What's New

Recent updates and improvements to Podabra

v2.7 — Sound Bank Overhaul, Show Plan & UX

Realtime MP3 and Cross Fade Music now on by default: Brand-new visitors (no saved settings yet) previously got both options off by default, even though a returning user with settings that pre-date these features would get them on automatically. First-time and returning users now see the same defaults.
Mic mute fix — "mic goes to sleep": Muting/unmuting (globally or per input slot) now resumes the AudioContext first if the browser/OS suspended it in the background. Previously, if that happened while muted, clicking Unmute updated the UI but nothing audible actually resumed — audio and VU meters stayed dead until something else happened to wake the context. Also fixed: re-enabling a disabled input slot now always clears any leftover mute flag instead of possibly staying silently muted, and the global Mute/Unmute button's label now always matches what clicking it will actually do.
Show Plan segment playback fixes: Jumping to another segment while one was already playing, or pressing Stop, no longer marks the segment "done" — it's now a distinct stopped state (light red) so it stays replayable and doesn't get confused with completion. The segment panel's pause-shaped button is now a stop icon, matching what it actually does (there's no true pause/resume for Bank B playback, so it always restarts from the first track). Pressing N or auto-advancing with Cross Fade Music enabled now always moves to the next pending/stopped segment in order, instead of sometimes jumping back to an earlier segment that was skipped. The "up next" red highlight in the plan panel is now purely a pristine-plan cue on Segment 1 before anything has played — once playback starts, colour only reflects real state (green = playing, light red = stopped). Stopping a track directly from its own slot button (instead of the plan panel) now immediately updates the segment view too — it no longer keeps showing "playing" for audio that's actually silent, or lags behind by several seconds when Cross Fade Music is on. The light-red "stopped" highlight also clears once you move on to a different segment — it no longer lingers on a segment you stopped several actions ago.
Bank B waveform preview: Each Bank B slot now shows a miniature waveform when a track is loaded, giving a quick visual cue to the shape and density of the audio.
Show notes Markdown export: The Generated Show Notes modal now has a Copy as Markdown button alongside the existing HTML copy, producing a standard pipe-table you can paste directly into podcast platforms that don't accept HTML.
Crossfade auto-advance between plan segments: When Cross Fade Music is enabled in plan mode, each completed segment automatically advances to the next without requiring a manual N keypress — making fully automated playlist runs possible.
Continuous crossfade fix: Cross Fade Music now genuinely overlaps tracks during Show Plan playback — both within a segment and between segments — instead of cutting hard between them. The checkbox is re-checked on every transition, so toggling it mid-podcast takes effect immediately.
VU meter redraw fix: Input and sound-bank level meters were redrawing their needle on every animation frame even when the reading barely changed, which competed with the main thread for CPU time and made button clicks feel sluggish — most noticeably while music was playing. Meters now only redraw on a meaningful change, cutting per-frame rendering cost by roughly two-thirds with no visible difference in the meters themselves.
Track durations in plan panel: Each track listed in the Show Plan panel now shows its decoded duration (m:ss) alongside the name so you can time your segments at a glance.
Mobile notice remembered: Dismissing the desktop-only notice now persists across sessions — it no longer reappears on every page reload.
Escape to close plan panel: Press Esc to close the floating plan panel, consistent with all other modal and panel dismissal.
Show notes XSS hardening: All show-notes fields (title, artist, album, release, link) are now HTML-escaped before being inserted into the preview, and link hrefs are validated to require http:// or https://.
Output & Show Notes pages restyled: Both pages now use labelled sub-sections with icons and visual grouping — Recording Settings, File Naming, Track List, Intro/Outro — making them easier to scan and use at a glance.
Debug logging gated: Verbose console.log calls in the playback engine and event handlers are now gated behind a DEBUG = false flag, removing noise from production DevTools output.
Plan reset filters invalid tracks: Pressing Reset in the plan panel now re-creates the runtime plan on the fly — segments with no loaded MP3 are removed and empty slots within each segment are stripped out. The saved plan definition is never modified, so re-opening the editor still shows the full original layout.
Show Plan: Click Plan in the Bank B header to set up a named, segment-based show plan. Group Bank B tracks into segments (solo tracks or clusters), name each segment, and save as a reusable plan. During recording, click a segment's play button or press N to play the next pending segment. Each completed segment is your cue to start talking. Multiple named plans can be saved and switched between via the Plan Editor.
Dynamic Bank A & B slots: Neither bank is limited to 8 slots any more. Click Add Slot in either header to add more — Bank A goes up to 26 (A–Z), Bank B is unlimited. Slot counts are saved and restored between sessions.
Per-slot clear / remove: Every slot has a button next to the load icon. On default slots (A–H / 1–8) it clears the loaded sound; on extra slots it removes the slot entirely. A confirmation is always shown first.
Equal-width banks: Bank A and Bank B are always exactly the same width, and both expand to fill all available horizontal space on wider screens.
Show notes prompt on reload: Loading a new set of tracks into Bank B now asks "Would you like to reset the show notes?" — confirming resets them for the new tracks; cancelling preserves your existing notes exactly.
Draggable shortcuts panel: The keyboard shortcuts panel (?) is now a floating, non-modal panel you can leave open while recording. Drag it by its title bar to position it anywhere on screen.
Filename tooltip: Hovering over a slot's name field shows the original loaded filename — useful when the display name has been edited or truncated.
Auto-Stop Recording button fix: When Auto-Stop triggered at the end of the last Bank B track, the record button could get stuck in "Stop Recording". Teardown is now fully isolated so the button always resets correctly.
Mic mute indicator: A persistent pulsing MIC MUTED banner appears below the record button whenever the mic is muted.
Keyboard shortcuts panel: The ? key opens a compact shortcuts-only panel; the full help guide remains accessible from the link at the bottom.
Bank A clear fix: Clearing Bank A now correctly removes sounds from IndexedDB so they no longer reappear after a page reload.
Per-slot mic enable checkbox: Each microphone input slot has a checkbox to enable or disable it independently, separating "which mics are active" from "temporarily mute this mic".
Controls panel dimmed when uninitialised: The audio controls area dims until Initialize Audio Devices is clicked.

v2.6 — Code Quality & Infrastructure

Automated test suite: A new Deno-based test suite covers core modules, giving a safety net for future changes.
Internal documentation: All JavaScript modules now have full JSDoc coverage — function signatures, parameters, return types, and module descriptions throughout the codebase.
Contact form infrastructure: The feedback form now reads email routing from environment variables, matching standard deployment practice across Podabra's services.

v2.5 — Multi-Input Auto-Connect, Processing & Polish

Auto-connect all inputs, all muted by default: When you initialise audio, every detected microphone or audio interface input (up to 4) appears as its own slot automatically — no dropdown, no Connect button. The Audio Setup panel widens to show all slots side by side. Each slot starts muted; unmute only the mic(s) you want to record. This prevents any unintended signal leaking into the mix before you're ready, and makes it impossible to accidentally record the wrong microphone.
Per-input audio processing: Each mic slot now has four independent processing toggles — NS (browser-level noise suppression), EC (echo cancellation), HP (80 Hz high-pass filter to cut desk rumble and HVAC noise), and Gate (noise gate with adjustable threshold and release). All are off by default so they never conflict with hardware that already handles these. Re-acquiring the stream is automatic when you toggle NS or EC.
Global compressor: A single-click Compressor checkbox below the input panel applies a broadcast-style dynamics preset (−18 dBFS threshold, 4:1 ratio, 3 ms attack, 250 ms release) across the entire mic mix. Disable it if your audio interface has hardware compression.
Live LUFS monitor: Enable the LUFS checkbox to see your mic input level in real time using a K-weighted filter that approximates the ITU-R BS.1770 broadcast standard. Aim for −18 to −12 LUFS while speaking.
Clip indicators on VU meters: A red CLIP badge latches on any input VU meter when the signal hits full scale. Click the badge to reset it — clips are detected via time-domain analysis every animation frame so you never miss a peak.
Screen stays awake during recordings: Podabra requests the Screen Wake Lock API when recording starts, preventing the display from sleeping mid-session. The lock is released when recording stops and automatically re-acquired if you switch tabs and return.
MP3 chapter marks from T-key markers: T-key timestamps logged during a recording are embedded as ID3v2 chapter frames (CHAP / CTOC) when you export to MP3. Apps that support chapters — Overcast, Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts — display them as a navigable chapter list.
55-minute MP3 countdown: A second warning fires at 55 minutes and a pulsing countdown appears in the final 5 minutes before the 60-minute MP3 gate closes.
Keyboard shortcut hint: A concise cheat-sheet (Space Record · M Mute · T Marker · 1–8 Play) sits below the record button so shortcuts are discoverable without opening Help.
Active Bank B slot highlight: The currently-playing Bank B track is highlighted with a green left border and tinted background — easy to spot at a glance during a live show.
VU meters always active: Input level meters run continuously whenever audio is initialized — not just during recording — so you can monitor levels before you hit record.
Filename preview: A live preview beneath the filename fields shows the exact output filename (e.g. podcast_episode1.mp3) before you export.
Show Notes editability cues: Input cells in the Show Notes table now show a highlighted border on hover and carry tooltip text so it's immediately clear they can be edited.
Crossfade field unit label: The Chain Cross Fade input now shows a s (seconds) suffix and a descriptive tooltip, removing ambiguity about the unit.
Clearer suspended-context errors: If the audio context is suspended, error messages now say exactly what to do: "click anywhere on the page to resume it, then try again."
ID3 tag import for Show Notes: Bank B MP3s are parsed for embedded ID3 tags (title, artist, album, year) when loaded. Click Import ID3 Tags on the Show Notes page to fill empty fields automatically — existing entries are never overwritten.
Undo for destructive clears: Clearing the Recording Log or Show Notes shows a 5-second Undo button. The action is applied immediately but fully reversible.
Release Audio: A Release Audio button fully tears down the audio session when you're done, freeing the microphone for other applications without a page refresh.
Microphone permission guidance: If microphone access is denied, a clear actionable message tells you exactly how to unblock it — no more silent disabled button.
Bank B reload warning: Navigating away or refreshing while Bank B tracks are loaded triggers the browser's leave-page prompt, preventing accidental loss of your playlist.
Overly long audio files rejected gracefully: Loading a file that decodes to more than 2 hours shows a clear error toast instead of silently exhausting browser memory.
Respects your OS theme on first visit: Podabra reads your OS dark/light preference (prefers-color-scheme) and applies it automatically on first launch. Your explicit toggle always takes priority after that.
Mobile notice: A dismissible banner on narrow screens explains that Podabra is optimised for desktop, setting expectations rather than presenting a degraded layout silently.
Modal focus trap: Keyboard focus stays inside open dialogs (inert on background content), meeting WCAG 2.1 requirements.
VU meter accessibility: All VU meter canvases carry role="meter" and a live aria-valuenow updated each frame for screen-reader compatibility.
Toast notifications secured: Status and undo toasts no longer render HTML — all content is set as plain text, closing a potential XSS vector from crafted filenames or ID3 tags.
Feedback form hardened: Feedback submissions include a X-Requested-With header, helping the backend distinguish legitimate form submissions from cross-site requests.
VU meter fix for newly connected inputs: Fixed a bug where re-initialising audio (e.g. after plugging in a second microphone) could leave one or more input VU meters blank. Stale gauge references from the previous session are now detected and discarded, so every slot always gets a live meter.
Load Bank B tracks before audio is initialised: You no longer need to initialise your microphone before dragging tracks into Bank B. Files are stored as raw audio data and decoded automatically on first play — queue up your music before you're ready to record.
Cleaner input slot management: Input slot creation and teardown were overhauled to remove race conditions when multiple devices open in quick succession. Each slot that fails to open is skipped cleanly without affecting the others.

v2.4 — Multiple Inputs, Per-Input Controls & More

Floating Audio Setup Panel: Audio Setup has moved off its own tab and now lives as a free-floating, collapsible dialog on the Create screen. Drag it anywhere, collapse it to a slim header when not in use, and keep it open while you record. Position and collapsed state are remembered between sessions.
Audio Init Status Indicator: A red/green dot in the Audio Setup header shows at a glance whether audio has been initialised — useful when the panel is collapsed.
Smarter Auto-Stop: Auto-Stop now waits for the last loaded Bank B slot to finish — not just whichever track happens to be playing — so it fires correctly at the true end of your music.
Filename suffix improvements: The suffix field is now always editable (no longer locked until audio is initialised), defaults to blank, and is joined to the prefix with an underscore only when populated.
Control tooltips: Hover over Monitor Mic, Auto-Duck Music, or Auto-Stop Recording to see a brief description of what each option does.
Multiple Simultaneous Inputs (up to 4): Audio Setup automatically detects available microphones and audio interfaces. Connect or disconnect each one independently — perfect for co-hosted shows or separating guest and host feeds.
Per-Input Level Meter: Each input slot shows a live RadialGauge VU meter (the same style as the Create page), active as soon as audio is initialised — no need to start recording first.
Per-Input Gain & Stereo Pan: A Gain slider and L↔R pan slider sit directly under each meter. Balance levels and position sources in the stereo field independently per slot.
Per-Input Mute: Silence any individual input instantly without affecting the others.
Mic master volume removed: The shared Mic slider in Volume Levels is gone — per-slot Gain controls replace it entirely.
Dedicated Stop Shortcut for Sound Bank B: Shift+1–8 stops a Bank B track immediately. Plain 1–8 always plays, so accidental stops mid-track are impossible.
Keyboard shortcuts for volume: O / P nudge master volume down/up; L / ; nudge Sound FX volume down/up — all without touching the mouse.
Keyboard shortcuts for input gain: Q / W adjust Input 1 gain; A / S adjust Input 2 gain. Each press steps by 5%.
Show Notes persist across sessions: Everything in the Show Notes table and the prefix/suffix text areas is saved automatically and restored on your next visit.
Clear Notes button: Wipes the entire Show Notes table and text areas in one click (with confirmation).
Prompt before overwriting notes: Loading a new set of Bank B tracks when the Show Notes table already has data prompts you to clear first — so you never silently lose episode notes.

v2.3 — Realtime Recording, Auto-Stop & Log

Realtime MP3 Recording: Opt-in feature that encodes MP3 in a background Web Worker during recording. When you stop, the worker finishes encoding and the Save Realtime .mp3 button is enabled — no full post-processing pass required. Enable it in the Output section.
Realtime WAV Recording (Chrome/Edge only): Streams lossless 16-bit PCM WAV directly to disk using the File System Access API. Choose your save location before recording starts. On stop, the RIFF header is written and the file is closed — the WAV is finalised within a few seconds regardless of recording length.
Both methods available: Standard MP3 export (Save .mp3) and realtime export coexist — use whichever suits your workflow.
Auto-Stop Recording: Enable in the Controls section. Recording stops automatically once the last Bank B slot with audio loaded has finished playing — not just the currently-playing track, but the highest-numbered slot in your bank.
Recording Log: A new Log page (sidebar) keeps a running record of every recording session — start time, each Bank B track that played (with timestamp in the recording), manual T-key markers, and the end time with total duration.
T-Key Timestamps: Press T at any point during a recording to drop a timestamped marker in the log. Click the Note column to annotate any entry.
Editable & Saveable: The log table is fully editable — click any cell to modify it. Use the Save Log button to export as a tab-separated text file.

v2.2 — UI Polish

Bank B controls layout: Cross Fade Music and Chain Cross Fade Before End now each sit on their own line, preventing awkward wrapping.
Recording size estimate: Space is now reserved before recording starts so the timer area no longer shifts when the first size value appears.

v2.1 — Responsive MP3 Encoding

UI stays responsive during MP3 export: Encoding is now interleaved with browser paint frames, so the window no longer freezes or goes blank during long encodes.
MP3 encoding progress bar: A full-width progress bar in the Output section tracks encoding completion at a glance.
Live recording file size: The recording timer now shows an estimated file size that updates in real time as you record, so you can judge when to stop.

v2.0 — Recording Countdown

3-Second Pre-Roll Countdown: A full-screen countdown (3→2→1) gives presenters time to settle and get ready before the recording begins.
Skip Button: Click Skip during the countdown to start recording immediately.

v1.9 — ID3 Tag Support

MP3 Metadata (ID3 Tags): Title, Artist, Album, Year, Track, Genre, Comment, and Cover Art are now embedded in saved MP3 files automatically.
Settings Persistence: ID3 tag fields are saved and restored across sessions.

v1.8 — Audio Page & Refreshed Layout

Dedicated Audio Page: Audio device setup now has its own page, the first stop when you open Podabra.
Always-Visible Sections: Removed collapsible toggles — all sections are open by default for quicker access.
Section Header Bands: Section headings now have a full-width tinted background for clearer visual structure.
Larger Navigation Icons: Sidebar icons are bigger and easier to click at a glance.

v1.7 — Sidebar Navigation

Sidebar Page Navigation: Replaced the tab bar with a clean icon sidebar on the left.
Dedicated Output Page: The Output section now lives on its own page, giving more room for the waveform preview and download controls.
More Screen Space: Each page now uses the full available width.

v1.6 — Podabra

Rebranded to Podabra: New name, logo, and brand identity throughout the app.
Podabra Colour Theme: Refreshed UI using Podabra's signature orange and purple palette, in both light and dark modes.
Prominent Record Button: Larger record button with a pulsing animation while recording is active.
Sticky Controls Panel: Controls and Volume panels stay in view as you scroll.

v1.5

Stop Recording Confirmation: Prevents accidental stops.
Page Leave Warning: Browser warning when navigating away mid-recording.
Improved Audio Quality: Echo cancellation, noise suppression, and auto gain control disabled for cleaner recordings.
WebA Format: Recordings save as .weba (audio-only WebM).
Load File for Conversion: Load a saved .weba/.webm to convert to MP3 without re-recording.
Auto-Duck Music: Sound bank volume automatically lowers while speaking.

v1.3 – v1.4

Track Chaining (v1.4): Chain Bank B slots to auto-play in sequence with cross-fade.
Dark Mode (v1.3): Toggle between light and dark theme.
VU Meters (v1.3): Analog-style VU meters replace simple volume bars.
Cross-Fading (v1.3): Independent cross-fade options for Sound FX and Music.

`Space`	Start / Stop recording
`M`	Toggle mic mute
`T`	Drop a timestamp marker in the Recording Log
`A` – `H`	Play Bank A sound effect slot
`1` – `8`	Play Bank B music slot
`Shift` + `1`–`8`	Stop Bank B music slot
`N`	Play next Show Plan segment (plan mode only)
`?`	Open / close this shortcuts panel
`Esc`	Close the active dialog

Podabra

Sound Banks

A (Effects)

B (Music)

Output

Recording Settings

File Naming

MP3 Metadata (ID3 Tags)

Recording Preview

Show Notes

Recording Log

Sound Banks

A (Effects)

B (Music)

Output

Recording Settings

File Naming

MP3 Metadata (ID3 Tags)

Recording Preview

Show Notes

Recording Log

Disclaimer

Keyboard Shortcuts

Help & Information

Submit Feedback

Show Plan Editor

Confirm Action

Generated Show Notes Preview

What's New

Welcome to Podabra

Getting Started

Audio Device Tips