scheduleing programs software ?

[deltas69]

does anyone know of a free program that will allow me to schedule music/spots/jingles simply for a 24 hour stream ? i have a 4000 song playlist, about 500 spots, and 200 jingles..i want to schedule shows hour by hour inserting spot breaks at 20/20/50 . i do this live on weekend nights without a problem just like i did on the air ....but want the show running 24/7 while i'm not home..i've looked at all the usual programs and have zara radio,..but seems very complicated as well as time consuming to schedule a 24hour stream..as it is i use ots audio pro version, and load all the music/spots/jingles in the program and physically move them around when i'm live..and i could shuffle the playlist but it wouldn't play them is the proper places..thanks..chuck lundi

[yasmany]

Try SAM Broadcaster

[deltas69]

thanks,,,but i've found that ots audio is a killer piece of software for how i run the show..

[Prais]

Yessir! I'veused ots in several stations and it's like a Sherman Tank; dependable, bulletproof, and easy. In one application, it rn 6 months without stopping.

[Bill DeFelice]

does anyone know of a free program that will allow me to schedule music/spots/jingles simply for a 24 hour stream ?

Free is going to be a pretty difficult thing to find. I've never used OTS but I heard stations using it with decent results. Since you're looking for an economical solution I would personally recommend StationPlaylist. There are several different versions which you may be able to do what you want with a version other than the full-blown Pro suite which includes both the playout systems and scheduler application. Currently the Pro bundle is going for $399 USD and the Standard bundle is going for $215 USD. Both bundles come with one year of support and upgrades.

You can read the Radio World review of StationPlaylist Pro which I authored a couple of years ago. I think it's still a nice package that inexpensive and works well.

As far as a "free" alternative I think you're going to be hard pressed to find one that does everything you want it to do without its own quirks. You're probably better off buying an inexpensive program that has a solid level of development and support.

[Greg Goodfellow]

I use Tune Tracker at my station, which we like overall, but is difficult to set up. It's also not a Windows system, which is off-putting to some folks. I'm currently investigating other options that are Windows. I want a place with a great forum-like this one-but also a place where I can access what I need when I need it, as the forum may not cover my problem. I don't need free, so I'll check out anything that I can buy for one price. The system I want periodically upgrades because of user requests, not just for the sake of doing so. As we have a constant turnover year to year, it can't have a bunch of bells and whistles, but must be rock-solid. Tune Tracker does this overall, but it does have its quirks. I want something whereby I can put a CD in the bay, and the system reads everything embedded on the CD. All I want to do is type in the specific genre. 'Tune Prepper' is the Tune Tracker option, but it rarely works. After the first CD-which may not work anyway-the second one most surely won't get read. We're noting that Tune Tracker seems to have more refurbed units for sale. My thought it, "If the system is so good, why are people returning it?" Dane Scott is a nice guy, but I'm a full-time teacher that has issues with the program, and it's hard for me to get time with him.

The system I want also allows for voice tracking, plus remote internet access, especially if I want to do a remote in the field and I can't get a board-op (which is usually the case, as I'm the primary board-op for football and basketball games).

Please give more info on SAM Broadcasting and 'OTS,' and thanks, folks!

[Prais]

PS
My version of ots was NOT free - but 3 hundred well invested dollars. You get what you pay for. However, you can TRY it free.

[LowPayDJ]

I personally like SAM.  It does alot for the money, and it just keeps running and running.  It's great for both Live Shows and for Automation.  It does alot if you take the time to get to know it.  It's well worth the money to buy, and you can find it in quite a few places to download for Free, if you have no problem doing that.  You can find more info on SAM on their website at http://www.spacialaudio.com

[deltas69]

the version of OTS i use is the bedroom pro version..cost me around 50.00 i think..i like the skin that shows two turntables..since i don't let the station run 24/7 as yet, i do live shows sat/sun nights at 6pm cst on USTREAM. i load one folder with my vintage jingles, another folder with vintage commercials, and a third folder with 3000 songs from 63 through 93..in that order...then i right click to move the files in the order i want..doing spot sets at 20/20.  this is not a revenue generating station..just a fun thing. i'm and old rock jock from the 60's/70's  and just playing around.i am getting another pc this month that i will load the tunes in and let it run 24/7 all week long til i do the live shows on weekend nights. i have not had a single problem with the ots software..it's a really nice player for what i use it for.     google chuck lundi and it's the first thing that pops up..you can get to the show page from that link if interested. i usually have 60 to 80 people sample each show on those two nights and have about 20 or so listeners that show up every weekend as all night listeners/viewers..

[V.Riley]

I've tried OTS, and SAM and StationPlaylist, and I have to say StationPlaylist won me over hands down.  I'm not knocking the others, but StationPlaylist has gone way above the call of duty in station automation.  It was well worth the money I paid for the Pro version.