Multiple sound output iMac & Podcasts

srichards

srichards

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I've set up a multi output device using the MIDI set up on an iMac. It's supposed to output sound on the internal mac speaker and a Bluetooth speaker at the same time. It does not when you play a podcast. For some reason sound is only on the internal speaker. I have to select the BT speaker separately which isn't much use as the whole purpose of this was to get sound out of the iMac and the BT speaker at the same time.

BT speaker is an Echo dot 3 as it was on offer.


Why can't you dual speaker a sodding podcast?!

Music is fine. Youtube fine. Echo is poor for music and reasonable for podcasts which was the whole point to have it on the main computer and on the external speaker to allow extra wandering about capacity while listening to podcasts as I'm not a great fan of headphones for very long.

I just find it ridiculous that one type of content with the same interface doesn't work. I don't use the ios podcasts app as it doesn't keep track of already played content so I use the desktop version which does.

Any way around this stupid limitation?
 
I thought I might have worked a way round it with an old Apple tv but I can't find the old remote for it so it's stuck on ethernet and won't work with wifi so that's no good either. I thought if I used air play to that it might cheat it somehow but thwarted again.

Still don't know why the multi output works with one type of content but not another. It was flaky with music today to start with. It's very odd.
 
I suspect a limitation in how Core Audio support is implemented in the Podcasts App for Mac


N.B. Careful wording of Apple's Support page on the topic for Podcasts

Apple said:

Choose which speakers to use​

  • Use external speakers: Connect the speakers to your computer. Audio plays through them and mutes the computer’s built-in speakers.
Click to expand...

[emphasis added]

It does go on to suggest that AirPlay ought to to allow you to achieve it, though, if you are using AirPlay rather than Bluetooth audio

Apple said:
Use speakers connected to an AirPort Express, Apple TV or another AirPlay-enabled device: In the Podcasts app
3f055dd5ef78a798d0e127b1d69a2e68.png
on your Mac, click the AirPlay button
0557e2f2f629f2cb078f48ccffb55a9d.png
at the top of the Podcasts window, then select the tickbox next to the speakers you want to use.
Click to expand...

[again with emphasis added]

That's the only point it mentions support for simultaneous audio output to multiple devices in Podcasts for Mac
 
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I will have to try it with airplay. I think it does work as I'm sure I have done that.

Wishing I'd splashed out on a HomePod mini now :rolleyes:
 
Just a thought if you don’t get on with regular headphones, have you looked at bone conduction headphones? For spoken word content like podcasts I’d think they could be perfect and you have nothing in or on your ear
 
Musicman said:
Just a thought if you don’t get on with regular headphones, have you looked at bone conduction headphones? For spoken word content like podcasts I’d think they could be perfect and you have nothing in or on your ear
Click to expand...

I haven't looked at those. Will have to investigate (y)
 
iOS podcast app work around won't work either anyway. Can't stream to BT speaker and the 4k appletv for a lounge and kitchen experience. 4k appletv mysteriously doesn't seem to find the BT speaker in the same way the old appletv couldn't find it. So can't stream from mac and have sound on mac's own speakers and can't stream from ipad and have sound on lounge speakers and kitchen echo at the same time. It's only ever one.

Yet can stream podcasts or music to yamaha music cast box upstairs and Apple TV with the lounge speakers at the same time. Can't connect musiccast to echo as I'm using BT from the mac for that so it can't in and out at the same time. It doesn't have an audio in I can use directly from the mac so that won't work either.

So it looks like you can only airplay to multiple devices and airplay only works with airplay devices and it's not bright enough to airplay to one BT device and one airplay device but can airplay to multiple airplay devices. Also with the musiccast you can only hear all the normal computer sounds via BT output. If you use the airplay that only does the music or podcast output. It doesn't do browser output for example. There are so many different combinations I have tried and that don't just let you do something you'd think would be simple!

Don't want to spaff so much on a homepod mini but I don't see another sensible solution. Decent bone conducting headphones are similar and the speaker solution I wouldn't have to remember to charge up every so often.

Definitely been defeated by apple restrictions again. There's no other logical explanation for why podcasts won't play but other content will. Can't use the web interface for podcasts from Apple either as it forces you to open the podcasts app all the time.

Waiting for the lightbulb moment when one stupid thing is changed and it all suddenly works...
 
Rapscallion said:
Have you tried another podcast app? I use Pocketcasts, and overcast is another good app.
Click to expand...


No I haven't. Might look at doing that.

Gave up with the Echo. Got a home pod and it does exactly the same nonsense with apple podcasts app. Does sound a lot better though and I can actually hear them properly at reasonable volume. Music sound is way better. 6 months of Apple Music does off set the daft cost of the thing as well. Homepod is also stuck on configuring and hasn't completed the set up for some reason so I'm about ready to launch that into the scenery. It does still play content so I have no idea what it is that it needs to be configuring exactly. I shall ignore it for more time and see if it ever finishes.

It's been one of *those* weeks :rolleyes:
 
A different podcast app was my first thought - one that just has an output that can be piped to multiple speakers. This sounds incredibly frustrating.
 
It's still claims to be configuring but music playing is absolutely fine. Have been using it for an hour or more and it's not glitched out like it did yesterday. Which is nice.
 
Home App still thinks it's configuring :rolleyes:

Works fine but it means you don't have timers and can't turn off siri. Spurious error about wifi when I check it from iPhone home app not iPad home app. I think the Home app is the root cause. It's cack.

I've added way more devices to the Alexa app and I've never had this inconsistency before.

Still the odd music glitch which I assume is down to it not buffering enough in advance. AppleTV doesn't delay in starting a new song as much. The Mini does sometimes and if it's on both the mini starts later from further on in the song. It is in sync though. Normal tv content like Britbox will stream on 2 speakers as well so the podcasts restriction is daft.

Hopefully apple will update the Home app so it's not rubbish. Mini software is listed as 15.6 so I have no clue whether that is a current one or not. It's got auto update on.
 
If you are still stuck, try a call to Apple support. They are genuinely knowledgable and frequently helped me to resolve some quite technical issues.
 
Rapscallion said:
If you are still stuck, try a call to Apple support. They are genuinely knowledgable and frequently helped me to resolve some quite technical issues.
Click to expand...

I don't think it is broken enough for me to do that yet :)
 
srichards said:
I don't think it is broken enough for me to do that yet :)
Click to expand...
It sounds like it’s causing enough of a headache that I would be on the phone to them ! They are genuinely good, not like phoning the likes of BT where the agent is untrained and working from scripts.
 
It eventually finished configuring last week then gave me some nonsense about the iCloud password being wrong and then wouldn't play at all. Reset it yet again and it's still configuring from last week. It does show up in the list of approved devices so no idea.


Fast forward to just now. After an evening of daft behaviour when it would play from some sources but not others, then the password error happened again. But now it was finally offering a software update. Yay.

Did that update. Finally says it's configured and it shows proper information like wifi network it's using. Password error gone for the moment.

Hoping it's finally done. 2 weeks it's been since it was first installed. It had better work now otherwise it's getting yeeted into the scenery.
 
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