Testing new mp3 design

Written by

michael raven

in

Tagged:

michael raven

The song below is not a new song, but one I posted a short while ago. I am trying to create a reusable set of Gutenberg blocks in-post to borrow from for future audio-oriented posts to make the songs/spoken-word stand out better as an audio file.

sEEthIng

a songlet by michael raven

©

michael raven

The “player” will likely evolve as I figure out exactly just how I want it to look.

Here’s another quick modification:

sEEthIng

a songlet by michael raven

©

michael raven

And a more compressed variant of the second:

sEEthIng

a songlet by michael raven

©

michael raven

I have a few other formatting ideas that I want to play with, but if you have an opinion, please let me know in the comments (on either music or player design). Let me know if you are having problems rendering. If so, let me know the platform (WordPress Reader/web), device class (mobile/laptop/tablet) and browser (default for your device if you use the WP Reader app) .

Thanks!

[07 dec 25 update:]

Yesterday’s attempts didn’t have the intended appearance when it comes to viewing on WordPress Reader,. I can still leverage what I learned, but I’m going to attempt a new approach here and see how it looks dark, (stack on mobile, header large font not H4, copyright no-call):

sEEthIng

a songlet by michael raven

©2025 michael raven

Or this light (no stack on mobile):

sEEthIng

a songlet by michael raven

©

michael raven

[07 dec 25 update 2:]

Yeah, no matter how you tweak it, the appearance is the same on WordPress Reader. A bit broken with “no-stack” on mobile, but looks good stacked. Seeing as it matters not at all for WordPress Reader, I will just decide on a favorite when I set it up later (and avoid using rows on the copyright line, because it breaks in feeds and WP Reader, but I’m just trying to be fancy there and the fancy isn’t required).

I’m leaning towards the dark variant above (using “media and post”), feel free to pipe up if something absolutely does not work in your mind.

share:

14 responses to “Testing new mp3 design”

  1. michael raven Avatar
    michael raven

    Yeah, as suspected, Reader will not retain formatting because it is a closed-system RSS feed reader with a shiny coat of paint and additional features (all look the same on the web version of Reader).

    Reply
    1. michael raven Avatar
      michael raven

      Looks good on-site, however… Damn.

      Reply
  2. Tansy Gunnar Avatar
    Tansy Gunnar

    From the WP Reader, they all look the same. They do look great on your website, though. The third one is my favorite because it’s crisp, clean, and doesn’t break up the space.

    Reply
    1. michael raven Avatar
      michael raven

      Yeah, it’s my biggest complaint about WordPress Reader is that it doesn’t retain most formatting and zero non-WP authorized plugins. Frustrating.

      Thanks for letting me know what you see though! I’ll have to think around this more, maybe.

      Reply
  3. Chico’s Mom Avatar
    Chico’s Mom

    Listen to these a couple times; like the 3rd one the best. Somehow the transition from the “Gregorian chant” opening to lighter end sounds smoother in the last one. Great work. 💕

    Reply
    1. michael raven Avatar
      michael raven

      Thanks Jolene 💕

      Reply
  4. lyndhurstlaura Avatar
    lyndhurstlaura

    It’s early and I’m not up yet but I’ll have a listen later. Thanks for sharing, Michael. 😎

    Reply
    1. michael raven Avatar
      michael raven

      You may have already heard this one. I was just using it as a song placeholder in my attempt to build a better audio player than the standard ugly WP block.

      As frustrating as it can sometimes be to design site elements across all viewing platforms, I still have a few ideas up my sleeve.

      Reply
      1. lyndhurstlaura Avatar
        lyndhurstlaura

        Best of luck with it! 🙂

        Reply
  5. shredbobted Avatar
    shredbobted

    It’s interesting to watch you trying to twist WordPress to your ends. I wish they didn’t make it so hard to get where you want to go.

    Reply
    1. michael raven Avatar
      michael raven

      It’s really the functionality of WP Reader that is gimped, and yet 95% or more of the traffic is exclusively viewed in Reader. I think WP should recognize that, with the increased functionality that they keep adding to the engine to make it better-looking at the site level, they really need to carry it over somehow to the Reader, otherwise it is mostly putting lipstick on a pig. The functionalities now override simple RSS, so they really should possibly run a separate feed designed for Reader that honors the formatting of individual posts (or something). But they don’t pay me to think and I don’t pay them either.

      I haven’t checked email formatting, but I suspect that might be slightly better. [Note to self: send myself a test email from this post].

      Reply
      1. shredbobted Avatar
        shredbobted

        I like the emails . . . okay. The font warps in size for some reason, but I think it’s fairly comfortable to read, and does a passable job of presenting what I thought I’d put out there. You do more complicated things. I mostly read in Jetpack, going back to a time when I couldn’t log in to my site any other way. It’s not great, but it’s easy to follow and bookmark. WordPress recognizes the limitations of Reader I’m sure but I’m sure they don’t want to spend money on their lower tiered sites. It also leaves a motivation to pay for upgrades. I’m not going into some screed about how money is evil (today) but I too wish there was a better way, especially with getting readers to go back to older posts and story arcs. It’s really a money vs. content thing. In our little corner of the world it’s content and interest in content for its own sake that separates the men/women from the boys/girls/bots, so to speak.

        Reply
        1. michael raven Avatar
          michael raven

          I tend to read using Reader on the web (PC) or Jetpack (mobile/tablet). Jetpack on tablet is wonky and isn’t really user-focused, but the phone app works about how I would expect. As you say, it is easier to bookmark and keep track of conversations on Jetpack/Reader. I do wish that they would make it more useful than a reskinned RSS feed reader, however.

          The upgrades won’t help how Jetpack/Reader reflects content. It is too reliant on standardized RSS. Even official plugins and blocks don’t work as intended. And they went from being interested in invited feedback to not updating for a very long time (I had been invited to provide them feedback). Early July was the last update, and they were more concerned about their recommended site algorithm than they were in meaningful improvements to the core functionality at that time.

          To really do what you want to do, you need plugins that you can’t get on the lower tiers but, for about the same price, get at other hosting services. But the plugins won’t change how the posts are rendered in Reader: you still need to drive people to eyes on-site reading to leverage those things. And when people 90% of the time read ONLY in Reader? Well, you’re screwed if you want to create a better experience for the reader.

          Reply
    2. michael raven Avatar
      michael raven

      Meh… marginally better on email. It retains some formatting.

      Parts containing the “Cover” blocks group elements in the email, but lose the intended image and design. It is basically fubar.

      The second to last (using media+text block) would look best if I didn’t use colored fill and didn’t tweak the line spacing.

      All good things to think about as I attempt to build a template.

      Reply

Leave a comment. Markdown use is permitted.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More posts