Responding to audio essays while riding a bicycle
October 31, 2017 7:30 AM Subscribe
I have the opportunity to ride my bicycle on some very low traffic side streets and bike paths. I would like to be able to listen to audio essays recorded by students (think short podcasts) and then record my comments on those essays while riding my bicycle, preferably through pushing buttons attached to my handlebars.
Yes, I know this sounds indulgent and impractical, but you have to dream, and metafilter is the place WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE EVERY DAY.
I have an Android phone. I'm thinking I could find some sort of bluetooth control pad that lets me play, pause and rewind the audio. I have no problem mounting the phone to my handlebars, so I could even use the phone screen itself as the interface, but buttons would be cooler and more useful.
I also have a digital recorder. I could hold that in one hand but that would be a hassle.
1) is there software for android that allows one to annotate an existing recording with audio comments?
2) Are there simple bluetooth controllers that could be mapped to some kind of podcast or mp3 app? Whoa
3) It seems like I would have to use two phones to do this. One for the playback, and the other for recording (in a separate file) the response, which I would email to the student later.
I may have the problem partially solved, but could use your help thinking this through and perhaps finding a simpler solution, in case I am overlooking something that is already out there. If this works I'll be able to go on long rides or long walks and respond to student essays at the same time. Oh, and I'll also take recommendations for a microphone (throat mic?) that won't be overwhelmed by wind noise.
Yes, I know this sounds indulgent and impractical, but you have to dream, and metafilter is the place WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE EVERY DAY.
I have an Android phone. I'm thinking I could find some sort of bluetooth control pad that lets me play, pause and rewind the audio. I have no problem mounting the phone to my handlebars, so I could even use the phone screen itself as the interface, but buttons would be cooler and more useful.
I also have a digital recorder. I could hold that in one hand but that would be a hassle.
1) is there software for android that allows one to annotate an existing recording with audio comments?
2) Are there simple bluetooth controllers that could be mapped to some kind of podcast or mp3 app? Whoa
3) It seems like I would have to use two phones to do this. One for the playback, and the other for recording (in a separate file) the response, which I would email to the student later.
I may have the problem partially solved, but could use your help thinking this through and perhaps finding a simpler solution, in case I am overlooking something that is already out there. If this works I'll be able to go on long rides or long walks and respond to student essays at the same time. Oh, and I'll also take recommendations for a microphone (throat mic?) that won't be overwhelmed by wind noise.
"low traffic side streets and bike paths" likely have more driveways, intersections, pedestrians, and other complications, which in many ways are bigger risks than faster (but more predictable) traffic on arteries. Please be careful.
posted by floppyroofing at 7:46 AM on October 31, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by floppyroofing at 7:46 AM on October 31, 2017 [6 favorites]
P.S. I forgot to say that since you can make calls through the helmet mentioned above, maybe you would be able to leave yourself messages as you take notes.
posted by pinochiette at 7:50 AM on October 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by pinochiette at 7:50 AM on October 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
Please do not do this.
Riding with headphones -- any headphones -- means it's harder to hear the world around you. Paying attention enough to evaluate student work, and provide feedback, while operating a vehicle on roads with other people, seems like a really, really bad idea.
posted by uberchet at 8:09 AM on October 31, 2017 [23 favorites]
Riding with headphones -- any headphones -- means it's harder to hear the world around you. Paying attention enough to evaluate student work, and provide feedback, while operating a vehicle on roads with other people, seems like a really, really bad idea.
posted by uberchet at 8:09 AM on October 31, 2017 [23 favorites]
As a pedestrian in a reasonably bike-friendly city who has nearly been run down by well-meaning bicyclists numerous times, I beg you not to do this.
posted by desuetude at 10:13 AM on October 31, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by desuetude at 10:13 AM on October 31, 2017 [12 favorites]
Mod note: At this point, the "don't do it" point has been made -- let's trust that OP will consider the safety aspects that people have raised, and from here on focus answers on the technical "how to" angle.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 10:17 AM on October 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 10:17 AM on October 31, 2017 [1 favorite]
The Aftershocks BlueZ series of bone conduction headsets will allow you to hear and record audio without blocking ambient sounds. I ride with them all the time and they are legal for use in California.
You'll also want a Bluetooth media button that has a record feature.
If you do not need the privacy of a headset you can use a Bluetooth external speaker that has everything built in.
However, you may find that the mental load needed to bike, pedal, and react to traffic is too high to manage. I don't like talking to people on the phone while I ride at any decent speed.
posted by pdoege at 11:34 AM on October 31, 2017
You'll also want a Bluetooth media button that has a record feature.
If you do not need the privacy of a headset you can use a Bluetooth external speaker that has everything built in.
However, you may find that the mental load needed to bike, pedal, and react to traffic is too high to manage. I don't like talking to people on the phone while I ride at any decent speed.
posted by pdoege at 11:34 AM on October 31, 2017
Response by poster: 1. I don't recall mentioning headphones. I currently use a bluetooth speaker attached to my handlebars so I can hear ambient noise, like approaching traffic.
2. I plan to use this setup while walking and snowshoeing once the snow hits.
I think I'm asking this in the wrong venue.
posted by mecran01 at 6:15 PM on October 31, 2017
2. I plan to use this setup while walking and snowshoeing once the snow hits.
I think I'm asking this in the wrong venue.
posted by mecran01 at 6:15 PM on October 31, 2017
Response by poster: As an example of one of the trails, we have a paved trail that runs for miles along a mountain bench, behind suburban houses. I am the equivalent of an old man on a tricycle, plodding along at about six miles per hour in this setting.
posted by mecran01 at 6:44 PM on October 31, 2017
posted by mecran01 at 6:44 PM on October 31, 2017
Best answer: I think you might want to record your comments separately from the audio essays as you suggest in (3), but that doesn't necessarily have to be on a separate phone, I think.
Your workflow could be that you listen to the whole essay, then the file stops playing, then you record a message with feedback. Then you play the next file, etc. That is basically what I do currently to record notes about student essays that I listen to (via text to speech) while walking or even cycling once or twice (like you, on off-road bike paths that have no intersections and almost no other users). I have a smartwatch that I use to control media while walking/cycling. It pops up the play/pause/skip buttons on my wrist. I also use inbuilt Google voice assistant to record the messages - you say, "Ok Google, note to self". It asks "what is in your note?" and you speak some content. It saves it in Google Keep in text format, not as a recording. I think you can set it to save as draft emails instead, and then later you'd just need to do some light editing, put in the student email address, and click 'send'.
I'm sure there are other similar apps that you could use to save an actual recording. ("Okay google, start recording" might even work for all I know).
The speech-to-text is not super accurate, and I always have to edit later but it's a good starting point, and didn't require any outlay or further set up besides what I already had.
If you really want to record messages DURING the playback of the essay, I still think you don't need a separate phone. You will want to pause the playback of the essay while you record your message, otherwise you'll get interference from the audio of the essay. So you pause playback, start a recording, then stop the recording, and resume playback. Can all be done from the one phone.
posted by lollusc at 12:15 AM on November 1, 2017
Your workflow could be that you listen to the whole essay, then the file stops playing, then you record a message with feedback. Then you play the next file, etc. That is basically what I do currently to record notes about student essays that I listen to (via text to speech) while walking or even cycling once or twice (like you, on off-road bike paths that have no intersections and almost no other users). I have a smartwatch that I use to control media while walking/cycling. It pops up the play/pause/skip buttons on my wrist. I also use inbuilt Google voice assistant to record the messages - you say, "Ok Google, note to self". It asks "what is in your note?" and you speak some content. It saves it in Google Keep in text format, not as a recording. I think you can set it to save as draft emails instead, and then later you'd just need to do some light editing, put in the student email address, and click 'send'.
I'm sure there are other similar apps that you could use to save an actual recording. ("Okay google, start recording" might even work for all I know).
The speech-to-text is not super accurate, and I always have to edit later but it's a good starting point, and didn't require any outlay or further set up besides what I already had.
If you really want to record messages DURING the playback of the essay, I still think you don't need a separate phone. You will want to pause the playback of the essay while you record your message, otherwise you'll get interference from the audio of the essay. So you pause playback, start a recording, then stop the recording, and resume playback. Can all be done from the one phone.
posted by lollusc at 12:15 AM on November 1, 2017
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posted by pinochiette at 7:40 AM on October 31, 2017 [1 favorite]