There's an App for That – Audacity Audio Editor/Recorder

Sometimes I just don't have time sit and listen to a radio broadcast when it's broadcast, or even when it's held in archive for a week. So, if I come across a can’t-miss performance, I cue it up and record it with audacity. Yes, it's audacious to record online music broadcasts, but what I am talking about here is the software app called Audacity. 

The advantages of this app are it's free and fairly easy to use, as long as you're not trying to do anything too complex. The downside is that (at least with my limited knowledge of the software) it records absolutely every sound your computer makes. So if you get an email, connect/disconnect your smartphone, e-reader, or music player, or try to close a Word document without saving it first, it records all those little chimes, chirps, and beeps. (This can be slightly disconcerting during replay—especially in the car—when I check to see what email (hasn’t) come in! But hey, the software—and broadcast—is free!) I try to shut everything down and record stuff only when I plan to be away from my computer for an hour or so.

There’s an App for That – Arte Live Web

Thanks to the magic of technology, you can now watch/listen to Arte Live Web programs on your Smartphone (iPhone, Android, or Windows.) All of the same programming is available on the go—if you can pick it up online, you can pick it up on your phone.

Obviously, the tiny screen is a disadvantage, but the sound quality is good, and it’s handy for those times you cannot sit glued to your desktop or laptop. Generally I am happy with this app (it’s free, so it’s hard to complain too much!)  However, currently, on my iPhone app, the image does not shift when I turn the phone to watch in landscape aspect—it stays in tiny letterboxed portrait. This may be an iOS 7 glitch, since it worked before the update. (Is that a familiar song, or no?) This is not as big a deal with instrumental concerts, but it absolutely suc is a pain in the neck when trying to watch an opera.

There’s an App for that – Ö1 Radio

Even better than listening to 7 Tage Ö1 on my desktop is listening on my mobile phone! I had trouble carving out time at home to get through last week's Salzburg performance of Giovanna d'Arco. Enter Ö1 iRadio. Now I can listen at home, at work, or on the go!

With the Ö1 iRadio app, I can listen to live programming or to any of the archived performances in 7 Tage Ö1. Finding programs is just a bit more labor intensive than using the web version. But once you're listening, you can browse other streams or read program notes, or check email. 

There’s an App for that – medici.tv

Last week, I reminded my Dad that if he was free on Friday afternoon, he might want to check out Don Carlo from the Salzburg Festival on medici.tv. He replied, “Yes, I read about that on your blog.” (Hey, my Dad reads my blog! Cool!) On Friday, he called me at work during a scene change to let me know he was watching the broadcast, and he wanted to know if I felt envious. (Nice. Of course I did!)