Hello all,
When it comes to being a noob, I am about as noob as you can get. I was building computers back when you had to manually set IRQ's. That and picking up on how apps work on a pc fairly quickly is about it when it comes to my pc skills. Here is a list of equipment I have purchased so far.A Behringer XENYX X1832USB USB Mixer,BBE 382i Sonic Maximizer,behringer mdx 2600,inovonics 222,and a Hamilton Transmiter. The final piece of the puzzle is some automation software so here it goes. Whats better for a beginner, Zara or Station Playlist? Zara seems feature rich and yet is inexpensive, but for the life of me, all the tutorials I can find on youtube are in Spanish I think. When I visit the Station Playlist site, it seems that it is MUCH more expensive, and there are so many versions that its hard to choose. Do both programs support being able to rebroadcast other shows from other stations? All I really need it to do, is #1 to automate playlists whenver I am not doing a live show. #2 have a function where I can either manually or automatically clip tracks that have alot of silence before and after the music/lyrics start so that transitioning between tracks and commercials sounds more pollished etc. And lastly, having the ability to simultaneously stream the content to either a live 365 or shoutcast server.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give m8s,
Groo
All who wander are not lost 🙂
I am not an expert on this but I will offer that I found Zara to be intuitive and easy to get working for simple play list functions. I have not tried the more advanced features but I encourage you to get a copy and try it. The copy I have is free and maybe someone else can remember where it can be obtained.
Some advice about starting a part15 station is not to try to get everything perfect the first time. Just start operating and build and tweak and add as you learn by doing. It is a great way to build your knowledge and have fun while doing so. We have folks here who are more than willing to offer advice and answer questions (and sometimes over answer them!) so don't be shy.
Neil
Whats the sonic maximizer do for you?
If you want a copy of Zara go to my web site http://ragfm.com
Go to Links and then Free Radio Software and you can download it in a zip file with the english help file.
Thanks for the post m8! I am thinking about just buying the full version from the site lol. The electritian is putting in the grounds this week and we will be installing the transmitter next week. I have to go with something to get started lol. It might as well be Zara. Its just a bummer most of the videos online are in Spanish 🙁 lol
Thanks Neil,
Yeah, I am thinking Zara it will be. Playstation looks good to, maybe I will look into down the road, but I need to get started and Zara with all the features is about 260.oo. So, its more than I thought I would spend , but it is what it is lol 🙂 Do you know if it also can send a stream over the net to a shoutcast or live 365 server? That would be cool if it did. Most peeps I have run into are saying that I should use a seperate pc for that. ( yay more money I need to spend ) ! lol
For Zara, you can use VAC (Virtual Audio Cables) and edCast. Just make sure to configure edCast to pick up the exported ID info about the usic from where you tell zara to place the files... once you dig in that will make sense to you.
If that machine is strong enough, you won't need a second computer. You might look at VSTHost if you want processing.. unless you have a AMT-5000, 3000 or Procaster that have processing onboard.. which actually works really well...
Hey Mir,
Thanks again for such a great post. I have youtubed all the apps you have suggested and think I am going to follow your advice! I am a little unsure as to how VST Host's work. To that end would you consider walking me trough a few things. Do you have or have heard of program called TeamSpeak 3? Its a VOIP program that they use at The Association of Low Power Broadcasters bimonthly meetings etc. If not, I can dig it. Just know that I am 44 years old , very chill and respectful so no worries there. Lastly, I am thinking about using a older laptop I have for the project. Its a Acer Aspire 8930. Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo @ 2.4 with 4 gigs of dual channel ddr3 @ 532MHz. Anyhoo, thanks again and hope to run in to yas again soon !
Mark
PS. I have used WinAmp in the past to stream to servers. Would the shoutcast plugin for winamp work the same way as EdCast with the mp3 id's etc ?
Thanks again man ,
Mark
check your PM here..
Groo, you are going to outgrow both programs before very long as your "noobness" begins to wane and your skills and ears get more finely tuned.
Its probably a good idea to amend your original message and ask the community here what would be a good intermediate automation program as well, when you are ready to upgrade in nine months or so.
+1 for Rivendell. But I'm biased.
I checked out Rivendell and I guess its only for Linux ? And I am pc guy, so thats out lol. I have heard that Station Playlist is the way to go long term and Zara is almost as good but way cheaper. Here is the feature list for Zara. Would I need my automation software to do more than this ? http://www.zarastudio.es/en/caracteristicas.php . I am very new to this, so I really appreciate your help and response !
Groo
Your last link is for ZaraStudio, not ZaraRadio. They are 2 different programs. ZaraStudio is a paid for software where ZaraRadio is free. You will find ZaraRadio will do allmost all you want except it has no built in streaming.
The page for the free version (1.6.2) is http://www.zarastudio.es/en/descargas.php Just go down a bit on the page to find it.
As for Rivendell, yes it is a non-Windows automation suite. But the OS is irrelevant -- just as you don't need to know Android programming to use your phone, or even Linux to use your cable set-top box or drive your car. It helps, but it's not mandatory.
It's considered a single-purpose radio automation "appliance", not a computer program that lets Windows do radio automation.
Guy in Europe put up a pretty good YouTube video on how it works with a touchscreen (
Gotta admit, for free software, it rocks.
Hey Mir,
Sorry man, I have been posting so much I forgot to respond good buddy! My audio engineering buddy says it makes everything sound more full by time-aligning the different frequencies. If you would like we can make a with and without recording do you can help me decide if I need it in the audio chain.
Hope to talk to ya soon 🙂
Mark
that would be awesome. I know in the guitar world, those things make your stuff sound like poop. BUT; I understand that they can make radio sound good.. since they run about 50 bucks at the used music store near me, I was thinking it might be a nice addon, but I'd like to hear one first...