Has Anyone Used Rivendell?

[cc333]

I'm thinking of trying it out for my Part 15 endeavors (primarily because it's fully free and open source), and I'd like to know if anyone else has used it, and if so, what they think of it.

Thanks!

c

 

[Oldbones]

I've played around with it a bit, if you're familiar with Linux it's worth a try. I found Linux so frustrating to use I gave up on it.
If you're not trying to do anything fancy, you might want to check out Zara radio.

 

[bigdonho]

Not a bad program but overly complex for the average user. Add to that having to work your way through Linux may cause some hair pulling. Both the program and Linux are extremely stable and pretty bullet-proof and there are lots of You tube videos about it.

 

[Cold Coffee]

Zara Radio is an automation program that works well with many versions of Windows. I've been running it on Windows 11 24H2. It's free too and easy to use.

 

[cc333]

I've played around with it a bit, if you're familiar with Linux it's worth a try.

OK. I'm somewhat familiar with Linux, although I would say I'm nowhere near an expert.

Not a bad program but overly complex for the average user.

Yes, it is very complex looking.

I installed it on an Ubuntu virtual machine so I can play with it without ripping apart my existing homespun setup, which works decently, aside from the crude scheduling functionality of the free edition of PlayIt Live (advanced features such as dayparting and such are available on either a subscription basis for $450 per year or perpetually for $1,874, neither of which I will ever be able to afford.

I also checked out Libretime, which is so obtuse that I gave up after the fourth try (the three other tries involved all kinds of learning about config files and properly setting up reverse proxies, among other things). The forth and final try yielded something that appeared to work, but the outside world can't access the Icecast stream, which renders the whole thing moot. It's in a virtual machine too, so I can revisit it once I've have recovered from the ordeal.

If you're not trying to do anything fancy, you might want to check out Zara radio.

Zara Radio is an automation program that works well with many versions of Windows. I've been running it on Windows 11 24H2. It's free too and easy to use.

I think I'll check that out. EDIT: scratch that. I need to pay 175 EUR, whatever that is in US Dollars, plus it requires a dongle.

c

c

 

[24pulsar]

I utilize DJSoft RadioBOSS Express (RadioBOSS – Radio Automation Software) for my Part 15 station. It works very well for my needs and I believe it can be used on three computers simultaneously. The license was $119. I had previously used PlayIt Live, but I ran into numerous issues with the scheduler, and the UI was not the most optimal.

The Express license most notably lacks the streaming features, but I would recommend using an external processor and Icecast streaming client for this anyway. It also does not have the Ad Scheduler, but a Part 15 station shouldn't need that. I have dayparting in the form of scheduled events that generate different playlists during certain hours. I definitely recommend having a look at it. I have had occasional issues with slow playlist generation, but that is likely more related to the hardware in my playout server than the program itself.

 

[cc333]

check out Zara radio

OK, I did some digging, and apparently the free version is still around.

So I downloaded it, and imported some music into it. Now what?

The user manual speaks of rotations and such, but doesn't really elaborate on how, exactly, they're created. Can anyone here help me fill in the gaps?

c

 

[Oldbones]

OK, I did some digging, and apparently the free version is still around.

So I downloaded it, and imported some music into it. Now what?

The user manual speaks of rotations and such, but doesn't really elaborate on how, exactly, they're created. Can anyone here help me fill in the gaps?

Zara has what's called a rotator file. For example, create a new file called "Led Zeppelin Song" and save it as a .rot. In it put all your Led Zeppelin songs. Each time that file plays it will play the next song in the file, this way you don't have to put a specific song into your playlist. Doesn't have to be a single artist, could be your power currents, whatever. Makes it easy to build clocks.
You build a playlist by dragging & dropping songs into a file and save it as a .lst file. This type of file will sequence thru the list, playing each entry in order.

There are 2 ways to mark the segue point of a given audio file. There is a setting for a default point, that point being seconds (or a fraction thereof) from the end of the file. A second way would be to put a tilde (~) followed by the length from the end of file. For example, a song file could be Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven~3.5, this would mean that the next event would start 3.5 seconds from the end of the file...this is great to get tight segues from songs with cold endings.

For what it is, the program is quite versatile...play with it a bit, and see for yourself...once you get the hang of it it's pretty self-explanatory. I've used it as a backup audio source at transmitter sites for when the STL goes down.

 

[cc333]

It took me awhile to get here. I forgot!

@Oldbones I'll definitely play with it some more. Is the present day Zara Studio (now on version 3, apparently) any good? I hesitate to spend almost 200 euros on it (especially given the Euro <--> USD exchange rates.. ouch!), but it's the most affordable of the "semi-pro" commercial packages that isn't crippleware like PlayIt Live (it's very good, but the most valuable features are locked down, save for a trial period whose length I don't remember).

c

 

[Bongwater]

Rivendell is great .....If you like working with enigmas that would make Stephen Hawking and Neil DeGrasse-Tyson give up

 

[cc333]

Rivendell is great .....If you like working with enigmas that would make Stephen Hawking and Neil DeGrasse-Tyson give up

It is indeed!

It is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Packages like Zara Radio are perhaps not as flexible or have as many fancy features, but they are relatively easy to learn and they work!

That said, I'm beginning to remember why I didn't want to use Zara Studio: the dongle.

I'm also playing around with something called AzuraCast. It seems to actually work fairly well for what it is (basically a fancy streaming server), and I'm tempted to use it, but no dayparting and it doesn't directly play anything out anywhere, so I can't link it directly to my transmitter; I'd have to set it up (on a VM, perhaps) and play the stream on the computer I presently have PlayIt Live on, which seems redundant, unless said VM ran on the same machine (it's a decent 6th Gen Dell OptiPlex with maxed out CPU (i7-6700k) and RAM (32 GB), so a VM would probably run quite well.

c

 

[fordranger797]

I'm thinking of trying it out for my Part 15 endeavors (primarily because it's fully free and open source), and I'd like to know if anyone else has used it, and if so, what they think of it.

Thanks!

c

I have used it. Overall, it wasn’t a bad program. It’s set up to mimic some of the more expensive softwares on the market. With that information in mind, it was a bit complex to use, and it felt like you needed step by step instructions for many of the functionality. I would 100% choose it over some of the other budget friendly software though. If nothing else, it’s very reliable.

 

[cc333]

OK, after giving it some thought, I decided to give Rivendell another try.

I got it installed, so now begins the long, hard uphill climb to the top of the very steep looking learning curve.

c

 

[Bongwater]

It is. The installation itself was merely the party at the base lodge before going up Mount Raini-(checks notes)......K2.

But other people on a deeper radio missions than I have got this thing working better than ZaraRadio-Boy me.

And if you can, you're already on your way to success in radio. Some stations still use Rivendell for it's pro-features on a tiny operating budget. They need someone with skills. Often. Foot, meet Door.....

 

[cc333]

It is. The installation itself was merely the party at the base lodge before going up Mount Raini-(checks notes)......K2.

Indeed!

Someone should teach a class (or a series of classes) on the basics of using Rivendell. This is hard stuff!

But other people on a deeper radio missions than I have got this thing working better than ZaraRadio-Boy me.

Yeah. I'm a PlayIt Live user, and I somehow don't think it's very widespread for "real", commercial stations. Non-com or community radio, maybe.

And if you can, you're already on your way to success in radio. Some stations still use Rivendell for it's pro-features on a tiny operating budget. They need someone with skills. Often. Foot, meet Door.....

Hmm, I better work on it!

I know the basics of Pro Tools and Audition pretty well, so I'm sure if anyone ever needed any production or editing work, I could probably figure it out.

c

 

[fordranger797]

In my opinion, the biggest advantage of Rivendell is that it provides a (somewhat) user-friendly view of the core tools that you need to use on a given basis. I’ve always been a big fan of how the expensive platforms (like AudioVault) lay out the main user interface. Yeah, some of the advanced features go a bit over my head, but the core tools you need are there. Rivendell tried to mimic what made AudioVault successful.

I’ve used some of the other budget-friendly programs. I won’t name any names, but one was absolutely terrible. It froze at least once a day, and required a complete reboot. Rivendell always worked and didn’t freeze up.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

I got thrust into using it with no prior knowledge/expierience of/with it or Linux when I went to work for a Flinn Broadcasting station on the west coast. I had it easy, it was set up and running.. i didnt have to program anything... so i picked up on the basics pretty quick.

Once its up and running, it was pretty simple to use and operate, i suspect getting it going might be tough if youre new to linux or now a computer geek

 

[cc333]

Once its up and running, it was pretty simple to use and operate, i suspect getting it going might be tough if youre new to linux or now a computer geek

Fortunately, I know my way around a computer well enough to get it at least installed, if not configured.

I think the hardest part for me is going to be figuring out how to load music into it and program the automation.

c

 

[cc333]

OK, I have been running my station from a Dell OptiPlex computer running Windows 7, and over the past couple of days, I decided that, in preparation of eventually adopting Rivendell or something similar, it should run Linux.

So, I backed it up, installed Ubuntu MATE, and converted Windows 7 to a VM so I can run the software I have now (PlayIt Live) in there while the server functions (web server, Icecast) run on the host OS.

I would like to transfer audio processing (Stereo Tool) over to the host (right now, ST is running in the VM alongside PlayIt), but I can't figure out how to do it.

c

 

[IKHNetworks]

I

It is indeed!

It is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Packages like Zara Radio are perhaps not as flexible or have as many fancy features, but they are relatively easy to learn and they work!

That said, I'm beginning to remember why I didn't want to use Zara Studio: the dongle.

I'm also playing around with something called AzuraCast. It seems to actually work fairly well for what it is (basically a fancy streaming server), and I'm tempted to use it, but no dayparting and it doesn't directly play anything out anywhere, so I can't link it directly to my transmitter; I'd have to set it up (on a VM, perhaps) and play the stream on the computer I presently have PlayIt Live on, which seems redundant, unless said VM ran on the same machine (it's a decent 6th Gen Dell OptiPlex with maxed out CPU (i7-6700k) and RAM (32 GB), so a VM would probably run quite well.

I actually use Azuracast and RadioDJ for my station