SmartSpeed is easily worth $1 a month on its own given how much time it saves and the improvement to the listening experience. SmartSpeed and x1.25 is the sweet spot for me.
Streaming? For such an essential feature (according to some), I see zero benefit. I will never use it.
Overcast is better.
In his blog post describing his rationale for the new donation-ware model (my words, not his) he said previously only 20% of people used the paid version. 80% used the free version. While that is OK financially, it meant that 80% of overcast users were using the inferior version without Overcasts best features.
I love Overcast because:
Voice Boost
Smart Speed
CarPlay
I have a single playlist configured to play episodes in aired order, not grouping shows. However I have priority shows which appear above the others when they come out, for my favourites. I have to manage nothing, I just start playing from the top of the playlist.
Voice Boost: I listen to a few shows which have, let's just say, variable production qualities. Each host is clearly using a different microphone. One of them has quite poor mic technique. Voice Boost brings their volume level up together, evenly. It's a voice frequency range optimised dynamic compressor, and it makes listening to certain shows whilst driving the car, or mowing the lawn, POSSIBLE.
Smart Speed is a very clever feature which reduces the length of silences. It sounds perfectly natural, and is separate from a speed control (which I also use, around 1.6x) but complimentary. I don't know the exact numbers, but suppose the host pauses in conversation for 1 second. Overcast reduces that second to 0.6 of a second. (Or whatever the ratio is) It tightens up the performance. It is inaudible, you can't notice, but an hour podcast no longer takes an hour. Every pause is reduced, but not so much as to sound unnatural.
Overcast 1.x has saved me 79 hours with Smartspeed, beyond speed adjustments alone. That's 3.5 days that weren't wasted by me listening to silence. The app tells you this. Overcast let me fit more podcasts into my commute.
In his blog post describing his rationale for the new donation-ware model (my words, not his) he said previously only 20% of people used the paid version. 80% used the free version. While that is OK financially, it meant that 80% of overcast users were using the inferior version without Overcasts best features.
I love Overcast because:
Voice Boost
Smart Speed
CarPlay
I have a single playlist configured to play episodes in aired order, not grouping shows. However I have priority shows which appear above the others when they come out, for my favourites. I have to manage nothing, I just start playing from the top of the playlist.
Voice Boost: I listen to a few shows which have, let's just say, variable production qualities. Each host is clearly using a different microphone. One of them has quite poor mic technique. Voice Boost brings their volume level up together, evenly. It's a voice frequency range optimised dynamic compressor, and it makes listening to certain shows whilst driving the car, or mowing the lawn, POSSIBLE.
Smart Speed is a very clever feature which reduces the length of silences. It sounds perfectly natural, and is separate from a speed control (which I also use, around 1.6x) but complimentary. I don't know the exact numbers, but suppose the host pauses in conversation for 1 second. Overcast reduces that second to 0.6 of a second. (Or whatever the ratio is) It tightens up the performance. It is inaudible, you can't notice, but an hour podcast no longer takes an hour. Every pause is reduced, but not so much as to sound unnatural.
Overcast 1.x has saved me 79 hours with Smartspeed, beyond speed adjustments alone. That's 3.5 days that weren't wasted by me listening to silence. The app tells you this. Overcast let me fit more podcasts into my commute.
Details. If you like Apple, iOS, and the iPhone, You're a person who likes sweated details.
I'm run about 1.33X with smart speed... which gets me about 1.45X on most podcasts.
Voice Boost is absolutely necessary for me, as I'm old as dirt and my Cochlea isn't as sharp in low and midrange.
Also. it supports Chapters now. Which if your podcast has them, makes for great navigation (Yeah, I want to relisten to the section on Making Coffee with grass fed cow butter [don't get Marco Started] Ah, that's in the chapter starting at 1:05... tap, and it starts right there]
Comments
Streaming? For such an essential feature (according to some), I see zero benefit. I will never use it.
Overcast is better.
In his blog post describing his rationale for the new donation-ware model (my words, not his) he said previously only 20% of people used the paid version. 80% used the free version. While that is OK financially, it meant that 80% of overcast users were using the inferior version without Overcasts best features.
I love Overcast because:
Voice Boost
Smart Speed
CarPlay
I have a single playlist configured to play episodes in aired order, not grouping shows. However I have priority shows which appear above the others when they come out, for my favourites. I have to manage nothing, I just start playing from the top of the playlist.
Voice Boost: I listen to a few shows which have, let's just say, variable production qualities. Each host is clearly using a different microphone. One of them has quite poor mic technique. Voice Boost brings their volume level up together, evenly. It's a voice frequency range optimised dynamic compressor, and it makes listening to certain shows whilst driving the car, or mowing the lawn, POSSIBLE.
Smart Speed is a very clever feature which reduces the length of silences. It sounds perfectly natural, and is separate from a speed control (which I also use, around 1.6x) but complimentary. I don't know the exact numbers, but suppose the host pauses in conversation for 1 second. Overcast reduces that second to 0.6 of a second. (Or whatever the ratio is) It tightens up the performance. It is inaudible, you can't notice, but an hour podcast no longer takes an hour. Every pause is reduced, but not so much as to sound unnatural.
Overcast 1.x has saved me 79 hours with Smartspeed, beyond speed adjustments alone. That's 3.5 days that weren't wasted by me listening to silence. The app tells you this. Overcast let me fit more podcasts into my commute.
Also, it's tiny and has been rock solid for me.
Please explain whats wrong with Apples App.
It copies the shitty Apple Music interface.
Overcast is better.
In his blog post describing his rationale for the new donation-ware model (my words, not his) he said previously only 20% of people used the paid version. 80% used the free version. While that is OK financially, it meant that 80% of overcast users were using the inferior version without Overcasts best features.
I love Overcast because:
Voice Boost
Smart Speed
CarPlay
I have a single playlist configured to play episodes in aired order, not grouping shows. However I have priority shows which appear above the others when they come out, for my favourites. I have to manage nothing, I just start playing from the top of the playlist.
Voice Boost: I listen to a few shows which have, let's just say, variable production qualities. Each host is clearly using a different microphone. One of them has quite poor mic technique. Voice Boost brings their volume level up together, evenly. It's a voice frequency range optimised dynamic compressor, and it makes listening to certain shows whilst driving the car, or mowing the lawn, POSSIBLE.
Smart Speed is a very clever feature which reduces the length of silences. It sounds perfectly natural, and is separate from a speed control (which I also use, around 1.6x) but complimentary. I don't know the exact numbers, but suppose the host pauses in conversation for 1 second. Overcast reduces that second to 0.6 of a second. (Or whatever the ratio is) It tightens up the performance. It is inaudible, you can't notice, but an hour podcast no longer takes an hour. Every pause is reduced, but not so much as to sound unnatural.
Overcast 1.x has saved me 79 hours with Smartspeed, beyond speed adjustments alone. That's 3.5 days that weren't wasted by me listening to silence. The app tells you this. Overcast let me fit more podcasts into my commute.
Details. If you like Apple, iOS, and the iPhone, You're a person who likes sweated details.
I'm run about 1.33X with smart speed... which gets me about 1.45X on most podcasts.
Voice Boost is absolutely necessary for me, as I'm old as dirt and my Cochlea isn't as sharp in low and midrange.
Also. it supports Chapters now. Which if your podcast has them, makes for great navigation (Yeah, I want to relisten to the section on Making Coffee with grass fed cow butter [don't get Marco Started] Ah, that's in the chapter starting at 1:05... tap, and it starts right there]