RadioFaders Directly connects to the features of Windows Server 2003
RadioFaders Manual And Features06/01/2005 |
Music Evaluator
Allows you to quickly load music on Air. Features a quick scan list so you can browse though cuts rapidly. Create custom shows in seconds.
Instant Random Play
Out of the box operation. After loading music into the Music Directory and a Legal Id into the Legals directory, you can start the program immediately for on air use. No special knowledge of the program need to get it on air fast.
Faders 1-3
Typical to the old cart system, you can load cuts onto the fader with drag and drop. The next cart will play in order of 1-3 and 1-3 over again. Makes it easy to add and subtract cuts on the fly
Web Support
Faders maintains a web interface allowing users to interact with the station via real time music request, and extensive on air music reporting.
Multi Feed Support
Several instances of RadioFaders may run concurrently on different P.C.'s offering simultaneous programming for multiple feeds
Network Support
Several instances of RadioFaders may run concurrently on different P.C.'s allowing other P.C.'s to evaluate music and load "hot" to the on air systems.
Bullet Proof Dead Air
RadioFaders is designed to always maintain programming even if a fault in the programming flex clock is found.
Log Report
RadioFaders maintains extensive logging,
- Played Logs WebEnabled
- Spots Played logs WebEnabled
- Cut Segue logs and errors
- Missing program files logs
- Startup Shutdown logs
- Play List WebEnabled
- Cued Cuts list and logs WebEnabled
Missing Show Host
If a host does not make it in to do their show, RadioFaders will play an pre recorded announcement and play cuts selected by the host. This is done by programming a back up show as Random Play in WeekGrid
Automatic Show Download
Depending on your programmer RadioFaders can down load programs over the Internet and play the programming as scheduled. If a program is not available due to network congestion RadioFaders will play a selected music block or a back up program. Downloads are handled by the RadioFaders DownLoader
Virtually Unlimited Music Loading
RadioFaders will play music from a local directory on the On air PC or can pull music across a network allowing for virtually unlimited music resources.
Custom Preferences
- Customize the display of RadioFaders with station call letters and call in phone numbers.
- Ftp Upload Download sites
- Random Spot-Promo frequency
- Segue timing.
- Set Displayed Web page address
- Fill cuts to complete programming to top of hour
On Air - On the Fly Music Editing.
Move to archive directory.
In some cases a cut will be on air that will be either, Damaged, Misfiled, or just simply inappropriate for on air. By selecting "Move to Archive Directory" . This will remove the cut permanently from on air play for the music director to later evaluate the errant cut. The system will not move the cut to the directory until it has finished playing. To immediately move the cut, first select Move to archive directory, then fade out that fader and slide the fader to the end. (If in automation- the system will start the next cut)
Move to Genre directory.
In some cases a cut will be on air that will be misfiled in the wrong Genre. Here you can move the cut to the more appropriate Genre Directory
Drag and Drop.
From all list on RadioFaders main screen you can Select-Drag-Drop to a fader, list, or tab.
Double clicking on a fader title will allow browsing through files in any directory for next cut to play. Esp. handy if using external disk.
Music Loading
Music is loaded by Music Cut Evaluator or by direct placement into folders.
Music - Spots - Legals Filing.
Music and Spots-Promos-Legals are filed into directories located immediately in the station folder. Simply put if a cut is located in one of these folders it is available for on air play. Removing a cut from here prevents it from being played. Example a cut moved from the Music/Pop-Rock/ Directory to the Music Archives will keep the song from being played ever. See Programming options for more information about how to program genres or different music mixes. RadioFaders can pull music from across a directory on a programmed schedule, allowing for music and program to be stored on network computers accesses by RadioFaders.
Music Archive Filing.
When music from the on air play list is deleted it is stored in the Music Archives folder, allowing the music director to later archive the music to disk or put back into rotation.
Music Cut Evaluator Filing.
(To obtain access to Music Evaluator the program may not be in automation mode (Menu-View-Evaluator)) Music Evaluator allows the user to browse to a directory (Load List), the system will recurse through all sub directories and load the music into a list. From here the user can listen to all cuts and determine if to put them on air or not.
- Feature Buttons
- Save On Air - Moves the cut to the folder selected by the Genre drop down box in the ...music/Genre folders for the on air computer, a back up copy is save to the local computers equivalent folder structure
- Skip - Skips over the current cut playing and moves on to the next cut in the list. Note it will not change the original file in any way, nor make a back up copy, it simply just skips the cut with not action
- Copy Local - Makes a copy of the cut in a folder on the C: drive as C:\Music Evaluators. This is very handy for browsing through music quickly to make a custom CD or folder of music for a special purpose or show. This will not move or affect the original copy of the file.
- Trash - Moves the cut without making a backup to the C:/Trashed Music folder.
Music Loading
Music is loaded by the user in a standard compressed .mp3 format preferably 192kbs. Music is loaded with the Music Cut Evaluator. See Music Loading for more information
Faders comes with a built in random scheduler, that will pull spots/promos on a sequential basis from the list of spots and promos. It will randomly pull music from the music directory and not replay a musical cut until all cuts have played.
You can schedule hours of programming by using the flex grid. In the Specials folder you build a folder with the cuts you want to play in alphabetical or numerical order. Then in flex grid choose the first item in the folder. RadioFaders will play the entire directory for the hour scheduled. If the hour goes over RadioFaders will fade out the last cut to the top of the hour and play a legal ID then check the grid for the next hours programming and run that hour. If you have a program that goes over 1 hour. The break it into two pieces and place each one in a separate folder and program the flex grid for each hour of each part. If a folder does not have enough program material for the hour then RadioFaders will fill the hour with music pulled randomly from the music folders.
There are many creative solutions to using the flex grid to program your audio.
Coming soon are Flex Clocks in the standard flex clock to radio. See Upcoming Features for details
Faders comes with a built in timer that will perform various housekeeping functions throughout the Year/Month/Day/Hour/Minute. For a list of these events see the Timed Events page.
RadioFaders Directly connects to the features of Windows Server 2003
DownLoaders are free .exe programs you can download from the RadioFaders website, that you execute, to download from the internet various Audio Programs to air. Different .exe files are available for all programs currently available on the internet for broadcast use. You are responsible for obtaining Re-Broadcast permission for each program. In RadioFaders we have a menu bar where we attempt to link to programs that are available for free. Please check with the programmer first before airing. As far as we know you are allowed to download all programs for evaluation purposes only. With the legal out of the way lets proceed.
How to Get one.
If there is a program you want to use E-Mail use or file a Feature Request and we will make available on the download page a free DownLoader for the program you want to air. Our DownLoader will support rolling file names as well as static for example Democracy Now file name rolls as Year-MoDy-1.mp3. Visit RadioFaders home page and log into to download a DownLoader.
What it does
With the DownLoader In hand, place the .exe in the Microsoft Task Manager for the date and time you want the program to execute. The program will execute at the appropriate time and contact the web site with the audio file. It will attempt to download the file. If it fails for any reason a dialog box will come up with a message stating why the program was not able to be downloaded. you will need to manually download the program or rerun the DownLoader manually. It will error out for the following reasons
- Over 5 timeouts
- Significant loss of internet connectivity
- Site move
It will reattempt to re download the program for the following reasons;
- Program down loaded was 1/2 as long as the normal program. (Meaning only the first attempts only downloaded part of the program).
How to use it
Load the Downloader ******.wdi file into the Task Scheduler. From Start choose Settings / Control Panel / Scheduled Task. Click Add Scheduled Task. Follow the wizard, when asked for a program, browse your way to the c:\faders\stream1\software\Downloaders\ then choose the Downloader you want to run. Follow the wizard to schedule the time to start the download. That's it. Note if you find that sometimes the program is not reliable you can add more task for the same Downloader several times.
With the DownLoader file loaded into the computer scheduled task. The program will execute at the appropriate time. It will create a folder in the stream(x)/Specials folder of the program name. In the newly created folder it will place the file. (Example; 1-DemocracyNow.mp3). Our DownLoader will support rolling file names as well as static for example Democracy Now file name rolls as Year-MoDy-1.mp3. Yet it creates the file for that days news as 1-DemocracyNow.mp3.
In the week grid, link the hour schedule to the file example (c:\faders\Stream1\Specials\DemocracyNow\1-DemocracyNow.mp3) RadioFaders will play the program at the time scheduled. If you have a prerecorded intro to the program. Place the intro in the folder with a file name alphabetically less than the program name, Example "_DemNowIntro.mp3". Radio Faders will play the intro first than the program. If you have an exit for the program then place that in the folder as well but with a name lower than the program name, (ex; "Z_DemNowOutro.mp3").
Current Music Title update
Radio Faders will automatically create a HTML page that can be incorporated into your website to allow listeners to view song tile and song information. It will automatically load this onto the computer in your network if you have a local web server. If your web host uses FTP, contact us for a FTP module. If you don't have a web page, Walltechnet.Com will give a substantial discount for web hosting for RadioFaders users in the .org domain. This page is include in the standard Microsoft c:/Inetpub/WWW/ directory structure as a folder named "Faders"
Radio Faders will automatically add to the web page the next two cuts that are cued to pay, including if the next cuts are spots, programs or legals.
When a cut is displayed on the web page, two links are included so the listener can Vote on the selection that's playing, this feature includes the selection name in the subject line of an E-Mail sent to the station View Sample View Demo
RadioFaders supports upload to web pages via ftp on any valid port. Uploads are done via password or anonymous. Download the FTPRadioFaders.exe file and install in in the Stream1/Software folder to enable this feature.
RadioFaders will upload to the RadioFaders station listing your station website, current song information and call in number, and web site (If Enabled)
Versions are documented on the Versions and Revisions Page
2.1.139 T.B.A. (Available as Beta on download page)
2.0.120 05-13-2005 RadioFaders.exe
1.0.119 05-11-2005 RadioFaders.exe
1.0.114 05-11-2005 RadioFaders.exe
Previous version information not available online at this time.