Playing multiple items on the same soundcard

Rapidly becomes a mess!

Is there an option to set volume levels on each piece of audio when playing 2 or more items at the same time on a single soundcard.

Our presenters like playing sweepers under the ramp like so.

Song (ramp 15 seconds)

At the countdown of 6 seconds hit sweeper 1 (5 seconds) then sweeper 2 (dry 1 second) into the vocal.

It would sound even better if you could play each at slightly differing levels in this instance. Station Playlist Studio has this function so wondered if a script could make this possible.

Failing that they could try mixing it for themselves as we have 3 soundcard outs!

Kind Regards Tony

Isn’t this what a mixing console is for?

It is, but thinking of instances of when using only a single soundcard output or during automation.

On station playlist studio you have such a feature to do this internally when in automation and live assist.

Having said that, this software is designed mainly to run from a single soundcard.

Kind regards Tony

I know that there is other software out there which suggests that radio can be made with a single PC, a single soundcard and a mouse - DRS2006, SAM, Raduga/ZaraRadio to name a few. However, I strongly believe that “real” can only be made with a mixing desk. Composing a broadcast with the perfect sound is some sort of handcraft. You will need your fingers for it.

mAirList will soon be able to place sweepers on the ramp, reducing the music volume while the jingle plays. But I still consider this “cheating” when doing a live show. Automation is a different matter - for the moment, I would suggest to only use back-to-back jingles but no sweepers to be put on the ramp.

I think Tony is hinting at “Volume Envelopes” which, correct me if I’m wrong, Torben has stated will be available in v3.0 :wink: The way radio is going (certainly in the UK, anyway) there’ll be a lot of rackmounted radio stations just sitting there playing out a playlist that’s fed and updated from a production studio a few floors up… Sooner or later, there’ll come a time when the actual computer has no need for a sound device - streaming the sound direct to wherever it needs to go.

Geek note: Those who’ve used DJServ or DPS will know that it’s already a reality :wink:

The SB Audigy can be purchased for under £30 and has several stereo outputs that will function with mAirList - add to that a Behringer Ultramix to combine the channels ready for transmission - and you’ve got a £100 solution.

Looks like rackmounted radio is taking over from drag ‘n’ drop radio :frowning:

Hi Torben, Charlie defines better what I was suggesting but l could not think of the term.

As Charlie hints much of UK radio is controlled from a production studio, networked and increasingly not even live.

Kind regards tony

So you didn’t talk about volume sliders in the players, did you? Good :slight_smile:

As mentioned earlier, volume envelopes are a thing to be introduced in v3.0. The inner functionality is already complete, I just need a way to allow easy editing. One will be an automatic “put this sweeper on the ramp” function.

If you mean ‘backtime this sweeper to END at the ramp,’ you’ll need options for first/last ramp, or a specific ramp. Preferably with a global default for ‘end sweeper overlays at “first” or “last” ramp.’

You’ll also need an option of ‘start sweeper and track together,’ which will need to check that the sweeper duration is <= the (selected!) ramp point.

Torben: feel free to use any code from my IVP script, if that helps you implement this? … :wink:

BFN
CAD

That’s the point. Depending on the duration of the sweeper, and the duration of the ramp, it might happen that the sweeper needs to be started first (if the sweeper is longer), or that the song needs to be started first (if the ramp is longer). This is not compatible to the way the automation works at the present time. It always starts the upmost item first.

One idea is to “glue” the song and the sweeper together, creating a container-like item.

Torben: feel free to use any code from my IVP script, if that helps you implement this? … ;)

I’ll have a look at it when the time has come :wink:

Hi Torben, no I had not considered a fader per player but I guess this would work. However that’s not a request, more of use would be the volume envelope.

So we could tell the music track during its ramp to play at 70% volume (or user specified) and then overlay on the same soundcard output any sweepers to play at 100% volume (again user defined).

I feel a script coming on and another job for Cad ;D.

Kind regards Tony

I’m afraid a script won’t help at the moment. Just because of what I explained above: The automation cannot start the second item (song) first. So if the sweeper is shorter than the ramp, you’ll run intro problems.

The other case - sweeper is longer than the ramp - can in fact be solved with a script by setting the sweeper’s Start Next to its duration minus the length of the ramp. What’s still missing is the volume envelopes - but they will be introduced in v3.0.

[quote=“Torben, post:11, topic:5119”]I’m afraid a script won’t help at the moment. Just because of what I explained above: The automation cannot start the second item (song) first. So if the sweeper is shorter than the ramp, you’ll run intro problems.

The other case - sweeper is longer than the ramp - can in fact be solved with a script by setting the sweeper’s Start Next to its duration minus the length of the ramp.[/quote]

IVP definitely does the second; the first problem CAN be solved but only manually (move the sweeper AFTER the song, set the song StartNext to Ramp minus duration of sweeper :wink: ).

BFN
CAD

Then you have

SONG 1
SWEEPER
SONG 2

How do you prevent SONG 2 from starting when the sweeper is finished? Add another silence element? :wink:

It’s a wee while since I’ve tried that, but I’m fairly sure it ‘just works.’

However, obviously (?) you do need to make sure that ‘Start Next as EOF’ is off in mAirList Config. :wink: :wink:

BFN
CAD