The Auto-MATE 2000(v4.0) For Windows
Preliminary Manual
©2000 By John L. Zolkoske
All Rights Reserved
Unauthorized Duplication Prohibited
NOTICE:
THE MANUAL AND SOFTWARE BEING PROVIDED ARE PRELIMINARY (BETA) VERSIONS AND MAY CONTAIN INACCURACIES. PLEASE REPORT DOCUMENTATION DISCREPENCIES OR OPERATIONAL DIFFICULTIES TO AUTO-MATE SYSTEMS: automate@wvi.com
Copyright 2000 by John L. Zolkoske. All rights Reserved
Fourth Edition: September, 2000
Information contained in this document may change without notice.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the
prior written permission of John L. Zolkoske.
Acknowledgments:
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
MS-DOS and Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows 2000 are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
All other products mentioned either in this documentation or in the software package itself are registered trademarks of their respective owners.
This product contains portion of code owned by SwiftSoft Inc.
I wish to thank the many who have shown their support throughout this project, especially Auto-Mate for DOS users who have provided input and feedback during the development of this software package.
Software License:
The following agreement sets forth the terms and conditions for use of the software provided. If you do not agree with any of the conditions noted, return the software to Auto-Mate Systems.
License:
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You may not give, rent, sell, lease, time-share, sub-license, or lend this software to anyone. Ownership of this license may be transferred only if purchasing partyagrees to all conditions outlined in this agreement, and only if this is a regular release product. Auto-Mate Systems shall be notified by e-mail or letter of any transfer of software license. Rights to technical support are non-transferrable to any purchasing party, and shall be arranged separately.
The license for BETA versions and custom designed packages or elements of the software may not e
transferred without express permission of an authorized representative of Auto-Mate Systems. If a license transfer does occur, you must agree to transfer to the purchasing party all existing original copies and backup copies, including any copies on hard drive, of this software at the time ownership is transferred. You must destroy any copies of this software that are not transferred at the time of sale.
It is a violation of this agreement to attempt to decompile, reverse-engineer, or disassemble the software.
This license is effective until terminated. You may terminate this agreement by destroying all original software along with any copies made, as well as accompanying documentation. This license will also
terminate if you fail to comply with the terms and conditions of this agreement.
The Auto-Mate software and accompanying documentation are protected by the United States copyright laws. Any use of this Software or documentation in violation of these laws constitutes immediate termination of this
license.
Limited Liability:
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This software and documentation are provided 'AS IS' without warranty of any kind. John L. Zolkoske and Auto-Mate Systems specifically disclaims all other warranties, express or implied, including
but not limited to merchant ability and fitness for a particular purpose. John L. Zolkoske and Auto-Mate Systems does not warrant that this product will meet your requirements or that the operation
of any element of this software package will be uninterrupted or error-free. John L. Zolkoske and Auto-Mate Systems shall not be held liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage,
including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential or other damages arising from the use of this software.
Any references to third-party software, or links to said software from within the Auto-Mate software does not constitute an endorsement of that product, and it shall be used at your own risk. All third-party software and development tooks are subject to separate terms and/or licensing agreements from the respective copyright holders or authorized agents.
Warranty:
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It is warranted that the physical media (CD ROM or Diskette) enclosed in this package are free of defects in material or workmanship for the period of 60 days from the date of purchase. In the event of
discovery of a defect during the warranty period, the media shall be replaced when the defective media is returned by the licensee. The remedies for this breach of warranty are limited to replacement of the media only and cover no other damages, such as loss of profit, special, incidental, consequential and similar claims. Replacement of media after the 60 day period is available on a fee basis.
It is noted that the purchase price of the software (minus a 15 % service charge and any additonal out-of-pocket expenses incurred [i.e. shipping charges] ) may be refunded within 30 days of purchase if the original purchasing party is unable to successfully operate the working software, or the software is found to be unfit for the purpose for which it is intended. To obtain refund, purchaser must return ALL original system diskettes and/or CD ROM and documentation at own expense. Furthermore, purchaser agrees to erase any copies made of the Auto-Mate Software and to destroy any remaining software documentation. No consideration for refund will be made after thirty (30) days from the date of purchase.
If any terms of this agreement are found to be unenforceable, it shall not affect the validity of this agreement, which shall remain valid according to the terms set forth herewithin.
-END OF AGREEMENT-
Copyright Reminder:
Software piracy is illegal! The Auto-Mate and The Auto-Mate Simple-Sat are fully protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America. Each set of software we sell contains a built-in identification code which allows us to trace any pirated (illegally copied) software back to the originating party. Do not give a copy or copies of this software to anyone - for any reason - as pirated software has a way of multiplying quickly. When pirated software is traced back to the original purchasing party, that party may become subject to massive fines and/or imprisonment. Every lost sale due to piracy reduces our ability to improve our software to meet your future needs - hurting you in the long-run.
Table Of Contents
Section IGetting Started
Evolving from DOS to Windows1-1
What is The Auto-Mate1-1
Your Role as Purchaser1-2
Technical Support - How to Get it1-3
Support Policies1-3
Support Fees 1-3
CD ROM replacement1-4
How Auto-Mate Works1-5
Using the Manual1-5
Maintaining System Reliability1-6
Section IISoftware Installation
System Requirements2-1
Audio Quality2-2
Audio Compression2-2
Codecs2-2
Sound Card Installation2-2
Overlap2-2
Software Installation2-3
Uninstalling Auto-Mate Software2-5
Section IIIRecording with The Auto-Mate
Recording Screens 3-1
Entering Recording Information3-2
Preparing a Drive for Recording3-3
Data Entry3-4
Recording Settings3-6
Making a Recording3-7
Setting Fidelity and Compression3-8
Auto-Time3-9
Importing Recordings3-9
Section IVPlayback with The Auto-Mate
Random Playback 4-1
Edit Spot/PSA Rotation File4-1
Set Random Playback Defaults4-3
Random Scheduled Stop-Set Breaks4-4
Using Satellite Templates in Random4-5
Programming Templates4-6
Starting Random Playback4-7
Other Random Playback Features4-9
Automatic Power-Loss Recover (disabled)4-11
On-Air Assist Mode 4-11
Entry Options4-12
Options During Playback4-12
Pick-List Playback Modes 4-13
Immediate Playback Mode4-13
Timer Start4-14
Running Template4-16
Editing Template 4-16
Working with Daily Template4-17
Working with Custom Template4-17
Erase Template4-17
Print Template Contents4-17
Backup Template4-18
Importing Template4-18
Automatic Power-Loss Recover (disabled)4-19
Section VSatellite Playback
Edit Template5-1
Work with Daily Template5-2
Create/Work With Custom Template5-2
Building Commercial Breaks5-3
Range Total Calculator5-4
Backup Template5-5
Import Template5-5
Copying Template Data5-6
Removing Spots from Templates5-6
Erasing Custom Templates5-7
Initiating Simple-Sat Playback5-7
Section VIVerification Log6-1
Section VIIUtilities 7-1
Recording/Playback Properties7-1
Auto-Mate DOS Menu7-1
Erase Recordings7-1
Print Recordings7-1
Windows™ Mixer7-2
Windows™ Explorer 7-2
[Back to Top]
I. Getting Started
Evolving: From DOS to Windows:
Welcome to The Auto-Mate for Windows. Congratulations on your purchase. You have found one of the most versatile tools available for radio. We're not new to the broadcast software business. In 1994, after quite a bit of planning and design, I introduced one of the world's first (if not the first) truly low-cost complete broadcast automation software packages. The software was designed under an MS-DOS platform and has served well for many years now.
Things do change, however. DOS is an outstanding platform for reliability, but does have limitations. DOS basically does one thing at a time - and does it well. Over time, it became apparent that people wanted more 'bang for the buck' from their computers. The computer had to be able to do several things at once (i.e. word processing, play a CD, run the Internet, etc.). There was also great demand to standardize functions. This was demanded by the average user (who just wants to point and click) and by software manufacturers, who believe if everything is done the same way, they won't need to provide support. Other concepts have come into play, such as Plug-and-Play, which allow the user to simply plug in a piece of hardware (such as a sound card) and it will work - most of the time.
It's safe to say that it has become a Windows world. Some of us might be content to stick with old reliable DOS, but the handwriting gets more clear on the wall as time goes on. Hardware manufacturers and the ubiquitous Microsoft® don't have a lot of use for DOS any more. Over time, this will make it harder to support DOS, especially from a hardware standpoint.
So, after over one year of re-programming for Windows, here it is. Much to the surprise of an old DOS hound such as myself, I think it's great. I was very careful to retain as many elements as possible of the old DOS program that people enjoyed. Some parts of the internal code were duplicated over from DOS. Of course, there are many new parts as well. Overall, I think you will find Windows operation to be easier from an operational standpoint. Some of the major improvements made possible by Windows are as follows:
· Extended memory usage - no more conventional memory woes. The Windows system should be able to store 2000+ recordings (depending on your memory availability).
· Overlap during playback (with dual sound card/or compatible single sound card equipped systems)
· VU recording Meters
· Ability to use any audio card that can record and play .WAV files
· Ability to use file compression
Enjoy your software! - John Zolkoske
Introduction:
What is it?
You have just purchased one of the best values available in broadcasting. It is a powerful software package known as The Auto-Mate. Not only will this system turn your computer into a cart machine emulator, but it will also become an automated disk-jockey, playing music, spots, and liner material - all at the touch of a button. If you have purchased the Simple-Sat Satellite Automation software, you will have automation capabilities with your satellite network.
The essential concept behind The Auto-Mate is that it allows you to record anything you want, and then play it back whenever you want. Everything is self-contained. There are no carts, disks, records, or tapes to wear out, get lost, or make a mess as they pile up. A variety of information about each recording is listed on the screen for you and instant playback of each recording is available. Really, the Auto-Mate is two computer systems in one. First, it is a digital recorder and player. Secondly, it is a database program. For every recording, there is a corresponding data file. These data files will display account names for spot recordings, artist names on music recordings, start and kill dates, announcer names, and so on.
Now For Windows!
The Auto-Mate for Windows is a new generation of our software package which was originally designed for DOS-based systems. The origin of Auto-Mate goes back to 1993 when even basic automation systems cost thousands of dollars. In 1994, our first product was released and was the lowest cost card replacement/music-on-hard-drive system ever introduced. Auto-Mate systems was the leading pioneer in the affordable digital revolution. In 1995 we introduced our satellite automation system. In total, there have been three major DOS releases of our software.
Of course, times do change. Windows has become standard in the marketplace. All hardware and software has been converting to the Windows environment steadily since the introduction of Windows 95. While our DOS software proved to be incredibly reliable (it has been known to run literally months without intervention) it has become difficult to install and configure sound cards in the DOS environment. We still firmly believe in DOS, but feel that the stability of Windows has improved to the point that very reliable operation is possible. They ease of installation by the user and familiar Windows interface have combined to make the time right for "The Auto-Mate for Windows."
We are certain that the existing users of Auto-Mate will be very pleased with the familiar features and convenience of Windows. If you are a new user, we're sure you will enjoy the easy to learn and easy to use format.
The Auto-Mate is almost as much of a "concept" as it is a software package. We offer high-quality, full-feature software at very affordable prices. We don't make promises we can't keep, such as "Free lifetime technical support." We expect that you, or someone in your organization will learn the software and how to deal with problems that arise. Of course, we will do our best to help you if you have a question, but our philosophy has always been one of encouraging self-help when possible. This is how we preserve the low cost nature of our software. We are a small independent business as are many of our customers.
Your Role:
As a customer of Auto-Mate, you take on certain responsibilities to which in sure that our products will remain one of the best values available in the broadcasting industry. This element is the most important in the low-cost equation. By purchasing this software, you have agreed to do much of the work of maintaining the hardware yourself. You will be responsible for choosing a suitable system in which to install this software. You will also be installing the audio card (if you don't already have one), perhaps a relay card, and you must install the software.
Keeping it Simple:
The Auto-Mate is a no-nonsense approach to the situation. Our goal is to provide the greatest number of features possible without going to the next step of development which would add tremendously to costs. We are not trying to 'wow' people with our technology, but wish to provide you a functional, reliable system.
Sound Card:
The Auto-Mate uses a common audio card for which you will probably pay less than $50. "Broadcast" grade cards offering stereo audio are usually priced minimally in the five-hundred to one-thousand dollar range - just for the card. Still, many consumer grade cards give you excellent sound reproduction, with more built-in fidelity and compression options than many commercial grade cards.
Computer Hardware:
Consider that you may use your existing computer or upgrade your own hardware and install The Auto-Mate software yourself. Many vendors of digital audio systems make a substantial profit on the hardware they sell you. Some system makers mark-up equipment to twice the price - or more - of what you might pay for a similar item from your local computer supplier. We do not wish to degrade other companies, as those businesses definitely fill a need. We simply feel that our system is the perfect solution for those seeking the most value for their money and are not afraid of doing some of the setup and maintenance work themselves.
Another factor to consider is that of cost as your station desires increased processor speed or storage capacity. Most hard-drive automation system makers frown on - or prohibit - users from trying to upgrade their own equipment. At Auto-Mate systems, we say, get your best equipment deals wherever you can find them, and upgrade your system at will.
Software Technical Support:
* E-Mail: automate@wvi.com ~~~ ( Phone: (503)-769-2886(AUTO)
Please use e-mail for support whenever possible. Most often, this will yield the fastest response.
Technical support costs can be astronomical, and must be factored in to the price of any hardware or software. In using this package, you should be aware that we offer no claims of continual technical support, or support on-demand.
30 Day Support Period:
Our current policy is to offer 30 days of no-fee technical support. The full support period generally begins when you receive your software, and lasts for 30 days beyond that date. Please be aware that this support is designed largely for technical, not operational, questions. There is ample information contained in this manual and on-line software help files in the program to familiarize you with The Auto-Mate. However, we recognize that there may be operational questions to which you can't find the answers. In these cases, we will be happy to speak with you during the 30 day support period at no fee. The goal in setting our policies is to prevent people from becoming dependent on expensive telephone support instead of finding solutions in the manual or our web site.
After 30 Days:
Once up and running, we seldom hear from most of our users. However, there are those who - for one reason or another - end up substantially increasing our support load month after month. Several problem potentials exist in this area. 1., Experimenters who alter their system continually, and then need technical support to undo the damage, 2., purchasers who encourage staff to call our support line rather than having questions referred to a qualified person in the facility, 3., users who do not have access to a competent broadcast engineer or computer hardware/software technician - and 4. (and this is the big one): Those who fail to make backups of their system! Any system, run long enough, will experience a hard-drive or other failure. You don't want to have to rebuild from scratch if this happens! Keep a backup of all system files. We will discuss this more in later sections.
Lately, particularly with our older clients, we find that many are upgrading to newer P.C.'s. Of course, this is a good idea, but often requires us to assist users as if they were new customers all over again with technical installation issues.
For these reasons, we reserve the right to institute a support fee which is designed to help us cover our costs. From 1994 through 2000, we have seldom asked anyone to pay for support because the load has been mostly light. However, as time goes on, it becomes apparent that the profits from a particular sale can eventually be swallowed by the technical support load.
Take, for instance, a long-term user who has only one problem per year. However, this problem may take one or two hours for us to solve. It is easy to see it is possible over the years to actually spend more resources supporting a client (through staff time and phone tolls) than the client actually paid for the software. Of course, a business cannot survive if this were allowed to continue.
Therefore, the situation is monitored on a constant basis to ensure that we are able to continue providing support as needed. A new fee structure is being implemented Starting Jan 1. 2000.
Support Fees AFTER 30 days: Effective January 2001 until Further Notice:
( Phone Support: If the question relates to system functionality problems, or you require operational assistance:
$15 per hour (or fraction thereof)
$.20 per minute for phone charges (if we are calling your facility).
*E-mail Support: No Charge for initial consultation. If the problem cannot be solved via e-mail, or can - but is of a complex nature, you will be advised that the problem is bill-able for our time spent researching/writing e-mail responses. In that case, the $15 per hour fee applies.
Please use e-mail for support whenever possible. Most often, this will solicit the quickest response.
$Billing: We will invoice you via e-mail. All invoices must be paid within 30 days. Failure to pay will result in banishment from further technical support until the bill is paid.
The support fee and support policies are subject to change year to year. We will attempt to notify all users of changes in the support policy or fee structure as they occur.
A few More Words on Technical Support:
In order to keep costs low, we do not offer around-the-clock technical support. In fact, many times you will get connected to our voice mail. This is all the more reason to be self-sufficient in being able to solve your own problems. Please be aware that response may not be immediate, and our resources to assist you with certain problems are limited. Keep in mind that helping you is our top priority and the lack of ability to always be there is simply an economic reality.
CR ROM Replacement:
You are allowed to make a backup copy of the CD-ROM in a safe place for use if the original CD become defective. Please make the backup copy shortly after receiving your Auto-Mate software.
Your original CD-ROM is warranted to be defect free for a period of sixty days from purchase. We will provide replacement CD at our expense during this warranty period. However, you must follow the following procedures to be eligible for a replacement:
1. You must supply us your program serial numbers for
confirmation.
2. Promise to send us the defective CD-ROM.
If you experience problems with the CD-ROM after the sixty day warranty period, the replacement procedure is as follows:
1. Send a check or money order for $12.50 to cover our
shipping and handling - along with the defective CD-ROM.
2. If you need the CD-ROM quickly, we will send the
replacement CD C.O.D. You will also be charged
applicable COD shipping charges. You must supply
your program serial numbers via telephone and send us
the defective CD-ROM.
Currently, we ship via U.S. Priority mail which generally takes three days or less to all points within the U.S.. Special shipping requests or overseas shipping will result in extra fees.
Failure to return the defective diskettes on the honor system will result in the loss of this service should you need it again in the future.
The price for replacement media is subject to change based on our expense incurred in providing this service.
How The Auto-Mate Works:
After the audio card and The Auto-Mate software is installed (this will be fully discussed in a subsequent section), you will connect your computer to your studio console. Simply wire an input and output from your console to the sound card jacks in the back of your computer. One cable goes from a standard line level audition output of your console to the line input of the sound card. Another cable will go from the output of your sound card to an unused input of your console. The output level is 4 ohms (standard) - with variable output volume. You must connect the wiring at the sound card using mini plugs.
If the system will employ two sound cards (one for recording and one for playback, or one for recording and two for playback), the appropriate connection should be made to each sound card.
The Auto-Mate makes recordings of Spots, Music, Liners, and Legal I.D.'s. Each recording is called a "file." Actually, a recording is called a WAVE file - a certain format of sound recording. All recordings in this format have a .WAV file extension. Along with each .WAV file is a corresponding data file (.DAT extension). The .DAT file holds information like the title, length, artist, etc.
Recording and playback is very simple. First, when making a recording, you give each file a unique name, such as S12345. After a recording is made, you simply need to re-enter the S12345, or select it from a list, and play the recording you made. In pick-list modes, you may simply look for the S12345 file name using your up and down arrows. Pressing enter when S12345 is highlighted allows you to place it in the queue to hear it.
For automation in random playback mode, there are certain parameters you choose. These parameters include the number of spots in each break, number of songs between spot breaks, and so on. In actual playback, the computer randomly chooses all music to be played - trying to never repeat a song until all have been played. All spots are played randomly from a list you create. Random Playback Mode can also be configured to play spot breaks on a scheduled basis. All liners are played on a totally random basis. Legal I.D.'s are randomly selected as well, and are played near the top of each hour. The computer is able to tell the difference between spots, music, and liners because all spots automatically begin with S, all liners L, and all music files M.
If you have purchased the Simple-Sat Satellite Automation system, or Version 3.0 relay based software options, please refer to the V3.0 Simple-Sat manual for complete details on the operation of that element of The Auto-Mate.
Using this Manual:
We have attempted to make this manual as easy to use as possible. If you have time, you may wish to read it cover-to-cover. Knowing how most people use manuals, we don't anticipate many of you doing this. Therefore we have covered each operation of the software individually so that you can go directly to each area of interest. The Auto-Mate was designed foremost with ease of use in mind. Therefore, you may find it easy to work with the system without referring to the manual. We do implore you, however, to at least read the installation instructions before continuing.
If you hate reading manuals, we still encourage you to review entries in the manual entitled NOTE and WARNING. They will look like this:
NOTE: Generally, these are useful bits of information that can make your use of The Auto-Mate easier.
WARNING!: Generally, these messages involve situations that could cause your system to malfunction if instructions in this area are improperly followed.
NETWORKABLE !: This message is shown at locations where you may be able to take advantage of a particular feature with a Local Area Network. To take advantage of these features, your main Auto-Mate equipped computer system must be able to become a client and other drives on connected computers must be accessible by your main Auto-Mate equipped Computer. For more details on networking, please see Appendix F.
Maintaining System Reliability:
The Auto-Mate software has been shown to be very reliable in operation from its earliest version. This reliability shall continue in Windows, as it did in the DOS environment. In almost all cases, when problems develop, they are related to some type of hardware difficulty. This is especially true if your software has been reliable from the time of installation and problems begin some time later. Since Auto-Mate Systems is not a supplier of hardware, you will be responsible for maintaining your hardware in a condition that maximizes system performance.
When comparing the Windows environment or any "multi-tasking" environment to a one-thing-at-a-time operating system such as DOS, the reliability should be roughly equivalent. Traditionally, DOS has been considered more "stable" or reliable than Windows, but this is mainly for reasons other than some inherent flaw in Windows. We will explore these reasons which will hopefully lead to a complete understanding of the challenges and methods that can be employed to ensure maximum reliability.
When Windows 3.1 appeared, it was a somewhat revolutionary product because the user can now perform multiple tasks using one PC. However, given the newness of the technology, the fact that the platform was 16-bit (not as robust as today's 32-bit platform), and the slowness of computer hardware at that time, the old Windows environment was prone to the notorious "general protection fault" or other errors. With the advent of Windows 95, faster processors, and improved understanding of the interaction of various software components - these conditions combined to make Windows a much more stable system than it was formerly.
Still, occasional conflicts occur. Generally, these are due to multiple applications being run at the same time competing for resources. The best way to assure that your Auto-Mate software performs well is to minimize the number of additional applications that are installed on the P.C.. If it is unavoidable to install multiple applications, it is advisable to avoid executing these applications while your Auto-Mate software is running. Of course, this generally should not be a problem since your system is generally designed to be operated in an unattended environment. Still, there may be circumstances in which the user wishes to run multiple applications. This should not be a problem. However, keep in mind that your Auto-Mate can be rather intense in utilization of system resources. If the user finds that there are "Sputters" in the audio playback, there are only certain remedies including adding more RAM (memory) to the PC. If all else fails, simply avoid using competing applications with your Auto-Mate system.
Defragmenting Hard-Drive:
It is important to run a hard-drive defragmentation/optimization utility on an occasional basis. Windows ™ has a built-in utility for this purpose called DISK DEFRAGMENTER (In Accessories > System Tools). Defragging your hard-drive is important because the process of recording and erasing audio files can tend to cause data to be chunked-up on the hard-drive in multiple locations. Eventually, the system may slow down or have a hard-time operating if the files are too mixed-up. The intervals between your defrags will depend on how much recording and erasing is done. If your facility is a regular recorder and eraser of material, you may want to run the defrag on a weekly basis. Those who do very little recording may need to do a defrag every month or so. However, The advice of your local computer expert should be sought out for advice in this matter.
Maintaining ON-AIR Status:
Reliability is the number one goal at Auto-Mate Systems. Still, continuous system reliability cannot ever be guaranteed - or even expected. Our software is complex and computers are extremely intricate devices. While computers are usually extremely reliable - they have been known to break-down or basically 'go bananas'.
Our advice to prevent down-time includes the following:
·
· Always make at least one backup copy of your original systems disks (as soon as you get your software) and keep them where you can find them! Don't lose this manual, either!
· Either maintain analog copies of all material that is recorded into the system, or make regular backups of your hard-drive onto a backup tape or other archival storage device.
· Have someone at your station, or know someone (i.e. the local computer expert), who can familiarize themselves with the software and your hardware should a break-down occur. It is better to have someone around who already knows the hardware if getting back up-and-running quickly is the goal.
· Have a back-up plan in mind: Sometimes a computer may become damaged and need replaced or repaired. You may wish to have another computer in your building earmarked for use as an emergency backup.
· Keep an ear on your station. While walk-away time is great, it is never pleasant to come back to the station to find it has been off-the-air for several hours because of a hardware failure. You may want to buy a silence sensor hooked to an auto-dialer that calls you if you lose audio for more than several minutes.
· As mentioned previously, maintain your system in a responsible manner and don't expect your hardware to last forever.
[Back to Top]
II. Software Installation
Please read this section thoroughly. If these instructions are not followed, the Auto-Mate software may operate incorrectly - or not at all.
System Requirements
The following system requirements should be adhered to when installing your software.
CPU: 200mHz Pentium (or Equivalent) or Higher
Memory (RAM): 64 Megabytes. (The system may work with 32 Megabytes RAM, but audio playback may
experience occasional sputtering or skipping - especially when transitioning from one item to the next.
CD-ROM: Double Speed, or higher. (For software installation).
Video: VGA Color Monitor or greater. Video Card should be capable of supporting High Color - 16 Bit minimum. The screen size should be capable of being set to 800 x 600 pixels.
Hard Drive: Depending on whether compression is used and how many recordings are planned to be placed on the system, the amount of hard-drive requirement varies. Use the following table as a guide:
Recording Setting [Bytes used Per Minute Table]Mono (Megabytes per min.)Stereo (Megabytes per min.)
PCM (Standard .WAV file) 44kHz 8 Bit2.6 Megabytes per min.5.2 Megabytes per min.
PCM (Standard .WAV file) 44kHz 16 Bit 5.2 Megabytes per min.10.4 Megabytes per min.
PCM (Standard .WAV file) 22kHz 8 Bit1.3 Megabytes per min.2.6 Megabytes per min.
PCM (Standard .WAV file) 22kHz 16 Bit2.6 Megabytes per min.5.2 Megabytes per min.
Microsoft ADPCM (4 Bit) 44kHZ1.3 Megabytes per min.2.6 Megabytes per min.
MPEG Layer 3.5 Megabyte per min.1 Megabyte per min.
We have found Microsoft ADPCM to offer good sound quality with a minimal amount of hard-drive usage. To give an idea of how much hard-drive is needed, we will use Microsoft ADPCM Stereo recording as an example.
At 2.6 megabytes of hard-drive used per minute, this equates to 6.4 hours of recording per one Gigabyte of hard drive capacity. So, knowing this, we can equate that approximately 96 four minute songs per gigabyte. From this, it can be determined how many gigabytes are needed based on the number of desired recordings. For example, if around 1000 recorded songs are desired, it would be advisable to purchase at least an 11-12 gigabyte hard-drive. With today's huge drive capacity at low prices, it is advisable to go with the largest affordable drive.
Recording Setting [Hours of Recording Time per Gigabyte]Mono (Hours of Recording per recording type.)Stereo (Hours of Recording per recording type.)
PCM (Standard .WAV file) 44kHz 8 Bit6.4 Hrs per gigabyte3.2 Hrs per gigabyte
PCM (Standard .WAV file) 44kHz 16 Bit 3.2 Hrs per gigabyte1.6 Hrs per gigabyte
PCM (Standard .WAV file) 22kHz 8 Bit12.8 Hrs per gigabyte6.4 Hrs per gigabyte
PCM (Standard .WAV file) 22kHz 16 Bit6.4 Hrs per gigabyte3.2 Hrs per gigabyte
Microsoft ADPCM (4 Bit) 44kHZ 12.8 Hrs per gigabyte6.4 Hrs per gigabyte
MPEG Layer 3 33.33 Hrs per gigabyte16.67 Hrs per gigabyte
Audio Quality/Compression Options [Codecs]:
Sound cards have a wide variety of quality. To keep things simple, one usually gets what one pays for. It is better to stick with high-quality rather than going for the $9.95 no-name special at the discount warehouse. Still, an excellent quality sound card can usually be obtained for around $50. The next biggest determining factor of audio quality, besides the electronics of the sound card itself, is the audio compression (for file size) capability.
The compression that can be used is software dependent. That is, the Windows system uses what are known as Audio 'Codecs' to determine the fidelity, whether the recording is stereo or mono, and any file size compression. The codecs installed from one PC to the next vary. Windows comes equipped with Microsoft ™ ADPCM ™ compression. If MPEG Layer 3 ™ is desired, this may or may not be equipped on your PC. Different compression codecs can be added by purchasing software which creates compressed recordings. This software may be searched for with keywords 'CD ripper', 'multimedia editor', 'audio software', 'compression codecs' etc. Consult your local software reseller or website for various options. Usually, codecs must be licensed by the respective copyright owner - so these options must be purchased as part of a software package that creates audio files using one method or another.
We have found that the Microsoft ADPCM format is widely available (standard in Windows95 and higher) and offers a good compromise between sound quality and hard-drive space savings. The best part - it's free!
Choosing/Installing the Sound Card(s):
Your first task will be to install the sound card or cards inside of your computer, should it not already exist. To accomplish this, please refer to the instructions that came with your sound card and the previous section. Make sure that you check the operation of the card using the built-in test programs that come with your sound card software package.
There are many sound cards that will function with your Auto-Mate Software. The only requirement is that it work with the Windows operating system, and be able to record and play .WAV files - as virtually all consumer grade cards do. However, there are some more intricate details that will affect the performance of your Auto-Mate software.
Audio Overlap Capability:
The Auto-Mate is capable of audio overlap during playback, and this is possible in two situations:
1. Two Sound Cards are installed in the P.C. See Two Sound Card Installation instructions below for full details.
Note: You may have to install two separate models of sound card in the computer, as some systems may not
recognize duplicate cards.
2. One Sound Card is installed - AND has Audio Accelerator capabilities (this allows multiple channels to originate on a single sound card.) Note that this is not the same as DIRECT SOUND™ OR DIRECTX™ capability. A sound card may be DIRECT SOUND compatible, but may not be able to overlap on the same card. Consult documentation from your sound card manufacturer for information regarding whether Accelerator capability is available.
Recording vs. Playback:
It is generally not possible to record and play on the same sound card simultaneously using Auto-Mate Software. Some sound cards may support this, but we do not recommend this. For simultaneous record and playback, it is recommended that two sound cards be installed in the unit. See the following instructions for Two Sound Card Installation.
Two Sound Card Installation:
Installing two sound cards in the Windows 95 and higher environment is relatively easy. Simply install each sound card one-at-a-time, and install all appropriate sound card software. Refer to the documentation that came with the sound card. If installation problems are encountered, contact the sound card manufacturer for technical support. Auto-Mate Systems cannot assist in sound card installation due to the variations from one card to another.
Once both sound cards are installed, enter the Multimedia properties of the Windows Control Panel. This is accessed as follows:
Start > Settings > Control Panel > Multimedia
From here, in the Audio Tab of Multimedia properties, the preferred device for playback and recording can be selected. As long as both sound cards have been installed correctly, each will appear in the drop-down selection box.
Important Note: For dual sound card overlapping playback, make sure the 'Use Only Preferred Devices' box is un-checked. Again, For both sound cards to function during playback the 'Use Only Preferred Devices' box should not be checked. Otherwise, the Preferred sound card for playback will only be used. Of course, this means that overlap will not occur. This box should only be checked if overlap is never desired, or an Audio Accelerator is being used which is capable of playback overlap on the same sound card.
For recording, it is important that a recording preference be selected if more than one sound card is installed. Since the Audio inputs and outputs will likely be permanently wired, it is important to complete this step.
If there is only one sound card in the system, there is no need to adjust this setting.
Overlapping Playback with Single Sound-Card
If overlapping sound card is desired with a single-sound card, the card must be equipped with an Audio Accelerator. The Sound Card should be installed, and all accompanying software should be installed with the sound card. The 'Use Only Preferred Device' box should be checked in the Multimedia properties (as shown on the previous page). This should allow the same sound card to overlap audio. Still, there are instances where the overlapping function will not work. Due to the many circumstances in which this may occur, it is recommended that dual sound cards be used instead.
DirectX - DirectSound Installation:
If DirectSound - part of the DirectX multimedia enhancement is available, it should be installed. Direct Sound is an enhancement designed by Microsoft which allows multiple channels of audio to be played from the same sound card in certain applications. This feature is built-in to Windows 98 and above. The Auto-Mate does not specifically use Direct Sound components, but there may be advantages in using this in conjunction with other software.
Installing the Auto-Mate Software
After you have confirmed the proper operation of the sound card(s), it is time to install the Auto-Mate standard software.
The software will create five new directories:
C:\AMATE - For the program files.
C:\AMDATA - For the data file of all recordings.
C:\AMWAVE - For the actual .WAV files (recordings). An additional AMWAVE directory is created on all other resident hard drives in your system.
C:\AMTEMPLT- Stores the templates you have created in the Pick-List mode. These templates will have a file extension of .TPP (Pick-List). Satellite templates are also stored in this directory with an extension of .TPL and .TPD. Satellite verification logs are also stored here with an extension of .LOG. A variety of operational data files are stored here as well.
C:\AMTIME- Stores Time of Day .WAV recordings.
It is critical to note that the Auto-Mate operating software must be placed on drive C in the AMATE directory. If for some reason you don't have a drive C or it has insufficient space, you must re-configure your system so it will accept The Auto-Mate software on drive C. The Auto-Mate Windows Ver 4.0 (Auto-Mate 2000) will use about ten megabytes of hard drive space for the operating program. Also, even if you don't plan to use drive C for recording, make sure there is enough space for the data files, templates, and verification log files. Generally, you will want to have at least 100 megabytes reserved on your C drive at all times for these data storage functions
Your Auto-Mate software package consists of a CD-ROM. The files are compressed on the CD, and will be "expanded" to normal size on the hard drive.
To install The Auto-Mate, please follow these instructions closely:
Auto-Mate software comes on a single CD-ROM. After placing the CD into drive, installation should begin automatically. If it does not, change to the CD drive and run the program AMSETUP. The installation is very straightforward. The user must agree to the license terms, or the installation will terminate. The serial number must be entered that was provided with the CD.
NOTE: It is critical that the default C:\AMATE directory be selected for installation. This is done by pressing the graphic button on the installation program displaying the PC.
The install utility will allow you to change the install directory, but doing so will render your system in operable and the software will need to be un-install and reinstalled in C.:\AMATE if a different installation directory was selected.
Once the software has been copied from the CD to the hard drive, the system settings will be updated. After installation completes, the Auto-Mate may be accessed by selecting start > programs > Auto-Mate.
Installation will complete when the Auto-Mate is run for the first time. Additional record and playback controls must be installed and configured. Once this is complete, please reboot the PC to make sure that all updates are registered by the operating system.
It is noted in the installation that at least two recordings of each type must be made before attempting playback. The system is designed to hold hundreds, if not thousands of recordings of each type (spots, music, liners), but has difficulty if there is not at least a minimal amount of selection in the database files. Please record at least two spots, liners, and music files before attempting to use the Random, On-Air Assist, or Pick-List modes.
The main menu that runs each application is called AMWIN.EXE. This is the main menu application. To create a desktop icon for Auto-Mate, complete the following steps:
1. Right click mouse on the desktop
2. Click 'New'
3. Click 'Shortcut'
4. Click 'Browse'
5. Browse for and once located, click the AMATE folder in drive C
6. Locate file AMWIN in the list and double-click
7. The file C:\AMATE\AMWIN.exe will appear in the command line window.
8. Click 'Next'
9. Select a name for the shortcut that makes sense to you (i.e. Auto-Mate)
Click Finish
The icon will appear on your desktop
Uninstalling/reinstalling software:
An occasion may arise when it becomes necessary to un-install the Auto Mate from the PC. This will likely occur if the PC is being replaced or upgraded, and the Auto-Mate software must be removed to comply with the license agreement. An un-install should also be performed anytime a re-install or upgrade of the software will be performed. Failure to un-install the previous version may not allow new files to overwrite the pre-existing files.
NOTE: This process will not affect existing data, .WAV, Time, or template files.
To un-install the existing software, follow these instructions:
Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add-Remove hardware.
In the list of currently installed hardware, Auto-Mate will be listed. Highlight Auto-Mate and choose "remove program." If this will un-install the program files and certain system registry files. While the software is un-installing, a message may appear that certain files are shared -- or may be used by another application. When in doubt, it is best to retain the OCX or other registry files to insure all other system programs remain unaffected.
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III. Recording with The Auto-Mate
Auto-Mate Recording Screens:
The Auto-Mate offers four distinct recording options under the Record menu. One is for recording spot (commercial or PSA) material, one is for recording music, one for all Liner material, such as station slogans, Legal I.D.'s, etc., and the other is for recording the time-of-day for automatic playback within Auto-Mate software.
The Recording Menu Options are:
Spots
Music
Liners
Auto-Time
Import File
Windows Recorder
Enhanced Mixer
Liner Recording Set-Up Screen
Disk Monitor
First, we will explore Record Spots, Music, Liners, and Auto-Time where recordings can be made using any audio input (Line in, MIC in, CD-ROM in, or any other input device to the sound card.
Each recording screen requires differing data input, but the basic construction of each screen is the same - so the following discussion applies to all three screens,
After selecting an option you will see a box containing the file names of each recording of the appropriate type (spot, music, or liner) that is found on the system. This is shown for your convenience in that you can either see which file names are already in use, or can highlight one of the existing recordings for re-recording.
New Recording: Selecting this will allow you to begin entering data for a new recording, or to update and old one. See the following pages for a complete discussion of options.
Audition: This will allow you to enter a script number (I.D.) or select one from the existing recordings list box. This is especially useful for listening to a recording just completed to make sure it recorded correctly.
Erase: This will allow the user to type-in, or select from the list, a script number and erase a single existing recording. It is built-in for use here if you desire to delete a recording during a recording session. To erase multiple recordings, choose ( Utilities from the main menu, then Erase Recordings.
Edit Data: This handy feature lets you change any current data for an existing recording (except the I.D. and drive letter). The existing recording will remain unchanged, only the information changes if you choose to edit it.
Import File: Allows any .WAV file to be associated with the data file that is created here. The steps to complete an Import process will be discussed fully in a subsequent section.
Re-Record Last: Another convenient feature, this option allows you to bring up all of the data from the last file in this screen you set-up to record. It is especially useful if you tend to record, let's say, a weather forecast with the same script I.D. repeatedly throughout the day. There will also be times when a recording doesn't turn out the way you would have liked, and you wish to record it again. In both cases, this option saves you several key strokes by eliminating the need to re-enter the script I.D.
Entering Recording Information (All Modes):
Note: You are not allowed to use "quotes" in any data field. Also, you may not use unusual characters such as !@#$%^&*(+)" in the spot, music, or liner I.D. title field.
Existing Recordings List Box: A list box containing all existing recordings of a particular type can be seen roughly in the right-center of the recording window. To access any file in the list for re-recording, simply double-click the desired I.D. after selecting it from the list.
New Recording: When making a recording, you must click New Recording. At this point, the cursor will appear in the Spot, Music, or Liner I.D. text box. From this point, the desired I.D. for this recording will be assigned
You will notice that each I.D. automatically starts with a pre-determined letter:
Spot I.D. = S
Music I.D. = M
Liner I.D. = L
These are uniform designations and cannot be altered. The purpose of this is so that the computer can tell the difference between the different types of files. Also it is much neater organizationally. Still, you are left with five digits to work with.
Therefore, if you type 12345 following the S in the Spot I.D. entry field, your file will actually be known as S12345. All further reference to this spot will be as S12345. It is perfectly acceptable to have a file named M12345, as well as an L12345, for example. Also, you may have as few as one additional character as a file name in each mode. If you type fewer than the required digits and try to continue, a warning prompt will appear.
Note: Your movement within the data fields is restricted until you have entered a valid script I.D. An error message box will appear notifying that a file-name must be specified if no filename is entered.
Many times, you may wish to re-record an existing file. Commonly, this will occur when you wish to update a spot or weather forecast, for example. This process is very simple. If you chose an existing file from the 'Existing Files' list box that appeared upon entry, you may simply edit any data, if any, that has changed and continue-on to make the recording. Sometimes it may be easier to type in the script I.D. for an existing file rather than looking for it in a list box containing many files. To do this, simply click the 'New Recording' button, and then enter an I.D. that already exists. If the file exists, all data for the recording will appear. To re-record the item, simply update any information that has changed (such as start and kill dates). When the data has been updated, press Record Now to go to the recording screen. If the length of the new recording is different than the previous one, The Auto-Mate will automatically record the new length.
Technical Note: One might ask, why can't longer script I.D.s be entered since Windows95 and higher supports long filenames? There are two answers: 1) Shorter filenames allow us to remain 100% compatible with previous versions of Auto-Mate. 2) Long I.D names are not needed in Auto-Mate because the DATA (.DAT) file contains much descriptive information, making it unnecessary to hold it in a filename.
Drive: Enter a drive letter on which you wish to record the file. If the recording already exists, thje drive will automatically be selected based on the drive that the file currently resides.
NOTE: Make certain that a valid drive letter is entered. A valid drive letter will always be C. Any drive can be used as long as an AMWAVE directory exists in the root directory of the drive (i.e. C:\AMWAVE, D:\AMWAVE, etc.). The root is the 'top-level' directory and all other directories branch off of it.
If a drive is selected that does not have the AMWAVE directory, a message will appear asking if you wish to create the directory so that the recording can be made. Make sure no attempt is made to create a directory on a drive that cannot be written to, such as a CD-ROM drive. If this happens, an error will be received and the recording screen will close-down.
If you are editing the data for an existing recording, the drive entry field may not be changed. If it is desired to re-record the file on a different hard drive, the currently existing file must first be deleted.
Note: Your movement within the data fields is restricted until you have entered a valid hard drive letter..
How to Prepare a Drive for Recording:
If you know you have a particular hard drive letter installed in your computer, but The Auto-Mate generates a fatal error when you select that drive, it is most likely because the AMWAVE directory has not been created on the drive. Follow these procedures to overcome this situation:
1. Select: Start > Programs > Windows Explorer.
2. Choose the drive in question from the drive box, or click the drive in the 'All Folders' Window.
3. From the top-level (root) of the directory, click: File > New > Folder [In the drive selected, there should be no open folders in the left-hand 'All Folders' window (see Windows Explorer image)]
4. A new folder will be created called 'New Folder'. Type AMWAVE in the space provided, replacing the default 'New Folder' folder name.
Windows Explorer
WARNING!: Be sure to keep an eye on your remaining drive space, as it is a very poor practice to fill your hard drive so full that you run out of space. Keep in mind that (depending on your settings), the recording process uses between one and ten megabytes every minute. To keep an eye on remaining disk space, launch the Disk Monitor under the Record menu. The disk monitor appears in the system tray in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. This shows the remaining space in a graphical pie chart, and gives a numerical readout when the mouse is dragged over the graph.
WARNING FOR VERIFICATION LOG USERS: If you are a regular user of the Verification Logging options, it will be especially important to watch the remaining drive space on drive C. When utilizing the verification logging , the hard drive space on C will continue to decrease as it saves log entries to the drive. If you use too much of the C drive space for .WAV files, you could run out of drive space while in a playback mode where verification logging is enabled, which could cause the system to hang. Generally, you should leave at least two megabytes free on drive C at all times, more if you don't clear the verification log listing often.
Moving Around:
After entering a valid drive letter and hitting enter, you are free to move around the data fields. You can use Tab, or the keyboard arrows to move anywhere you want - except back over the I.D. and Drive Letter fields - which are non-changeable once selected.
If you have made a mistake, such as entering the wrong I.D. or drive letter, press Restart to clear the fields and try again
You are restricted to a pre-determined number of characters on each entry. If you meet the allowed number of characters, you will hear a chime (if enabled). Either way, it will be obvious because no further characters may be entered at that point. Use your left arrow or backspace key to move away from the end of the data field. Existing data may be highlighted by dragging the mouse across the field with the left button pressed. Press the delete key to remove the highlighted range.
Now we will spend some time examining each data field and any special features they contain.
Data Entry In Spot Recording Mode :
Length: in a selection box near the center of the screen are the following length selections: 30,: 60,: 90 and user stop. If a timed recording is desired, click the radio button next to the desired selection. If a time other than : 30,: 60 or,: 90 is desired, check the user stop button and then enter the number of seconds at which the recording should automatically stop.
So what do these defaults mean?
:30 - Recording Stops Automatically After 30 Seconds
:60 - Recording Stops Automatically After 60 Seconds
:90 - Recording Stops Automatically After 90 Seconds
UserStop - Recording Continues Until You Stop It
:??? - You enter total seconds to record (1 to 999) and
recording stops upon reaching that number.
Note to Auto Mate DOS users: the "fifth digit length identifier" is not currently enabled in this version. Please contact us by e-mail if this is a feature you use regularly in previous versions.
Technical Notes: some users have asked why this spot or liner does not terminate automatically upon reaching the Kill date. This is possible, but our years of experience in the broadcasting industry have proven that often times a spot or liner will continue to play long past the original Kill date. More often than not, causing an item to stop playing at a Kill date will inadvertently force a recording to stop playing that should not have. User input on this subject is invited for future upgrades (please use e-mail).
You can move around in the settings with the left and right arrow. In the :??? box, the b (backspace) key is the only way to edit an incorrect entry.
Note: Take care when using the automatic stop modes. If a spot runs over the designated time, you'll end up with an undesirable clip. If the material being recorded ends up being longer than the time specified, the recording must be aborted and re-selected, choosing a longer recording time. Of course, a recording can be stopped at any time before the automatic stop-time is reached.
Account: Enter the advertiser name here. (up to 15 digits)
Title: Enter a descriptive spot title (up to 15 digits)
Start: Enter the date that the copy is to start playing. If you pass over the field without entering anything, today's date will automatically appear. If the system date in your computer is wrong, the automatic date that appears will be incorrect.
Kill: Enter the date that the copy should stop playing. Passing over the field without entering anything will display today's date automatically. Note that a Kill date is used for your information only. You can still use the spot beyond the kill date - it won't magically disappear or be prevented from playing.
Product: This can be a rather important entry. You should come up with a list of codes that correspond with certain types of advertisers. For example all Grocers could be coded "G", all Car Dealers "C", and all restaurants "R".
The importance in entering product codes is for the Random Playback mode. If two competing accounts are in the random spot rotation list, then The Auto-Mate will try to separate them if they have the same Product Code. For example, if McDonald's has an "R" product code, and Burger King also has an "R", The Auto-Mate will try to keep these spots from playing in the same break.
However, if you leave the product code off Burger King or don't use "R" as with McDonald's,
it is likely that the two spots could play back-to-back. It is needless to say that you should take care to avoid that.
On the other hand, you should not bunch a lot of advertisers together under, let's say, "M" for miscellaneous. The result here would be that random playback mode may not be able to play as many spots in a break as you have specified, due to a lack of differing product codes.
If you really don't care about product separations, leaving the product code blank will allow that spot to play next to any other spot.
Announcer: This is a one digit announcer code to allow you to see at a glance who produced the spot. It has no use other than for your own information.
Data Entry in Music Record Mode:
Artist: Data field for the musical artist or group. (20 digits)
Title: Musical song title. (20 digits)
Rotation: This field is for your information only. It is used to denote how often a music file should be played in relation to other musical files. The choices are H(eavy), M(edium), or L(ight). For example, you may want to denote the top ten songs of the week as H, and less popular songs as L. These designations may be employed in a future version of Random Playback Mode. If compatibility is not desired, any meaningful designation may be used.
Start Date: This generally is today's date. Today's date will appear automatically if you pass over the field. However, the start date can be any date you choose.
From Year: This is the year that the song was recorded, a popular piece of information often related to listeners by on-air personalities. The current year will display by default.
Data Entry in Liner Record Mode:
Legal I.D.: Regular liners begin with the L that is already pre-entered in the box. If you wish to record a Legal I.D. for use in the Random Playback Mode, you must enter another L in addition to the one that is already entered for you. Thus, a Legal I.D. might look like this: LL1234. Upon typing an L as the second digit of the liner recording, you will see a message appear near the bottom of the screen. It will say: This Liner will be designated a Legal I.D.
Magic Call/Backsell Liner/Stinger: For playback on Simple-Sat, or Random Playback Mode The short liners that some satellite networks use between songs or just before an announcer speaks go by many names. Most commonly they are called magic calls. Generally, they will be three seconds or less in duration. The only specific function these liners have in The Auto-Mate is in the Simple-Sat playback module. There, these liners will be played when activated by the appropriate relay closure. This liner type may have functionality in Random Playback Mode in a future version.
To record a special liner for playback in Simple-Sat, you must enter the second digit in the file name as an M. Thus, a liner recorded for special playback as Simple-Sat liner function #4 may look like this: LM1234. This liner does not necessarily have to be a magic call or stinger type of a liner, it can be any type of special liner that is desired for playback in the Simple-Sat playback mode.
Upon typing an M as the second digit in the liner i.d. box, you will see the message: "This Liner will be a Magic Call/Backsell Liner" appear near the bottom of the screen.
Title: This field if for a descriptive title of the liner (up to 20 characters).
Announcer: A one digit field for entry of an announcer code (A through Z, or blank).
Announcer Code Usage for Simple-Sat Users: If you are using Simple-Sat playback, this announcer code is used to isolate specific satellite announcers for playback at times you specify. Thus, if you are using the Simple-Sat automation, you should give each network announcer his or her own letter identifier and only record each individual voice under one particular letter. Any liner recorded with a blank announcer code will be played when the computer cannot figure out which satellite announcer is currently on-shift, or when you intentionally do not program individual announcer schedules in the Simple-Sat section. Therefore you will want to record some 'generic' liners with a blank announcer field for times when there is no specific announcer scheduled. For more information on programming satellite announcer schedules, see the Satellite Playback sections of the Auto-Mate Simple-Sat Operations Manual.
Announcer Code Usage for Standard Version Users: If you are using the Standard version of The Auto-Mate, you can use any acceptable character (alphabetic or numerical) or a blank for the announcer code. In the standard version, the announcer code is for your personal knowledge only. There is no effect in the operation of the software.
Type: This item is simply for your own information. The codes are up to you, but some examples may be: L - Legal I.D., R - Return Liner, S - Sweeper, P - Promo Liner, etc.
Start/Kill Dates: As before, these fields are used to tell you what dates a file should start and stop. It is important to note that a liner will continue playing beyond its kill date. So, if you have a Christmas liner playing with a kill date of 12-26-96, this doesn't mean the liner will disappear at the stroke of midnight on Christmas night. It will continue to play in random mode or when you select it from a pick-list as long as it is in the computer. In short, kill dates are for your record keeping only. It is your responsibility to ensure that outdated material is erased from the system.
Which recording settings you use will vary depending on your individual situation. If you're lacking hard drive space, you may want to use compression (if available), or use lower fidelity.
Recording Settings:
The Auto-Mate uses the standard Windows volume control for altering inputs sources and levels. This is generally available by clicking the "speaker" in the tray (lower right -- hand corner) or you can click the slider/speaker icon in the Auto -- Mate recording screen.
Volume Control Icons
Double-click one of the volume icons to enter the mixer portion.
If only one sound card is installed, the installed device should be displayed by viewing: options > properties. If more than one sound card is present, the device which is set for default playback will appear in the mixer device window. To set the preferred recording and playback device, select start > settings > control panel > multimedia. See section 2-2, Choosing/Installing the Sound Card(s) for more details. There is also a Recording/Playback properties menu under the utilities menu of the Auto Mate which will take you to the same place for complete discussion of this utility see the Utilities section.
Most recording in the Auto-Mate takes place through the line input. It should be noted that any other available source may also be to be recorded, including CD audio, and microphone.
Note: CD audio recording will function only if there is an internal cable connected from the CD-ROM to the sound card used for recording.
In order to hear and record audio from the desired source, check the following:
1. Open volume control by double-clicking on a volume control icon.
2. Click options, then properties.
3. Under the desired mixer device check the items that you wish to be able to control. At minimum this should
include volume control, CD audio, line-in, and microphone.
4 Click OK
5 On any desired item, make sure the mute button is not checked and that the slider pot is at a normal level (not
turned completely down)
6 Play a source of audio into the sound card.
At this point you may or may not here audio. However the job is not complete.
1. In the volume control, click options > properties, and then the radio button for recording. Again make sure the appropriate sound card is selected. The should be the device through which recordings will be made.
2. The select began all volume controls that should be displayed. This includes any source from which a recording will be made.
3. Once again, make sure that the volume levels are up and that mute is not checked for the chosen device.
If the input device is not muted in the recording or Playback section, and the slider pot is not all the way down, recording should occur with no difficulties
Mixer Control Properties
If problems are still being experienced with hearing audio, please experiment with the volume control. This is a basic part of Windows, so for more information a basic Windows operating guide can be purchased, or the Windows on-line help menu may be of assistance. It is recommended that an audio source be connected and the levels experimented with.
Once the desired audio settings have been set, making a recording is easy.
Making the Recording:
After all recording information has been entered press the 'Record Now' button to go to the screen in which the actual recording will be made.
All information entered in the previous set up screen will be displayed in the left -- hand portion of the window. Graphical VU meters are displayed in the top portion of the screen.
Start: immediately starts the recording
Note: VU meters will not activated to the recording starts.
Note: as soon as recording starts, any pre--- existing file of the same name will be over written
Stop: Stops the recording in progress. The recording can be re-started and stop as many times as you wish, but remember that any previous recording is over written. The file is not appended to.
Cancel/Erase: Aborts this recording and erases any recording previously made, as well as the data file.
Exit: saves recording made to this point and the data file. Exit is used when you are satisfied with recording and wish to save it.
|< - Rewind to Beginning
>| - Fast Forward to End [to display total length *]
4- Play
|| - Pause
1 - Stop
*Rewind must be pressed after FF to be able to play the selection again.
A recording may also be auditioned to make sure it is satisfactory:
Audition: any recording that has been made can be auditioned. If the recording is acceptable, exit may be pressed to save the recording and prepare to make another. If the recording was not acceptable, simply press start to erase what was previously recorded and start again.
Settings Fidelity and compression:
The Auto Mate is able to take advantage of any compression codec that is available on your PC. Codec's will vary depending on what was shipped with your PC unit. PCM is the standard.WAV format. Other popular formats include Microsoft ADPCM and Mpeg Layer 3. See Section two of this manual for a complete discussion regarding codecs.
Note in the lower right hand portion of the recording window that the current recording setting is displayed. This is a verbal description that is assigned by the currently selected codec.
Settings: To change that recording setting, click the settings button. The "select format" window will appear where all available formats may be reviewed and the desired format selected.
Under each format, there are additional attributes which determine the Fidelity, which in -- turn determines the amount of hard -- drive space used per second to make the recording.
Selecting a Recording Codec
Once the format an attribute is chosen, the OK button may be pressed to accept the selection. If you wish to give the setting a "user-friendly" name which can easily be referred to in the future, click Save as. Then, enter a description for the setting and save. In the future, this custom setting can be accessed by choosing a format from the name window, and clicking OK. Any custom setting no longer needed can be deleted, by clicking remove after for selecting it from the name list.
Save settings: after selecting the format, it will be displayed in the "current recording setting".. However, if save settings is not pressed the recording format will revert to the old setting the next time to recording screen is entered.
Which format and attribute is used depends on your particular application. Some users require the highest possible sound quality (44,100 kHz) while others can do just fine with 12,000 kHz highly compressed. Generally to fewer bits the codec uses, i.e. 4-bit vs. 16-bit, the less drive space each file will use. Of course, this comes at a cost of reduced Fidelity in many cases. It should be noted that some codecs are more efficient than others. You may wish to explore the codecs available on the Internet or through your local software retailer.
Note: not all Codecs may work correctly with Auto-Mate software. If an error is received, the codec should not be used. Please report problems of this nature to us by e-mail, so we can pass this information on to other users.
Note: if Playback through DOS-based Auto-Mate software is desired, the only acceptable recording format is PCM with following formats:
PCM 44,100 Hz 8 bit Stereo or Mono
PCM 44,100 Hz 16 bit Stereo or Mono
PCM 22,050 Hz 8 bit Stereo or Mono
PCM 22,050 Hz 16 bit Stereo or Mono
PCM 11,025 Hz 8 Bit Stereo or Mono
PCM 11,025 Hz 16 bit Stereo or Mono
Record levels/gain: to change recording levels, run the volume control by clicking the slider bars/speaker icon in the lower left hand portion of the screen, or click the speaker in the task trade (lower right). You may also wish to purchase a third -- party mixer to provide other controls (such as the "enhanced mixer"). See Pages 3-6 and 3-7 for more discussion regarding changing recording levels.
Auto-Time:
Auto-Time is a feature which allows the end user to record various times of day. Then the Auto-Mate Playback modules can be programmed to play the current time of day as >TIME< codes are encountered.
Making time recordings is very easy. Simply click the hour and minute that you wish to record. Click Record to go to the recording screen itself. There, in large letters will be the time to be recorded. Press start to begin recording. The time recording can consist of anything you wish to say. For example:
· " it's One-o-two"
· " it's two after one"
· " it's two past one"
· "It's two minutes past one on the West Coast, thanks for listening to the million watt blowtorch serving nine states"
The point is, you can say anything you wish, there is no time restriction. Obviously, though, these are meant to be short time announcements.
Note: Time is in 12 hour format, so should be generic AM/PM
Importing Recordings:
This feature is very useful for utilizing recorded material that was not created using the Auto-Mate recorder.
First, the data file must already exist that the .WAV or .MP3 file will be associated with. This can be accomplished by entering the appropriate recording screen (Record > Spots/Music/Liners), and then pressing Import File. At that point, the appropriate description can be entered for the file that is to be imported. The filename that is entered need not be the same as the file that is to be imported. The drives need not be the same, as the file to be imported will be moved to any drive that is designated in the data file.
Once a data file has been created with the appropriate associated information, the Import Now button may be clicked and the import recording window will appear.
Here you select the .WAV or .MP3 file to associate with the chosen .DAT file.
Note: Any .MP3 file selected for import will be renamed to an .WAV extension in the destination directory (All original files remain unaffected)
It if the import file module has been accessed directly from the Main Menu (Record > Import File), the data file must first be selected in the left-hand file list box (where the arrow is pointing toward) Then, the file to be imported is located by searching the various drives and directories. All files that can be imported will appear in the file to import list box. Double bass click or pressed enter on the .WAV (or .MP3) file you wish to import. An arrow will guide you to which selection should be made at the moment.
Follow all additional prompts. If the .WAV file already existed, it will be over written with the file selected for import. The .WAV file you selected will be given the filename of the data file that was originally chosen. For example if the data file MMUS01.DAT were created, and you wanted to import the file track 01.WAV, the track 01.WAV would be copied to the drive specified in the .DAT file and then named MMUS01.WAV.
Note: the existing .WAV/.MP3 file is not altered anyway by this process and remains its original location with the original filename.
This is very simple. Note also that the length of the new .WAV file is automatically assigned to the Data (.DAT) file.
[Back to Top]
IV. Playback with The Auto-Mate
(Random, On-Air Assist, Pick-List)
Random Playback
Random Playback Mode Menu
Random Playback Mode is a feature which allows the Auto-Mate to play all music, liners, spots and legal IDs on a randomly rotating basis, under certain guidelines set-up by the user. Random Playback Mode, once configured is as easy to use as pressing a couple of buttons.
New to version 4 of Auto-Mate is the ability to insert pre-scheduled spot breaks into the randomly rotating material. All features of Random Playback Mode will be discussed in the following sections.
In Random Playback Mode Version 4 for Windows, all music, liners, spots, and legal I.D.'s are played internally from the computer.
Getting Ready for Random Playback
Before the Auto-Mate Random Playback Mode can set-out on its own, there are some tasks that must first be accomplished so that the Playback will perform in the desired manner.
Random Playback > Edit Spot/PSA Rotation File:
Features/Options:
This feature lets you build a file of commercial spots and Public Service Announcements that will be allowed to play during the random playback. You must decide which spots on your system will be allowed to air in random playback, as opposed to music and liner files which will playback non-restricted. The reason for this, obviously, is that commercial material can be very time-sensitive and changeable from day-to-day. Therefore, you must give your computer the "Okay" to play certain spot files.
The format of the Spot/PSA Rotation File Setup Screen is common to all Auto-Mate Playback Setup screens. On the right-hand side of the window are all available options.
There are also tabs between the existing files display and template entries display, which allow the selection to be change between spot, music, and liner entry. It is possible to enter music or liner files into the spot rotation file but it is unclear why one would wish to do so.
The options available in the set up screen will be discussed one by one:
Save: Save the rotation file to the hard drive. It is recommended that work be saved periodically. Entries can continue to be made even after saving.
Insert: Insert an item into the list at the location specified in the template entries box. The order of the Random rotation file is not significant, but maybe useful to be organized a fashion that is helpful to the user. First click Insert, then double click the point at which the insert is desired. All material at that point and below will move down by one and leave an opening to be inserted.
Cut: cuts and existing entry in the template entries box when the selected item is double-clicked.
Note: at least three items must be present in the entries listed order for cutting to function. If there are three or fewer items in the entries list (the top box in the window) please use 'Clear File'.
Time: placed in the rotation file, this will cause the current time of day to be played when the file is encountered. The time will play based on the system time in your PC. The current time file must also be present in the AMTIME directory, as recorded through the Auto -- timed option. Refer to the Auto -- time section of the recording portion of this manual for details regarding the recording of time files.
Manual Entry: lets the user key -- in any valid I.D.. If the file exists, it will become the next entry.
Clear File: clears all entries currently in the list. Any previously saved file to will still be on the hard drive until the Save button is pressed. If the file is cleared, and then the set up screen is exited without saving, the formerly saved file will re--- appear upon next entry, and continue to rotate in the Random Playback Mode.
Range Total: this feature really doesn't serve much purpose in this Mode, other than to display how many total minutes of a certain type of file may be present. This will display the seconds/minutes/hours of range that is specified.
Quit: Ends the session. If there have been changes to the file and it has not been saved, you will be asked if you wish to save the file before quitting.
Note to existing Auto-Mate DOS users: The spot/PSA rotation files are distinct between the DOS and Windows versions. If you set up to a rotation file in DOS it will need re-built for Windows.
Selecting Spots/PSA's for the Rotation file
Choosing your spots for playback is very easy. When Edit Spot/PSA Rotation File is Selected from the Random Playback Menu, you will see a list of all recorded material in the system occupying the bottom half of the screen, as well as any current recordings that are contained in the rotation file in the top half of the screen. To select an item for the rotation file, just move the up/down arrow or drag up-and-down with the mouse and highlight the item you want to add, then press <Enter>, or double-click the highlighted selection. If you already have entries in the line-up from a previous session, the next selection will become the first unused number. You are restricted to 2000 entries in the spot rotation file. When you reach 2000 entries, you must first delete an existing entry in order to add a new entry.
Note: Be cautious about the variety of randomly rotating spots you select for random playback. First, make sure you have a sufficient number of spots so the computer has a good selection to choose from. Secondly, try not to load a disproportionate number of spots of a certain product type. For example, avoid having half of your spots be car dealers. In a case such as this, if you have used the same product codes, The Auto-Mate will have a difficult time filling commercial breaks. You may notice unpredictable results on spot playback, as the computer won't play two like product codes in a break, and may dump out of a break upon encountering a certain number of product code repeats. The result will be that fewer spots will play in each break than you would have liked.
Setting Random Playback Defaults:
Random Playback > Set Random Playback Defaults
Choosing Set Random Playback Defaults from the Random Playback Menu takes you to the random playback defaults setup screen. This is the "nuts-and-bolts" of the random playback feature of The Auto-Mate. This default screen will allow you to customize playback to just the way you want it. The following paragraphs will discuss each of the options available.
When the Random Playback Mode is running, the playback will be varied based on the defaults that are set in this screen. Here is a brief description of how each option operates:
Number of Songs to Play Between Stingers (1-15): This option determines the number of songs that play between Stinger type liners [NOTE: This feature is not currently enabled and is reserved for a future upgrade.]
Number of Songs to Play Between Liners (1-15): The number of music files that will play without interruption by a liner file. Choosing '1' here means that a liner will play after every song. Note that the actual pattern of liner playback will vary depending on your setting for number of songs between commercial breaks. The actual liner playback pattern may not be exactly as set-up here if the continuity is broken by a station break.
Number of Songs to Play between Internal Local Breaks (2-20): [Internal Random Breaks only] Like the setting for liner playback, you choose here how many songs to play between commercial breaks. The spot playback pattern is fairly consistent. That is, to say that you can expect a commercial break after a set number of songs each time. Therefore, you may want to change this setting from time-to-time to avoid monotony.
Maximum Number of Spots in Each Commercial Break (1-10): [Internal Random Breaks only] This represents the greatest number of spots that are possible in a commercial break. Note that it is likely that a lower total number of spots will play in each break. This total spots per break varies based on the total number of spots in the rotation file, as well as the number of like product codes. The Auto-Mate won't repeat a spot in a break, nor will it play two like products in the same break. When the computer can't find a good match for the break in a certain number of "loops", it will abort the break. Therefore, don't be surprised to hear, say, only three spots if you have selected a maximum of four spots in each break.
Also, be aware that The Auto-Mate doesn't discriminate between spot lengths. Therefore, if you select the maximum of ten spots, your break could last up to ten minutes or more. Unless you have an immense spot load, you may want to hold this value down from the upper range.
Break Playback Type: There are three options for break playback: Internal Random, Scheduled Stop-Set, and Disabled.
Internal Random: This option selects material from the Spot rotation file discussed in the previous section. Many of the selection options in the Random Playback Set-Up screen relate to the internal Random - i.e. spots between local breaks, and maximum number of spots in each commercial break.
Scheduled Stop-Set: This Feature is available in Auto-Mate for Windows versions. It allows pre-scheduled breaks to be taken internally by your system. The instructions for setting-up Scheduled Stop-Sets are discussed fully in the subsequent section - 'Setting up Satellite Template for use in Random Playback Mode.'
Disabled: No break playback will take place.
Play Liner at the Beginning of Each Commercial Break? (Yes/No): Selecting YES causes a liner to play at the beginning of each stand-alone commercial break that plays. Choosing NO will cause your random play to go directly from music into the first spot in the break.
Play Liner at the End of Each Commercial Break? (Yes/No): Selecting YES causes a liner to play after the last spot plays in each commercial break. Choosing NO will cause random play to go directly from the last spot in the break into music.
When utilizing stand-alone internal breaks, you can choose to play a liner at the beginning and at the end of a break, at just the beginning or just the end, or you may choose to play no liner at all before or after the break.
Disable Liner Playback? (Yes/No): Selecting YES here will prevent all liner material from playing, except legal I.D's (those that start with the letters LL). Selecting NO here allows all internal liner material to rotate.
Disable Stinger Playback? (Yes/No): [This option is not currently enabled and is reserved for a future version].
Stop-Set Pause Override (0-999 Seconds): 0 = Feature is turned off. 999 = Maximum number of seconds. When this feature is enabled, and a >PAUSE< has been placed as an entry in a satellite template (that which is used when the Scheduled Stop-Set option is enabled), the pause will be aborted after the number of seconds set here has been reached.
If any >Pauses< are programmed into the Satellite template that is scheduled for playback, the stop-set pause override will cause the pause to abort after the number of seconds specified here. This feature is designed as a fail safe, as occasionally a pause may inadvertently be placed in one of your templates. If This option is not utilized, the >PAUSE< will continue until the user manually restarts Playback.
Changing the Settings:
Move around and adjust the settings as desired. Pressing Refresh will refresh the screen with all existing saved values. If any changes made have not been saved by pressing Save, the previous settings will re-appear. If you wish to quit without saving any changes, just press Quit. When you wish to save your changes, simply press Save. The following message will appear:
Do You Wish to Save the New Values?
If you choose OK, any changes made will be written to the hard-drive and the Random Playback Menu will re-appear. Pressing Cancel will return you to the set-up screen.
Note: It has been referred to a number of times, but please remember that the random default values are only a guide for The Auto-Mate. In actual operation, it may perform a bit differently. This is due to the fact that you may be trying to make the computer do something it cannot, such as playing five commercials in a break when there are only four in the rotation file. Please try to enter default entries that you are fairly sure the computer can oblige. The source of most fatal errors (meaning lots of dead-air) is when the computer is told to do something it cannot. Computers are pretty dumb, and sometimes they just can't handle it. While we have tried to account for every possible contingency, it is impossible to test every possible default configuration for non-recoverable errors.
Setting-Up/Playing Random Scheduled Stop-Set Breaks:
New to Version 4.0 (Auto-Mate 2000), the Random Playback Mode has the ability to play pre-selected local breaks at approximate times the user has chosen. This allows commercial breaks to be played more-or-less when you want, along with what you want to play in each commercial break.
Building a list of break times and spot entries is easy to accomplish, but must be set-up using several steps. For users of Auto-Mate Simple-Sat, the process will be familiar as breaks are scheduled exactly as if a satellite template were being set-up. In fact, Random Stop-Sets use the same template files as the Satellite Playback Mode.
Here is an overview of How it works:
To demonstrate how your stop-set playback may work, consider the following example:
· A Satellite Template for today's day (MON-SUN) has been built containing a break time of 11:30AM and immediately following is placed 3 minutes of spot/PSA material.
· Random Playback Mode playback is initiated at 11:00 AM and begins playing music.
· At 11:29:00 AM, a song ends and another begins. This is a 4 minute song.
· At 11:30 AM a message appears on the Random Playback Screen:
11:30 AM Break Coming Up Next...
· At 11:33 AM, song ends and unit begins playing commercial break containing 3 minutes of spot/PSA material.
· At 11:36 AM, Simple-Sat stop-set is done and Random Playback Mode resumes. Depending on how the Random
· Playback Defaults are set, random playback will either resume with a liner or music.
In this example, it would have been undesirable to place another local break, for example, at 11:35 AM as The Auto-Mate is in the midst of playing a local break at this time. It would be better to leave a buffer of time so Random Playback can play more music before going directly to another break. Your software is designed to try to accommodate these close-spaced breaks, by starting another break after playing one random song after returning from the previous break. Note that if your system starts getting behind more than two 'upcoming breaks', it will be unable to play breaks that have been designated. This is why we ask you to make sure you do not designate any break time that may potentially overlap the playback of a previously designated break.
Note: Always place a sufficient amount of time between local breaks to give the Simple-Sat unit time to play the local break, return, play more music, and then take the next break. It is our recommendation that stop-set breaks be scheduled no more often than every 15 minutes to ensure that the previously scheduled break had been started, played the spots, and played at least two songs before taking another break.
Setting up Satellite Template for use in Random Playback Mode:
To play scheduled stop-set breaks in the Auto-Mate, you must first create a "Satellite" template. To create a Satellite template, choose:
Satellite Playback > Work with Templates > Edit Template.
What is a Template?
In Satellite Control Mode (DOS) or Random Playback Mode (Windows), you need to have planned out what you are going to be playing throughout the broadcast day and at what times. Random Playback may not adhere with a schedule set-up in the template to the exact minute, but it will take breaks on a more-or-less a regular schedule. You need to know what this schedule is, and set-it-up in your template.
For example, if you wish to take four breaks each hour, roughly at ten, twenty-five, forty, and fifty past the hour, the template needs to be set-up this way. You need to record this information in a template so that when Random Playback encounters each break time, it will play any information contained in the break.
Edit Satellite Templates:
Upon entry to the Edit Template Menu, you will be given several options. We will examine these options individually.
There are two kinds of templates to edit, DAILY and CUSTOM. We will cover DAILY templates, since this is the only type used in Random Playback Mode.
Work With Daily Template:
Daily templates are designed for programming up to an entire weeks worth of breaks with the satellite network or for Random Playback Mode. The primary use of daily templates is in the fact that when one day is through, the next daily template in sequence is loaded. Conceivably, you could program the full seven days and walk-away for an entire week.
When selecting Edit Template from this menu, you choose a Custom or Daily template to work with (MON-SUN). Any existing data will be loaded with the template you choose. If you decide not to load a template, you can press Quit. Press Done, or double-click the desired template to load.
In the event that the template is empty, you will be given a message noting this before being allowed into the template programmer. Simply ignore this, as it is a message to let you know that you are about to create a new template. When you do not see this message, it means that the template you have chosen to work with already exists.
The Template Programmer:
NOTE: You are limited to 2000 total entries per template. These 2000 entries include both local breaks and spots. If you ever reach the limit, you will be told that the maximum number of entries has been reached.
The template programmer is the nuts-and-bolts of the Simple-Sat/Random Playback Stop-Set system. Notice that you have numerous options. Most options are similar to those in the on-air assist pick-list playback modes. The major difference from other playback set-up screens is in the Local Break button. This is where you must have a copy of your network "clock" or local break schedule, and enter ALL breaks that your network will be taking throughout the duration you will be on-line each day. For satellite applications, you must enter these breaks even if you do not plan on taking a break at that time as it is required for keeping on-track with the satellite breaks sent by the network. For Random Playback operations, only breaks that have material should be programmed.
NOTE: Some satellite network configurations provide multiple tones for breaks at different times during the hour. Only enter a local break in the template programmer for each actual time that your computer will be getting a relay closure. For example, if your network offers tone A for one local break and tone B for another local break during the hour, but you have only wired tone A to The Auto-Mate, do not enter any tone B break times as local breaks in your template.
In Random Playback Mode, the order of the set-up is not important, as breaks are triggered based on the time-of-day.
Building Stop-Set Commercial Breaks:
There are some breaks during the day you will want to cover with scheduled commercial material. In these cases, you simply enter the time of the local break in the proper time sequence by clicking Local Break. Select the time for the local break by scrolling up and down the hour/minute scroll lists and then clicking the hour and then minute, and then AM or PM. When the break time is acceptable, click Accept. Then, you add spots to that break either by moving through the pick-list and hitting enter, or entering Spot I.D.'s manually by pressing Manual Entry. (You may also enter music or liner material using the manual mode. Simply enter the Script I.D. you desire.) If the script I.D. you have entered is valid, the entry will pop into the current box.
A typical break sequence may look like this:
124 10:30 ****LOCAL BREAK***
125 S0001 Big Burger 60.1
126 S0022 Zap Cola 29.9
127 10:50 ****LOCAL BREAK***
128 S0050 John's Computer 60.0
129 11:05 ****LOCAL BREAK***
130 S0201 Auto World 60.0
131 LPRO1 Football Promo 15.0
You will see the length of the current break grow as you add material. When the length equals that of the opening provided by the satellite network, you have a complete break. You are then ready to add your next local break.
Add as many local breaks as needed for the day. Make sure that all breaks have the desired material, and that the proper break time has been chosen. Again, for Random Playback, the order of the breaks is not significant, but if the template will also be used with Simple-Sat playback, all breaks should be placed in sequential order. For ease of finding the desired breaks, it is recommended that all breaks be built in sequential time order regardless of whether this template is for Random or Satellite playback.
Now that you see how to program a template, we will briefly look at the options available in the Template Programmer:
Enter -or- Double Click: Selects the current highlighted file in the bottom pick-list box, and places it in the lineup in the top box.
Save: Save the rotation file to the hard drive. It is recommended that work be saved periodically. Entries can
continue to be made even after saving.
Insert: Insert an item into the list at the location specified in the template entries box. A local break or program material can be inserted wherever desired. First click Insert, then double click the point at which the insert is desired. All material at that point and below will move down by one and leave an opening to be inserted.
Cut: cuts and existing entry in the template entries box when the selected item is double-clicked.
Note: at least three items must be present in the entries listed order for cutting to function. If there are three or fewer items in the entries list (the top box in the window) please use 'Clear File'.
Time: placed in the rotation file, this will cause the current time of day to be played when the file is encountered. The time will play based on the system time in your PC. The current time file must also be present in the AMTIME directory, as recorded through the Auto -- timed option. Refer to the Auto -- time section of the recording portion of this manual for details regarding the recording of time files.
Manual Entry: lets the user key -- in any valid I.D.. If the file exists, it will become the next entry.
Clear File: clears all entries currently in the list. Any previously saved file to will still be on the hard drive until the Save button is pressed. If the file is cleared, and then the set up screen is exited without saving, the formerly saved file will re--- appear upon next entry, and continue to rotate in the Random Playback Mode.
Range Total: this feature really doesn't serve much purpose in this Mode, other than to display how many total minutes of a certain type of file may be present. This will display the seconds/minutes/hours of range that is specified.
Quit: Ends the session. If there have been changes to the file and it has not been saved, you will be asked if you wish to save the file before quitting.
Spot | Music | Liners: Music and liners can be entered as well as spots by clicking the desired type in the center of the screen.
Initiating Random Playback:
Random Playback > Random Playback Mode
While in Random Playback:
The Auto-Mate takes care of everything when playback is going on. The Auto-Mate will continue playing randomly until you stop it. Even Legal I.D.'s will play near the top-of-the-hour on The Auto-Mate. Here's a brief description of what is going on:
All music file data is loaded into memory and played on a totally random basis. The Auto-Mate tracks which music files have been played. Upon initial entry to Random Playback Mode, each music file in your system is played before repeats can begin.
Take note that there are rare instances where a music file may repeat before all others have played. It is the primary goal of the system to keep operating and on occasion may 'dump out' of the random search process rather than get stuck in what computer programmers call an 'endless loop'.
It is also important to note that after getting past the initial loop through of all songs, it is possible to hear a repeat before all other music files play again. Once the total number of songs has played, you might hear a repeat well before all other songs have played. This is because once the computer has played all music selections, it starts over the random music selection process and doesn't 'remember' what it played before a certain number of previous selections. The idea is to keep the music playback as random as possible. Obviously, if we constantly made all music files play before repeating a song, the songs might begin to play more or less in the same order over and over!
Liners are played in a totally random basis if you are playing them internally, so you may hear one repeated often from time to time. The key is to having an ample number of liners recorded for variety. Remember, ALL liners in your system will be rotated, so don't plan on leaving holiday oriented liners or other dated material in the computer all year long.
Legal I.D.'s are triggered by the system clock. Legal I.D.'s are any liner that begin with LL. Please make certain that your system clock is set correctly (To set the clock, double-click the time displayed in the task tray in the lower-right hand portion of the screen). Provided your system clock is accurate, you should hear a legal I.D. somewhere between :56 and :04 near the top-of-the-hour. If you begin the Random Playback between :57 after and about :03 after the top-of-the-hour, a legal I.D. will be the first event to play.
WARNING! To help ensure that your Legal I.D. always, do not make any recording that lasts more than eight minutes. In cases where a sound file exceeds eight minutes, it could completely cover the eight minute I.D. window around the top of the hour. An occurrence of this nature would be extremely rare, however. The Auto-Mate software has been extensively tested and designed to make playback of the Legal I.D the number one priority. But, As would be the case with any electronic or mechanical device, we cannot assure error-free operation 100% of the time.
Note: When using Random Playback in stand-alone, there must be a minimum two each of standard liners (those starting with L, but not LL) and legal I.D's (those starting with LL) for the Random Playback Mode to operate. If you have less than two standard liners or less than two legal I.D's recorded into the system, you will be informed of this and returned to the main menu. This safeguard was implemented to prevent the system from hanging - as it tries to never play the same liner event back-to-back.
Note: Liners recorded as magic calls/backsell/stinger liners (those starting with LM for use with Simple-Sat) are considered standard (regular) liners in Random Playback internal stand-alone mode and will play in the regular liner rotation.
Upon entry to the Random Playback Mode, the display will be different depending on which type of playback has
been designated in the Random Playback Defaults (Random Playback > Set Random Playback Defaults) Setup
Screen. Recalling from earlier sections, the user can choose one of three types of Random Playback:
· Internal Random: This option selects material from the Spot rotation file.
· Scheduled Stop-Set: It allows pre-scheduled breaks to be taken internally by your system.
· Disabled: No break playback will take place.
If the break playback type is set to Internal Random or Disabled, the user will immediately enter the Random Playback Screen with the option to START Playback or QUIT.
If the Scheduled Stop-Set break option has been chosen, a pop-up window will appear upon entry to the Random Playback Mode showing all of the available templates for use in Random Playback Mode. Typically, a daily template will be selected. The template for the current day should be chosen by double-clicking the requested template, or highlighting the template and pressing 'Done'.
Note: When a daily template is loaded, the day will only play if the current system (PC) clock shows that Today is also that day. For example, if today is Tuesday August 29th, break playback will only occur if TUE.TPD has been loaded when the pop-up window appears upon entry to Random Playback Mode. If the days do not match, a message will appear on the screen which states today's actual day, and that playback of the breaks for ###.TPD will not occur until the days match. [Where ### = MON, TUE, WED, THU, FRI, SAT, or SUN].
Quit: When the pop-up box appears, if Quit is selected, no template will be loaded and no break playback will occur.
Other Random Playback Features:
START/QUIT Toggle: When all of the data has been loaded, you are ready to begin playback. Clicking on START or Pressing enter when the [START] command button is highlighted will begin playback. Highlighting QUIT and pressing e will take you back to the main menu.
Set Start Time: You may want your random playback to begin automatically at a specific time. If this is the case, you may press 'Set Start Time' and enter the exact hour and minute that you want random playback to commence. The time should be entered in the twelve hour format: HH:MM A/P. This feature is useful if you have another source of programming that ends at a specific time. The Auto-Mate can pick-up where that programming leaves off.
Repeat: [Check the functionality of this] If a Custom Break Template is loaded, if this option is checked, the custom break will repeat over and over again. If it is not, the template will not repeat.
Verification Log: ON/OFF Writes a file on the hard-drive describing each event and the time it plays when this is turned on.
Overlap (Seconds): If the PC is equipped with two sound cards or has the capability to play multiple sources of audio on one card, this option sets the number of seconds of overlap. This is, when the number of seconds that are set here remain in the selection that is playing (music and liners only) the next event will begin playing.
Overlap should be set to 0 (Zero) seconds if the system has only one sound card which is not capable of multiple audio channel playback.
Channel Activity (Overlap Properties): Overlap (when enabled) works in a particular way and has certain Rules:
1. Overlap will never occur on Spot material.
2. Overlap can occur in any of the following ways: Music file transitions into Liner file, Liner file transitions into Music file, Music file transitions into Music file.
3. Overlap is not constant. That is, overlap will not occur every time an eligible item transitions from one to another. Overlap only occurs when going from Channel #1 to Channel #2. When items transition from Channel #2 back to Channel #1, no overlap will occur.
There are a number of reasons overlap is set-up as it is.
· First, is for the sake of variety. Fixed overlap after every audio file would soon become monotonous to the listener. Staggering overlap allows a variety of audio transitions as each transition occurs.
· Second, and more importantly, is reliability. Overlap brings many additional variables to the playback. Our number one priority is that one file can end and the next can begin. When multiple overlap is introduced, there is increased chance for error both in the software and in the hardware. Our system works as outlined in this example:
Channel 1 is Open playing a music file. The number of seconds remaining as set in 'Overlap (Seconds)' is reached. At this point, if the next event called for is a liner or music file, Channel 2 opens and starts playing the next event. When the audio file playing on Channel 1 is finished, channel 1 closes. Channel 2 continues open until the file playing on channel 2 has completely ended. When Channel 2 closes, the next event begins on Channel 1.
As can be seen, approximately every other event will not overlap. Therefore, it is important that each file be recorded with no dead-air at the beginning or end of each file.
Other Channels:
Channel 3: Used for Backup if channels 1 and 2 fail or become unavailable.
Channel 4: Not used in this version.
Error Log: Any file that attempts to play but cannot be found for playback will appear in this list. Most commonly, these files will be from the spot rotation list or the break template files. When a file exists in this list, either the file for the .DAT file in the C:\AMDATA directory, or the .WAV file in the AMWAVE directory is likely missing. This list should be reviewed periodically as playback continues. Any missing files can be noted and researched. The contents of the list will be lost when the Playback Screen is exited, so any and it is not saved.
Settings Box: You can see what the current settings are by looking at the settings box while random play is in progress. For your convenience, you will see the current settings in the mid-upper section of your screen. Displayed will be the current defaults for random playback as selected from the Random Playback > Set Random Playback Defaults option. This window can be removed by clicking 'Hide Settings'.
Printed Program Log:
Note for Auto-Mate DOS users: This feature which formerly allowed event information to print as it played, is no longer available in Windows Versions. This revision has become largely necessary with the demise of the Dot Matrix printer. Today's printers are mostly 'page printers' as opposed to 'liner printers' which does not lend itself to printing information line-by-line as it goes. Users may print logs by entering the Verification Log.
The Following Options are Available Once Playback Has Started:
Pause: Pauses the playback instantly at any point.
Continue: Resumes paused playback.
Begin Next: Will cause the currently playing file to immediately abort, and the next in the lineup to begin. Note: This feature is not available when an overlap event is in progress. You must wait until the overlap has ended, and try again.
Re-Queue Current: While any currently selection is playing, this option will 'rewind' the file and prepare it to be played again. The file can be played again by clicking Continue or pressing enter.
Go Live Next: When this button is pressed, all playback will pause when the currently playing file ends. The user must then re-start playback manually. This is very useful for inserting a live insertion. 'Go Live' can be canceled by clicking the Go Live Next button again, which becomes 'Cancel Live'.
End Run: Aborts the entire lineup and takes you back to the entry screen.
Pressing the pencil icon brings up a windows (covering the channel activity window), in which text can be typed on-screen. This is useful for typing weather forcasts, PSA's, live copy, etc. All normal cut/copy/paste options are available by pressing the right mouse button.
Note: Text can be pasted from any source, such as a weather forecast obtained from the internet: Highlight the desired text on the web page, click copy, and then paste into the Auto-Mate Text window by pressing the right mouse button and clicking 'Paste'.
Opens the windows multimedia windows.
Automatic Power-Loss Recovery
NOTE THIS FEATURE CURRENTLY DISABLED IN V4 BETA VERSION:
Should your computer lose power for any reason while Random Playback is in Progress, there is a way to bring back Random Playback Mode and have it begin automatically. To have Random Playback Mode appear and re-start automatically, add the following file to your Windows Startup menu:
C:\AMATE\AMWIN.EXE
To add an item to the Windows Start Up menu, do the following:
1. Right-Click the Windows [Start] button (lower left-hand corner of the screen)
2. Select Open
3. Double-Click the Programs folder
4. Double-Click Click the StartUp icon
5. In the StartUp folder, Select File, then New, then Shortcut
6. In the command box, type: C:\AMATE\AMWIN.EXE
7. Then, the default AMWIN can be selected as the shortcut name, or you can call it anything that makes since.
8. Click Finish.
Upon re-entry to the Random Playback Mode using this method, there will be a ten-second count-down in which there is time to abort automatic start-up if so desired.
On-Air Assist Mode
Main Menu > On-Air Assist
On-Air assist mode turns your computer into an intelligent cart machine. The major benefit of using On-Air Assist over other Auto-Mate options is the speed at which you can enter and play recordings. As long as you have I.D's (a.k.a. cart numbers) handy, such as on your program log, you can access any recording quickly by manual entry. Auto-Mate On-Air Assist was designed largely for accessing and playing spot material in the live environment.
On-Air Assist for Windows is similar to all other set-up and playback screens used in The Auto-Mate. On-Air assist is ideal for use in the live broadcast environment because it automatically displays the manual entry box (between the files list and the existing entries list. This allows the user to key-in I.D.'s rapidly. When the current list is through playing, the user is automatically returned to this screen. Of course, you can also select from the file list by double-clicking or pressing the enter button over your selection. When the playback has ended, you are returned immediately to the ID entry screen.
Entry Options:
Here is a look at the available entry options in this mode:
Insert: Lets you insert a selection between two existing selections. For example, if you wish to place a spot between entry 9, and entry 10, double-click on #10. The previous entry 10 becomes entry 11, 11 becomes 12, and so on. The next entry you choose becomes the new entry 10. Note that if you have reached the maximum entry level of 2000, you are prompted to delete an entry before you can insert a new one.
Cut: If you have made an erroneous entry, F3 lets you get rid of it. Simply enter the number you wish to remove in the box that appears - hit enter - and it's gone. At least three entries must be present to do cutting. IF not, just press Clear File to Start over.
Pause: Places a >PAUSE< symbol in the next empty spot. During playback, the computer will halt upon encountering a pause until you press continue. Make sure you don't choose this if you plan to leave the playback unattended, as no further playback will occur until continue is pressed. The utility of this feature is, for example, giving you time to do a live tag between spots, or stopping to let you do a live weather forecast.
Play: Will take you immediately to the Playback Screen where playback can begin
Time: Allows the local time of day to play when the >TIME< command is encountered in the list during playback (assuming that particular time of day has been recorded).
In the Playback Screen:
Upon entering the actual playback screen, your playback will not begin automatically. On the left portion of the screen is a column of options including START or QUIT.
Pressing Enter or clicking while the command box [START] is highlighted will start the playback.
Selecting [QUIT] will return you to the I.D. entry screen, but your previous entries will be wiped out.
The Following Options are Available Once Playback Has Started:
Pause: Pauses the playback instantly at any point.
Continue: Resumes paused playback.
Begin Next: Will cause the currently playing file to immediately abort, and the next in the lineup to begin. Note: This feature is not available when an overlap event is in progress. You must wait until the overlap has ended, and try again.
Re-Queue Current: While any currently selection is playing, this option will 'rewind' the file and prepare it to be played again. The file can be played again by clicking Continue or pressing enter.
Go Live Next: When this button is pressed, all playback will pause when the currently playing file ends. The user must then re-start playback manually. This is very useful for inserting a live insertion. 'Go Live' can be canceled by clicking the Go Live Next button again, which becomes 'Cancel Live'.
End Run: Aborts the entire lineup and takes you back to the entry screen.
Another feature of this mode is the display of total seconds and minutes in the lineup and also a display showing the total number of seconds and minutes remaining in the lineup. This is shown at the upper left of your screen.
Pick-List Playback Modes
Main Menu > Pick-List Playback
Choosing Pick-List Playback from the main menu displays the main pick-list options. While pick-list mode allows you a great deal of "walk-away" time, this option differs from random playback mode in that you must first manually choose any material that will play. This is accomplished by the display of a list of recordings that the usermay scroll through and select for playback.
There are two main options in the pick-list modes, Immediate Playback Mode and Work with Templates. With immediate mode, you go directly to the pick-list mode, pick, and then play your selections. These selections are saved nowhere and last only as long as it takes to play them back. For those who wish to re-play their selections at a later time, or set up files in advance, there is the template mode. With the template mode, you select a file name for the list of material you will create. When you have created the line-up you desire, you then save the entries. You may then play the selections in that "template" any time you wish.
Pick-List Playback Modes Menu:
Immediate Playback Mode:
Pick-List Playback > Immediate Playback
Generating a Lineup:
In immediate playback mode, the user enters items for playback by either double-clicking or pressing enter in the "existing files" window. Recordings can be displayed and selected. Spots, music, and liners can be toggled by clicking the appropriate Tab Between the entries list and the files list. For example, to select the music files, click ' Music'. To select from the liners, to press' Liners'. As you click back and forth between spots, music, and liners, the scroll position will be held for each type. Scroll from top-to-bottom by pressing the mouse on the up and down arrow to the right of the list box, or by using the up-and-down arrow while the existing files box is active.
Note: if entries fit in the file lists, there will be no up/down arrow (Scroll Bar) on the right-hand portion of the screen.
Entry Options
Here is a look at your available options in this mode:
Play: Takes you to the playback screen where you may play your selections.
Insert: Lets you insert a selection between two existing selections. For example, if you wish to place a spot between entry 49, and entry 50, double-click over #50 in the template entries window. Then, select an entry to insert from the existing files window. The previous entry 50 becomes entry 51, 51 becomes 52, and so on. The next entry you chose becomes the new entry 50.
Cut: If you have made an erroneous entry, # lets you get rid of it. Simply enter the number you wish to remove in the box that appears - press e - and it's gone.
Note: at least three items must be present in the entries listed order for cutting to function. If there are three or fewer items in the entries list (the top box in the window) please use 'Clear File'.
Pause: Places a >PAUSE< symbol in the next empty spot. During playback, the computer will halt playback upon countering a pause until you press continue or enter to resume. Make sure you don't choose this if you plan to leave the playback unattended, as no further playback will occur until playback is manually resumed. The utility of this feature in a live-assist fashion is, for example, giving you time to do a live tag between spots, or stopping to let you do a live weather forecast.
Note to DOS users: The Designations >LEGAL< >LINER< and >MAGIC< used in conjunction with the relay closure options are not available in the Windows Version 4. In order to access these options for relay control in DOS Pick-List Mode, you must continue to use the DOS version to create templates.
Manual Entry: This feature is handy if you know the script I.D. of the file you want to play and don't want to search through the pick-lists to find it. Simply press Manual Entry, and enter a valid I.D.. If it is a valid I.D., the file I.D. and title will pop-up in the current selection box as your next entry. Invalid entries will simply cause the box to clear and no entry will appear above.
Time: placed in the rotation file, this will cause the current time of day to be played when the file is encountered. The time will play based on the system time in your PC. The current time file must also be present in the AMTIME directory, as recorded through the Auto -- timed option. Refer to the Auto -- time section of the recording portion of this manual for details regarding the recording of time files.
Clear File: clears all entries currently in the list. Any previously saved file to will still be on the hard drive until the Save button is pressed. If the file is cleared, and then the set up screen is exited without saving, the formerly saved file will re--- appear upon next entry, and continue to rotate in the Random Playback Mode.
Range Total: this feature really doesn't serve much purpose in this Mode, other than to display how many total minutes of a certain type of file may be present. This will display the seconds/minutes/hours of range that is specified.
Quit: Ends the session. If there have been changes to the file and it has not been saved, you will be asked if you wish to save the file before quitting.
Other Features/Notes
· You are limited to 2000 individual entries in immediate playback mode. Upon reaching this number, you receive a message, "Maximum Entries Reached". You must first delete an existing entry before entering a new one.
· Notice that your total run-time is featured in minutes and hours in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen as the file is being built.
· Please always be on the lookout for files that show no length. These are "empty" files, in that informational data is there, but no recording is present. This occurs when, in the recording screen, the [CANCEL] button is hit, and no actual recording is made. Trying to play an empty file shouldn't cause a problem in your system operation, but it is not a good condition to let stand. Delete "empty" files as you would a normal recording, by going into erase mode which is available in the utilities menu.
· Pressing ! takes you to the playback screen, but playback doesn't begin instantly, there you must first press [START] to commence playback.
Beginning Playback in Immediate Pick-List Mode:
Start-up Options:
Set First Event: Upon entry to the playback screen you have the option to start playback from the first entry, or to pick a different starting point. This option is accessed by pressing scrolling up and down the Set First Event list and highlighting the desired start file. If you do not choose this option, you will always start playback at the first file in the list.
Pick-List Timer Start Utility
Set Start Time: You may also set your Auto-Mate to begin playback at an upcoming time. Access the Set Start Time option by clicking the Set Start Time button. The time should be entered in the twelve hour format: HH:MM A/P. This feature is useful if you have another source of programming that ends at a specific time. The Auto-Mate can pick-up where that programming leaves off.
[START]: Begin Playback
[QUIT]: End without playing any audio files
Verification Logging: ON/OFF This feature allows you to write to computer hard-drive a list of every audio file that is played from within Pick-List Playback Mode. The file written to (MON.LOG -SUN.LOG) depends on the current day of the week. Verification logging is toggled on and off by checking the Verification Log and toggling it ON/OFF. To view, print, or delete the verification logs, press Verification Log from the menu. Any log entry that was generated from within pick-list playback mode will appear with an 'P' at the right of the entry (S = Satellite, R = Random Playback).
Repeat: ON/OFF: Will repeat the material in the list over-and-over until the user exist when the feature is turned on. When it is turned off, you will be returned to the main menu when the list of material finishes playing.
The Following Options are Available Once Playback Has Started:
Pause: Pauses the playback instantly at any point.
Continue: Resumes paused playback.
Begin Next: Will cause the currently playing file to immediately abort, and the next in the lineup to begin. Note: This feature is not available when an overlap event is in progress. You must wait until the overlap has ended, and try again.
Re-Queue Current: While any currently selection is playing, this option will 'rewind' the file and prepare it to be played again. The file can be played again by clicking Continue or pressing Enter.
Go Live Next: When this button is pressed, all playback will pause when the currently playing file ends. The user must then re-start playback manually. This is very useful for inserting a live insertion. 'Go Live' can be canceled by clicking the Go Live Next button again, which becomes 'Cancel Live'.
End Run: Aborts the entire lineup and takes you back to the Main Menu.
Overlap (Seconds): If the PC is equipped with two sound cards or has the capability to play multiple sources of audio on one card, this option sets the number of seconds of overlap. This is, when the number of seconds that are set here remain in the selection that is playing (music and liners only) the next event will begin playing.
Overlap should be set to 0 (Zero) seconds if the system has only one sound card which is not capable of multiple audio channel playback.
For a more technical discussion of overlap features, please see the previous section covering overlap within the Random Playback Mode section.
Pressing the pencil icon brings up a windows (covering the channel activity window), in which text can be typed on-screen. This is useful for typing weather forcasts, PSA's, live copy, etc. All normal cut/copy/paste options are available by pressing the right mouse button.
Note: Text can be pasted from any source, such as a weather forecast obtained from the internet: Highlight the desired text on the web page, click copy, and then paste into the Auto-Mate Text window by pressing the right mouse button and clicking 'Paste'.
Pick-List Template Creation and Playback:
Your Auto-Mate software has the capacity to store data that you create by building lists of audio files and/or relay output cues. We call these lists 'templates'. Whether you use daily or custom templates will depend on your particular needs. It shall now be explained how DAILY templates work.
Continual Playback Using Daily Templates:
WARNING!: While The Auto-Mate gives you the capacity to 'chain' together multiple days of templates for long-term playback, we do not recommend that you assume that this means you may leave your operation unattended for extensive periods of time (more than several hours daily). There are many potential sources of system malfunction, especially when dealing with something as complex as a music-on-hard drive system.
The user has the potential of building a daily template for each day of the week (MON-SUN). During playback of a daily template, when the currently running day has ended, the following day will be loaded and begin running. For example, if the MON template is running, and begins playing event #649 out of 649, the system will load all data for the TUE template in the background. When MON event #649 has finished, TUE event #1 begins playing. If the upcoming day does not exist in the system, The Auto-Mate will simply re-load and run the day it just finished playing.
WARNING!: Turning ON Repeat will prevent any subsequent days from loading and playing. The currently running day will be repeated over-and-over until the Repeat is unchecked.
Custom Templates:
Custom pick-list templates are useful for special events such as pre-determined stop-set formats for sporting broadcasts, or short-term automation including specialty programming. Custom templates will play back just as daily templates except that there is no ability to load subsequent template files. If the Repeat option is OFF, you will be exited from the playback mode after the last event has played. If the Repeat option is ON, the custom template will repeat until the user exits from the system.
Run Template
Pick-List Playback > Run Template
When choosing to run a custom template, the complete list of custom templates that exists will appear on-screen. You then choose the desired template for playback. When running a daily template, your choices are (MON - SUN). Of course, you must have valid entries in your templates which will be created from the Pick-List Playback > Work With Templates > Edit Templates menu. This aspect will be discussed below.
Working With Templates:
Pick-List Playback > Work with Templates > Edit Template
WARNING!: Generally, it is not advisable to store templates for a long time to re-use. Eventually, the template will probably contain a great number of entries for which the audio file has since been erased. It is not a good idea to run a template that contains "empty files."
In the next section, we will discuss attributes that are unique to the template setup and playback options. For a complete discussion of how to select and edit pick-list entries, please review the previous section covering the immediate pick-list playback mode.
As we touched on at the beginning of the pick-list playback mode instructions, using templates allows you to save templates and use them over and over at will. The following pages will deal with creating and maintaining your template files.
Upon entry to the Edit Template Menu, you will be given several options. We will examine these options individually.
There are two kinds of templates to edit, DAILY and CUSTOM. We will cover DAILY templates first.
Work With Daily Template:
Selecting a Pick-List Template
Daily templates are designed for programming up to an entire weeks worth of breaks with the satellite network or for Random Playback Mode. The primary use of daily templates is in the fact that when one day is through, the next daily template in sequence is loaded. Conceivably, you could program the full seven days and walk-away for an entire week.
When selecting Edit Template from this menu, you choose a Custom or Daily template to work with (MON-SUN). Any existing data will be loaded with the template you choose. If you decide not to load a template, you can press Quit. Press Done, or double-click the desired template to load.
In the event that the template is empty, you will be given a message noting this before being allowed into the template programmer. Simply ignore this, as it is a message to let you know that you are about to create a new template. When you do not see this message, it means that the template you have chosen to work with already exists.
Create/Work With Custom Template:
You cannot work with a custom template until you have created one. To create a custom template, choose New Template from within the Select Template window. Do not enter any file extension, as this will be done automatically. If DOS Pick-List playback is desired, the filename must not exceed eight digits.
If a template already exists, just highlight the desired Custom Template and press Done, or double-click the entry.
Note: There is no maximum of custom templates may be stored in your system at any one time. After reaching this limit, you will have to delete a template before you can create a new one.
After entering a file name and pressing Enter, you will see a message box that notes the template does not exist. This message simply reminds that you are about to create a new template, for which there will be no entries present. Press OK and you will be able to begin building a new template.
Note: It is recommended that the template being edited be saved periodically in case of power outage or other difficulty. Press SAVE and continue working.
Erase Custom Template:
Pick-List Playback > Work with Templates > Erase Custom Template
When a template becomes outdated, you will want to erase it to make room for a new template. The format for erasing is the same as for running or selecting a template to edit. Simply type-in the number that corresponds with the template you wish to dispose of. You will be asked if you are sure you wish to delete the template to confirm your decision.
Print Template Contents:
Pick-List Playback > Work with Templates > Print Template Contents
To get a better idea of what your template contains, or to archive the material, you may wish to print it. You may print the entire list, or just a portion of it by entering a range. Your print-out will contain the following information:
1. Template Name
2. Date Printed
3. File (Script I.D.)
4. Account
5. Title
6. Length
Print Template Selection Window
If you would like to print the contents of a template, select the desired template, either daily or custom, and then select whether to print the entire template (print ALL) or print range. If print range is selected, the template may be scrolled through to find the first and last events in the range. Once the appropriate range is known, enter the starting number in 'lowest' and the last entry to print in 'highest'.
The list of material will print on whatever printer is set to the default. To change the default printer, press [Start]> Settings > Printers.
Backup/Restore Templates:
Backup Template:
Pick-List Playback > Work with Templates > Backup Template (Export)
The export utility allows templates to be saved on any other available drive and/or directory. This is often done for backup or archival purposes. Follow these instructions in order to backup a template to another location.
1. Select template to be backed up (exported) from ' Custom Templates' or 'Daily Templates' list on the left by double-clicking the highlighted item, or pressing Enter over the item.
2. Select the destination drive and directory to export to. Existing templates and other files in the directory can be reviewed via the 'Files in Destination' window.
3. Once the destination drive and path have been selected, press 'Export Now' to save the template on the selected drive/directory. If the file already exists a prompt will ALERT you that you are about to override an existing template. Press OK to overwrite the existing template, or Cancel.
Import Template:
Pick-List Playback > Work with Templates > Restore Template (Import)
This utility allows the importing of an existing template to the AMTEMPLT directory where the template can then be used in the Pick-List Playback Modes.
Follow these instructions to restore a template to your system from another location.
1. Select the drive and path in which the file to import exists. When a drive and/or directory is selected, any Pick- List templates that exist in the specified location will appear in the 'Pick List Files in Source' list box.
2. Select the desired file to import from the 'Pick-List Files in Source' list. When the desired file is highlighted, double-click or press Import Now. Note that all existing files in the C:\AMTEMPLT directory can be reviewed in the 'Pick-List Templates in Use' list. If the file targeted for import already exists in the target directory C:\AMTEMPLT, a prompt will appear asking if you wish to overwrite the existing file.
WARNING!: Generally, it is not advisable to store templates for a long period of time to be re-used. Eventually, the template will probably contain a great number of entries for which the audio file has since been erased. It is not a good idea to run a template that contains "empty files." If you do re-load an old template, make sure you edit out any entries that are no longer on the hard drive. In the template programmer, these will be apparent in that the script I.D. will appear but there will be no other information about the recording on the screen, such as account name and length.
Note: If you are interested in having your music scheduling program interface with The Auto-Mate satellite templates, feel free to place the maker of your traffic software in touch with us. We will provide the protocol for our templates that your traffic provider may be able to use to write an interface to our software.
Automatic Power-Loss Recovery:
NOTE THIS FEATURE CURRENTLY DISABLED IN V4 BETA VERSION:
Should your computer lose power for any reason while Random Playback is in Progress, there is a way to bring back Random Playback Mode and have it begin automatically. To have Random Playback Mode appear and re-start automatically, add the following file to your Windows Startup menu:
C:\AMATE\AMWIN.EXE
To add an item to the Windows Start Up menu, do the following:
1. Right-Click the Windows [Start] button (lower left-hand corner of the screen)
2. Select Open
3. Double-Click the Programs folder
4. Double-Click Click the StartUp icon
5. In the StartUp folder, Select File, then New, then Shortcut
6. In the command box, type: C:\AMATE\AMWIN.EXE
7. Then, the default AMWIN can be selected as the shortcut name, or you can call it anything that makes since.
8. Click Finish.
Upon re-entry to the Random Playback Mode using this method, there will be a ten-second count-down in which there is time to abort automatic start-up if so desired.
Resume Last:
Pick-List Playback > Resume Last
FEATURE NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE
If it becomes necessary to exit a custom template before completion, it may be resumed from the last-played event simply by pressing $ from the Pick-List menu. You will be shown from the menu which was the last known file used. Note that this feature does not work for resumption of immediate playback mode.
[Back to Top]
V. Satellite Playback
The Auto-Mate 2000 (Ver. 4), does not support playback in the Windows format, though all templates can be developed and maintained in the Windows environment. The DOS playback screen is also easily accessible through the Windows interface and acts similar to the Windows environment. Of course, you must purchase the DOS playback modules to take advantage of Satellite Playback.
Each menu option from Satellite Playback will be explored. If the option is not available in Windows, this means it must still be accessed from the DOS menu.
Edit Template
Satellite Playback > Work with Templates > Edit Templates
What is a Template?
In Satellite Control Mode, you need to have planned out what you are going to be playing throughout the broadcast day and at what times. Your satellite network will follow some sort of schedule for taking breaks. It may not adhere with a schedule to the exact minute, but it will take breaks on what is more-or-less a regular schedule. You need to know what this schedule is, and make an image of it in your template.
For example, if your network takes four breaks each hour, roughly at ten, twenty-five, forty, and fifty past the hour, the Simple-Sat needs to know this. You need to record this information in a template so that when the computer encounters each break, it will advance properly to the next break. One inaccuracy in entering the proper number of breaks will put your break playback out of sequence until someone manually resets to the proper break.
NOTE: If the template is being set-up for Simple-Sat satellite playback, you must make a time entry for every break the satellite network will be taking, whether or not you plan to place commercials in that break. This is how the computer keeps all breaks playing on schedule. For setting up Satellite Templates for use with Random Playback, only breaks that actually contain material should be added.
Building a list of break times and spot entries is easy to accomplish, but must be set-up using several steps. For existing users of Auto-Mate Simple-Sat, the process will be familiar as breaks are scheduled exactly as older DOS versions.
Selecting A Template:
The following sections will deal with creating and maintaining your template files.
Upon entry to the Edit Template Menu, you will be given several options. We will examine these options individually.
There are two kinds of templates to edit, DAILY and CUSTOM. We will cover DAILY templates first.
Work With Daily Template:
Daily templates are designed for programming up to an entire weeks worth of breaks with the satellite network or for Random Playback Mode. The primary use of daily templates is in the fact that when one day is through, the next daily template in sequence is loaded. Conceivably, you could program the full seven days and walk-away for an entire week.
When selecting Edit Template from this menu, you choose a Custom or Daily template to work with (MON-SUN). Any existing data will be loaded with the template you choose. If you decide not to load a template, you can press Quit. Press Done, or double-click the desired template to load.
In the event that the template is empty, you will be given a message noting this before being allowed into the template programmer. Simply ignore this, as it is a message to let you know that you are about to create a new template. When you do not see this message, it means that the template you have chosen to work with already exists.
Create/Work With Custom Template:
You cannot work with a custom template until you have created one. To create a custom template, choose New Template from within the Select Template window. Do not enter any file extension, as this will be done automatically. If DOS Pick-List playback is desired, the filename must not exceed eight digits.
If a template already exists, just highlight the desired Custom Template and press Done, or double-click the entry.
Note: There is no maximum of custom templates may be stored in your system at any one time. After reaching this limit, you will have to delete a template before you can create a new one.
After entering a file name and pressing Enter, you will see a message box that notes the template does not exist. This message simply reminds that you are about to create a new template, for which there will be no entries present. Press OK and you will be able to begin building a new template.
New Template Message
Note: It is recommended that the template being edited be saved periodically in case of power outage or other difficulty. Press SAVE and continue working.
Building the Template:
NOTE: You are limited to 2000 total entries per template. These 2000 entries include both local breaks and spots. If you ever reach the limit, you will be told that the maximum number of entries has been reached.
The template programmer is the nuts-and-bolts of the Simple-Sat/Random Playback Stop-Set system. Notice that you have numerous options. Most options are similar to those in the on-air assist pick-list playback modes. The major difference from other playback set-up screens is in the Local Break button. This is where you must have a copy of your network "clock" or local break schedule, and enter ALL breaks that your network will be taking throughout the duration you will be on-line each day. For satellite applications, you must enter these breaks even if you do not plan on taking a break at that time as it is required for keeping on-track with the satellite breaks sent by the network. For Random Playback operations, only breaks that have material should be programmed.
NOTE: Some satellite network configurations provide multiple tones for breaks at different times during the hour. Only enter a local break in the template programmer for each actual time that your computer will be getting a relay closure. For example, if your network offers tone A for one local break and tone B for another local break during the hour, but you have only wired tone A to The Auto-Mate, do not enter any tone B break times as local breaks in your template.
In Satellite Network interface applications, The Auto-Mate plays breaks sequentially as they are encountered in Satellite Playback Mode. Consider the following example of the first three entries of a particular template:
1. 12:05 A****LOCAL BREAK***
2. 09:30 P****LOCAL BREAK***
3. 12:25 A****LOCAL BREAK***
In this sequence, the 12:05 AM break will play first, followed by the 09:30 PM break. The 09:30 PM break will be played before the 12:25 AM break - even though 9:30 PM obviously comes after 12:25 AM. Thus, you should enter all of your break times in the proper sequence.
Is it really that important to enter the proper break times? Yes. There are times when the Simple-Sat will figure out what the next upcoming will be (such as when you first enter the Satellite Playback Mode or if Automatic Break Correction is turned ON). This calculation will be based on the times you have entered for the local breaks and the current DOS clock time. Thus, if you had entered an inaccurate break sequence as shown above, and the current time was 9:25 PM, the computer will consider entry #2 - the 9:30P break - as the currently upcoming break. Obviously, you wouldn't want the computer to select only the second template entry of the day at 9:30 PM.
Building Commercial Breaks:
There are some breaks during the day you will want to cover with scheduled commercial material. In these cases, you simply enter the time of the local break in the proper time sequence by clicking Local Break. Select the time for the local break by scrolling up and down the hour/minute scroll lists and then clicking the hour and then minute, and then AM or PM. When the break time is acceptable, click Accept. Then, you add spots to that break either by moving through the pick-list and hitting enter, or entering Spot I.D.'s manually by pressing Manual Entry. (You may also enter music or liner material using the manual mode. Simply enter the Script I.D. you desire.) If the script I.D. you have entered is valid, the entry will pop into the current box.
A typical break sequence may look like this:
124 10:30 ****LOCAL BREAK***
125 S0001 Big Burger 60.1
126 S0022 Zap Cola 29.9
127 10:50 ****LOCAL BREAK***
129 11:05 ****LOCAL BREAK***
130 S0201 Auto World 60.0
131 LPRO1 Football Promo 15.0
You will see the length of the current break grow as you add material. When the length equals that of the opening provided by the satellite network, you have a complete break. You are then ready to add your next local break.
Add as many local breaks as needed for the day. Make sure that all breaks have the desired material, and that the proper break time has been chosen. For Random Playback, the order of the breaks is not significant, but if the template will also be used with Simple-Sat playback, all breaks must be placed in sequential order. For ease of finding the desired breaks, it is recommended that all breaks be built in sequential time order regardless of whether this template is for Random or Satellite playback.
As the relays click off breaks through the day in Simple-Sat playback, any ***LOCAL BREAK*** that is followed in the template line-up by another ***LOCAL BREAK*** is an empty break. In these cases, the satellite program will not be interrupted. In cases where the local break entry is followed by spot material, the spot material will begin playing when the relay closure for that local break is encountered.
Certainly, you can see the importance of entering all breaks that will be taking place during the day. If you don't, spot material will play at times you do not want it to.
NOTE: Some users may wish to enter all of the times for a days local breaks and then add the commercial content later with the Insert function. This requires more work due to the fact you must specify the entry point with each commercial you insert. However, some may find it less confusing to deal with one aspect of the operation at-a-time.
Now that you see how to program a template, we will briefly look at the options available in the Template Programmer:
Enter -or- Double Click: Selects the current highlighted file in the bottom pick-list box, and places it in the lineup in the top box.
Save: Save the template to the hard drive. It is recommended that work be saved periodically. Entries can
continue to be made even after saving.
Insert: Insert an item into the list at the location specified in the template entries box. A Local Break entry or program material can be inserted wherever desired. First click Insert, then double click the point at which the insert is desired. All material at that point and below will move down by one and leave an opening to be inserted.
Cut: cuts and existing entry in the template entries box when the selected item is double-clicked.
Note: at least three items must be present in the entries listed order for cutting to function. If there are three or fewer items in the entries list (the top box in the window) please use 'Clear File'.
Time: placed in the rotation file, this will cause the current time of day to be played when the file is encountered. The time will play based on the system time in your PC. The current time file must also be present in the AMTIME directory, as recorded through the Auto-Time option. Refer to the Auto-Time section of the recording portion of this manual for details regarding the recording of time files. Auto-Mate Simple-Sat Version 3.5 for DOS will have the ability to play the time of day.
Manual Entry: lets the user key-in any valid I.D.. If the file exists, it will become the next entry.
Clear File: clears all entries currently in the list. Any previously saved file to will still be on the hard drive until the Save button is pressed. If the file is cleared, and then the set up screen is exited without saving, the formerly saved file will re--- appear upon next entry, and continue to rotate in the Random Playback Mode.
Range Total: This will display the seconds, minutes and hours of a range that is specified.
Calculating a Range of a Template
Quit: Ends the session. If there have been changes to the file and it has not been saved, you will be asked if you wish to save the file before quitting.
Spot | Music | Liners: Music and liners can be entered as well as spots by clicking the desired type in the center of the screen.
Other Satellite Options:
There are other options within the Satellite Work with Templates menu. We will examine these options individually.
Note: Any options that are not available in the Work with Templates menu are still only available from Auto-Mate DOS version. DOS options are available by selecting: Satellite Playback > Satellite Control Options (DOS)
[If you have not purchased the Simple-Sat Modules, the DOS options will be unavailable.
Print Template Contents:
Satellite Playback > Work with Templates > Print Template Contents
To get a better idea of what your template contains, or to archive the material, you may wish to print it. You may print the entire list, or just a portion of it by entering a range. Your print-out will contain the following information:
1. Template Name
2. Date Printed
3. File (Script I.D.)
4. Account
5. Title
6. Length
Print Template Selection Window
If you would like to print the contents of a template, select the desired template, either daily or custom, and then select whether to print the entire template (print ALL) or print range. If print range is selected, the template may be scrolled through to find the first and last events in the range. Once the appropriate range is known, enter the starting number in 'lowest' and the last entry to print in 'highest'.
The list of material will print on whatever printer is set to the default. To change the default printer, press [Start]> Settings > Printers.
Backup/Restore Templates:
Backup Template:
Satellite Playback > Work with Templates > Backup Template (Export)
The export utility allows templates to be saved on any other available drive and/or directory. This is often done for backup or archival purposes. Follow these instructions in order to backup a template to another location.
1. Select template to be backed up (exported) from ' Custom Templates' or 'Daily Templates' list on the left by double-clicking the highlighted item, or pressing Enter over the item.
2. Select the destination drive and directory to export to. Existing templates and other files in the directory can be reviewed via the 'Files in Destination' window.
3. Once the destination drive and path have been selected, press 'Export Now' to save the template on the selected drive/directory. If the file already exists a prompt will ALERT you that you are about to override an existing template. Press OK to overwrite the existing template, or Cancel.
Import Template:
Satellite Playback > Work with Templates > Restore Template (Import)
This utility allows the importing of an existing template to the AMTEMPLT directory where the template can then be used in the Pick-List Playback Modes.
Follow these instructions to restore a template to your system from another location.
1. Select the drive and path in which the file to import exists. When a drive and/or directory is selected, any Pick- List templates that exist in the specified location will appear in the 'Pick List Files in Source' list box.
2. Select the desired file to import from the 'Pick-List Files in Source' list. When the desired file is highlighted, double-click or press Import Now. Note that all existing files in the C:\AMTEMPLT directory can be reviewed in the 'Pick-List Templates in Use' list. If the file targeted for import already exists in the target directory C:\AMTEMPLT, a prompt will appear asking if you wish to overwrite the existing file.
WARNING!: Generally, it is not advisable to store templates for a long period of time to be re-used. Eventually, the template will probably contain a great number of entries for which the audio file has since been erased. It is not a good idea to run a template that contains "empty files." If you do re-load an old template, make sure you edit out any entries that are no longer on the hard drive. In the template programmer, these will be apparent in that the script I.D. will appear but there will be no other information about the recording on the screen, such as account name and length.
Note: If you are interested in having your music scheduling program interface with The Auto-Mate satellite templates, feel free to place the maker of your traffic software in touch with us. We will provide the protocol for our templates that your traffic provider may be able to use to write an interface to our software.
Copying Template Data:
Satellite Playback > Work with Templates > Copy Template Data
This utility can be very useful if the satellite breaks will be the same for each day. If so, this feature allows the data from one day to be copied to another day. Thus, you will not have to re-enter all of the satellite breaks for Tuesday through Sunday if you had already entered them for Monday. Instead, you can copy the data from Monday to Tuesday, then Wednesday, and so on.
WARNING!: DO NOT copy template data if the template you are copying data TO contains data you do not want erased. All data that exists in that template to be copied TO will be replaced with the data of the template you are copying FROM.
You will be prompted to make sure you actually want to copy the file before the process completes.
Removing Spots from Templates:
Satellite Playback > Work with Templates > Remove Spots from Templates
WARNING: This utility removes all Spot items (those starting with 'S') from the selected satellite template. The material remaining will be local break entries, music, liners, and time entries. Removed Spot items cannot be retrieved. It can be used as an alternative to manually deleting spot material, if the playback schedule changes dramatically week-to-week but the local break times stay the same.
There are two elements in a template, the entry of the time for each local break and the actual programming material. Generally, the times that have been set-up for each local break will remain constant for months or even years. On the other hand, the spot schedules that have been programmed will change from week to week.
This feature allows you to eliminate all material in the template except for each of the ****LOCAL BREAK*** entries. ALL of the spots, music, and liners that are entered in the template will be erased.
The usefulness of this option is that the user can start with a "clean slate" for entering new programming material, while having retained all of the ***LOCAL BREAK*** entries.
Some will want to take advantage of this feature, while others will wish to retain the existing spots from week-to-week, using the cut and insert option inside the Template Programmer to replace outdated entries.
To erase ALL spots from the template, simply click on the daily template targeted for template removal, and then Done.
Erase Custom Template:
Satellite Playback > Work with Templates > Erase Custom Template
When a template becomes outdated, you will want to erase it to make room for a new template. The format for erasing is the same as for running or selecting a template to edit. Simply type-in the number that corresponds with the template you wish to dispose of. You will be asked if you are sure you wish to delete the template to confirm your decision.
Initiating Simple-Sat Playback:
Satellite Playback > Run Template
Select the desired template by double-clicking or pressing done when the appropriate template has been highlighted. After the template is selected, the DOS Simple-Sat playback module will load.
For a complete discussion of DOS playback, please see the Auto-Mate Version 3 Operations Manual.
Note: You must have purchased the Auto-Mate Simple-Sat to utilize this option.
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VI. Verification Log
What is Verification Logging?
Auto-Mate Verification Log allows the review, sorting, and printing of all previously played material. In order for logging to occur, it must be turned on in any playback mode in which logging is wanted (Pick-List, Random, and Satellite (DOS)) . The verification Log will display entries including date of play, time of play, file name, account or artist, and the source.
Logging Sources: P = Pick-List, R = Random, S = Satellite
Loading Options:
Monday - Friday: Upon entry to the verification logging, one day of the week may be chosen for review. Auto-Mate logs by day of the week and will continue to add to the daily log week after week. Most often, the user will build one month's worth of template data before clearing the file.
All: This option combines and loads all daily template (MON -SUN) data and then displays it. This is useful for loading a full month's worth of data for archival purposes. The data can be printed and/or saved as a log file before all of the days are cleared.
Other: Allows saved log files of any name to be loaded and reviewed. A file list box will appear, allowing any saved file in any location to be selected.
Note: If you have a large number of template entries, these may take a while to load. Please be patient.
File Maintenance Options:
Erase a Log: Allows log contents to be deleted from the hard drive.
Save Log: Allows a log to be saved with the same or a new file name. This is useful for archiving your logs. The log may be saved to any drive or path. The data is saved in the order it is displayed on the screen.
Restart: Start over. Make sure any changes are saved before restarting as appropriate.
Quit: End the Session
Sort: Sorts the data in order by any of the following options:
- File Name
- Account or Artist
- Order of Play
Print All: Prints the entire loaded template in the order shown on the display.
Print Range: Allows a range of the template to be printed. Enter the lowest through highest reference number to print.
Cut Range: Allows a range of the template to be cut. Enter the lowest through highest number (#) to cut. The cut will only remain permanent if the log is saved after cutting occurs. If the log is saved under the original filename, any material that has been cut will be permanently lost!
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VII. Utilities
Utilites > Recording Playback Properties
This option is discussed in Section II, software installation. By pressing this selection, the user can set-up the Mutlimedia (sound card) properties in the Windows environment.
Note: Sometimes this option will not function by selecting from this menu. If the computer freezes trying open this option, press Control + ALT + Delete and close the application. You can then try to open the multimedia properties again, or select manually by pressing [START] > Settings > Control Panel > Multimedia. Either method takes you to the same place. If your PC has trouble opening the application from this menu option, avoid using it in the future.
Utilites > DOS Menu
Executes the Main Menu for any Auto-Mate for DOS application (version 1.0, 2.0, 2.1, or 3.0).
Utilites > Erase Recordings
The erase recordings utility looks just like any other Pick-List entry screen, except the border is red. Simply select each item in the lower list box by pressing enter on the highlighted item or by double-clicking. It will appear in the upper list box. Spots, Music, and Liners may be selected from this mode.
When ready to erase, just press Erase List. This will delete the files from the hard drive. Don't confuse Erase List with Clear List. Clear list only clears the current entries that have been made from the Entries Window.
You may also choose to confirm each selection before deletion by checking the 'Ask before Deleting Each File' checkbox.
Utilites > Print Recordings
Allows you to list and print all recordings in the system on the default printer.
On initial entry to the screen, Spots, Music, or Liners may be selected for loading.
After loading, the list may be viewed, printed, and sorted.
Printing: The list will print to the default printer. In order to change the default printer, press [Start]> Settings > Printers.
Note: If there are a great many recordings, the list may take some time to load. Please be patient.
Utilites > Windows[tm] Mixer
Executes the Windows volume control where the input and output volume levels can be manipulated. This mixer is also usually available in the task tray (lower right-hand corner) as a speaker. It is also in the playback screens.
Utilites > Windows[tm] Exploler
Allows you to navigate through the various system directories to search for .WAV or template files. This is a standard Windows feature, and has been placed here as a convenience.
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