Rogue Amoeba: Fine Audio Software for Your Mac (Sponsor)

This week, my friends at Rogue Amoeba are back to sponsor MacSparky. They make an incredible lineup of audio tools for your Mac, useful for everyone from home hobbyists to professional podcasters and studio technicians.

Thanks to the work the team did in tandem with Apple (see the epic backstory!), you can now get started with Rogue Amoeba’s tools in mere seconds. That includes their flagship audio recording utility Audio Hijack, which was recently updated to version 4.5 with enhancements to the secure and local Transcribe block. (This is the app that I use to record everything from the Mac Power Users on down.)

They also make Loopback, which lets you do things like combine microphone audio with the audio playing from apps running right on your Mac, to create a virtual audio device. It’s a perfect way to spice up calls on Zoom or FaceTime, or make your screen recordings even more immersive. Add their top-notch soundboard app Farrago can manage backing tracks and sound effects while you’re recording your podcast.

SoundSource is the premier audio control app for your Mac. Now you can control the volume of each individual app, apply audio effects (including Audio Unit plugins), and redirect to the different output devices you have available on your system. All this power comes in an app that lives right in your menu bar for instant access. In my opinion, no Mac is fully set up until SoundSource is installed.

You can test out Rogue Amoeba’s software for free with their fully-functional trials, then make a one-time purchase online. Best of all, as a MacSparky reader, you can save 20% through the end of March. Just use coupon code SPARKYXX at their store.

My thanks to Rogue Amoeba for supporting MacSparky, and all my audio needs.

Timing is Your Silent Partner in Productivity (Sponsor)

This week, MacSparky is delighted to feature Timing, the premier automatic time-tracking app for Mac users. Unlike traditional timers that require manual activation, Timing works seamlessly in the background, meticulously recording your activity across apps, websites, and documents. This ensures you gain an accurate and comprehensive overview of how your time is allocated, enabling you to identify productivity patterns and areas for improvement. Looking at your Timing log will let you know exactly what went down if your day ever gets away from you.

AI summaries show you how you spend your time

Key Features of Timing

  • Automatic Tracking: No need to remember to start or stop timers. Timing automatically logs your activities, capturing every detail without manual intervention.
  • Detailed Insights: Review precise data on the duration spent on specific applications, documents, or websites. For instance, distinguish between time dedicated to a client proposal in Word versus casual browsing on retail sites.
  • AI-Powered Summaries: Leverage artificial intelligence to receive concise summaries of your daily activities, helping you quickly grasp where your time goes without sifting through extensive logs.
  • Team Functionality: Timing also has teams support. Collaborate effortlessly by sharing projects, while managers can view aggregated time reports. Importantly, individual privacy is respected, as only manual time entries are visible to supervisors, ensuring a non-intrusive tracking environment.
  • Integration and Automation: Timing offers seamless integration with various tools and supports automation through features like Siri Shortcuts and a web API, enhancing your workflow efficiency.
  • Web App Access: Access your Timing data from anywhere using the Timing web app. Start and stop timers on the go, manage your team, and integrate with other services, ensuring flexibility and control over your time tracking.

Understanding how you spend your time is the first step toward enhanced productivity. By providing an unobtrusive and precise tracking system, Timing empowers you to make informed decisions about your time.

Fantastical: The Premier Calendar App (Sponsor)

I’m delighted to welcome back Flexibits as a MacSparky sponsor. Their premier calendar application, Fantastical, continues to set the standard for personal and professional scheduling. With the recent release of Fantastical, the app has expanded its reach beyond the Apple ecosystem, now offering native support for Windows users as well.

Fantastical’s intuitive natural language event creation allows you to schedule meetings, set reminders, and plan tasks effortlessly. The app’s beautiful and clean interface provides multiple views, including day, week, month, quarter, and year, ensuring you have the flexibility to manage your time effectively. It also beautifully integrates with Apple’s Reminders app.

One standout feature is the integration popular video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, Webex, and Microsoft Teams. This means you can schedule and join virtual meetings directly from your calendar without any hassle. I set all of my MacSparky Labs calls in Fantastical and the associated Zoom event is created with a single click.

For those who appreciate customization, Fantastical offers Calendar Sets, allowing you to group different calendars and task lists together. These sets can be enabled based on your location or a specific time, providing a tailored experience that adapts to your routine.

The recent update also enhances the Apple Watch app, making it more user friendly with added features. With interactive widgets and support for Live Activities, staying on top of your schedule has never been easier.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive calendar solution that seamlessly integrates with your devices and enhances your productivity, I recommend giving Fantastical a try. Experience the convenience and efficiency that comes with using a top-tier calendar app designed to meet all your scheduling needs.

DEVONthink – Your Research Command Center (Sponsor)

One question I frequently get from MacSparky readers and MPU listeners is: “What’s the best tool for managing research on the Mac?” My answer is always DEVONthink, and this week I’m happy to have them as a sponsor.

Let me tell you about my favorite new feature: the Mentions inspector. Think of it as your digital librarian that automatically discovers connections in your research. When you select a document, Mentions shows you everywhere its title appears across your database, complete with context. I’ve found this invaluable for uncovering relationships in my research that I didn’t even know existed.

official application icon for DEVONthink

But that’s just scratching the surface. Here’s what makes DEVONthink my go-to research tool:

  • Its AI engine learns how you organize and helps file new documents
  • A powerful search language that lets you construct precise queries
  • Rock-solid sync across devices with end-to-end encryption
  • Smart rules and reminders to automate your workflow
  • Rich AppleScript support for deep automation (I use this constantly)

The DEVONthink team keeps pushing the envelope with thoughtful improvements. Recent updates have brought enhanced PDF annotation, seamless Evernote import capabilities, and expanded Markdown support. This continuous evolution is why DEVONthink remains central to my research workflow.

If you’re looking to level up your research game, DEVONthink is offering MacSparky readers a 20% discount. It’s the tool I trust with my own research, and I think you’ll find it just as indispensable.

My thanks to DEVONthink for supporting MacSparky.

Simple Scan: From Documents to PDFs in Seconds (Sponsor)

Scanning apps on iOS have taken a turn for the worse. Many have become bloated with features. Monetization schemes have multiplied. That’s what Greg Pierce (maker of Drafts) realized when he wanted to scan a document to a PDF. The good news is that Greg fixed that with his scanning app, Simple Scan. Simple Scan lives up to its name by doing one thing really well: turning your paper documents into high-quality, searchable PDFs with minimal fuss.

What sets Simple Scan apart is its focused approach. Simple Scan is purpose-built for quick document capture. Just scan and send, no document library to manage. Every PDF is automatically processed with OCR, making your scanned documents fully searchable.

The app comes with thoughtful features like custom destinations for frequent tasks (perfect for “Email to Myself”), direct saves to specific folders, and flexible output options, including high-quality JPEGs. And true to its principles of simplicity, you’ll never see ads. Ever. I use this app all the time.

Simple Scan is free to try, with a Pro version available as either a low-cost annual subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase.

Simplify your scanning workflow with Simple Scan today.

Listen Later: Get Your Articles as Podcasts (Sponsor)

This week, MacSparky is pleased to welcome back Listen Later as a sponsor. Listen Later is a service that transforms articles, emails, and PDFs into personalized podcast episodes using their advanced AI narrator. This allows you to listen to your reading list during commutes, workouts, or any time you’re on the go.

This service really scratches an itch for me. There is so much good long-form content out there these days and consuming it while washing the dishes, walking the dog, or on a long commute is very satisfying.

Their AI not only narrates but brings life to the content with a quality that stands out among AI voices. You can access your personalized podcast episodes on all devices through any podcast app, ensuring you stay connected with your preferred content anytime and anywhere.

Beyond articles, Listen Later can also convert emails and PDFs into podcasts, making it perfect for transforming work documents, newsletters, or any textual content into listenable formats. Additionally, Listen Later can translate content into multiple languages, making global content accessible and enjoyable in your preferred language.

Sign up for the service today, and you’ll receive $2 of free credit, providing an easy way to try it out for yourself at no risk. Experience the convenience of turning your reading list into a personalized podcast with Listen Later.

WinterFest 2024: Great Tools for a Productive New Year (Sponsor)

The new year is almost here, and with it comes fresh projects, big ideas, and opportunities to grow. Whether you’re writing your next novel, finishing a research project, planning your business, or journaling life’s moments for your loved ones, having the right tools makes all the difference.

That’s why I’m excited to have WinterFest 2024 as this week’s sponsor. This annual event brings together a curated collection of artisanal software–thoughtfully crafted tools designed to help you think, write, and create more effectively.

WinterFest is a celebration of software artisans–small teams of developers who care deeply about their tools and their customers. These aren’t cookie-cutter apps churned out by big corporations. These are finely honed tools that are constantly updated, well-supported, and built to help you do your best work.

No gimmicks. No bloated bundles. Just great software with a terrific discount for a limited time.

I’ve been using and recommending many of these tools for years. They’re the kinds of apps you rely on every day–apps that spark creativity, improve productivity, and make hard work feel a little easier.

With WinterFest 2024, you’ll find tools for:

  • Writing — from outlines to manuscripts to polished final drafts.
  • Researching — collecting and organizing your ideas with ease.
  • Planning — structuring your projects, goals, and next steps.
  • Thinking — capturing, exploring, and refining your best ideas.

Each tool works seamlessly on its own and plays well with others, creating a powerful and flexible workflow tailored to your needs.

For a limited time, you can grab these incredible apps at a significant discount. Just head over to the WinterFest website and check it out.

WinterFest 2024: Great Tools for a Productive New Year (Sponsor)

The new year is almost here, and with it comes fresh projects, big ideas, and opportunities to grow. Whether you’re writing your next novel, finishing a research project, planning your business, or journaling life’s moments for your loved ones, having the right tools makes all the difference.

That’s why I’m excited to have WinterFest 2024 as this week’s sponsor. This annual event brings together a curated collection of artisanal software–thoughtfully crafted tools designed to help you think, write, and create more effectively.

WinterFest is a celebration of software artisans–small teams of developers who care deeply about their tools and their customers. These aren’t cookie-cutter apps churned out by big corporations. These are finely honed tools that are constantly updated, well-supported, and built to help you do your best work.

No gimmicks. No bloated bundles. Just great software with a terrific discount for a limited time.

I’ve been using and recommending many of these tools for years. They’re the kinds of apps you rely on every day–apps that spark creativity, improve productivity, and make hard work feel a little easier.

With WinterFest 2024, you’ll find tools for:

  • Writing — from outlines to manuscripts to polished final drafts.
  • Researching — collecting and organizing your ideas with ease.
  • Planning — structuring your projects, goals, and next steps.
  • Thinking — capturing, exploring, and refining your best ideas.

Each tool works seamlessly on its own and plays well with others, creating a powerful and flexible workflow tailored to your needs.

For a limited time, you can grab these incredible apps at a significant discount. Just head over to the WinterFest website and check it out.

Get Organized with DEVONthink (Sponsor)

official application icon for DEVONthink

I often hear from listeners and readers looking for a research solution in the Mac ecosystem. My favorite app for this, without a doubt, is DEVONthink. DEVONthink is the most professional document and information management application for the Mac. It’s the one place for storing all your documents, snippets, or bookmarks, and working with them.

The integrated AI engine assists you with filing and searching, while the extensive search language includes advanced Boolean operators.

DEVONthink features a flexible sync system that supports many cloud services — or lets you synchronize over your local network — with everything securely encrypted. This gives you the choice for whichever syncing works best for you!

It has Smart rules and flexible reminders that let you automate all parts of your workflow and delegate boring, repeating tasks. Let DEVONthink automatically organize your data with rules you define!

DEVONthink’s AppleScript dictionary is one of the best on the Mac. There’s no part of DEVONthink that can’t be automated. Extend DEVONthink’s functionality with your own commands by adding them to its Scripts menu. Even templates can have scripts inside and you can set up new documents with data from placeholders, or inserted using your own AppleScript code.

DEVONthink just continues to get better. In the latest update they improved PDF annotation, Evernote import, Markdown functionality, and added even more AppleScript and JavaScript automation.

I find DEVONthink’s combination of innovative features and automation support irresistible. Interested? MacSparky readers can get a 20% discount on DEVONthink.

Yoink for Improved Drag-and-Drop

This week MacSparky is sponsored by Yoink (Website) (for Mac) (for iOS). Dragging and dropping files from one place to another is a common task, but it’s not that easy.

You have to click on the file you want to move, drag it over to the destination of your choice, and drop it there. This can be done if you’re lucky enough to land in the right spot and have just the right windows open next to each other. You also have to do this while looking at your monitor, which means that every time you drag something around, you are distracted from what else might be happening in front of your eyes. Moving files shouldn’t feel like defusing a bomb.

Yoink allows users to easily drag & drop items, getting files exactly where they belong and without having to have everything set “just right” in advance. They have a version for Mac, iPhone, and iPad and I use it daily. Everybody needs a shelf. Make your technology shelf Yoink.

There are several reasons I chose Yoink over its competitors. First, I like the design. It looks nice but also gets out of the way when I’m not using it. Second, Yoink has been around for a while, and it has both stability and a rich set of features. Get Yoink if you need a shelf app that won’t let you down.

Yoink’s developer also has two other useful apps, ScreenFloat (a screenshot utility) and Transloader (a download utility). You can get a bundle with all three apps in the App Store.