Idiots guide needed, advice welcome!

English General
1

So this is my problem, I’m a software user, I can follow instructions OK, I can use RCS and put my stuff into Linker and with the aid of the manual accomplish most things a user needs.

Scripts on the other hand are things I associate with the little gap in the middle of the mixing desk, and, well, it all looks a bit daunting.

I like format clocks, and someone here recomended the Amazing Clockwheel, but how do you make its playlists function in mAirList?

Not sure how to mark up intros, outros, and fades and whether there’s a standard format for that across the industry.

I think I have three options. (1) Make myself madder than hell till I make it do things, (2) Ask someone if I can have their copy ready to rock (3) Go an spend some dosh I can’t afford on a branded system.

H E L P

All advice welcome

2

I thought it might help to explain what I’d like ideally.

I want a one hour format with a station ident at approximately the top of the hour. I want about 8 to 10 playlists each with between 1 and 500 items, and each playlist to play everything once before starting over automatically. The song playlists should be randomised (shuffled), and the others not. If nobody touches it, to play like that till the world ends…

So likely playlists would look something like:
TOTH Station ident - 1 item
Sweepers - say 3 items

Public Service Announcements - 5 items
Station news/promos - 2
Entertainment news - 2
(Nice to be able to change an mp3 file in these playlists without halting the output)

Current Hits - 30
Recurrents - 100
Vintage Hits pre 63 - 250
Vintage Hits 60’s & 70’s - 500
Vintage Hits 70’s & 80’s - 500

The idea is to create a busy hour that works with or without a presenter.

Be quite nice to put timed format clock entertainment link markers in the hour to be ignored in auto, and for guidance only in assist; and for the different playlists to be colour coded when they appear in the main playlist window. If not colour coded then maybe the playlist source name as well as the item name, say like “Medical Assistance (Public Service announcement)”, “Autumn Almanac - Kinks (Vintage Hits 60’s & 70’s)”.

I’d like to tighten up the intros and fades of my playlist tracks using all the cue points, and to have pfl enabled. Eventually pfl remote switched from a desk but for the time being on a mouse click will be fine.

Nice to manually select a request to the cartwall and have the format clock dump a song to correct the time, or be able swap one upcoming song for something else in the playlist.

Does this makes sense? Anyone got a configuration near this?

Ideas, offers, £££, w.h.y?

Thanks

… oh, and umm, be nice to have it by Wednesday!!! Only slightly joking.

3

Hi John, looking at your scheduling wants I would think this beyond the abilities of the Amazing Clockwheel (though I could be wrong as its not something I have tried even though I have a copy). Instead look at station playlist creator: http://www.stationplaylist.com/

I suggest the pro edition as it allows for greater expansion when your requirements change.

The mark up of intros/outros etc will take some work on your part as they need to be set to each individual piece of audio unless you intend on using the global defaults in mAirList. these defaults can be set to your own preferences.

Manually changing a file in a playlist should present no problems as the end of hour will be controlled from within the scripting functions of mAirList, for help on this perhaps Torben,Cad or Charlie can help as they are all adept at this. Further info will be found at the wiki: http://wiki.mairlist.com/index.php/Main_Page

Feel free to PM me if you wish to discuss things further.

In the meantime, welcome to mAirList and the forums.

4

Hello again John, much of what you ask can be achieved in another playout software called zararadio, apologies to all for directed John elsewhere: http://www.zararadio.com/index.php?centro=descargas.php&lang=en

Scripts here are refered to as events. Playlists can act as you ask.

If you need any help with the setup PM me off list.