The SMARTCASTER is one of the most sophisticated automation systems ever developed. It is versatile and powerful. This handbook is designed to help the user unlock the potential of the SMARTCASTER.

There are two main modes that the SMARTCASTER operates in: Satellite (or Clock), and Music on Hard Drive. This handbook discusses SMARTCASTER operations in terms of these modes.

CLOCK refers to Clock satellite operation. Where needed there are additional notes for Non-Clock operation.

Continuous refers to the Music on Hard Drive.

Generation 2000 refers to the Generation 2000 system.

The SMARTCASTER is capable of using several audio devices to digitize and store audio. The two main categories for audio devices are called "Antex" and "Ace." Only Generation 2000 systems use the Ace cards. Differences between these categories (if any) are noted in the descriptions.

For the beginning user...

Don't Panic!

The SMARTCASTER is set up in the factory before it is shipped. It has most of the Setup Options activated for the type of operation specified on your contract. The system can be customized to the user's preference as he/she reads along in this section. It is recommended that one start slowly and understand the basics for the type of system that was purchased.

Support...

This automation system has the capacity to run a radio station. At the very least it alters nearly every operation of the station. This handbook goes a long way toward helping everyone to adjust, but, of course, more may be needed. See the introduction section of the manual about Support hours and policy.

What Is Clock And How Does It Work?

Warning...

Even though the software package referred to as "CLOCK" is used on nearly all types of SMARTCASTERS, the CLOCK mode is used only on Satellite systems. Continuous (Music on Hard Drive) customers should have the Clock Option disabled (Option 5 in OPTION SETUP). CLOCK mode should never be on at the same time as Continuous Play mode (Option 7 in USER SETUP).

Description...

CLOCK is the name of a special mode that the SMARTCASTER can enter. In this mode, the SMARTCASTER uses the time of day to determine when to load and play breaks. Prior to the development of CLOCK, SMARTCASTERS ran in a sequential mode (i.e. when one break played, it simply went on to the next break and waited for a closure from the satellite). Sequential operation works well until a break is missed, or two break closures are accidentally fired. When this happens, the SMARTCASTER is off a break until the top of the hour when the system updates its breaks.

CLOCK changed all that. Now the user has a CLOCK SETUP Screen that allows him/her to define when the breaks are, how long they are, and whether they are mandatory or not (Mandatory means that the break contains closed circuit feeds or is silent and MUST be filled to insure that inappropriate audio or silence doesn’t get on the air).

This information gives the SMARTCASTER a lot more power. Since it knows when a break is supposed to fire, it knows when a break closure is missed and automatically updates to the next break. Also, since it knows how long the break is, if a break is accidentally under-programmed, it pulls material (Public Service Announcements, promos, or any other audio cuts the station chooses) and fills the break to the proper length. All SMARTCASTERS running in CLOCK mode fill to within a few seconds of the proper length of the break. However, if the SMARTCASTER is equipped with an SX-8, SX-12, SX-20, SX-7 or SX-22 audio card the SMARTCASTER varies the speed of the audio just a little to make sure that it fits as close as possible to the break length! This is the Shrink-and-Expand feature.

Of course, if so desired, one or all of these features may be disabled. See the SETUP SCREEN APPENDIX. Especially USER SETUP Options 17 and 18 for details on how to set up the SMARTCASTER for CLOCK operation.

TRICKS...

Though the number of SMARTCASTER Setup Screens is daunting, they allow a user to configure the SMARTCASTER to fit a station like a glove fits a hand. As users become familiar with their unit's capabilities, they love to "tweak" the system to fit their operation.

*CAUTION*

Changing Setup Screens without the aid of SMARTS Support can render the SMARTCASTER inoperable! Do not change settings without help from SMARTS Support!

For Satellite users, the CLOCK Options are a Program Director's playground. A little originality produces fantastic results using these features.

For instance, users who cannot use the Shrink-and-Expand feature (ACE, SX-3, SX-6, SX-15, SX-34, SX-36, and AudioPort) could make use of the Unmute On Time (Option 16 in USER SETUP). When this feature is activated, the SMARTCASTER unmutes satellite audio at the end of the break time instead of when the SMARTCASTER audio is done playing. If the SMARTCASTER is setup to fill the breaks, the breaks are slightly over-programmed. This causes an overlap of break audio and satellite audio when the SMARTCASTER rejoins the music network. Creative operators can create a "seamless" flow that helps to get rid of the "cookie cutter" satellite sound.

How CLOCK relates to Live Assist...

When the user enters Live Assist, all of the CLOCK features disappear since they would only get in the way of a live operation.

Change Break goes back to asking for a break number and the SMARTCASTER does not automatically update from break to break.

One problem that users may have is that during Live Assist, a station may have a variable number of breaks from day to day. Often, the rigid CLOCK structure is too restrictive for live operators.

To get around this problem, the user must build a "dummy" Clock in the Clock Setup Screen and define 12 breaks (the system maximum) on it. Then, by scheduling this Clock (using Set Active) during their live hours, they ensure that no matter how many breaks come over from traffic for that hour, there will be enough break slots to cover it. ESETUP contains a place to input this Clock.

If an hour is half live, half satellite, a special "transition" Clock may be built that has enough breaks to cover the live half then start into the normal satellite format.

Using CLOCK some of the time...

In systems that are both Satellite and Continuous (Music on Hard Drive), the user has the option of turning the CLOCK off and on as needed. Timed Events has the capability of turning on and off CLOCK, or Continuous Play. Using these features in combination is a very powerful programming tool that creative operators can use to their advantage.

Continuous Play is incompatible with CLOCK. In order to turn Continuous Play on, CLOCK must be turned off first and visa-versa. When the CLOCK is on during the Satellite times, all the differences mentioned previously take effect. The Breaks Screen shrinks down to the number of breaks defined in the CLOCK SETUP Screen.

It is very important to generate a "dummy" Clock containing 12 breaks, and assign it (using Set Active) to the non-satellite hours, just as would happen during Live Assist (described above). That way, when the SMARTCASTER enters CLOCK mode, it doesn't effect the programming information for Music on Hard Drive.

Sequential (or Non-CLOCK Satellite) Programming....

CLOCK is not for everyone. Some people prefer the simplicity of the sequentially based SMARTCASTER. It also may occasionally be necessary to run without CLOCK in order to diagnose a problem.

A non-CLOCK satellite operation waits for a local break closure from the satellite receiver. When it gets one, it plays the current break, rejoins the satellite, then loads the next break and waits again. A safety feature can be activated that at a specific time in the hour causes the SMARTCASTER to jump to the first, second, third, etc. break in the hour (The break number is user definable in options 4 and 12 in USER SETUP).

Note: When the CLOCK Option is disabled, the SMARTCASTER no longer has the ability to Shrink-and-Expand, Fill, or automatically update from break to break.

Continuous (Music on Hard Drive)

The Music on Hard Drive system uses the SMARTCASTER in a different way. The Breaks Screen becomes a sequential list of "sets." These are sets of audio cuts, usually spots or music. As the last item in a set plays, the next set loads and readies itself for playback. When the previous set finally concludes, the new set begins its playback. This cycle continues through the log for the day.

This is one of the simplest systems to run. No external music network wiring is necessary, though a news network may be desired. The newer hard drives are big enough to hold hundreds of songs. The system can be fitted to have enough drive space to comfortably hold an entire music library. The news network would be used for news and a time update closure.

Music is added to the traffic log through a separate program called Log Manager. See the appendix on the SMARTS Digital Program Director for details about this procedure.

Jock-In-the-Box (JIB) (CD System)

(NOTE: AS OF JULY 1998 – JIB SYSTEMS ARE NO LONGER SOLD)

The Jock-In-the-Box system runs in similar fashion to the Music on Hard Drive. JIB systems use a playlist generated on a separate machine. The playlist is loaded onto the SMARTCASTER via floppy. Generation 2000 systems can load the playlist across the network from another machine.

Getting started...

To begin SMARTCASTER operation, the user chooses option 1 from the "SMARTCASTER Digital Audio" main menu. This begins the SMARTCASTER initialization process. The screen indicates progress by displaying a percentage in the center of the screen. Each number shown indicates an operation.

SMARTCASTER Loading Guide

% Operation Area of failure:

0% Loading Paths Check PSETUP

1% Logging Start Rename Log.{day of week}*

2% Check Drives Check system Hardware*

3% Loading Addresses Check ASETUP

4% Loading Audio Info Check RSETUP

5% Loading Backup Drives Check BACKUPDR.FIL*

6% Loading Sample Rates Check USETUP

7% Loading Options Check OSETUP

8% Loading Comports Check com connections or turn off coms*

9% Loading Old Net Set Option 3 in OSETUP to N

10% Init Vars, Recvol.Fil Check Recvol.fil*

11% Load Switcher Check Switcher.fil*

12% Load AMX info Check AMX files, Tone File*

13% Init audio cards Check sample rate, mono/stereo etc.

14% Load Parameters Check Param.fil*

15% Load Fill Info Check Frotat.fil*

16% Get Fill Check Fill information*

17% Load CLOCK Info Check CLOCK Option on main menu

18% Load CLOCK Info (more) Check Set Active Option on main menu

19% Turn off Muting Call SMARTS*

19% Load Music Position Call SMARTS*

19% Load Wait Call SMARTS*

19% Load Mute Call SMARTS*

19% Load Hold Call SMARTS*

20% Get live info Check Live.fil*

21% Init Breaklogs Put traffic log on another disk, try again

23% Create Directories Let set for a while. If there are errors, call*

25% Init CD's Check Option 3 in USETUP

27% Init CD's Check PlayLists

30% Init SmartTouch Check ASETUP*

33% Init Function Rotation Check Offset.fil*

34% Init Menus Check Menu.fil's*

35% Init Announcers Check Announcer files*

40% Init Announcers Check Announcer files*

45% Init Unattended Record Check UnRecord.fil*

48% Init Timed Based Events Check Satswich.fil*

49% Init Drive Sizes Check Hidesize.fil*

50% Init Functions Check Function Files*

100% Get next Break Check Breaklog's*

*Call SMARTCASTER Support Staff for instructions

If the SMARTCASTER stops at a certain percentage and jumps back to the main menu an error has occurred. The preceding table indicates (in detail) what the SMARTCASTER is doing, or generates a gray fault screen, at the different percentages.

The Main Screen...

The blue screen is the first screen to show when the SMARTCASTER program loads. One "set" or "break" is displayed at a time. Within a break are up to 10 audio cuts that are recorded on the hard drive. To the right of the items in the break, the length is displayed. The length counts back from the total to 0 when the item plays. Down below, the current log day, date, time, break number, announcer, duration, break countdown, version number, and RIDZ network selections are displayed. In the far right column is the indicator for status of Clock, Digital Inputs, or Continuous Play.

All system capabilities can take place while at this screen. Unattended Records, Network Switching, and On Air playback may all take place.

There are three menu options at the bottom of the screen: ESC, F9 and F10.

ESC - Brings up the menu bar along the top of the screen. To use the menu bar, press the arrow keys to move the highlighted bar from selection to selection, then press ENTER. This reveals a vertical sub menu that contains more options.

F9 - Allows the user to edit the events displayed in the break without taking the SMARTCASTER off-line. In other words, the SMARTCASTER is still looking for closures, will continue to play, etc. (See Editing Keys below.)

F10 - Puts the SMARTCASTER in Live Assist mode. The user may edit items just as the F9 option allows, but the SMARTCASTER will not respond to any closures or roll from break to break (if it is in Continuous Play).

Live Assist was the predecessor to the Live Show and was used extensively in the early days of the SMARTCASTER. There are a few stations that still use Live Assist. Live Show is a more streamlined and beefed up tool for the live announcer. Live Show is discussed in depth later in the handbook.

Exercise: Main Screen Menus

What You Do	Comment
1. Press the ESC key.	The menu bar will appear across the top of the screen.
2. Use the LEFT and RIGHT ARROW keys to move back and forth across the bar.	The selected section will show white while the other possible choices will remain black.
3. Press the ENTER key.	The menu window will drop down showing the various choices under each selection.
4. Use the UP, DOWN, LEFT, and RIGHT ARROW keys to move up and down and back and forth across the menus.	Left and right will move from window to window while up and down will go through the choices in the window.
5. Press the ESC key.	Returns to the Main Screen.
6. Press the F9 key.	This toggle switch (on and off switch) turns on the Edit feature. Notice the gray box (the cursor) around the script number in the first event.
7. Use the UP and DOWN ARROW keys to move up and down the events in the break.	Any event can be selected for editing as long as it hasn’t played in this break.
8. Press the F9 key.	This turns off the Edit feature.
9. Press the F10 key.	This toggle switch (on and off switch) turns on the Live Assist feature. Now the system will not react to network closures and the operator has total control.
10. Use the UP and DOWN ARROW keys to move up and down the events in the break.	Any event can be selected for editing as long as it hasn’t played in this break.
11. Press the F10 key.	This toggle switch turns off the Live Assist feature. Now the system will react once again to network closures.

Quick Quiz: Main Screen Menus

1. What color is the Live Assist Screen? ____________

2. How many menu windows are there on the Main Screen? ____________

3. What does the F9 button do? ____________

4. What button do you press to get the menu bar across the top of the screen? ____________

5. True or False: While in Live Assist, the system reacts to Network Closures. ____________

After five minutes of inactivity by a user, the SMARTCASTER Screen changes to the Screen Saver. This prevents excessive wear on the system monitor. The SMARTCASTER, however, still runs even though the Screen Saver is on. Pressing any key on the keyboard will bring the working screen back to view. The Screen Saver does not come on in Live Assist or in the Edit mode.

Changing the time for the Screen Saver

If the duration of 5 minutes is not desirable, it is possible to reset it. Doing so involves taking the SMARTCASTER off the air and exiting to the C:\> prompt. If you do not feel confident about the following steps, please feel free to call SMARTCASTER Technical Support.

1. Press ESC and arrow over to QUIT.

2. Select YES and press ENTER (Doing so takes the system off the air!).

3. From the Main Menu press ESC.

4. At the C:\> prompt, type SETSAVER and press ENTER.

5. Enter the minutes for the system to wait before the Screen Saver activates. When finished, press ENTER.

6. Type GO and press ENTER.

7. Select SMARTCASTER and press ENTER.

The Screen Saver will now activate after the specified period of time.

Setting the Screen Saver to 0 (zero) disables the device.

The Edit Screen:

Overview: