ZaraRadio 1.6.2 DTMF option

DTMF in Zara

My long running Zara v 1.6.2 does include the DTMF option.

I do not remember exactly where I downloaded from, but suppose it came from the source linked here:

Zara Free Version

I have a question about Zara which I understand a lot of forum members use as Carl has mentioned he uses it.

I have it on a second computer and have tried it but am considering this......  https://www.amazon.ca/Syba-SD-DAC63106-Control-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B00TYYMHQS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1540185216&sr=1-1&keywords=3+band+equalizer to have EQ with Zara.

Here's my question;  On one of the Zara settings there was a function that I could have Zara detect whether at the beginning or end of a track there was silence for a couple of seconds and jump to the next song even though the other track still had a few seconds to go but when I checked this to be operative it didn't do anything. Is this feature working on the free version or do you need a pay version for this? I also set it for the quietest db setting.

If this is non functional Zara is no advantage over the higher end digital music player with gapless playback and rigged to use regular batteries(for 3 weeks continuous play time) that I use now which also has custom EQ.

Mark's Questions

The EQ hardware could probably be connected with a Zara signal path to provide EQ.

As to the Silence Detector "...a function that I could have Zara detect whether at the beginning or end of a track there was silence for a couple of seconds and jump to the next song even though the other track still had a few seconds to go."

I have never used this function and have no answer.

Zara just uses your computer sound card and the headphone amp with bass, mid and treble would just add EQ to the computer output but the silence detector is great if  it would work along with the overlap and fade. Maybe someone else knows if this works or not? It's in the instructions manual even for the free version.

It does work, or at least it used to. I was having issues with it (I want gradual fade out & a bit of silence - it was activating and getting rid of that). Mind you, that was in Zara 1.4.4. I now always just turn it off and I don’t think I’ve tested it in 1.6.2.

As a side note, I’ve heard it preached that silence over the air is bad. I feel that a continuous wave of sound, with no audible break, can be very tiring and irritating. I don’t like it on licensed stations, and I dislike it even more on mine. So I do what I want to do and ignore what the ‘experts’ say. Maybe if more broadcasters ignored the experts, radio wouldn’t be in the trouble it finds itself in.

It does work, or at least it used to. I was having issues with it (I want gradual fade out & a bit of silence - it was activating and getting rid of that). Mind you, that was in Zara 1.4.4. I now always just turn it off and I don’t think I’ve tested it in 1.6.2.

As a side note, I’ve heard it preached that silence over the air is bad. I feel that a continuous wave of sound, with no audible break, can be very tiring and irritating. I don’t like it on licensed stations, and I dislike it even more on mine. So I do what I want to do and ignore what the ‘experts’ say. Maybe if more broadcasters ignored the experts, radio wouldn’t be in the trouble it finds itself in.

Yes, good points....the overlap feature maybe works good enough to lessen the silence between tracks at the end of one to the beginning of the other.

I will try again when I get the tone control headphone amp. But only some tracks is the silence really too long.

Here's another one that looks good;    https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07DL2177L/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07DL2177L&pf_rd_m=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&pf_rd_p=0c4797d7-01ae-4f2b-9625-15b63bbba1db&pf_rd_r=GNPX61DDTRBWK76MDHBG&pd_rd_wg=XgACS&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=LAfba&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=bc3f33fa-d626-11e8-b7bc-739576bc3c85

Perts & Experts

Artisan Radio sez: "Maybe if more broadcasters ignored the experts, radio wouldn’t be in the trouble it finds itself in."

That is right. I am an expert and you should ignore me.

Well Carl, my dad always told me.....an expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less.

About 2 to 3 seconds of silence between songs, ID's, jingles is OK but a song beginning just as a jingle ends(some overlap) is good from my perspective and sounds more professional and also sounds cool.

I considered starting a new topic but since this started here, I'll run with it.  First of all,  Artisan Radio said:  "Maybe if more broadcasters ignored the experts, radio wouldn’t be in the trouble it finds itself in."  And to some extent I can certainly agree with that. Doing something different and taking some risk is one of the best ways to stand out from the crowd. It has worked for the AM morning show I do at my actual job. However, some things exist for a reason.  For the most part "dead air" is bad.  I don't consider a second or two between program elements to be dead air, however.

But let me tell you about my very first on air job -- that I actually got paid for.  I was hired as a weekend part time announcer at a beautiful music station back in 1973. (which made me realize that this spring I will have been on the air for 45 years!) You know a station that featured Montavoni, 101 Strings, etc. Herb Alpert would be  considered too rowdy for this station.  The music all came off 10" reel to reel tapes and they were set up to segue from machine to machine.  I can't  remember how many songs played in a row but the system was automated. A song would come to an end, the sub-audible tone would start the next machine, and they were set up for 2-3 seconds of silence between songs. When it came to the end of a music set (4-5 songs I think) the "DJ" (I use the term loosely) would go on the air.  Policy was that there should be a THREE SECOND PAUSE between each separate element or thought.  So a break would go something like this:  "Montavoni fades out to silence (1-2-3-) "The Beautiful Whale, W-A-Y-L Minneapolis and St. Paul" (1-2-3) 6:36 on a beautiful Saturday evening"  (1-2-3-) The Minneapolis library will be offering a presentation on the works of Jack Kerouac this Wednesday at 7 PM in the library annex. Admission is free and there will be a question and answer session with his former plumber following the presentation. (1-2-3-) Forecast for the Twin Cities, tonight clear skies and a low of 28 degrees. Tomorrow ample sunshine with a high near 43. Monday sunshine again and a high of 45. Presently 35 degrees. (1-2-3-) You're intune to W-A-Y-L- The Beautiful Whale. "  Then roll into the next tape.  One could outro the last song/artist of the set, and also intro the first one going back into music if you chose. Naturally very low key commercials mixed in with the very slow, sincere, carefully paced announcer patter. And of course three seconds between spots that were punched up on traditional cart machines.  There was a very large clock (analog of course) on the wall right in front of the announcer with a sign that said "Remember THREE seconds"  For this format, it worked perfectly.

When I got off work I tuned into one of the rock and roll top 40 stations. WDGY, KDWB or later WYOO (U-100). Where the pace was fast, and the sound was never ending.  Interesting thing about top 40 then compared to now -- the songs didn't burn out listeners brains because the top 40 CHANGED quite a bit from week to week. AND each station then made up their OWN top 40 based on god only knows what -- local store sales, requests called into the station, what the boss liked, what label was pitching which DJ's to play their records, etc.  By simply punching up a different stop 40 station, you'd get a different playlist -- sometimes as much as 40% different songs completely than the competition.  I've saved quite a few stations charts from the 60's and 70's and it's amazing how varied the same weeks top 40 are from station to station. I also have a lot of charts saved from all over the state and country. Amazing how many LOCAL bands had 45's out and were on the charts of various stations. And how the Top 40 was COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from region to region.

Anyway, I think format has a lot to do with "tightness" of the air sound. And like anything else the style and format is going to appeal to different listeners.  2-3 seconds of silence between everything is too much to me, unless you're playing Montovani.

TIB

Tim said " I’ve saved quite a few stations charts from the 60’s and 70’s and it’s amazing how varied the same weeks top 40 are from station to station. "

How I remember that! When radio was great.

In the 60s and 70s CHUM 1050 was the big rock and roll station in Toronto but just 40 miles away CKOC 1150 from Hamilton another major player played songs that weren't played on CHUM and at night when I got WABC New York and WLS Chicago for example I heard songs that were never played here. Back then every station operated independently.

If Wolfman Jack was alive he would tell you how to make radio great again, but in this day and age I think that can never happen.

Why invoke Wolfman Jack?  He's earned his rest.

Anyone who was employed in radio prior to 1996 and mass corporate consolidation - myself included - can tell you exactly what the industry needs.