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[Captain Nilsson]

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Now, let's see how we can make a format for our radio, that is, we can schedule a music rotation based on certain criteria, or "clocks" as this is also called.

We can give category names to our songs. A category name consists of one word without spaces, hopefully descriptive, such as "rock", "jingle", "CHR", "60s", "oldie", "top40" or whatever. This name is non case sensitive, ie. "rock", "Rock", and "ROCK" all mean the same.

All songs already have the default category name "all", unless they are of the categories "ad", "id" or "jingle". This cannot be removed or edited. You can, however, give several category names to any song. So, one song could be "rock 90s top" and another "rock 80s filler chr" etc. The order of the categories are not important.



Here's how we add category names to the songs:

Look at the main window, that we have now filled with songs.

Select one or more songs in the Main list (left pane). Now,
EITHER
doubleclick on the line in the Info list (right pane) that says Category,
OR
find the menu, hit Edit and Add Category... (keyboard shortcut: Alt E A).

A dialog form opens. It says, Add a category to all selected songs. Type a name without spaces in the edit box. Hit OK or Enter. The new category name will now appear on the Category line in the Info list. You can add more categories to any selection of songs.

To remove a category, find the menu, hit Edit and Remove Category... In the edit box, type the category you want to remove from the selected songs. To remove all categories from the selected songs, type "all". Hit OK or Enter.

So, as an excercise for the user, do the following:

Find a few files that you can use as station identifications, that is, soundfiles a few seconds long, saying e.g. your station name, call letters or frequency. Add the category name of "id" to those files.

Next, find some promotional files that are, say, 15 - 60 seconds long, and add the category name of "jingle" to them.

All other files may be left without categories.

Now, let's move on and make a schedule or "clock" for these.

In the menu, hit Edit and Edit Formats...

A form will appear where the top right button says "Add Section". Hit it, and in the dialog box that appears, type a name for your format. Call it anything you want, without spaces. In this example I will use "Allsorts". If there is something in the big box to the left already, then you can move any item if you select it and press the arrow buttons "v" and "^". Move you new Section name to the top or to the bottom (if applicable).

A Section here is the name of a format, and Value is the name of any item that goes into a Section.

Now, select your new Section ("Allsorts") and hit Add Value... In the box that appears, type "all". Hit OK or Enter. In the big box, "all" will appear just below "Allsorts", a little indented. Repeat the Add Value thing, entering "all", "id", and "jingle" several times each. Reorder a little, until you have something like this.

Allsorts

all
id
all
id
all
jingle

Check for spelling or other errors. Note that you can edit any item if you select it and edit in the box bottom left. Hit OK to save and leave this form.

Go to the menu, hit Edit and Edit Schedule... In the new form, make sure that "00:00" to the left is selected, From and Until are unchecked, and all weekdays are checked in Dates.

Find Items to Schedule and the combobox named Format. Open that box and choose your new format, "Allsorts". Note that Contents of formats appears to the right. There is also a direct Edit Formats link below the listing. Hit Close to return to the main form.

Back in the main form, hit the button Change to Auto, and if everything is correctly done, you should now here songs mixed in the way you programmed it! In later chapters we will discuss how to make more complex formats and changes between them.

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Captain Nilsson

[Captain Nilsson]

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Captain Nilsson

[CipSnode]

Ah... well, Im not really sure what to do about that.

I suppose you could just read it now and record your comments in a Word file or something, and then paste them in the appropriate thread when we get around to discussing the chapter.

[SaZobe]

I just noticed this whole deal, and Im in. Ill start reading chapter 1 either tonight or tomorrow, and then contribute here.
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