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Playlist to Broadcast Questions > Terrestrial and Internet

H

H82BL8

Please don't scold me for being a N00B, everyone has to start somewhere. I'm starting at the bottom.

I finally found an AM radio station to lease. Sorry, I don't have an equipment inventory from the radio station yet. Assume I can flip the switch and start broadcasting. I'm not an engineer and don't have one on board yet. But, I will start the search in the near future.

My music website is ready to beta test. We developed our own scheduler and playlist for a specific reason, but we could use any playlist software.

I am brand spankin' new to radio and could use some explaination about the process, equipment and connection requirements, software and bandwidth and probable costs to play the digital MP3 music file from the playlist. The playlist will originate from an Internet connection at the local client at the radio station to third party servers. The music database is not stored on the local client.

Specifically, help me understand the process that the digital file follows to get from the playlist on the local client at the radio station to the transmitter and from the playlist on the local client at the radio station to the Internet stream?

Thank for your assistance.
 
That methodology is going to buy you some problems. Why not get a replay machine, place it at the station, and dowload the music to it via the net? Do it as uncompressed .wav files. Disk space is cheeep, and a local file isn't going to have hiccups. A net feed likely is. No reason why you can't remotely run such a machine using Remote Desktop, or something like with good results.
Basically, you'd have a program automation, into which you load the audio elements remotely. Any of a number of systems are capable of doing that, the gurus here will tout their faves loudly. They all work. Some do somethings better than others.

The machine will play the program elements into some sort of mixer which will feed a processing amp, then the transmitter. Scanning this board will give you a look at the processor wars. Again, they all work. Some do some things better than others.

Again, let me stress, play the program elements locally. Load them from anbywhere, but don't try to stream them. While it is to a degree possible to stream sort of in real time (check L A Guy's posts, among others) you will not get the reliability or fidelity you'll get from a local machine. The files will transfer faster than they play, and some elements will repeat, so there's really no need to stream to the thing in real time.

As to leasing an AM, I assume you mean you've executed o rwill execute a Time Brokerage Agreement. The licensee has obligations under such a setup, and has to have a way to get into the thing. Hence the mixer. Which opresumeably they already have. Simply let the output of your machine be one more input to that mixer, and let it fly.
 
littlejohn,

Thanks for the reply and for the suggestions.

The reason I need to play directly from the Internet is because our content is user generated and user scheduled. That's why we created our own scheduler and playlist. And, that's why there is no content stored locally. Thus, my questions and concerns about playing from the Internet. I know it is unorthodox and poses problems, but I need to understand the file path from the playlist to the transimiter and the stream server. Does that make sense?
 
Yeh, it makes sense. It doesn't make things any easier though. Although it seems to me you could locate the receiving computer at the station and do a file transfer there. The idea is to not try to run a stream live, because of the potential for upsets. If you must, LA Guy and a couple others here have heavy experience with Barix and some of the other equipment available to do this.
Anyhow, the content you provide as audio or an AES3 bitstream will go into a mixer, from there to a processor, and from there to the transmitter proper. It may also be fed to a streaming encoder and from there to a streaming server, either local or by purchasing streaming service from a provider. Note from the posts here, it is probably better to send the net stream before it's processed. Also note, you will likely want to insert different audio during spot play on the on-air signal due to copyright issues. Royalties for streaming are quite different than those for airplay. Additionally, talent union rules differ. As a consequence, most broadcasters do not stream commercials which go onair. That time is filled with fill audio or stream commercials, as appropriate.
Likewise, the air feed must at times contain EAS information, IDs and some other stuff which the stream needn't carry. And, the broadcaster from whom you're leasing time must be able to demonstrate 'control' of the content to the satisfaction of the FCC, whatever that might mean.
I'd locate the receiving machne at the station and buy some bandwidth into it. Things will work better, and the situation you describe doesn't preclude that, does it?
 
Thank you again, I am learn so much from the knowledge base on RI, it makes me want to be more of a contibutor. I hope I have something to add in the future.
 
What is the best file format?

Users upload MP3 at 320kbps.

Should the file format remain the same across the system?
 
I'm gonna leave that to the several format gurus here - who have much experience with different data reduction formats. My first reaction is, leave them at MP3, it being the lowest common denominator in the chain.
Chester? Rolf? David? Leif? Anybody???
 
H82BL8 said:
What is the best file format?

Users upload MP3 at 320kbps.

Should the file format remain the same across the system?
Click to expand...

If the source is 320kps mp3 don't convert to anything less.. Leave them at that. Converting to anything else would be a waste of time and would lower your quality.
 
xmusicmatt,

Thanks for the verification! What about the connection from the ISP to the studio? T-1, Cable, DSL? Which offers the best reliability at the least cost?

littlejohn,

I have read up on Barix and Audio TX-STL IP and have a message into LA_Guy for more information. Thanks for that!
 
littlejohn said:
Anyhow, the content you provide as audio or an AES3 bitstream will go into a mixer,
Click to expand...

Ekum! Remember, the N00B comment at the begining? AES3 bitstream? Am I sending a MP3 to the mixer or is there something between the content and the mixer?
 
Did I read that correctly? You're going to let folks upload mp3's and trust that the song and lyric content meet broadcast standards? Unless I'm missing something, and I may very well be...if I were the licensee I'd pull the plug on this whole concept.
 
Sgeirk,

Yes, you did read it correctly, but I didn't say anything about trusting uploads to be FCC compliant. I never would do that!

Back to my last question.

littlejohn,

Ekum! Remember, the N00B comment at the begining? AES3 bitstream? Am I sending a MP3 to the mixer or is there something between the content and the mixer?
 
H82BL8 said:
xmusicmatt,

Thanks for the verification! What about the connection from the ISP to the studio? T-1, Cable, DSL? Which offers the best reliability at the least cost?

littlejohn,

I have read up on Barix and Audio TX-STL IP and have a message into LA_Guy for more information. Thanks for that!
Click to expand...

Cable or DSL would work in a pinch... The main reason you need internet right is so folks can upload to your 'special website' and the automation to pull that data to make the playlists and put the content on air?

Having the playout system (automation) at the stations studio where it could directly plug into their console/mixer would be the best bet (and likely the cheaper option) unless your willing to invest in some form of codec to get the audio from your location to the station's studio which will feed it to the transmitter.

Barix boxes would be one way to get your 'playout' audio to the radio station's studio, you could also (if willing to spend a few bucks$$$$$) look at Commander G3 from Tieline or a Comrex 'access' which would provide broadcast quality audio over your internet connection and get your audio to the stations' studio from your remote location..
 
H82BL8 said:
AES3 bitstream?
Click to expand...

AES3 would be a digital output on a sound card into a digital mixer/console or router.

Analog out would be a regular analog XLR out or RCA out into the mixer/console/patch pannel at the station.

(don't know the specific station your going to lease time on but likely they have an analog setup.. unless they recently have done a major studio upgrade) so you could likely ignore the AES3 talk on this thread.
 
xmusicmatt,

My understanding is that the station has been digitally upgraded, which could mean they got a new computer and software. I am planning a trip to get a good read on the operation.

So, far it sounds like, with regard to both streaming and broadcast, I need to contect to the sound card, and for streaming allow the streaming software encode to 32kbps Flash AAC without processing and for broadcast mix and process before transmitting?

Ok, I'm starting to relax a little now, thanks for all the advise!
 
AES3 would be a digital output on a sound card into a digital mixer/console or router.
[/quote]

Does the sound card convert the MP3 to a different format in route to the mixer? Or, does the sound card output send an MP3 format to the mixer?
 
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