The TuneTracker System
USER'S GUIDE
Welcome to the TuneTracker User's Guide!


This manual is constantly updated. The most recent version of our manual is always online, at http://www.tunetrackersystems.com/documentation . Due to the dynamic nature of product development, the contents of this documentation is subject to change without notice. TuneTracker Systems and Dane Scott Productions assume no responsibility for errors or ommissions in this documentation.

Start with the Summaries!

We recommend you begin by reading through the summary paragraphs below, which introduce each section and provide you with a good overall picture of how the TuneTracker System works. Next, read Overview & Uses completely. The order in which our instructions are shown in the Table of Contents below represents the recommended order you follow when when learning our system and preparing your radio station. A printable checklist that follows the same order can be found in "Overview and Uses," just below.


Intro & Features

Setup

    Planning Your Station


    		 The goal of every radio station is listeners, and the best way to get them is by presenting them with something they want to hear. There's no substitute for good planning, and in this section we guide you through the thought processes that will assure you of a well-designed, professional-sounding radio station, targeted toward the audience you are attempting to reach.


    Preparing Format Clocks

    		   We mentioned format clocks in the introductory part of the manual. Here, we go into depth on format clocks, explaining how our system uses them, and providing you with resources you can use in devising your own. Don't forget to open up the TuneTracker System's "Templates" folder and look at the sample format clock while reading through this section, since it will help to illustrate what we're describing. The most important one to read in this section is "Creating Your Own Format Clock."


    Preparing Master Logs

    		   Making a master log is really simple. It's just a matter of pulling some hourly format clock files together to make a full, 24-hour day's worth of programming. A tool included in our system lets you do it in a split-second. This brief section should contain all the explanation you need.




    SoundPlay Setup

    		   There's not really much you need to do here. SoundPlay is the audio player portion of the TuneTracker System, and does its job very transparently. The main reason to change anything in SoundPlay will be if you plan to do streaming of your broadcast over the Internet or an intranet, in which case you should read "Broadcasting over the Internet." It explains how to set up the streaming server. There's also some information here on using audio processor plugins, which some stations like to add to their audio chain.


TuneTracker System in Action

    Using TuneStacker™

    		   TuneStacker™ music selection software turns your station's master logs into broadcast-ready program logs. It does all of your music and other audio file randomization and rotations, using the special TuneStacker™ "commands" (don't worry, they're easy) in your master logs. If you're using the Command Center version of TuneTracker System™, TuneStacker™ can also import commercial traffic logs.

    A big part of the power of the TuneTracker System™ comes from its use of "file attributes" built-into BeOS, to do almost any imaginable format with unlimited variations and music mixes. To do so, be sure you learn how to include a few very simple "commands" in your format clocks and master logs. They let you randomly grab songs and other files based on all kinds of interesting criteria.


    Using TuneTracker Basic™

    		   This section covers use of TuneTracker Basic™. Command Center owners should skip down to the next section.

    In this section, the Interface page does a good job of introducing you to the buttons, bells, and whistles in the TuneTracker interface. Setting TuneTracker™ Preferences walks you through the many settings you can personalize, including time-updating, overlapping, reboot recovery, and many others.

    Be sure to read the section on TuneTracker™ Commands, because they'll let you take full advantage of all of the system's automation capabilities.

    The more you read in this section, the better you will understand the depth and capabilities of the TuneTracker System.




    The ChannelCaster™ Switcher Interface

    		   ChannelCaster is a special set of switcher control features for the TuneTracker System, which allow Command Center to interface with the Broadcast Tools line of switcher boxes. It lets you put audio from a variety of sources on the air automatically, via your program logs, and manually, using Command Center's configurable buttons.

    This section covers the Command Center side of things, and basic connection instructions. For detailed documentation on the switcher box itself, and advanced connection details, please refer to the manual included with your Broadcast Tools switcher.


    The TouchCaster Touchsreen Interface

    		   This section covers setting up, connecting, calibrating, and most effective use of the TuneTracker touchscreen and interface.


    Using TimeTracker™

    		   TimeTracker lets you record live audio for broadcast at a later time. You can schedule as many unique recordings as you like, and each one can be recorded in your choice of formats, including MP3. Recordings can be set to occur once, or repeatedly, so TimeTracker can be used to grab hourly newscasts, daily actuality feeds, weekly special broadcasts, and any other live audio you choose to broadcast at a time other than when it originally occurred. This section quickly gets you up-to-speed on how to use TimeTracker.


    Bundled Special Utilities

    		   The Army Knife tool (also listed under Importing and Prepping Audio Files) is an extremely important component you'll be using when importing audio files. It lets you copy the valuable embedded "ID3" tag information found in MP3 files to their corresponding BeOS file attributes so that TuneStacker™ can search the files for that information. You can manually add that information too, but Army Knife makes it fast and automatic.

    CSacker is a quick, easy report generator program that reads the text "output log" created by TuneTracker™ and lets you filter out a list of specific items you want to know about, such as how many PSAs or commercials ran.

    Some other very valuable tools are also covered in this section.




    Remote Administration Options

    		   You can access the TuneTracker System™ remotely via FTP, Telnet, and TT Anywhere, to transfer files in and out of the system, generate program logs, and control the TuneTracker™ interface remotely from anywhere. This is especially important among smaller radio stations, where staff is limited and remote access can be crucial.


Resources