Event Scheduling Playback Issues

[ProgMan]

Hi All,

I'm an FM radio programmer. We broadcast 24/7. Most of our station is automation. Of that, we run a schedule comprised of 'events'. When an event is not playing a generated 24 hour playlist rounds out our programming.

Programmed events playback at the right times. That is a good thing. The playback fidelity is not good. A bit then. Certainly more pronounced during speech, than music. I also notice that while the event is playing there is a bleed through from the playlist.

Anyway, I am hoping someone, anyone, has a fix. My email is radioprogression@gmail.com and cell/text is 219-707-3062. We broadcast out of Chicagoland.

Thanks in advance. We also are using the deluxe version of the program.

Gregg Kovach

 

[HMMMM]

Hi Gregg

Nice to have you on board, please download the current beta and join the beta posts as there have been a lot of changes according to what we have been told

 

[djsoft]

The playback fidelity is not good. A bit then. Certainly more pronounced during speech, than music.

If you don't have any DSPs enabled, the tracks play "as is" without any modifications, apart from crossfading (but that's only changing playback levels): https://manual.djsoft.net/radioboss/en/crossfades.htm

I also notice that while the event is playing there is a bleed through from the playlist.

Can you please provide more information about it?

 

[madbeatz]

maybe the events are playing as overlay rather than as a track in the playlist?

In the event schedular, select "Insert as a regular playlist track" option.

 

[ProgMan]

I am going to check what I did. Here is something else @ madbeatz. I actually do not see the track playing on the playlist nor on the middle cart as the others do. Could this be the issue?

 

[madbeatz]

The attached shows how i set the events. This will insert the event as a "track (s)", and will start after the last track has played. You can start the inserted event immediately by selecting the "Run scheduled launch without waiting for the current track to finish" . Once the event is finished it can continue the 24 playlist.

 

[ProgMan]

Great, let's see how this works. Thanks @madbeatz

 

[ProgMan]

Okay, I'm experimenting with the tweaks suggested to me by "madbeatz". I have attached images to show what I got. Today will be a replay of a three hours show. it is to air at 9:00am. So, first thing I'm noticing is that my show is not appearing on the playlist (picture 3), nor is it indicated that it will run my command (picture 2), and picture 1 shows how I have it scheduled.

I suppose a bit of background might suffice. We run 168 hour a week. We are only live, say, 10-14 hours of that time. The balance is mostly a playlist of music, with 60-70 hours of 'event' programming, which is imported shows and prerecorded material. The imports and prerecorded stuff is in mp3, and it is those which I want to build into a weekly playlist.

I appreciate any help I can get. I'm on a steep learning curve, but I know the mastery of this software is not far away. And, I want to let anybody and everybody that I appreciate the help.

 

[madbeatz]

You will need to tick the "Enabled event" checkbox for the schedule event to be active

 

[ProgMan]

Thank you. You are very helpful as I plunder along here.

 

[madbeatz]

No worries, this is what a forum is for, to help each other out when we can.

 

[ProgMan]

It worked. I'll have other questions. The goal is to run a schedule without me having to oversee it every so often. I performed your tweaks, and they worked to a T. Sounding terrific.

We have mandated official IDs which must be built into the schedule. Each top of the hour, 24 times. The IDs we have schedules thus far are coming up at the top of the hour, but they intrude up on whatever is playing. So, for instance, the goal would be for the top of the hour ID to play and then the scheduled "event". So, in the case of a play-out of a event-driven schedule, it would be like this: event - ID - event - ID.

In a seamless way, I guess, with no awkward intrusion upon whatever file is playing.

Happy Easter, Madbeatz

 

[madbeatz]

Thank you Progman.

There are couple of different ways to achieve what you are trying to do with the IDs. Your current method "forces" the ID to be played exactly on time which may not be a bad thing as you know the ID will play exactly at the time you set. Other alternatives are;

1) untick the "run the scheduled launch without waiting for current track to finish" in the ID event schedular if you have one - This method will load the ID on the playlist and wait for the current playing event to finish before coming in.
2) Load your ID as intro sweeper for your ad breaks using the advert schedular (hourly or every half hour) assuming you have adverts. This will ensure you meet your ID playout requirements

Hope this helps.

 

[djsoft]

The goal is to run a schedule without me having to oversee it every so often.

You don't need to, it's fully automatic and if configured correctly, can be left alone.

The IDs we have schedules thus far are coming up at the top of the hour, but they intrude up on whatever is playing. So, for instance, the goal would be for the top of the hour ID to play and then the scheduled "event"

You can schedule them e.g. 5 seconds apart. ID event plays at the top of the hour at :00:00, with "Run scheduled launch without waiting..." option. The following "event" scheduled at :00:05, without this option and it will be simply put into the queue after the ID.
To prevent ID interrupting the playing track, please take a look at the Sweepers feature: https://manual.djsoft.net/radioboss/en/sweepers.htm

 

[ProgMan]

This is great advice. We have a series of show (events) which run back-to-back continually throughout the day. So you have shows in a series:

ID
Show 1
ID
Show 2
ID
Show 3
ID
.
.

The show set up as events would start at each top of the hour, right after the ID. So, you have the ID at the top of the hour (24x per day). An event is an hour bloc, I'd imagine. I wonder then, we have shows of varying lengths (prerecords) which would come up as an event. If a show is 57 minutes, what happens to the few minutes before the next top of the hour ID. What if a show is slightly longer? 1'13"?

I know my questions are tedious but I'm trying to get optimal performance. The program has a lot to offer. I know RadioBoss can do what I need it to; it's just a matter of getting it configured properly.

Thanks you, guys

 

[djsoft]

If a show is 57 minutes, what happens to the few minutes before the next top of the hour ID. What if a show is slightly longer? 1'13"?

If there's nothing for it to play, there will be silence. Silence detector can detect that: https://manual.djsoft.net/radioboss/en/silence_detector.htm but it's not recommended to have silence in the first place. So you should always have slightly more tracks just in case.

If a show is longer it will be interrupted by the next TOTH event (if it's set to start at exact time). Please take a look at sweepers feature: https://manual.djsoft.net/radioboss/en/sweepers.htm

 

[ProgMan]

Great advice. I'm getting it. I believe we are on our way to getting the system optimized. I appreciate the support.

 

[ProgMan]

Back again with the most bizarre problem. So, a playlist is generated and runs on its own - 24/7. Throughout the day a number of plays and replays are scheduled as "events". Thanks to "madbeatz" in particular, I have created all the events I need. As I said, we are mostly event-driven and seldom live (post covid). The events are playing back as programmed ....

Today, I was playing event after event. Five in a row. No problem. Seamless. After five events in a row, no event was to be scheduled, which I thought meant we go back to the regular playlist (a mixture of music, spots, PSAs, etc.). But a previous event came up in the queue even though it was not my intention, nor was it even in the playlist. It was played as an event before.

I guess this is weird. Anyway, provided I explained myself well, this continues to happen during those 'open' times in which no event is scheduled and only the playlist should becoming up. Thanks in advance for your consideration.

 

[djsoft]

It's not possible for the events to start when they are not supposed to start. So, either event start time is not configured properly (e.g. "Repeat every ... " feature is activated that produces unwanted starts) or event was queued earlier, then other events moved it down in the queue, and after all those events finished playing, the "unwanted" event finally played.

You can always check Logs to see when actually happens, it logs every event launch, what tracks were played, errors etc.