Simian Boot Camp Glen Tapley

Transcript

SIMIAN BOOT CAMP Glen Tapley Overview Old radio equipment Simian replaces w/pics/fully configured system recommended—audio cards that are included 3 inputs Pro 2.3 We still use pretty much the same terminology in Simian. I’ve mentioned events, carts, playout, automation system, spot breaks. It’s just all reduced to a small PC running Simian software. Simian Fully Configured We recommend you purchase the fully configured system from BSI- Broadcast Software International. Why? This will give you a computer that is configured specifically to operate Simian. An off the shelf computer is not made to run a radio station. You can purchase an off the shelf—they recommend the Dell OptiPlex 7020, but someone will need to configure the machine to optimally operate as a radio station playback system. The Simian playback system is the brains of your technical operations, so why skimp here? The old analog Shafer automation system, similar to the one you just saw, would run you 100 grand back in 1983, which today would cost you over $240,000. With the EWTN discount, a fully configured Simian system to playout EWTN programming is under $5,000. Does all the old analog automation system did plus more. The fully configured system comes with 2 audio cards, the ASI 6620 with two audio inputs and the ASI 5211 with an additional input. Let say you want to take EWTN English, some live events from the Vatican on Radio Classics, and Spanish. You will need the three audio inputs. You will receive a 15 % EWTN discount on any purchases from BSI..hardware and software We’ve made it somewhat easier for you to get set up and rolling with Simian. We can provide a basic Program Log that will have you ready to play out EWTN Radio rather quickly. But, you really need to know how to do this yourself and that’s why we are here. We are going to concentrate on the more important features you will need for creating a daily program log including Using Sound Hound and Event Builder Macros and Metadata Audio Cards and Mixer and Playback Assignments Creating Audio Files and Inserting Spot Breaks into the Log and Building an EWTN Program Log and Chaining the Log so goes to the next day’s log and runs your weekly schedule Creating Carts Glen Tapley EWTN Engineering 205-795-5779 [email protected] How to automatically record programs with Simian Adding an audio editor to work with Simian TeamViewer TeamViewer is a lot like other Remote Log in programs. TeamViewer will allow you to make any changes in Simian such as updating your Program Log from a remote computer. So, if your Simian computer is at your transmitter site and you are at another site, you can remote in to make changes. Allows you to remotely monitor and control your equipment Graphic User Interfaces including Simian where you can off-site make changes to your program log. With your permission and password, an engineer can remote in a help trouble-shoot. You can set up Unattended Access which allows the computer you want to connect with to not require a new Username and PW each time you log in. AIR AND PRODUCTION MODES Simian has two modes that you need to know. ON-AIR mode and PRODUCTION mode. Your on-air mode is that is playing out your currently program log, hence, that is going out to the transmitter and being broadcast. The Production Mode is what you use to make changes to your program log by adding events such as adding underwriting spots, or making specific program log changes. How to go from EWTN English to those local spots or to another program, and back to EWTN Programming. You do this in Production mode so you don’t disturb what’s going out on air. Once you save your changes in the Production Mode Log, these changes will automatically be assigned to that particular days Air Log. So if it is Monday and you want to make log changes to Tuesday or Friday, I make the changes in the Production Mode Log, Save the Log and the changes will show up when the Air Log is run on its particular day. BSI, in their fully configured system, will place two buttons on your PC, AIR and PRODUCTION. If you do not have a fully configured system, Simian will automatically open in Production Mode wherever a second instance of Simian is opened. Click the Simian icon once, you are in Air Mode…click it twice, it opens the production Mode. . You can tell it is in Production Mode two quick ways: The playback decks are empty and by clicking on HELP, About Simian, it tells us it is in Production Mode. Glen Tapley EWTN Engineering 205-795-5779 [email protected] SOUND HOUND AND EVENT BUILDER Sound Hound is a Simian application that indexes your folders including your audio files. Get to Sound Hound on your PC by double-clicking on the black binoculars icon. (Double click to open Sound Hound) How to load audio files into Sound Hound Open Library Icon Go to D: Audio. Audio placed here can be indexed and show up in Sound Hound. You can record and edit on a remote located digital editor such as Audacity or Adobe, save the audio file and perform a file transfer with TeamViewer for instance file transfer. Another way, if you have PSAs which may come to you in CD form. Copy the audio directly to your BSI audio files. Or you can use the Audio Editor on your Simian computer, which in my case is the free Audacity. PATHING AUDACITY Audio Editor To Simian Download Free Audacity audio editor on your computer Go to TOOLS—Program OPTIONS--PATHS Choose Audio Editor from “Other Paths “Drop Box. Click the SET BUTTON and find the Audacity executable on Click Open/OK Two TABS in Sound Hound that we will primarily use: Audio and Folders Tab Working with Folders in Sound Hound Create an Audio Folder In LIBRARY D: Audio Create a folder called Underwriting Spots. This is where Underwriting Spots are going to live; All of the audio files which are underwriting spots are placed into this folder. Go to Sound Hound and Click on Folder Icon. Browse Folder to D: Audio and find the folder you just created. Click on the folder and OK to add the folder Underwriting Spots to Sound Hound and it shows up here as D: /audio/underwritingspots. Click and highlight the folder Underwriting Spots in Sound Hound, click on Smiley Face to give it a Friendly Name Underwriting Spots. Click OK. Go to Audio Tab-Refresh and the audio files of your PSAs will be indexed in Sound Hound. Glen Tapley EWTN Engineering 205-795-5779 [email protected] You see that the audio file now has a Friendly Name associated with it. Go to Event Builder Refresh and your audio files placed into in Underwriting Spots will appear where you can drag and add them to your Program Log. How To Get Audio From Audacity to BSI Audio Folder TOOLS/AUDIO EDITOR Brings up Audacity which I have pathed to the Audio Editor. (Audacity HELP files Tutorials explain how easy it is to find info in the Audacity manual) For instance, under quick help, it shows you under Quick Help how to add your USB mixer. A USB mixer will give you some quality control over your audio, you could just connect a USB headphone/mic into your computer, but a USB mixer comes in handy. AUDACITY—FILE/OPEN Record and Save particular underwriting spot. Find Underwriting Spots folder and click on desired spot recorded and saved to Audacity (or other audio editor). Go To Sound Hound and find (refresh) Go to Event Builder and find (refresh). If you want to give them a bit more info for when they show up on your program log, just right click/Edit Info and give it a Description Go to Sound Hound Refresh The Event Builder works with Sound Hound to create events to place in your Program Log. An event is anything that is happening in the Program Log...any line we create such as adding an audio file is an event. ..your Legal ID for instance is an event that will be entered into the Program Log. EWTN English, which will be set up for Simian to play out EWTN Radio English is an event. As the name implies, the Event Builder is what you use to build, or add events into your log. There are mainly two primary TABS in Event Builder you will be using: Audio and Macro. The Record Tab was used in the older Legacy Drive Simian, but now you use a more flexible START RECORD Marco. AUDIO TAB Under the AUDIO TAB, you will find your audio files to drag into Simian’s Program Log. The audio files will be in alphabetical order and if you are looking for a particular file, you can find it quickly by clicking on the Event Builder Binoculars. This is not the binoculars that bring up Sound Hound, but the binoculars within Event Builder. You can also right click on the files to go quickly to a particular folder and you will see your D: Audio Folder. Glen Tapley EWTN Engineering 205-795-5779 [email protected] The MACRO TAB The Macro Tab allows you to use various metadata, variables, and syntax to cause actions of events. It is where you will build your Program Log and assign how Simian will work. There are three CUES we will concentrate on. There are three start cues you will primarily use in Event Builder. These cues will tell the event what to do within the Program Log schedule. + is an Auto-start. This tells the event, Legal ID, Spots, etc. that you want the event to start directly after the preceding event. If you have a series of underwriting spots that are to play directly after one another, you want to use the + Auto-start cue to tell the event to start automatically after the underwriting spot or any event that precedes it. The second is @ Time Immediate. This tells the event that you want to start an event at a specific time. The event absolutely start at the time indicated. Initially, we use Time Immediate. The third is a Manual start, which is no cue symbol, which tells Simian to stop at the end of a playing event and wait for another command. Using Event Builder Macros MIXFADE and MIXVOLUME MIXFADE- Controls Simian’s Mixer Faders For the EWTN basic program log, you will want to create a Cart to allow EWTN audio to play through Simian. MIXFADE—EWTN ENGLISH CART MIXFADE controls the Mixer Faders to fade up and down Event Builder-Macro MIXFADE 1, 0, 100, 1000 milliseconds This is Mixer 1, Volume start level is muted at 0, turns up the Mixer 1 Fader to 100 (full volume) over 1 second or 1000ms. Using the Drag to Drop Icon, left click and drag it to the Cart Viewer. Edit-New Cart Save Cart as--When you save the cart, you name it EWTN ENGLISH. If you are wanting to create a Cart for EWTN Spanish or Radio Classics, you use the same meta variables, except the Mixer number will be 2 and so forth, so MIXFADE 2, 0, 100, 1000. Set each MIXFADE to additional mixers (fader) accordingly. Click over to Audio tab, refresh 2 times. EWTN Cart will appear in Event Builder as a greencolored text event. Glen Tapley EWTN Engineering 205-795-5779 [email protected] MIXVOLUME-Controls the Mixer (Fader) Volume For the EWTN basic program log, you will want to create a Cart to specifically allow termination of EWTN Radio programming in a particular hour. You need to terminate the EWTN program audio at definite times so you can play other events out of your play decks. MIXVOLUME---SOURCES OFF MIXVOLUME controls the Mixer Volume Edit-New Cart Open Event Builder-Macro MIXVOLUME 1, 0—Drag it to New Cart. Using the Drag to Drop Icon, left click and drag it to the Cart Viewer. Edit-New Cart File-Save As Name it SOURCES OFF Event Builder—Click to Audio tab Refresh Event Builder twice SOURCES OFF appears in EB list (green) You are telling Simian to stop playing EWTN ENGLISH from Mixer 1 and to mute the audio and play the next event, in this case, your Legal ID, a local program you’ve recorded to play out of Simian, or spots, whatever you will play out of your playback decks or next event. For instance, Simian is playing out EWTN ENGLISH and you are coming up to your Legal ID at 59:45—15 seconds before the top of the hour. You want, at this time, to stop airing EWTN and go directly to air your Legal ID. To end the EWTN feed, we use SOURCES OFF. So MIXVOLUME 1, 0 tells the Mixer 1 volume to mute 0 the feed on Mixer 1, which, in this case, is EWTN ENGLISH. Set Up Mixers and Playback Decks SET UP MIXERS Click on Mixer number. Here is your Mixer 1 Set Up The recommended professional audio card is made by ASI (Audio Science) The ASI 5211 and 6620 for PCe computer slots I have a 6620 on this computer which gives me two audio inputs. I have Mixer 1 on the first audio input so we will set Mixer 1. First, we will identify the Mixer with a Friendly Name First find your Mixer. In this case the ASI 6620. Lines: Set the Mixer up to Line out 1 Line in 1. This tells Simian we want to control the volume on input line 1 (EWTN ENG) of the Sound Card. The way we set up the physical Line out 1 is the output from Simian to the EAS. Faders: You tell Simian this is the fader you are using Selected: Just click the + sign to add the configuration To assign another Mixer, it is the same process except you specify which Mixer Click Selected. Checking Auto Mute Mixers during Simian File Playout will automatically mute the mixer once the playback becomes active. The fader is going to drop to zero because we’ve used the Glen Tapley EWTN Engineering 205-795-5779 [email protected] MIXFADE to mute the volume after EWTN English, so this is kind of redundant, but might as well. And later on, you may want to add a Broadcast Tools switch and need it to mute the mixer. SET UP PLAYBACK DECKS TOOLS-HARDWARE OPTIONS-PLAYBACK Main Deck Assignments The Play Decks are initially automatically assigned if you have a 64 bit computer running Simian. The fully configured Simian system will have the 64 bit version of Windows. ASI 6620 Audio Card which with my Windows 7 Pro 64 bit OS utilizes the Windows Driver Model or WDM. Usually, play decks will be assigned: Play Deck 1 is assigned to Play 01 of the audio card WDM OUT Play Deck 2 is assigned to Play 02 Play Deck Deck 3 is assigned to Play 03 Play Deck 4 the Asyc Deck is assigned to Play 04 Async Deck is a hidden deck to use with Serial Events for instance with a Broadcast Tools Switcher. The Auxiliary Deck is used to preview an audio file through an auxiliary channel to your studio monitors. For instance, if I want to preview audio in Event Builder, I can connect a monitor and set up the deck I want to use as an Aux Deck. Right now, I have it set to use my Computer Speakers to allow me to hear an audio event without interfering with what’s going on air. Async Deck is a hidden deck. Deck #4. You can use this to preview any audio on the Program Log. ASYNC- ASYNC DECK brings up the Async Deck. Left click and drag an audio event into the deck and play it off air. HARDWARE OPTIONS-Async Deck assign to an output that is not being used on-air. In ASI Control, Line 2 Out turn up volume. CARTS Different Kinds of Carts/Put Spots in Rotator Cart A lot of our spot breaks are 2 minutes. But there are break instances where you will have a longer break and need multiple spots to play. You could drag each spot individually to the Program Log from Event Builder or you can create one cart with all the spots within the cart to play at the break. Such as if you have multiple underwriters sponsoring an upcoming program. Manual Start the + auto-start on the others Glen Tapley EWTN Engineering 205-795-5779 [email protected] This cart will play all of the audio events (i.e., Spots, PSAs) in the cart each time it is scheduled on the log. Manual Start on all events This cart will play one event each time the cart is scheduled on the log. If you want to randomize these audio file cuts, click FILE-CART PROPERTIES and check Randomize and it will shuffle the carts around. Can only randomize in a Manual Cue cart. Assign + Auto-start to play multiple carts This cart will play a certain number of events based on how you schedule + auto-start. For instance, to play two carts at a time each time the cart is scheduled on the program log, set it up with Auto-Start on every other audio event in the cart. When you go to drag the cart to the Program Log, you give the Cart itself an auto start just like an individual spot of PSA or any auto start evert. To edit an event in a cart, right Click the Event in the Cart, select Event Builder. Event will show up in Event Builder. Double Click and Edit. How to Create a Program Log To create an hour log, Left Click and drag to add EWTN English to the top of the hour into the Program Log. Before you drag it, we use Event Builder’s Scheduled Time and give it the time of 1900. Auto Start + then drag it to the Program Log. We have to have something to tell Simian to terminate EWTN programming and at what time so the EWTN audio doesn’t play over the audio of your Legal ID. This is the SOURCES OFF that we created. SOURCES OFF tells Simian to stop playing the event, in the case, EWTN ENGLISH. Sources Off is a Time Immediate event. Designate it as such by adding @Time Immediate and give it a time of 19:59:45. Drag it as an Insert under EWTN ENGLISH. Now the EWTN ENGLISH event will terminate. EWTN Radio runs its ID bed at 59:45 so you want to add your Legal ID at 19:59:46. Choose the Legal ID from the Event Builder, add an auto start macro.. Again, you’ll notice that in very small lettering in the DRAG FROM ICON box there are two instructions on how to drag a file: Left Click is Insert and Right Click is Replace. Adding Spots for Avails EWTN will play the full hour clock with audio…programming, promo spots during avails, and an ID bed. But, you will eventual want to play your own underwriting spots, promos, and vignettes. Of course the Legal ID is mandatory. EWTN allows for local Legal ID at 59:45 each hour. At the bottom of most hours, EWTN has a 2 minute local avail at the bottom of the hour. Glen Tapley EWTN Engineering 205-795-5779 [email protected] Ex: EWTN Open Line running at 15:00 ET, 14:00 CT. Since I am running my schedule in Alabama Central time, this avail is scheduled during the 14:00 hour. You will adjust based on your local time zone. At 27 minutes past the hour, there is a 2 minute local avail designated in green on the clock. We are going to insert two: 60 spots in the avail. You can insert any time events to cover 2 minutes. Remember, we want to terminate EWTN programming at this point in the schedule so we Insert SOURCES OFF (Time Immediate) I’m going to Event Builder Drag SOURCES OFF at 14:00 BREAK SOURCES OFF 14:26:59. Insert my first :60 at 14:27:00 The second :60 at 14:28:00 ENGLISH 14:29:00 Add EWTN ENGISH and drag it over and that’s the break The Break at 14:55:45 CART Created with 55:45 Break (right click on 55:45 event builder to show what spots are in cart) Three are 4 minutes of sports in cart set up to play every event. SOURCES OFF 14:55:44 CART 14:55:45 ID 14:59:45 Take last source off at 14:59:45 When you make any changes in the Production Mode, make sure you SAVE LOG. Then when the Program Log is called on to play the changes, they will be there. When you first save a log, use SAVE AS and give it a three letter designation of that particular day…MON, TUE, WED, THE, etc Now that the week’s logs are created, we need to tell Simian that we want to load the next day’s LOG at midnight. CHAIN LOG AND CREATE EWTN.skd Chaining the Logs is what causes each next day log to begin at midnight. There are a couple of ways you can chain using the macro CHAIN. To have Simian load each day log MON-TUE-WED, thru SUN and repeat MON forward, you need to chain with a macro of CHAIN %W for week. This recognizes MON, TUE, etc. If you want to create logs in advance, you need to save your logs per date, for instance, for November 24, 25, and 26 you save each log as 112416, 112516, 112616 and following. Instead Glen Tapley EWTN Engineering 205-795-5779 [email protected] of chaining the log for MON, TUE, WED, etc. using CHIAN %W, you then Chain using CHAIN %M%D%Y. Logs created and saved for the specific date will load will run for that specific date. Using CHAIN %W for WEEK, each day log will load and continue to load each day of the week, week after week. Open Event Builder Open Scheduled Events: Async-- Scheduled Events In Event Builder, Macro-CHAIN %W-Drag to Scheduled Events (alt Set Scheduled Events Icon (calendar) Set Time 23.59:50 meta variables always references the following day’s log so it loads the next day’s log to be ready to play at midnight top of the hour Save. When you save scheduled events, you will be able to add the file name—EWTN DAILY and it will automatically add it to the BSI32 file as a .skd extension. And if you are using date specific logs you would CHAIN %M%D%Y for Month Day Year. Recording Programs Manually Record To record programs and voice tracks, you really need a dedicated ASI Sound card. With a fully configured system, you will receive an ASI 5211 and an ASI 6620 sound card. I would set up the ASI 5211 for recording using Line In 1 for recording and Line Out 1. Because I have one 6620, I had to work around the set up specifically for training purposes and use Line in 2. You should use Audacity or Adobe or some other digital editing program to perform short-form recordings such as underwriting spots, promos, IDs and the like. Simian’s record decks are not situated to do much production editing. But for long form programs, such as Open Line, Daily Mass, Dr. Ray, etc., it is what you use. First, make sure the audio is up on your Soundcard ASI Control on desktop Line 1 In to Recorder 1 Multiplexer set up to Line In 1-16 bit PCM mono 44.1 Bring up Record Decks Go to Tools-Hardware Options –Record Set up Record Deck 1 AND 2 we have Barix with EWTN English programming coming in on Line in 1, so we set the First Record Deck to Line in 1. If you have another program source such as Spanish, you can set Record Deck 2 to take Line in 2 for instance. Create a folder in Library called recordprograms, or call it record Open Line, Daily Mass, etc.) Whatever you want to record in to Soundhound will allow up to 40 folders Bring up Soundhound, go to Folder Icon D: Audio in BSI configured system Click on recordprograms to load in Soundhound Folder Click on Smiley Face to give it a Friendly Name. Go to Audio Files and Refresh twice. Glen Tapley EWTN Engineering 205-795-5779 [email protected] Go to Tools-Program Option-Paths Set up path from indexed Soundhound Folder Under Other paths-Click on Down Button and choose Record Deck 1 Click on path bsi32\audio\recordings Click SET Same for Deck 2 Click SET This will path all recorded programs into the folder recordedprograms indexed by Soundhound To make a recording Click Save AS. Give your recording a file name and Save When it comes time to record a program, click the RECORD button Once the audio is recorded, the recorded audio should appear under your recordedprograms folder.. Refresh Soundhound and EB and audio should be there to drag to where you want it to play, day and time, in the log. If you need to edit the program, Click EDIT Audio, make your edit and go to FILE-EXPORT AUDIO and save to audio file Automated Recording Kresta at 4:00 ET 3:00 CT Open Event Builder choose RECORD macro Open Async –Scheduled Events Macro: RECORD START 1, Name of Program (Kresta), Time of Program Record (60:00) Macro RECORD START 1, KRESTA, 60:00 Tells Simian to record on Kresta on Record Deck 1 for 60 minutes Drag to Async Scheduled Events Give it the time to want the recoding to start (14:00) Record-Click on Clock Choose the day or days you want to record the program-Click on Callender That’s going to cause Simian to record Kresta starting at 14:00 for 60:00. Once the audio is recorded, you can edit the audio on your digital editor if you would have need to do so. Click Edit Audio button Brings you to Audacity or whatever audio editing you have pathed to Simian. The Program loads and opens allowing you to edit it if you want to. The file is in your BSI audio files. You can edit in Audacity and rewrite over the existing file. EXPORT AUDIO to C:BSI21\Audio\recorded programs Look in Library BSI32-Audio-recordedprograms Refresh Soundhound and Event Builder. Voice Track Editor Click on Voice Track Hotkey Where it says GUEST. Click on + and add your name Glen Tapley EWTN Engineering 205-795-5779 [email protected] Go to Library-BSI32-Audio and Create a folder in Library called voicetracks Go to TOOLS_PROGRAM OPTIONS-OTHER PATHS Go to Soundhound and Refresh. In Folders Tab, click on folder icon and give it the friendly name of voicetracks Under OTHER PATHS Click Voice Tracks and Set. Choose :audio|voicetracks from above. OK You can use a low cost mixer such as a Mackie or Behringer, for example, along with a decent mic. Come out of the board output with good ¼ inch to MXLR into the FXLR physical input 2L of the breakout which connects to the ASI soundcard. You can also use a USB headphone/mic, but the mixer gives you better audio volume control for your voice. Assign physical input. If you have a fully configured system you will probably want to use the ASI 5211 card input and set that card up. In my case, since I have only the ASI 6620, I’m using that alone. Go to TOOLS-HARDWARE-RECORD ASI6620/02 IN PCM 44.1 16 bit Mono Go to ASI Control Choose Multiplexer Line 2 That should do it as far as configuration. Drag two songs to where you want it to play in the Program Log. Highlight the song on the Program Log and hit Q on the keyboard or LOAD button. One song will appear in the CUT 1 track and the second will appear in CUT 2 track. Or Drag them from Event Builder to Cut 1 and Cut 2. You can use the Voice Track Buttons or Keyboard shortcuts or a combination of both whatever is more comfortable for you. Remember, once you finish with the Voice Track Editor, close it because when VT is open, it takes control of your keyboard for the shortcuts. On the handout, I’ve explained both Keyboard Shortcuts and Buttons Activity Keyboard Shortcuts in Voice Track Q-Quick Loads the audio cuts from the Program Log to the Editor R-Starts playback of the first cut R-Press R the second time to start Voice Track record R- Press R the third time to stop the stop Voice Track Editor R-Press R the fourth time to end the play back Press Spacebar to play back the whole sequence once you’ve recorded your voice track Press V to paste the Voice Track to the Program Log You can use the buttons: Glen Tapley EWTN Engineering 205-795-5779 [email protected] Load- Loads the audio cuts from the Program Log to the Editor X-Deletes the cuts and Voice Track Edit Voice Track-Opens your audio editor (Audacity or another) so you can edit if needed. Paste Voice Track to Log-Does what keyboard stroke V does, paste the Voice Track to the Program Log Grey Button-Pauses Red Button-Record Load the two songs you wish to add a Voice Track to the Voice Track Editor (Load Button or Q or LOAD button) Hit R to start the playback of the first song, hit R again to record your voice track. Once your voice is recorded into Voice Track, hit R to stop. You can use the Red Button to do the same thing. Hit Red Button once starts the playback of the first cut, hit is the second time to start voice track recording. Hit it the third time to stop. Press V to paste the Voice Track to the Program Log Glen Tapley EWTN Engineering 205-795-5779 [email protected]