Podcast Timer

A professional dual-timer application designed for podcast recording, featuring visual cues and audio alerts to help hosts manage episode and speaker timing.

Features

• Dual Timers: Separate timers for episode duration and individual speaker segments
• Visual Feedback:
  • Color-coded backgrounds (yellow at 75%, red at 90%)
  • Contextual status messages at key thresholds
  • Pulsing effects when time expires
• Audio Cues: Optional sound alerts at timing thresholds
• Speaker Pause: Pause the speaker timer independently while the episode timer keeps running
• Resize-to-Zoom: Drag the window larger or smaller — the UI scales proportionally
• Auto-Update Check: Checks GitHub releases on startup and shows a non-blocking banner if a newer version is available
• Customizable Settings:
  • Light/Dark/System themes
  • Always-on-top option
  • Audio cue toggle
• Inline Editing: Quick timer adjustments via pencil icon
• Pause/Resume: Full episode timer control during recording

Installation

Windows

1. Download PodcastTimer.exe from the latest release
2. Run the executable — no installation required

macOS

1. Download PodcastTimer-macOS from the latest release
2. Make it executable and run:

   chmod +x PodcastTimer-macOS
   ./PodcastTimer-macOS

Linux

1. Download PodcastTimer-Linux from the latest release
2. Make it executable and run:

   chmod +x PodcastTimer-Linux
   ./PodcastTimer-Linux

Run from Source (all platforms)

1. Ensure Python 3.8+ is installed
2. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Hackpig1974/podcast-timer.git
   cd podcast-timer

3. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Run the application:

   python podcast_timer.py

Building from Source

Windows

build_exe.bat

The executable will be in the dist folder.

macOS / Linux

pip install pyinstaller
pyinstaller --onefile --windowed --name "PodcastTimer" podcast_timer.py

Releases are built automatically via GitHub Actions when a version tag is pushed.

Usage

1. Set Timers: Click the pencil icon to edit episode and speaker durations
2. Start Recording: Hit START to begin both timers simultaneously
3. Monitor Progress: Watch for color changes and status messages
4. Manage Speakers: Use NEXT/RESET to cycle to the next speaker
5. Pause Speaker: Use the PAUSE button on the Speaker Timer to hold a speaker's time without stopping the episode clock
6. Resize to Zoom: Drag any window edge to scale the entire UI up or down
7. Pause/Resume Episode: Control the episode timer during breaks

Timer Stages

Episode Timer:

Progress	Status
0–50%	Normal recording
50–55%	"HALF WAY THERE"
75–90%	"START SUMMARIZING"
90–100%	"FINALIZE THE EPISODE"
100%+	"TIME'S UP" with pulsing alert

Speaker Timer:

Progress	Status
0–75%	"DOING GREAT"
75–90%	"GET TO THE POINT"
90–100%	"WRAP IT UP"
100%+	"TIME'S UP" with pulsing alert

Requirements

• Python 3.8+
• customtkinter >= 5.2.0
• pygame-ce >= 2.4.0
• numpy >= 1.24.0
• darkdetect >= 0.8.0

Project Structure

podcast-timer/
├── podcast_timer.py      # Main application (single file)
├── requirements.txt      # Python dependencies
├── build_exe.bat         # Windows manual build script
├── install_and_run.bat   # Windows quick-start script
├── create_icon.py        # Icon generation script
├── .github/workflows/    # GitHub Actions build pipeline
└── README.md             # This file

License

MIT License — see LICENSE file for details

Credits

Developed by Damon Downing, 2026

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Made for podcasters, by podcasters. 🎙️