hey thanks for info..if this is the silver edition that costs 49.95, i think i'll upgrade from bedroom to that..ought to cost me about 20.00...then i can play with it til i get it set up for my needs..i don't need any scrath, or beat mixing, or any of the other frills that come with it..so if silver will do what i discribed..that should get me where i want to be..i really appreciate the help...thanks..
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internet radio startup questions..
- Thread starter deltas69
- Start date
Get Zara Radio 1.4.4 the last version that works with shoutcast it is free and does everything you want you can get it here http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/m_r_a...w=l&.src=bc&.done=http://briefcase.yahoo.com/
deltas69 said:hey thanks for info..if this is the silver edition that costs 49.95, i think i'll upgrade from bedroom to that..ought to cost me about 20.00...then i can play with it til i get it set up for my needs..i don't need any scrath, or beat mixing, or any of the other frills that come with it..so if silver will do what i discribed..that should get me where i want to be..i really appreciate the help...thanks..
I don't know what OTS version your looking at 49.95, unless it's a jukebox only version....but the Silver 1.85 is at least about 200.00. My previous version 1.15 was once that price ....that price for me to upgrade it myself to a 1.85 is additional 69.95 which is what I'll sell the 1.15 for.
The next version is a A/V Karaoke version. And that cost is over 290.00 with features your not gonna need.
http://www.otsturntables.com/buy/ i upgraded from the bedrood edition on the left to the pro edition on the right for 54.94..i thought that was what we were talking about? it says it will plug into shoutcast if i read the specs correctly..waiting for the download email instructions now...i had looked at the expensive versions you just mentioned...but i thought you were speaking of the silver and pro versions in the above link...maybe i just uploaded to an expensive bedroom jukebox ? won't be the first money i've blown..or probably the last..lol..check the link and see if that will work for my situation...thanks
Yes , I downloaded Zara radio, threw some files in there as far as music, and some jingles to see how it runs. And experimenting with it. It's very good unit for free...but as far as running a station with many listeners or sponsors....I wouldn't quite depend on it. Especially if your running long hours automated. Yes it mixes or segue files, but with lag. Not by much ..more like in most cases in ms, which can make a difference after a while when the continuity of sound stars to falter..especially while your announcing. But it doesn't seem to have that decibel pick for a good smooth segue. It 's something you feel or notice once you've experience it with other machines. Plus the sound quality compared to listening on the OTS and SP, sounds like the file went from 128 to 96 kps or 160 to 128. Not in all of them, but most sounded like it has some fullness missing.....where SP or OTS makes a file sound good no matter what....unless you recorded it really crappy for spite. What lacks in it compared to the other 2 players it's solidness. Anyone who has experience with SP, OTS, Raduga, and even the SAM or other more expensive players would know what I'm talking about.
It's like a cheaper GPS....it will get you from point A to point B, with less accuracy if you don't know were the hell your going. It's not quite set up for the intense traveler or truck driver who is stuck using a Harmon Kardon GPS compared to a Garmin or Magellan.
It's like a cheaper GPS....it will get you from point A to point B, with less accuracy if you don't know were the hell your going. It's not quite set up for the intense traveler or truck driver who is stuck using a Harmon Kardon GPS compared to a Garmin or Magellan.
Thanks starbucks for the review..i've been playing with it (zara) for a couple of hours..haven't got it figured out yet as far as scheduling jingles and spots..guess i'll have to print out the manual to see if it's worthwhile..i did notice it was not quite as crisp as ots, i did change the crossfade and that tightened it up a lot, and i noticed a difference in sound presence and compression...by the way did you look at the ots link i sent comparing bedroom to silver to pro..the cheap versions ? i'd like your feedback on what i bought for 54.95..and if will do what i want..thanks..getting the right software is just the first step..the hardest part for me is figuring out how to make it available to a lot of listeners..i don't fully understand the "listener units" discribed by the various servers...i am able to spend around 50.00 monthly to start..i don't know how many listeners that corrosponds to..
ok..to answer one of my own questions..after downloading the ots pro version( cheap)..i have a super duper bedroom juke box that WILL plug into shoutcast..and i could load all my jingles and spots at the bottom of the playlist and then drag them to where i want them, thusly making a radio show that way..will take some time to do it this way..i can roughly time the top of hour id to hit within 3 or 4 minutes..good enough..do my spot sets close enough to where i want them..since i'm not bound by any network feeds that HAVE to be exact..running a little loose is not a problem..a lot more time consuming that the expensive versions of all the programs to be sure..get what you pay for obviously..now to ZARA..if i can figure out how to load my spots and jingles and build my show..i'd probably use it..remember this is a fun endeavor..my spots are not from REAL sponsers, but vintage spots (coke,budwieser,movie spots etc) and jingles are the same from all the great rock stations from the past (wls,cklw,kcbq,wabc etc)..i will run a disclaimer just before the TOH ID..stateing this is a "tribute station, all content is presented as a flashback to the great stations of the past, all programs,commercials,jingles do not reflect actual events and are for the purpose of entertainment only..etc" ) once i have the player formatted..then i'll try to figure out how many people can listen..i'm clueless on this bandwidth thing..but understand it has something to do with the number of people that can tune in..thanks for the help so far
Personally I think what get what you pay for and while Zara may be decent for a free system I think you're doing yourself a disservice by not looking at StationPlaylist. I've seen terrestrial stations use it as well as webstreams too. I think it has the flexibility you want.
In case you haven't see it, here's the review I wrote for broadcaster trade paper Radio World:
http://www.rwonline.com/pages/s.0051/t.6496.html
In case you haven't see it, here's the review I wrote for broadcaster trade paper Radio World:
http://www.rwonline.com/pages/s.0051/t.6496.html
Bill thanks for your input..lots to consider for sure, i followed the link at the bottom of your post out of curiosity to part 15 FCC broadcasting...how much does that cost to throw up a "Neighborhood" station ..and once that is up and broadcasting..can that be streamed on the web ? there is a low power fm available here in the area i live in..but i don't have the funds to pursue the paperwork or site aquisition..broadcasting from my home and streaming would accomplish what i want to do..thanks again..
Ok...the OTS jukebox is what it is.....a good jukebox. I believe what lacks in that is the templates for programming your wheel or format , and it's upgradability. It's like comparing a Carolla to a Camry. Both good...just one has better performance and upgrading capapbilities for what your looking to pay.
As far as programming an automated format...with tight or loose wheel....here's the situation...unless your live...your ID won't be were you like to be or will your be sponsors. Because the music you program for one hour of songs...(which is average is 16 an hour.....and I use average as a crucial word.
You may have 16 songs that might be 64 minutes worth one hour...then next hour, 62 minutes, and the next hour 66 minutes...over the course of the day...these minute add up and by your 6th hour...your ID is at 25 minutes past the hour.
SP is known how to program the right amount of songs within your format wheel so every hour your ID's are at least within 2 minutes before, exact, or after the hour. Same with spots too. Plus they keep a few extras in case your wheel is under. And that's on an automation basis. Trying to do SP live will be confusing...unless you can develope your own system...but I'll guarantee you...trying to do a live show with SP will be a confusing disaster when you get on your first time trying to do it live. It's not Live friendly like OTS. But as far as the automation of everthing you want it to do automatically as far as VT and exact timing for when this or that should be played...yes SP outperforms the OTS especially for the automated budget. I know I've been there.
But this is where you have to decide.....you want to go live with good flexibility and where everything is in place in front of you like a studio...OTS silver. Then you have control of the timing where you want everything to go.
Steaming to the world...Start with Live 365 , I think for 15.00 or 20.00 a month...10 people listener count to start out...and once you get the hang of things and your slots do fill up.....then go to shoutcast streaming and host sites that will give you a better deal and slots for the money. You can always promote that your on Shoutcast or I Tunes or so forth.
OTS becomes very expensive when you want the best of both worlds. I know..I tried that to. You can be going in to the hundreds....which is why SP is a better deal within automation for your buck. If your going to spend less then 200.00 dollars for a good player...(and they both peform seguing the same flawlessly)...you'll need to lean on the side that's more desired to you. I hate to say....for that amount of money , you can't have it both ways.
Do I prefer live , or shall I lean toward automation performance for the buck?
As far as programming an automated format...with tight or loose wheel....here's the situation...unless your live...your ID won't be were you like to be or will your be sponsors. Because the music you program for one hour of songs...(which is average is 16 an hour.....and I use average as a crucial word.
You may have 16 songs that might be 64 minutes worth one hour...then next hour, 62 minutes, and the next hour 66 minutes...over the course of the day...these minute add up and by your 6th hour...your ID is at 25 minutes past the hour.
SP is known how to program the right amount of songs within your format wheel so every hour your ID's are at least within 2 minutes before, exact, or after the hour. Same with spots too. Plus they keep a few extras in case your wheel is under. And that's on an automation basis. Trying to do SP live will be confusing...unless you can develope your own system...but I'll guarantee you...trying to do a live show with SP will be a confusing disaster when you get on your first time trying to do it live. It's not Live friendly like OTS. But as far as the automation of everthing you want it to do automatically as far as VT and exact timing for when this or that should be played...yes SP outperforms the OTS especially for the automated budget. I know I've been there.
But this is where you have to decide.....you want to go live with good flexibility and where everything is in place in front of you like a studio...OTS silver. Then you have control of the timing where you want everything to go.
Steaming to the world...Start with Live 365 , I think for 15.00 or 20.00 a month...10 people listener count to start out...and once you get the hang of things and your slots do fill up.....then go to shoutcast streaming and host sites that will give you a better deal and slots for the money. You can always promote that your on Shoutcast or I Tunes or so forth.
OTS becomes very expensive when you want the best of both worlds. I know..I tried that to. You can be going in to the hundreds....which is why SP is a better deal within automation for your buck. If your going to spend less then 200.00 dollars for a good player...(and they both peform seguing the same flawlessly)...you'll need to lean on the side that's more desired to you. I hate to say....for that amount of money , you can't have it both ways.
Do I prefer live , or shall I lean toward automation performance for the buck?
deltas69 said:Bill thanks for your input..lots to consider for sure, i followed the link at the bottom of your post out of curiosity to part 15 FCC broadcasting...how much does that cost to throw up a "Neighborhood" station ..and once that is up and broadcasting..can that be streamed on the web ? there is a low power fm available here in the area i live in..but i don't have the funds to pursue the paperwork or site aquisition..broadcasting from my home and streaming would accomplish what i want to do..thanks again..
Not to take this thread into another direction, I'll answer your post questions in brief. Depending if you already own some basic audio gear like a mixers and audio sources like microphone, CD players or computers Part 15 station can start at maybe $100-$200 for a kit-built AM transmitter on upward, as more professional Part 15 certified transmitters can cost between $600 to $800 (for free-radiating Part 15 AM) and more for leaky coax or carrier current transmission systems. Low-power Part 15 FM is limited by field strength to limited distances which are typical for iPod modulators.
You can start a stream regardless of having a Part 15 station or not, thanks to services like Live365 and LoudCity. Your streaming questions should be answered by some recent threads in the Webcasting/Internet Streaming forum section.
If you're somewhat Linux literate or know someone who is, you could look at Rivendell automation -- a VERY nice system. It's feature packed and free. V1 is now available.
www.rivendellaudio.org
I'll second the recommendation for the very stable StationPlaylist. It's great. The only thing I don't care for is its layout. I prefer the stacked events on one side and hotkeys on the other, a layout seen in Rivendell, Scotts, and iMediatouch. Otherwise, great automation...
Good luck....
www.rivendellaudio.org
I'll second the recommendation for the very stable StationPlaylist. It's great. The only thing I don't care for is its layout. I prefer the stacked events on one side and hotkeys on the other, a layout seen in Rivendell, Scotts, and iMediatouch. Otherwise, great automation...
Good luck....
Starbucks said:Does it work better then the Zara. And does it have better audio quality or does it sound like a good quality AM portable radio.
I don't know if you're asking about StationPlaylist or Rivendell, but I can vouch for StationPlaylist. Obviously, is all depends on what you feed into it. I had used SPL with 256k/320k MP3 filea and it's very good. I also used it with WAV files and the quality is what one would expect. I know many people dislike mp3 files for radio and I tend to agree, the worse the encode the worse the decoded file will sound upon playback - but that goes with any automation system. Go with the highest quality audio you can afford with your given parameters for drive space, etc.
I've heard good things about Rivendell but I never played with it first hand, as it was still in development when I moved from Digital Junkbox to StationPlaylist Pro.
I'll clarify here:
If you're talking about StationPlaylist, yes, the audio is excellent. I just don't care for its layout for live-assist (As I said before, I prefer stacked events on one side and hotkeys on the other). But its a good program and I've been told that the support is great.
If you're talking about Rivendell, yes, the audio is excellent. The system was originally developed by Salem Labs to be used at Salem stations. The system is running at a Salem cluster in Washington, about 50-60 other stations not affiliated with Salem, and at one of the networks (possible Radio America Network?). Understand that this program was developed as a professional system for commercial stations. It's free because it was developed in Linux. The program didn't catch on immediately because it was in development and no support was offered at that time. Our terrestrial station seriously considered it but the lack of support was the deal breaker.
Now that V1 has been released, paid support and turn-key systems are available. However, if you're somewhat Linux literate you can put the system together yourself. Take a look at the links below. One is for paid support; the other is the development site. There is even a list for questions and comments.
development website: www.rivendellaudio.org
turn-key and paid support: www.paravelsystems.com
Finally, remember that opinions vary. Everyone has a favorite system. Read the reviews of the systems, look at the features, play with the demos, and then go for it =)...
If you're talking about StationPlaylist, yes, the audio is excellent. I just don't care for its layout for live-assist (As I said before, I prefer stacked events on one side and hotkeys on the other). But its a good program and I've been told that the support is great.
If you're talking about Rivendell, yes, the audio is excellent. The system was originally developed by Salem Labs to be used at Salem stations. The system is running at a Salem cluster in Washington, about 50-60 other stations not affiliated with Salem, and at one of the networks (possible Radio America Network?). Understand that this program was developed as a professional system for commercial stations. It's free because it was developed in Linux. The program didn't catch on immediately because it was in development and no support was offered at that time. Our terrestrial station seriously considered it but the lack of support was the deal breaker.
Now that V1 has been released, paid support and turn-key systems are available. However, if you're somewhat Linux literate you can put the system together yourself. Take a look at the links below. One is for paid support; the other is the development site. There is even a list for questions and comments.
development website: www.rivendellaudio.org
turn-key and paid support: www.paravelsystems.com
Finally, remember that opinions vary. Everyone has a favorite system. Read the reviews of the systems, look at the features, play with the demos, and then go for it =)...
i'd like to thank everyone that weighed in with options, and ideas.i will eventually decide which way to go..but I THINK i could design a software program that is much more simple and easier to work with than all those mentioned..by that i mean set me down with a software developer and let me explain/draw on paper what i want to see on the screen and what i want it to do..seems all the programs have much more than needed..it MAY take all that in reality since i've never done this before..i may be missing critical data..since i'm not familiar with the software mentioned..still much to learn on my end..thanks to all.........
Starbucks said:Ok...the OTS jukebox is what it is.....a good jukebox. I believe what lacks in that is the templates for programming your wheel or format , and it's upgradability. It's like comparing a Carolla to a Camry. Both good...just one has better performance and upgrading capapbilities for what your looking to pay.
As far as programming an automated format...with tight or loose wheel....here's the situation...unless your live...your ID won't be were you like to be or will your be sponsors. Because the music you program for one hour of songs...(which is average is 16 an hour.....and I use average as a crucial word.
You may have 16 songs that might be 64 minutes worth one hour...then next hour, 62 minutes, and the next hour 66 minutes...over the course of the day...these minute add up and by your 6th hour...your ID is at 25 minutes past the hour.
SP is known how to program the right amount of songs within your format wheel so every hour your ID's are at least within 2 minutes before, exact, or after the hour. Same with spots too. Plus they keep a few extras in case your wheel is under. And that's on an automation basis. Trying to do SP live will be confusing...unless you can develope your own system...but I'll guarantee you...trying to do a live show with SP will be a confusing disaster when you get on your first time trying to do it live. It's not Live friendly like OTS. But as far as the automation of everthing you want it to do automatically as far as VT and exact timing for when this or that should be played...yes SP outperforms the OTS especially for the automated budget. I know I've been there.
While I know you used OTS, Starbuck, your comments are a bit off since you used a simpler version that didn't allow for scheduling. The OTSAV Pro version (retails for $299, usually offered on the OTS site for $250) includes the beat matching, scheduling and a whole lot that your copy of OTS Silver didn't have.
We created JACK-FM on OTS originally and streamed it. The scheduler allowed us to have the TOH hit at 00:00 everytime, every hour while following the format to the letter. You can create different clocks for different hours, days or even special weekends - even have the software "go live" to the studio when you want it.
CJ
Yes it's true when I'm comparing my Silver edition for his interest and needs compared to the update version, that you happened to have. If I had your version up for sale, then I would compare it one on one with SP. But I'm also comparing Silver for the price range.
Plus I purchased my second SP for this computer, so hopefully I will hopefully get somrthing for my OTS I don't really need.
Plus I purchased my second SP for this computer, so hopefully I will hopefully get somrthing for my OTS I don't really need.
I wasn't trying to screw up a sale of your OTS Silver, I just wanted to set the record straight on OTS products.
CJ
CJ
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