Part 1 of 2. StationPlaylist 6.2 Suite is available!
Notable Changes in SPL 6.2.
The below notes were prepared during many hours of testing the entire SPL 6.2 product range. They represent my thoughts only.
The most important question: If you are not managing a station, and you are just hosting a straightforward live show, should you upgrade to 6.2?
If you do want to update, think carefully. Christmas is coming up and you want everything to be perfect for that. If you are going to update, due to the many script changes, you will want to set aside some considerable time to ensure that everything is as you want it to be.
In addition, due to the health issues I have had this year I am taking an extended Christmas holiday so assistance from me will be slower during parts of December and January.
With that said, let's get to the notes.
Crossfading.
You will note that the crossfade transitions between songs and spots is significantly improved as a result of internal changes in 6.2.
If you regularly scan files via the Track Tool as I do, such as pre-recorded show segments or news and weather bulletins, it is still advisable to do this. But generally speaking you will find improvement overall.
Voice-tracking locally or remotely.
Voice-Tracking can now record using .Flac format.
This is very helpful for those of us who had previously recorded all VT's using Wav format. .Flac provides high quality audio without taking up as much space.
Accessibility.
I recently reviewed a competitive product for accessibility. While doing so, I realised how thankful I am that not only are all the options in SPL accessible, but StationPlaylist offers a far greater range of keyboard shortcuts. The developer is also willing to work with me to a large extent to improve issues, and there have been a number of those this time.
The most noticeable change relates to Studio and the fact that the column layout has been completely changed from all other versions I can remember. This has meant that many scripts have needed to be altered in some way and has taken a great deal of time and testing.
I cannot even quantify how many hours the changes have taken to refine what we had before. I have tried to ensure that all functionality is the same as it used to be, but I could well have missed something. Improvements will be made over time.
This is further complicated by the fact that the new SPL Remote application, referred to below, displays the column layout as it would have been in V6.11 so I have needed to make accommodations for that.
The Release Notes also state that there is a change to the newly renamed Time column.
If a playlist is loaded, and you have not played any tracks, this column shows the scheduled times tracks will play out according to the time of the playlist.
However, when you begin playing any track, the column changes to display tracks relative to the current system clock. This can be a serious disadvantage if you are voice-tracking a show since you do not get a true picture of how the hour is meant to look when it is broadcast.
For example, if you have a track scheduled for 10:03 AM, and you play the track at 18:37, the entire view of the playlist changes to reflect the system clock.
The scripts emulate the old behaviour so you are not disturbed by this misrepresentation. So as usual, SPL key then S will report the true scheduled time as if the tracks had never been played out, and SPL key then W will report the real time.
SPL Remote.
This is the new product which can be purchased from SPL. It allows you to remote onto an automation machine, or a computer back at the station, and carry out a live broadcast.
You should have full access to SPL Remote. As far as possible, when you log onto a machine using SPL Remote, the experience should be very similar to that which you would receive if you were using Studio standalone.
Many of the functions should work, such as to hear the remaining time of a track, elapsed time, and so on.
There is an advantage in using SPL Remote that people may not have latched onto.
1. Remote onto the station machine.
2. If JAWS is not installed on the station machine, it does not matter. You will still have access to all the functionality offered by SPL Remote, using your existing JAWS settings, even though JAWS is not installed. So you will be able to examine the playlist structure, check the remaining time, and so on, even though JAWS is not running on the automation machine.
Remote VT Changes.
Within the playlist viewer, the default presentation of information is to hear the scheduled time first, then the track details.
However, some people prefer to hear the track or spot information first. To easily accomplish this, press the SPL key then X. Pressing this keystroke repeatedly will change the arrangement.
SuspiciousDuck
in reply to Lucinek • • •