MUSIC 1 VERSIONS
There are two primary versions of Music 1 and a two customized versions for webcasters.
Music 1 Version 5 is the most advanced software. New functions and enhancements that we and our users think of go into this one. It continues to grow and evolve.
Music 1 LE is the Lite Edition. It was formerly our Version 4. This is a 'finished' software and no significant upgrades are planned for it. It is solid and well engineered, quick, efficient and economical. If you get LE, you can expect many years of satisfaction and dependability.
Versions 5 and LE are in use by hundreds of terrestrial broadcast radio stations, and some music video channels around the world. Both are also used by a growing number of webcasters but we have two special versions for internet radio. Music 1 for Live365.com is a customized version of 5 and Music 1 SE is a customized version of LE made specifically for use with the widely popular webcast playout system SAM Broadcaster, however as it produces a common .m3u playlist, it can also be used with other players such as OtsDJ, WinAmp, Windows Media, etc....
Comparing Version 5 and LE
In addition to scheduling song libraries of any size, both versions also
manage and schedule all non-music items like promos, jingles, voice tracks
and other audio tracks, including long-form programming. Both versions
can import advertising schedules from traffic/billing software and produce
a fully merged log file for digital automation. Both work smoothly with
all professional digital automation systems and with webcasting players.
Here is a list of the most significant Version 5 functions that are not available in LE.
Audio-Track Linking This is a boon for totally automated stations, including internet streamers who want a lively, ever-changing feel to their programming. You can pre-record a number of intros and backsells to any of your songs. When songs with linked tracks are scheduled, each time a different intro (or backsell) can be automatically scheduled next to the song. What's more, voice tracks can be dayparted-by-announcer. So, the 'voice' of the morning show will only be scheduled in mornings, tracks recorded by the mid-day voice will only be schedule in that time slot.
With LE, you can coordinate daily voice tracking with your digital broadcast system for a semi-live sounding format. You can also record an unlimited number of voice tracks which can be scheduled throughout the day but these cannot be automatically linked to songs.
Theme Scheduling
There's a slick way to do special days, special plays, special hours. You
can create any number of "Selection" categories that contain
songs from your regular categories, then schedule and rotate the Selection
categories like all the other categories. Essentially, this lets you have
songs scheduling from within two different categories. In addition, you
can add a custom 'selection' slot to any Format clock. So, you can do automatic
theme scheduling based on all sorts of criteria: songs with the same sound
code, songs of selected tempos, songs of a certain length, songs from a
selected hit year.
Edit Schedules In Log View
Music 1 was designed for interactive scheduling when viewing Format Clocks.
You can click and drag all elements around the clocks from one position
to another. In either version, you may switch to a 'log view' and see the
units in the hour in a linear text list. In version 5, you can change the
positions of the items, move them up or down in the hour when you are in
log view.
Click-to-Play Song Auditioning
If you have ripped your song library into your desktop computer, with version
5, you can click-and-play any of the audio files either while scheduling
or while looking at a Song Card. This function does not conflict with the
built-in interface for your digital automation system.
Double Shots & Triple Plays
There are now three ways to do this, from fully automatic to interactive.
Version 5 can automatically find and schedule two-or-more in a row by the
same artist.
Schedule "Open" Slots
If you want, you can schedule open slots or gaps on Format clocks with Version
5. Maybe you want to drop in a 15 or 20 second "empty space" here
and there to allow for announcer talk, etc.To do the same thing with LE,
you must create "non-music" items of the desired length, then
add them to the format clocks.
More Song Card Options and Characteristics
Version 5 allows up to 30 user-defined Sound Codes; LE allows for 8. With
5, you can further define and control music flow with Mood, Texture and
Musical Key characteristics. LE has a single Tempo characteristic for songs.
5 has three. So, you can code a song that has a Medium Slow intro, an over
all Medium tempo and a Medium Slow close, if you wish.
Song Card Notes With both version, you can add Song Notes to every song card, then have the notes included in your music log. 5x has the expanded function of multiple notes. You could add any number of Song Notes to any song card and have them rotate, with Music 1 scheduling a different note each time the song is played. With 5x, these notes can also have beginning and end dates.
Song "Type" Separation Rules
With both versions, you can limit the number of songs with specific characteristics
that can play in an hour. For example, you allow no more than 4 Slow songs
in the hour and and you can prevent them from scheduling back-to-back.
With Version 5, you have the additional 'spread' function which can direct
Music 1 spread the Slow songs evenly through the hour, making sure there
are at least X-number of minutes between Slows. This kind of thing can
be done with Sound Codes, Tempos, Genders, Mood, Texture and Key
More Song Rotation History
With LE, you can call up a Rotation Grid would shows every hour where a song
has played in the previous two weeks. With 5x, this grid can be scrolled
back to song placement in previous weeks/month or even years. Both versions
keep data about Total Plays, Date Added, Plays-Per-Category and can print
any and all kinds of song and library reports which might be needed.
Separation Of Non-Music Items
Version 5 has optional user-defined "Product Code" characteristics
which can have their own separation rules. So, if you had two PSAs running
and both were about fund-raising, you could make sure no more than one PSA
about fund-raising is scheduled in an hour. These can also be day parted
and have other format rules similar to those used with Song Cards.
Percentage Rotation of Non-Music Items
Say you have a "Promo" category with five different promos. With
either version of M1, the promos can be day parted, so you could direct Promo
A to play only in morning hours, if need be. All five promos would rotate
in the morning hours. In other dayparts, only the other four non-dayparted
promos would be scheduled. Version 5 has the added feature of "Percentage" rotations.
With that, you could Tell Promo B to schedule 40% of the time, Promo C to
schedule 30% of the time, and so on.
Start/End Dates for Non-Music Items
With LE, all units in a non-music category will be scheduled in daily rotation.
Version 5 has the additional function with which you can add units to a
non-music category but give each one a start and end date. They can be
added to the category immediatly, but will only schedule in the time-window
you specify.
Auto Dig
This Version 5 function can improve scheduling efficiency. If your search
depth is set at 3 and if all 3 songs at the top of the stack fail a rule
in a scheduling slot, Version 5 can be set to automatically dig down deeper,
as you wish.
Advanced Song Search
You can search for songs using many additional characteristics: including
length, tempo, hit date, album title, chart position, dayparting, sound
codes, machine location, library location.
Print from Song-Search
Previously, if you needed to print a list of songs, you'd go to Reports and
select a category list. Version 5 allows any found-song-set to be printed
directly from the Song Search window and the songs can be printed using
any of your song report formats.