Speed-up App does not work in Monterey - need replacement

[Karen P]

I use my Speed-up app every single day throughout the day to speed up my podcasts and also anything I have on iTunes, particularly voice recordings that I put there myself. I know that the podcast app has four different settings where you can control the speed, but that's really not enough. But iTunes seems to have nothing.

Does anybody know of a replacement app that will work for both podcasts and anything on iTunes that will allow me to customize the speed? Speed-up let me put in absolutely any number and it was so easy to switch on the fly while playback was going.

 

[MacInWin]

Do you mean the Speed-up app in the Mac App store? If so, it should work on Monterey. Why do you think it does not?

 

[Karen P]

Do you mean the Speed-up app in the Mac App store? If so, it should work on Monterey. Why do you think it does not?

Yes, that's the one. I just upgraded my iMac from HS to Mont. and Speed-up no longer works for either Podcasts or iTunes. When I look at the reviews on it, people started commenting that it stopped working in Catalina. It was last updated 3 years ago.

 

[MacInWin]

But what are YOU seeing? Any error messages, warnings, etc? Why do YOU think it's not working? Nevermind what others may say.

 

[MacInWin]

One thing to bear in mind is that Speed-up addresses iTunes, which no longer exists in Monterey. And Podcasts, the app in Monterey, has speed controls up to double integrated into it, so the app may no longer be needed.

 

[Karen P]

But what are YOU seeing? Any error messages, warnings, etc? Why do YOU think it's not working? Nevermind what others may say.

Because it's literally not working. The Speed-up app itself looks the same. No messages or anything to indicate a problem. I see the drop down list of all my custom and built-in speeds and I can click on them, change preferences, etc. But the app no longer has any effect of what I'm playing either in Podcasts or iTunes. It's like the app is working but it's disconnected from the programs it's supposed to be working on. Does that make sense?

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Because it's literally not working. The Speed-up app itself looks the same. No messages or anything to indicate a problem. I see the drop down list of all my custom and built-in speeds and I can click on them, change preferences, etc. But the app no longer has any effect of what I'm playing either in Podcasts or iTunes. It's like the app is working but it's disconnected from the programs it's supposed to be working on. Does that make sense?

You said you have upgraded to Monterey, but also talk about this app not working in iTunes. Monterey doesn't come with iTunes and AFAIK you can't simply pull iTunes from an older version of OS X and run it in Monterey.

I assume you are using the app named Speed-Up for iTunes on the App Store. If not, you should clarify. If so, the app's description on the App Store says it is not compatible with Apple Music. By that, they are referring to the Music app that has replaced iTunes starting with Catalina. Unfortunately, there's nothing to be done here. The app is only compatible with iTunes, and iTunes has been discontinued in macOS. It's on the developer to update it for Music, if it even can be.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

If this app was meant to work with iTunes, that isn't work on Monterey since has been mentioned, there is no iTunes anymore, the new app is Music. Music is not a new name for iTunes, it's a totally different app and a lot of mods that worked with iTunes in the past no longer work.

I had a number of similar apps for iTunes that I can't find replacements for.

 

[Karen P]

You said you have upgraded to Monterey, but also talk about this app not working in iTunes. Monterey doesn't come with iTunes and AFAIK you can't simply pull iTunes from an older version of OS X and run it in Monterey.

I assume you are using the app named Speed-Up for iTunes on the App Store. If not, you should clarify. If so, the app's description on the App Store says it is not compatible with Apple Music. By that, they are referring to the Music app that has replaced iTunes starting with Catalina. Unfortunately, there's nothing to be done here. The app is only compatible with iTunes, and iTunes has been discontinued in macOS. It's on the developer to update it for Music, if it even can be.

Yes, that is the correct app, and yes my language was off - it is not working in either Podcasts or Music (both previously known as iTunes).

That leads me to the idea of searching for apps that DO work with "Music" because I had been searching under the term "iTunes" with no luck.

If you have any suggestions, I'm open to them. I can use Quicktime in the meanwhile, but it is not integrated into the system the way Speed-up was.

Thank you.

 

[Karen P]

One thing to bear in mind is that Speed-up addresses iTunes, which no longer exists in Monterey. And Podcasts, the app in Monterey, has speed controls up to double integrated into it, so the app may no longer be needed.

Yes, I realized that I was using the wrong terminology. iTunes is defunct and this app does not work with Music. It's nice that Podcast has some speed control, but Speed-up had as much customization as I wanted and I did use a lot of different settings all the time, so the new system loses quite a bit of functionality for me.

 

[Karen P]

If this app was meant to work with iTunes, that isn't work on Monterey since has been mentioned, there is no iTunes anymore, the new app is Music. Music is not a new name for iTunes, it's a totally different app and a lot of mods that worked with iTunes in the past no longer work.

I had a number of similar apps for iTunes that I can't find replacements for.

I'm hoping it's still so new that developers just aren't on it yet. Hoping that those replacements will exist soon! Thank you.

 

[MacInWin]

Just to be sure, if you open Podcasts and start a podcast running, then click on Controls on the top bar, you get a full menu of items, one of which is "Controls" and under that is "Playback Speed" with the options shown in the menu. Are those options not sufficient? You want faster? Slower?

 

[Karen P]

Just to be sure, if you open Podcasts and start a podcast running, then click on Controls on the top bar, you get a full menu of items, one of which is "Controls" and under that is "Playback Speed" with the options shown in the menu. Are those options not sufficient? You want faster? Slower?

View attachment 35676

It completely depends on the podcast and how fast the speaker talks and the pitch of the voice. So there are some podcasts that I was able to go all the way up to 1.65 times the speed and not lose any comprehension and there are others that I have to slow it down to 1.15 times. Now, it may seem like it’s not that far away from one or one and a half, but it really saves me a lot of time when we were talking about listening to podcasts for several hours at a time or other audio recordings that I transcribe for my projects.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

It completely depends on the podcast and how fast the speaker talks and the pitch of the voice. So there are some podcasts that I was able to go all the way up to 1.65 times the speed and not lose any comprehension and there are others that I have to slow it down to 1.15 times. Now, it may seem like it’s not that far away from one or one and a half, but it really saves me a lot of time when we were talking about listening to podcasts for several hours at a time or other audio recordings that I transcribe for my projects.

You may have to look at alternative podcast apps. I know absolutely nothing about podcasts, so i won't be of much help. Just browsing around on the App Store, there may be a couple that look promising. Here's one:

‎PlaydioCast Podcast Radio

‎Discover our great selection of Podcast, Audiobook and Online Radio on PlaydioCast. Our app now makes it even easier for you to bookmark episodes to share with your friends and family, create custom playlists and download files. PlaydioCast is a fully featured RSS Podcast App with many useful...

apps.apple.com

You can also use VLC for playing podcasts, and it has variable playback speed controls that are very granular like what you are looking for.

How to Subscribe to Podcasts using VLC Media Player

If you are a consumer/listener of podcasts, VLC Media Player can be a tool to access and subscribe to such audio content. For this, you will have to use

www.vlchelp.com

 

[unblocktheplanet]

Well, your post got me thinking. I have avoided podcasts for much the same reason I avoid YouTube videos--slower than reading.

But there are a lot of great podcasts. If I could only speed them up, even if they ended up sounding like Alvin.

I use High Sierra. Anybody know of a speed-up for sound & video?

P.S. I fon't use iTunes or QuickTime but might be willing to if they serve this purpose!

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Within the Podcasts app, you can control the playback speed.

 

[unblocktheplanet]

Was hoping there might be a similar third-party appl to work with older OSs. Relevant to this discussion is the revelation that many podcasts are becoming walled, for-profit ventures. The golden heyday may be over & perhaps I missed it.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Was hoping there might be a similar third-party appl to work with older OSs. Relevant to this discussion is the revelation that many podcasts are becoming walled, for-profit ventures. The golden heyday may be over & perhaps I missed it.

Will VLC not work for your needs? What about the very Speed-Up app that the OP was using with an older OS?

 

[unblocktheplanet]

The Speed-up app is no longer available. VLC is certainly my go-to but I was unaware it would play podcasts.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

The Speed-up app is no longer available. VLC is certainly my go-to but I was unaware it would play podcasts.

It isn't? It looks available here. At least it is in the US.