A podcaster workflow on a Mac: script, segment timer and notes
For a podcast, NotchStar can hold your intro script, time each segment, store a few show notes and keep the links you copy. It does not record audio, edit or publish. Your recorder does that. These are the four tools and how they fit.
Read the intro and ads
Open Teleprompter, press the pencil, paste the intro, sponsor read or outro and press the check. Set the speed with the slider while you read aloud, so the pace matches your voice. The script is plain text and there is one at a time, so paste the one you need next. The prompter scrolls at a fixed speed and does not follow you, so for a conversation it is better to use it only for the parts you read.
Time the segments
- Open Timers, Timer mode.
- Choose a length between 5 and 60 minutes for the segment.
- Pick a finish sound and check it is not loud enough to reach your microphone. The sound plays through your Mac’s speakers, so use headphones, or choose No Sound and watch the time.
- Press play. The countdown keeps running when the notch is closed. Hover over the notch to read it.
- When it ends, the timer resets to the same length for the next segment.
If you want the elapsed time of a whole episode instead, use the Stopwatch, which counts up and keeps running when the notch is closed.
Show notes and links
Type timestamps and topics in a Quick Note as you go: a time, a word, a reminder. It saves as you type and holds one plain text note. Copy any link a guest mentions. The Clipboard keeps the last 50 copies, so after the session you can click through them and paste each one into your show notes page. The history clears when NotchStar quits, so paste before you quit.
Mind the microphone
Typing in Quick Note and clicking can be picked up by a nearby microphone. Take notes in short bursts, or use the note between takes. NotchStar does not mute you or manage your audio.
What it does not do
- It does not record, transcribe or edit.
- It does not detect when you stop talking.
- Timers reset when NotchStar quits, and there is no recurring alert.
- Nothing syncs with your phone.
For the technique of focused blocks while editing, see studying with a Pomodoro timer, which applies equally to editing. The Timers page lists the modes.
