Zara Radio Streaming/Mics

Somewhere within the Zara setup should be a selection to choose what kind of audio input the program will look at. Choose mic as the input source and it should work if the Zara program is seeing the mapping correctly of the sound card.

If the B.U.T.T encoder is indicating an input from the Zara program, but not encoding to the server at Loudcaster, it could be an issue with your router not having a correct port open.

Hope that helps.

RFB

As I recall, you were always one of the posters in the forum with a ton of answers to queries.

Thanks,

Yes, RFB is to be lauded for helpfulness. Because of him we are running a carrier current system on AM. If RFB had not provided the guidance, all the CC equipment would be in storage except for holiday weekends when I would make another futile try to get it running.

ALSO, because RFB speaks so highly of SAM Broadcaster, I often think about going ahead with one of those.

Yet, he ALSO knows all about Zara.

And a bunch of other stuff.

Are you using a headset for monitoring? Do you mean you can't hear yourself on air or on monitors? If you don't hear yourself through a radio, there is a problem, but if you mean monitors, then there is a good chance the talk button kills the mic in the monitors so it doesn't cause feedback. There may be a setting to defeat that so you can use a headset.

Just guessing ...

The talkover in ZaraRadio does nothing more than lower the playout volume. It does not turn on your microphone or connect it.

If you are using ShoutCast, ShoutCast will accomplish what you desire.

There is a "Talk" button on the "Input" page. When activated it drops the program level and brings up the selected mic/line input.

Set the "Music Level" for the program and the "BG Music" level to where you want the program level to drop and the "MIC" level to the appropriate level.

To see what happens, open Windows Mixer and watch the "WAV" level drop and the selected input raise.

Zara is strictly an automation playback software that plays things at scheduled times (quite well I might add, Zara is AWESOME)
But yea that talkover button, doesnt do anything but lower playback volume.
To do fun radio stuff like talkover, your going to want a mixing board. Or do some elaborate complex computer stuff to get that effect.

Booth announcing at the TV station was based on live engineering when I first started, then later they put in a computer, but with live announcers.

When it was all live, the engineer was back in a control room and pushed buttons and threw switches totally based on the synchronized clock, the main objective of which was to join the network at the exact time, but also every bit of commercial and live scripts was geared to a precise time. The announcer in the booth could watch a monitor to see what was on the air, but there was no window to see the engineer. Announcements were also based on the clock. At 5-seconds to the hour the mic light came on, and if the announcer wasn't paying attention, you could hear him talking on the telephone.

When the computer went in it would do what the engineer had done, turn the live mic on at 5-seconds to the hour. If the station ID wasn't said fast enough, the computer chopped the mic in the middle of a sentence.

The Zara and the SAM broadcaster remind me of those early automation systems, but going live against an automated system can be a big challenge.

It's true that a separate audio board is probably the best way to do it.

"The Zara and the SAM broadcaster remind me of those early automation systems, but going live against an automated system can be a big challenge."

Both of these programs were not really meant for "live assist" radio or anything like someone sitting behind a console surrounded by playback devices and a mic on a boom.

The two programs were primarily designed around playing back songs files, even taking live requests and throwing those requests into the queue list.

If either or both of the programs had external net cue or basic external triggering via a com port or usb port, they would have the necessary features for "live assist" operation.

Design intent plays a huge role in how something ends up working or not.

There are ways around both automation programs little quirks. Best way is to pipe the automation program's audio out to a mixer, then on to processing and then back into an encoding computer to send out the feed to a server.

If you want true automation that can do real live assist, Zara or SAM is not what you would be looking for.

RFB

Sometimes you have to get Audacity to release your microphone by going into the Options and unchecking the mic settings.

ZaraRadio is in fact easy to use as a live assist playout system and I have been using it that way for almost 5 years. The shortcut keys I have remapped to a numpad with remapping software .
You can have all the funtions eg play, stop, stop after current are remapped and the number keys are assigned to the jingle buttons in Zara. The best way is to open a second instance of Zara with its own playlist and live event file to set all you top of the hour ids and trailers as well as any other events you want to play. When you finish your show you just restart your main instance of Zara. I use a Behringer usb sound interface with Zara playing to a mixer so you can control volumes and use a mic. The output from the mixer is sent to a compressor and sound enhancement unit and then sent to my transmitter and also back into the pc for streaming.Once you get your head around what Zara can do, it is great for automation and live. I even use Zara when i do live discos.