio work, great integration with voip apps for web based shows, it's all there.
Thanks for your comment Dave. What specific questions did you have?
I'd love to hear more about this. That, and when the new Macbook Pro is out. If I could get the two for under $1000 I'd be positively spinning with euphoria.
Thanks for the rec. Will Tweet it out and see what others think.