We released our newest product Radioshift last Monday, after almost a year and a half in development. In one form or another, Radioshift has been brewing for years. This concept has long been known internally as AHT, short for Audio Hijack Timeshifter. The aim of AHT was always to improve the experience of recording radio. A large chunk of Audio Hijack Pro users record internet radio and we've gradually added features to make this easier. However, it was never the focal point of the application, and it's never been as simple as we'd imagined it could be.

The way to truly make recording easy is a guide which contains information on available radio. Part of how TiVo has improved upon the VCR is through its guide. This guide makes it possible to set a recording by browsing and clicking. No longer do you need to know when a show is on, what channel, and so on. But a guide for internet and AM/FM radio? It's huge, there are thousands of stations, they're always changing - it's way more complicated than TV. No one could ever organize it all, could they?

It turns out someone could and someone did. RadioTime has been working to catalog the world of internet and AM/FM radio since 2002 and their guide now tracks over 50,000 different listings. Bill Moore, the visionary founder of RadioTime, had actually made us aware of the guide way back in 2003. However, it wasn't a good fit for us at the time (technologically or economically), so it simply lingered in the backs of our brains.

It wasn't until 2006 that we realized we wanted to make a new product dedicated solely to recording radio content. We wanted to simplify this task and take it out of the hands of the technophiles and into the hands of to the masses. With this vision, we went to Bill and RadioTime. We found that the guide had matured greatly and now featured an excellent SOAP API. Quentin rapidly cooked up a demo application to test it out and within a week we were talking to the RadioTime guide.

We've been working concretely on Radioshift ever since, with our newest employee Guy leading development. A little less than a year after we worked out our agreement with Bill, we finally have that new product with which we hope to change the world of radio on the Mac. Radioshift is finally here, thanks in no small part to RadioTime.

The new Apple keyboards now have "media keys" for Previous, Next and Play/Pause. As of yet there doesn't appear to be any public API for developers to use these keys in your own application. But this post to the CocoaDev mailing list from Peter Maurer reveals a way.

Firing up Xcode, we start by subclassing NSApplication and listening in on -sendEvent. We can see applications are actually passed events for these new keys. The event has a type of NSSystemDefined, and a subtype of 8.

Here is a code snippet showing how to trap them:

- (void)sendEvent: (NSEvent*)event
{
	if( [event type] == NSSystemDefined && [event subtype] == 8 )
	{
		int keyCode = (([event data1] & 0xFFFF0000) >> 16);
		int keyFlags = ([event data1] & 0x0000FFFF);
		int keyState = (((keyFlags & 0xFF00) >> 8)) == 0xA;
		int keyRepeat = (keyFlags & 0x1);
		
		[self mediaKeyEvent: keyCode state: keyState repeat: keyRepeat];
	}
	[super sendEvent: event];
}

I'm not completely sure on the "keyState" code, it appears the value alternates between 0xA and 0xB depending on if the key is up or down. There may be other values I don't know about though.

Moving on, once we got the event, the code for handling would be something like as follows:

- (void)mediaKeyEvent: (int)key state: (BOOL)state repeat: (BOOL)repeat
{
	switch( key )
	{
		case NX_KEYTYPE_PLAY:
			if( state == 0 )
				; //Play pressed and released
		break;
		
		case NX_KEYTYPE_FAST:
			if( state == 0 )
				; //Next pressed and released
		break;
		
		case NX_KEYTYPE_REWIND:
			if( state == 0 )
				; //Previous pressed and released
		break;
	}
}

The key codes constants come from the header IOKit/hidsystem/ev_keymap.h. One other thing to note is that these keys act as "global hot keys", every application receives events for them, not merely just the foreground application. This whole public domain sample code is available in a file here.

And while we are on the topic of coding: Don't use strnstr.

A couple weeks ago I did an interview with Steven Owens of MacApper.com, and it's up now. You can read the interview right here. There's some discussion of our newest application Radioshift, as well as updates to our existing applications and more. Enjoy!

We released our newest product Radioshift earlier this week, and it's been a big hit thus far. We'd like to thank everyone for checking it out and providing great feedback. We've got big plans for the future of Radioshift - 1.0 is just the beginning.

However, Radioshift 1.0 had a few more bugs than we'd like (where the number we'd like is 0), and we've been working hard on fixing that. As such, we've now got version 1.0.1 available for download. This update fixes issues with the Send to iTunes function and MP3 recording, as well as improving the automatically waking from Sleep functionality.

Learn more on the Radioshift web page or download Radioshift version 1.0.1 immediately. Of course, this is a free update for existing customers, and the same low $32 for new purchases.

Today we're very pleased to release Radioshift 1.0, immediately available for download and purchase. With Radioshift, you can listen to and record Internet and AM/FM radio from around the world, all from a single effortlessly powerful application.

Radioshift's built-in Radio Guide has listings for over 50,000 radio programs and stations. Using the Guide, you can find hours and hours worth of great content to listen to and enjoy. Then with as little as one click, you can subscribe to listings from the Guide. Once you're subscribed, Radioshift will automatically record whenever the audio is on, and you can listen whenever you like. Radioshift is radio on your schedule!

You can download Radioshift right now or visit the Radioshift web page to learn more. Once you've tested Radioshift, it can be purchased for just $32 from our online store. Visit the Radioshift page now and get started!

As mentioned back in July, Iv'e been part of a panel at MacVoices discussing the iPhone. I missed linking to episode 3, but we've also just done parts 4 and 5. I found this to be perhaps the most interesting, as we'd all had a couple months with the device.

You can check our MacVoices #793 and #793 to hear it all. So as always, if you haven't heard enough about the iPhone yet, here's your chance for more.

I mentioned last month that we'd be at Macworld San Francisco 2008, and that we'd eventually have free Exhibit Hall passes to give out. Registration has just opened, and while we don't have our passes to give out yet, you can get a free pass if you sign up by October 5th.

The small print says you must have attended in the past three years - I'm not sure what's up there. But if you use Priority Code: 08-E-VF01 when signing up, I think you should be all set,

The expo hall will be open from January 15th through the 18th, and we'll be at booth #2738. Sign up now, then plan to come by and say hello. We hope to see you there!

Last week we talked a great deal about iPhone ringtones on our company weblog Under The Microscope. The topic began with the idea of using Fission to edit audio files for ringtones, and we later released a small application called MakeiPhoneRingtone, to get the ringtones onto the iPhone.

MakeiPhoneRingtone does just that - it makes iPhone ringtones. Once you have an AAC file edited down, simply drop it on MakeiPhoneRingtone, and it will be passed off to iTunes and turned into a Ringtone. The file will show up in iTunes' Ringtone section, and you'll be able to sync it to your iPhone.

Today we're happy to release MakeiPhoneRingtone version 1.2, as an official Rogue Amoeba Freebie. This update will work regardless of where your iTunes Library is located, a problem some users of older versions faced. You can now find the latest version on the Freebies page, so head on over and get started making ringtones for your iPhone.

Continuing in our seeming obsession with iPhone ringtones, we've got MakeiPhoneRingtone 1.1 available for download now. Version 1.1 uses the more stable "stik" method of turning AAC files into ringtones, as discovered by Cleverboy.

As noted earlier this week, you can create ringtones with Fission, and you can turn non-AAC files into ringtones with the right Export settings in Fission. Once you have the file, just drag and drop onto MakeiPhoneRingtone, and you'll be set. We hope you'll check out Fission for ringtone and general audio editing, but of course MakeiPhoneRingtone works with AAC files from any source.

MakeiPhoneRingtone has been tested on many different setups, but we can always use more details to improve it. If you have any problems, issues or questions, email us directly so we can see what's up.

So far we've talked about using Fission to create iPhone ringtones, and using MakeiPhoneRingtone to get those ringtones to the iPhone. Both these articles have received great responses, and we're working on fixing a couple issues that have cropped up with MakeiPhoneRingtone, so stay tuned for an update.

We've also heard from people who want to edit non-AAC files in Fission and save them for use with MakeiPhoneRingtone and the iPhone. Though it's not immediately obvious, Fission can turn any file it can open into an iPhone Ringtone-compatible file, through the use of QuickTime.

To start, open the file you want to convert in Fission and edit it as desired. When you're ready, click "Save Audio". In the Save dialog, choose the "Export With QuickTime" option and set it to MPEG-4, then click Settings.

This will bring up a Settings panel which you'll want to configure as below:

File Format: Set this to MP4

Audio Format: Set this to AAC-LC (Music)

Data Rate: Set this to 128 kbps.
This can be set to any value. The higher it is, the better the ringtone will sound.

Channels: Set this to Stereo

Output Sample Rate: Set this to 44.100 kHz

Encoding Quality: Set this to Better.
Like Data Rate, the value here doesn't matter much. The higher it is, the better the ringtone will sound, but it will take longer to create.

When you're done, click OK, then save. This will produce a file with an .mp4 extension, which you need to rename. Change it from FileName.mp4 to FileName.m4a and approve the change. Once you've done that, you'll be able to pass it off to iTunes with MakeiPhoneRingtone.

MakeiPhoneRingtone 1.1 and higher will accept .mp4 AAC files and handle them, so there's no need to change the extension.

So there it is, getting Fission to save any file format it can open into a format MakeiPhoneRingtone and the iPhone can handle. You can now make iPhone ringtones from MP3, AIFF, and dozens of other audio formats.

Yesterday I posted about using Fission to create ringtones for the iPhone. Editing with Fission is straightforward, but getting the resulting files onto the iPhone is a bit tricky. The processes for both iTunes 7.4 and iTunes 7.4.1 work, but they're not simple.

So we thought, why not make this easier? Enter MakeiPhoneRingtone, a free download available right now. Simply drag and drop AAC ringtones (made with any editor, though we hope you'll use Fission) onto this tiny app, and they'll show up in the iPhone Ringtones tab. Sync your iPhone and they'll ready for use.

Apple may release iTunes 7.4.2 in the next few days and change how this works all over again. They were quick to update from version 7.4 to 7.4.1, and ultimately, if Apple wants to lock out home brewed ringtones, they can. That said, we'll do our best to keep MakeiPhoneRingtone working with iTunes updates. Further, if MakeiPhoneRingtone does turn out to be a tenable solution, we'll see about integrating it right into Fission.

For now though, check out Fission to create iPhone ringtones and then use the free MakeiPhoneRingtone to get them onto the iPhone! If you have any problems, issues or questions, email us directly so we can see what's up.

Update (9/11/07 1:30 PM): Apple has now turned on the Ringtones feature in the Store. Once you visit the store, you should see a Ringtones category in your Library (if not, open up Preferences and turn on the newly-visible Ringtones checkbox in the General preferences). Now you can manage all the ringtone files that have been added to iTunes with MakeiPhoneRingtone!

Update (9/13/07 3:00 PM): We've updated MakeiPhoneRingtone to version 1.1 (and changed the download links above). Version 1.1 uses the more stable "stik" method of creating ringtones - read about it or just download the latest.

Because Fission can losslessly edit AAC and MP3 files, it's always been great for creating ringtones. Using Fission, you can crop audio down to your desired snippet, fade the ends in and out, and save, all in just a few clicks. Add the files to any phone that accepts MP3 or AAC audio files for ringtones, and you're all set.

Sadly, Apple's iPhone didn't accept custom ringtones for the first two months of its life. Apple shipped the iPhone with a nice selection of built-in ringtones, but unless you were willing to use one of the assortment of unsupported third-party hacks, the iPhone wouldn't accept other files as ringtones.

Since iTunes 7.4 last week, the iPhone has allowed the use custom ringtones, purchasable from the Apple store. These ringtones are purchased on top of the audio file, for $1.98 total - no small price.

However, it's also possible to make your own home brew ringtones. iTunes 7.4 accepted files with the extension .m4r as ringtones, a trick I first saw all this reported on The Unofficial Apple Weblog. Version 7.4.1 broke this, but this workaround performs just fine. In short, any AAC file can be an iPhone-compatible ringtone, and Fission can help you edit those AAC files.

Using Fission 1.5.1 To Create A Ringtone From An AAC File

Creating a ringtone from an AAC file is quite simple with Fission. Just follow along with these steps (click thumbnails for full-sized screenshots):

Step 1: Open and zoom in

To start, I rip an AAC file of the song Sam's Town from the latest Killers CD. The first 30-60 seconds of the song features a nice intro, so I open it in Fission and zoom in to the first minute.

Step 2: Cut down the audio

I play to where I want the ringtone to end (where the vocals come in at around 45 seconds), pause playback and set a split point (with command-T for Split at Playhead). I then select the second clip (representing the rest of the song) and remove it with the Remove button.

Step 3: Audio adjustments (Fades and gain adjust)

My file's now down to where I want it lengthwise, so it's time for some audio adjustments. Thanks to the loudness war, I need to decrease the gain, so I select the clip by clicking it and use the Gain Adjustment slider to make the song quieter.

The audio already fades in nicely with a drum roll, but I want to fade out the end, so I select the last few seconds and click Fade Out.

Step 4: Save the file

My audio is all set, so I click the Save button and save out my AAC file. I've got my ringtone!

Getting Ringtones Into iTunes 7.4.1 (And Onto The iPhone)

Update (9/11/07 2:00 PM): We heard from people that this part was a pain in the butt, and we realized we could make it better. You can skip all the steps below by using our MakeiPhoneRingtone freebie.

I've got my ringtone file, but I still need to get it into iTunes and onto the iPhone. To do this, I'll follow the aforementioned workaround.

Step 1: Change the file's extension
To start, I select the file in the Finder and choose Get Info from the File menu, then change the extension there to .m4r.

Step 2: Approve the change
I've got to approve this change in the Finder warning by clicking "Use .m4r".

Step 3: Add the file to iTunes
I drag and drop the file to the iTunes Library, and it copies it to a "Ringtones" folder at the Artist level. The file isn't visible anywhere in the iTunes Library but it does show up in the iPhone's Ringtones tab - we're getting somewhere!

Step 4:Turn on the ringtone
Now I can turn on the ringtone in the iPhone Ringtones tab. With iTunes 7.4, I'm all set. However, with iTunes 7.4.1, I'll get an error when I sync saying that the file can't be played by the iPhone.

Step 5 (iTunes 7.4.1 only): Rename the file (again)

To avoid this, I need to change the file's extension back to .m4a. It's absurd, but it works. To do this, I go to my Ringtones (in my Home folder -> Music -> iTunes -> iTunes Music, by default). I find "Sam's Town.m4r", and rename it back to "Sam's Town.m4a" in the Get Info window.

Just as before, I need to approve this change, this time by clicking "Use .m4a" in the resulting dialog.

Once I do this and sync again, the ringtone shows up on my iPhone - huzzah! It may seem like a lot of work, but the combination of editing the file and getting it onto the iPhone really only took a couple minutes. In far less time than it took to read this post, you'll be able to edit ringtones in Fission and get them synced to the iPhone. Enjoy!

Flying Meat Software
Acorn 1.0: "A simple and easy to use image editor, built for the 21st century."

Red Sweater Software
MarsEdit 2.0: "Powerful blog publishing for your Mac"

SoundSource, our indispensable audio device selection tool, has just been updated to version 1.3. In addition to a sleek new icon that everyone will enjoy, version 1.3 has a special "Autoswitch to Headphones" feature just for Mac Pro users.

On Mac Pros, the line output device is no longer paired with the headphone output, which means that plugging in headphones doesn't automatically switch your output to the headphone jack. No longer do you need to manually change your output via the Sound system preference, or even in SoundSource. With SoundSource's "Auto-Switch To Headphones" option turned on, your output will switch automatically. Our thanks to Paul Kim of Noodlesoft, makers of Hazel, for inspiration and assistance with this.

But SoundSource isn't just for Mac Pro users. It's a great tool for anyone who wants to quickly adjust their audio device settings, including inputs and outputs, with a single click. Head to our Freebies to learn more and download SoundSource.