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Introduction

Campcaster is the first free and open radio management software, providing live studio broadcast capabilities as well as the remote automation in one integrated system. The scalability of Campcaster allows implementation in a number of use scenarios, ranging from an unmanned broadcast unit accessed from remote through the Internet to a local network of Campcaster machines inside a radio station handling live broadcasts and delivering program automation by accessing a central audio storage system. Campcaster is capable of combining local audio files and remote web streams, supporting the widely used MP3 format and the open equivalent OGG Vorbis. As in all Campware products, multilinguality is a central feature in Campcaster: virtually everything in the user interface can be translated into any language using Unicode. Multilinguality is implemented in all levels of the user interface as well as for the metadata for audio files in the storage system. Campcaster has been designed for a Linux environment. However, the developers have built it on top of standardized, cross-platform classes. Such architecture allows porting of Campcaster to different operating systems in the future.

What's new in Campcaster 1.2?

Campcaster 1.2 "Kotor" has been named after the beautiful seaside city of Kotor, Montenegro. It is there that its first implementation will take place.

It has been only two short months since the 1.1.0 release, but there are plenty of improvements to be happy about:

1. Radio Data System(RDS) support added: RDS messages are displayed on radio receivers which display the name of the station and the name of the song that is currently being played. You will need RDS hardware in your radio station to take advantage of this feature.
2. Sneaker-net support: you can now easily make a copy of your audio content to removable media in order to physically transport it to its destination or simply keep it as a backup. This is useful when you have a large amount of data to share with affliate stations or when you have little or no Internet connectivity.
3. The Live Mode audio player has been improved so that reshuffling your playlists around is less likely to create any pause before playing them.
4. Importing of audio has been seriously improved:
   1. Importing via the command line is now faster and has the option to "link" to your audio files. The previous version of Campcaster required making a copy of each file you imported, which resulted in doubling the disk space needed to store your files.
   2. Duplicate audio files are now detected and not imported.
   3. Importing via the command line and the Web now reads the "comments" and "genre" audio tags properly.
5. Campcaster Web search is now faster and the results show the album name and track number.
6. Campcaster Web "Help" menu has been expanded with a link to the online manual and the Campcaster homepage.

Different packages for different use

As Campcaster has been intended to provide a solution for a wide range of radio projects, from community to commercial radio stations, we have decided to provide distinct packages of Campcaster that would cater best to the needs of different kinds of user groups and use scenarios. The sections below describe the key features and components of the different Campcaster configurations.

Campcaster Studio: inside the broadcast studio

Campcaster Studio is the part of Campcaster that is running inside the live studio of a radio station. Here the presenter or DJ manages his or her content to be broadcast live on the air. Campcaster Studio can be added to an existing radio station and will slowly become the center of all audio sources besides voice input such as phone or studio guests. Connected to an audio mixer, Campcaster Studio can be combined with other audio sources, such as phone-lines, microphones or media the station has gotten used to (CD, MiniDisk).

Image: Screenshot of Campcaster Studio, the application for presenters and DJs inside the radio broadcast studio. Campcaster Studio will be used to access the Campcaster Storage component and the presenter / DJ can search and browse the audio archive in the studio. Files and playlists can be lined up for the radio broadcast. In short: Campcaster Studio is the perfect assistant for a live radio show, providing easy access to the ever growing media archive of Campcaster.

The following image dates from when the program was called LiveSupport (LS), but it illustrates a simple Studio setup.

Image: Simple Studio setup. Campcaster storage and studio application directly connected to the transmitter. The Studio is running on one machine in the radio studio. The audio files are stored on a separate machine (Storage) accessible through the office LAN. The Storage component could also be installed on the same machine but we recommend separate installations for various technical as well as handling reasons (backup, remote access, scheduling).

Campcaster Web: scheduling radio programs

Campcaster Web manages the scheduler, accessing the same media archive in Campcaster Storage that the Studio component relies on. The editors can use the Studio to build playlists and manage files (upload, translate metadata, manage advertisement) inside the office or through the internet, using a standard web browser such as Firefox or Internet Explorer. The web interface allows similar functionality as Studio in accessing the media archive, such as upload files and manage webstreams. It also allows access to the scheduler system, which is the core of Campcaster Web.

Image: Screenshot of Campcaster Web, the browser based access to files, playlists and scheduler. The scheduler in Campcaster Web comes with an intuitive calendar view, organized by months, weeks and days. Here the program editors can scheduler playlists and webstreams for their radio station. In connection to the Studio, the web functionality may be used mostly for broadcasting times where nobody is present in the live studio. In many use scenarios, however, the Station may be the only running component in many use scenarios, for example, in cases where the radio transmitter is situated outside the reach of the editors and all program management has to be maintained through the remote interface. Possible reasons for such a use scenario might be of pragmatic nature (running many stations from one central office due to limited human resources) or an emergency (running a transmitter in a crisis area without putting staff at risk).

Image: Simple Campcaster Web setup. The scheduler is accessed through the Internet, allowing automated radio programs in an unmanned radio station. The LS in the illustration refers to the program's former name, LiveSupport.

Advanced Setup: Campcaster Studio, Station, and Storage

Combining the Station, Studio, and Storage, you can supply a radio station will all functionality needed for radio broadcasting and automation.

Image 5: Complete radio solution based on Campcaster. Live broadcasts, remote access, and scheduling in one system. Campcaster Station here functions as the access to the audio database (Storage) from inside and outside the office. The switch between live broadcasts and scheduled radio programs is done inside the station at a master audio mixer, connecting the Studio machine and the scheduler of Storage with the transmitter.

Installation

Campcaster can be installed from Subversion or from the precompiled packages. All components can be downloaded from the Campware website.

Adding the Campcaster repository to your sources (for Debian, Ubuntu and Knoppix distributions)

All Linux distributions include large collections of programs and supporting libraries called repositories. These repositories exist online, and once they are added to your computer's list of repositories, you can download software from them. In addition, when updates become available, you can be automatically notified and install them.

To add the Campcaster repository through the terminal: sudo cp /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list.backup sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

Add the following lines to the end of sources.list:

1. The Campware package repository

deb http://code.campware.org/ubuntu dapper main

Save the file. You now need to update your sources: sudo apt-get update

After that, you can install Campcaster packages using apt-get.

Adding the Campcaster repository to Synaptic

In System -> Administration -> Synaptic Package Manager, select Settings -> Repositories -> Add -> Custom

Paste the following line: deb http://code.campware.org/ubuntu dapper main

You can then search Synaptic for "campcaster" and it will appear along with other available packages. In addition, Synaptic will also notify you when a new Campcaster version is available.

Installing Campcaster Debian packages using apt-get

After adding the Campcaster packages repository, you can simply get Campcaster and all its dependencies by doing the following: sudo apt-get install campcaster-libs campcaster-station campcaster-studio

This will install all the Campcaster components.

Installing from source

The latest source code is always available in our Subversion repository. For more information about this, see the developers page and read Setting up the development environment.

Please update this for subversion.

The anonymous checkout comment is now svn checkout svn://code.campware.org/livesupport/trunk/livesupport

and the URL for browsing the latest code is http://code.campware.org/projects/livesupport/browser/trunk/livesupport/

you could also add a link to the main developer page: http://code.campware.org/projects/livesupport/

Installing Campcaster from the Repositories CD

The Campcaster repositories CD is meant for situations where connectivity is poor or nonexistent. It includes the installation packages for all of the Campcaster components, as well as the packages of the other programs and files Campcaster depends on in order to run.

To use the Campcaster repositories CD, you must first have Ubuntu Linux 6.06 ("Dapper") or newer already installed on your computer.

The easiest way to work with the Campcaster repositories CD is to use the Synaptic Package Manager, which is located in the System Menu -> Administration -> Synaptic.

Adding the Campcaster Repositories CD to the list of software sources

Synaptic is a program that shows all the programs and libraries that are either available or already installed. But you must update the list of available sources of software. Usually these are online, but they can also be offline, usually in the form of CDs or DVDs.

Add Campcaster to the list of available sources by selecting:

Settings -> Repositories

then click: Add CD-ROM

You will be prompted to "insert a disk in the drive"; do so, if the CD is not in the drive already, and then click on OK.

In the window which says "Unmounting CD-ROM", click on Close.

If it prompts you to enter a name for the CD, do so; for example, you could call it "Campcaster".

After this, the CD will be read and added to the list of sources.

If bandwidth is low, uncheck all other sources in the list, to make sure that the packages will be installed from the CD, and not from the Internet.

Update the whole list of programs by pressing the "Refresh" button in the upper left of the Synaptic window.

Installing Campcaster

To install Campcaster, first click the "Search" button at the upper right of the Synaptic screen. Then type in campcaster

and press 'search'. It will then find the Campcaster packages.

Mark the campcaster-studio package by right clicking on it and selecting 'Mark for Installation.'

Click the 'Apply' button at the top of the Synaptic window.

A menu will appear asking you to confirm the installation. Click 'Apply.'

Congratulations! Campcaster has been installed!

To start Campcaster-Studio, go to the Applications menu at the top of the screen, select Sound and Video -> Campcaster-Studio.

Using Campcaster

As described in the introduction, Campcaster for manager, DJ or editor in the radio station comes in two different flavors: the Studio and the Web Component. Campcaster Web is the backdoor to the Campcaster system. It allows access to Campcaster via a browser and can be used inside the radio station as well as through the Internet. In both cases the web component allows you to add and edit files and playlists and schedule programs. Campcaster Studio is your choice of flavor if you are running Campcaster on the machine attached to the transmitter or mixer, i.e. the audio out goes straight on-air. The Studio is an application running on this machine. We named it studio because that's where you will use it: inside the studio.

Campcaster Studio: A live radio show assistant

Campcaster Studio is the part of Campcaster that completely does the on air playback function inside a radio station's live studio but also includes all known automation elements. Campcaster Studio can be installed on the user's machine placed inside the broadcast studio and connected with the audio mixing board that distributes an audio signal to the transmitter or live stream system. From there, the user can manage the content to be broadcast live on-air. Users also have the option of searching and browsing the audio library of the radio station or the system it belongs to - starting from general search criteria to the smallest search details.

Note: Campcaster Studio does not include functions for dynamic reduction equalization or audio signal post processing - it doesn't perform any major dynamic signal improvement. If you want to edit and do the additional make-up of radio signals afterwards - we recommend (before any distribution of audio signal towards the transmitter) to use a standalone dynamic reduction tool (dynamic compression, DeEsser, level maximizing) for pseudoacoustic improvements of the sound spectrum and listening impression.

Campcaster Studio is intended to be used on an independent playback machine that has two working modes: • Live Automatic mode - which broadcasts a radio program without studio crew with a system of permanent automation and outside programming. • Live Assist mode - that does the live programming, and works as a live assistant machine. Users can manage the contents to be broadcast live on-air. In addition, by searching and browsing the audio archive on the Campcaster Storage component, the user can line up and set files and playlists to be ready for broadcast. Campcaster Studio, whether in Automatic or Live Assist mode, has almost the same appearance.

Getting started with Campcaster Studio

When starting the computer with Campcaster installed, you will find the Campcaster Studio icon on the Applications menu pulldown under Applications -> Sound and Video -> Campcaster Studio. After starting the Campcaster Studio application on your studio machine, the Master Panel will appear, allowing you to login into the system and giving you essential information about the station time and logo as well as what is currently in the program.

Log In

Clicking the Log in button on the Master Panel takes you to the 'Log In' palette, which displays the following:

• Login field - where you need to enter your personal user name assigned to you by your system administrator
• Password field - where you enter your password as assigned by your system administrator (the default password is q)

IMPORTANT: When you first start using Campcaster, the default user name is 'root' and the password is 'q' although your system administrator should immediately change this to something more secure.)

• The Language drop-down menu where you can select one of the available user interface localizations of Campcaster Studio from the list. The default language is English, but you can use one of the other localized versions we supply. The selected language will last as long as you are logged into the Campcaster Studio application. When you log out and then log in for a second time, you won't have to choose the interface language again, as it will be remembered. You will only need to choose the language again if you quit Campcaster Studio completely and start the program again.
• Cancel and OK buttons - which allow you to confirm the login or cancel the operation.

After successfully presenting on the system and logging in into Campcaster Studio, you will be able to see the following:

• The Master Panel - with basic information of your radio station (time and logo), the track currently being played out by the scheduler and play/stop functions of the audio slot.
• The Navigation Menu – buttons for all the main functions you need for operating Campcaster Studio, depending on your user rights and permissions (as previously determined by your system's administrator).

Recommendation: We recommend that users log out after every session, when finishing your part of the radio program. The reason for this is that special settings and user rights that is connected only to you and nobody else.

If you are using Live mode after another user, you can simply log your colleague out and log yourself in “ in order to start the new session that logs you as an author with your personal specified rights and saved settings, and all audio files and playlists you left in the ScratchPad the last time.

Master Panel

When starting Campcaster Studio, the Master Panel appears in the upper part of the screen, remaining on the screen as your friendly assistant the whole time you work on your computer.

No matter in what mode of Campcaster Studio you are working in, the Master Panel displays:

• Time field - displays the time at your radio station
• Play/pause button - with the function of playing or pausing the currently playing item
• Stop button - Stops the currently playing item directly
• Now Playing field – Displays the name of the file that is being broadcast, together with the additional information such as elapsed time and remaining time of the audio file, its creator and the album
• Logo of your radio station - this can be set from a separate administration panel
• Log in button - you need to click 'log in' if you want to enter the Campcaster Studio environment. When you are logged in, the button changes to log out
• Exit button, which you need to click if you want to exit the whole application. The popup window will then appear asking you to confirm if you are sure in this action.

Navigation Menu

The Navigation Menu contains all the main functions you need for operating Campcaster Studio. It is located in the lower part of the Master Panel, and is visible there throughout the user’s entire session.

The Navigation Menu consists of the following functions:

• Live Mode button for quick change of your working mode during the broadcast
• Upload file button - for uploading sound files into either the playlist or the ScratchPad
• ScratchPad button opens the palette containing all recent files and playlists uploaded and created by currently logged-in user
• Playlists button for creating and editing simple playlists (changing file place in the list, changing fades...)
• Scheduler button for playlist scheduling and reviewing of daily broadcast schedule
• Search button search and browse audio clips available in the Campcaster storage server using the search criteria you set
• Options button - for setting various program options such as sound card setup, RDS and backup

The buttons in the Navigation Menu work as toggles, meaning that when you pressing them once makes the palette appear, while pressing it again makes it disappear.

Live Mode

Clicking on the Live Mode button in the Navigation Menu opens up a new palette on the screen below the Master Panel.

The Live Mode palette contains:

• Play button (large in size) plays the selected files immediately, interrupting whatever is currently playing
• Preview (cue) buttons play/pause and stop button gives users the option of pre-listening to audio files before playing them on air. The space under the preview and play buttons contains the list of audio slots (either playlists or single files) that are created by the user.

When the Live mode palette opens the space below the play and preview buttons is blank. User can create there the list of audio files (if he or she works in Live mode), that are going to be broadcasted by the determined order. Playlist cannot be saved in this palette, but from the other function palettes that user access on some other way.

Note: Live Mode currently works automatically (files are played automatically one after another). An upcoming version will also include working as live assistant (that means that user plays one song after another).

The list of files in Live Mode represents your temporary playlist that will be broadcast either song by song or automatically, depending on how you set it.

Inserted audio files display as rows, one after another. Each row contains:

• each file's number in the playout order (a file in the master panel is always #1)
• the file's title, its creator, and duration

Right-click options Right-clicking your mouse on an audio file inserted into Live Mode will bring up a context menu offering you the following options:

• Play (has the same function as the play button above the list. When the 'play' option is selected, the already-scheduled playlist in the Master Panel's 'Now Playing' window automatically interrupts and plays the selected file from Live mode)

Preview (has the same role as the preview buttons in the upper part of the Live Mode palette, allowing the user to pre-listen to an audio file before playing it)

• Add to Playlist takes the currently selected item and adds it to a playlist. If no playlist is active, one will be created.
• Remove (gives the user the option to remove a file from the live mode list)
• Upload to Network Hub puts the selected item in the queue to be uploaded to a Network Hub if one is configured.

Note: A playlist is the physical list of audio files that will be broadcast in the order the user determines. A created playlist, when saved in the system, appears as a single file and not as the whole list. When playing, a playlist will appear as a single audio file with the total duration of its parts.

You may also 'drag and drop' items to reorder them in the Live Mode window.

Live Assist mode

Live Assist mode can be considered as a live jingle machine with the function of adding audio material by users, whether they are program moderators, audio technicians, announcers, DJs or MCs (depending on your radio station's orientation). As a live jingle machine, Live Assist mode broadcasts audio files one by one (song by song), according to the broadcast scheduler and previously-created playlists. After the audio file is played, the list stops, waiting for the user's next start command. So that the broadcast process looks like: song stop manual play - next song. Note: Live Assist mode is not included in the 1.2 version, but is planned for the 1.3 version.

Live Automatic mode

In Live Automatic mode, a radio program is broadcast without studio personnel. Files in playlists in this mode are snapped together automatically one after another (clean snap), together with all user-predefined functions and settings determined in the playlist editor. Basically, the broadcast process looks like this: song mix - next song. Note: Live Automatic mode is currently the only mode Campcaster Studio has. Changes take place frequently, so check the Campcaster homepage at http://livesupport.campware.org often.

Using mini-playlists in Live Mode

Creating mini-playlists is usually very important and highly recommended.

One common example would be when the station's sales department create a playlist of commercials that lasts from 2-4 minutes and contains up to 10 short audio commercial spots. These mini-playlists are saved in the system as a block and can either be used in Scheduled Mode or in Live Mode.

In the studio, the program creator than can simply load the complete advert playlist from the sales department, instead of having to insert ads file by file.

Upload file

The 'upload file' option allows you to upload files from your local computer, Campcaster server or any other available source into the system. It then appears in the ScratchPad. Browsing the audio archive or any other source or disc, user can find the audio file they wanted, add or edit its metadata information (the descriptions that help others to find the file) and upload it to the ScratchPad, where the uploaded file becomes the topmost item in the ScratchPad list. This information helps others to find information that helps them to make their broadcasts. The more information you input, and in a consistent manner, the easier it will be to find the files later.

Upload file palette elements

The 'upload file' palette consists of the following elements:

• Browse button gives you the option of browsing all available sources from your local computer and Campcaster server and selecting the desired file. Clicking the browse button opens the 'Open File' window shown above.
• File name tab - where the selected file path will appear
• Main, Music and Talk tabs where metadata information (such as the information stored in an MP3 file's ID3 tags) can be added or edited.
• The Main tab is the default active tab which stores basic metadata for any sound file. Main tab contains the following metadata fields:
  • Title (lets you specify the title of the clip)
  • Creator (lets you specify the author of the clip)
  • Genre (lets you specify the genre of the clip)
  • Description (lets you create a short description for the audioclip)
  • Duration (is automatically detected and cannot be altered)

Note: If an MP3 file is uploaded, Campcaster will automatically use the information stored in its ID3 tags, if there is any.

The Music tab allows you to view, add and store metadata that is specific to music files. A large number of description fields available for users to input, such as: Album, Year, BPM, Rating, Mood, and so on. All of the fields in the Music tab are from the ID3 specification.

The Voice tab allows you to specify information that is relevant for voice recordings (e.g. news reports, interviews, soundbites, etc.). It allows reporters to input:

• Time and date the reported voice file is about, which is likely to be different than the time it is uploaded. For example, a report could be about the moon landing in 1969, or about the 2000 Olympics. This value is different than the value used for the file upload.
• The location of the item being covered. GPS coordinates can be entered, as can verbal descriptions.
• The organization being covered. Examples could include the Parliament, the Red Cross/Red Crescent, or the local football team.

The Cancel button cancels the whole operation and exits the palette.

Clicking the Upload complete the uploading process and uploads the selected file to Campcaster's storage server.

Once you finish with uploading and creating the file's metadata, the selected file will be transferred to the ScratchPad. You can see that it appears at the top of the ScratchPad list.

ScratchPad

The ScratchPad represents your workspace during your entire session. It can be used for loading all the materials (audio files, playlists) you find necessary for creating your program. The ScratchPad also displays a list of all files you have worked with recently, and could be described as a cross between a web browser's history window and the clipboard. Clicking on the ScratchPad button on the Navigation menu opens the ScratchPad palette. It consists of the following elements:

• Preview buttons play/pause and stop button - gives you the option of pre-listening and quick-checking audio files before using them in Live Mode or a playlist.
• The Type column contains icons indicating the type of item you are working with. An icon's appearance is the same as in Campcaster Station audioclips are marked with a green note, playlists with a red note, and webstreams with a blue transmission symbol.
• The Title column displays the title of the items (audioclips, playlists, webstreams)
• Add to playlist button - allows you to insert the selected file into a playlist by opening the Playlist palette and placing the selected file into it.
• Clear list button deletes all items from the ScratchPad
• Remove item(s) button deletes one or more files from the ScratchPad

In order to perform operations with individual files, you can click the right mouse button on an individual item in the ScratchPad. A popup menu will appear, offering you the following options (referring to the audioclips and playlists):

• Preview for pre-listening and quick-checking audio clips in the ScratchPad
• Add to Playlist where you can add the selected item into a new playlist
• Add to Live Mode (for adding the selected file into the Live Mode list, waiting for the user's command to be played, or to be played automatically)
• Remove gives you the option of removing the file from the ScratchPad list
• Upload to the Network Hub sends the file or playlist to the Network Hub, where it shared with other stations in your network.

The ScratchPad has additional options for playlists only. If you right-click on a playlist, additional actions offered will include:

• Edit playlist (redirects you to the simple playlist editor in the Playlist palette, for adding or removing files from the playlists, additional playlist editing, changing transitions or file order)
• Schedule (redirects you to the Scheduler palette, for scheduling and programming the whole playlist by selecting the exact date and time for its broadcast)

Playlists / Simple playlist editor

Playlists can be edited and created in the Playlists palette, which, at the same time, works as a simple playlist editor. This function allows you to execute various operations such as:

• Creating a new playlist
• Adding and removing files from the ScratchPad to a playlist, which may includes adding playlists inside playlists (such as commercial breaks or mini playlists inside a larger show)
• Editing simple edit functions, such as changing file order, changing transitions and other features

You can add a file (sound file or playlist file) from the ScratchPad to the active or new empty playlist by: • right- clicking on the item (either a sound file or playlist) in the ScratchPad and • selecting Add to playlist. Also you can edit the existing playlist in the Playlists palette by: • right-clicking on the playlist in the ScratchPad and • selecting Edit from the popup menu The Playlists palette will then appear, displaying: • The Name field in the upper part of the palette, where you have to enter the title of your playlist • The first column on the left displays the start time of the playlist, file by file, starting from zero. Start time for the next item is calculated automatically. • The Title column displays names of the files, playlists or streams. • The Length column lists the duration of each item • The Fade in and Fade out column displays the increasing/decreasing curve transition value during the item's enter/exit, from zero to full level (for fade in) and from full level to zero (for fade out). The transition value for fade in or fade out is measured in milliseconds (1/1000 of a second), and the default transition is set to zero.

• Under the table there is a checkbox , offering you the option to lock a fade out to follow the previous fade in, so that there is a mix between items like a crossfade.

If there are no items entered in the playlist, the space below the Name field remains blank.

• The Save button enables you to save all your changes and your work.

The saved playlist will now be visible in the ScratchPad, and the text in the lower left part of the palette will inform you that your playlist have been saved. This includes saving all actions (moving files, adding or removing, changing fades) that will be visible in the playlist the next time you open it.

• The close button will close the current playlist, cancel the whole operation and exit the Playlists palette. Before exiting, popup window will appear offering you to previously save the playlist.

Right-clicking on the items in the playlist gives you additional options for playlist editing:

• Move Up lets you move the file up in the opened playlist and change its file order
• Move Down lets you move the file down in the opened playlist
• Remove lets you remove a file from the playlist. The file still remains in the system, however.)

Removing playlists from the Scheduler

You can remove a playlist from the Scheduler by right clicking on a scheduled playlist in the table and selecting Delete. This removes the playlist from the Scheduler, but does not remove it completely from the system. The playlist and the items inside it stays in the ScratchPad for the next use.

Scheduler

The Scheduler palette allows you to automate (schedule) your playlist for broadcast at a predefined date and time.

Clicking on the Scheduler button in the Navigation menu opens up a palette similar to the Scheduler Navigator from Campcaster Station. The palette appears as a monthly calendar and contains the following elements:

• Monthly calendar, with selected date marked in blue. Above the calendar is a row where you can select the month and year you want to review. Changes will then alter the calendar below according to the selected month and year.
• A table displaying precisely scheduled playlists (‘to the second’) on the selected date from the calendar.
  • The first column displays the exact date and time for the playlist start
  • The second column displays the title of the playlist
  • The third column displays the exact date and time for the playlist end

Adding playlists to the Scheduler

After you have created and edited a playlist in the Playlists palette, it will be available in the ScratchPad and can be added to the Scheduler by:

• right- clicking on the saved playlist in the ScratchPad and
• selecting the Schedule option from the popup menu.

That action opens a new Schedule palette, similar to the previous one, allowing you to determine the exact date and time for the selected playlist to start and to enter it into the scheduler table. The default date will be your current date. Besides the monthly calendar, this Schedule palette contains:

• Hour and minute field - where you have the option to enter the exact time for the selected playlist to start, consistent with existing scheduled playlists.
• Schedule button - accepts all entered information for scheduling date and time. Clicking on the Schedule button automatically closes the palette and enters the playlist into the scheduler at the specified date and time. You can now see it’s title, start and end time, in the table under the calendar with already scheduled playlists.
• Close button closes the palette and cancels the whole operation

Search

The search palette allows you to search (on either a simple or advanced level) and browse the archive of available files in Campcaster's storage server, in order to use them for creating playlists, scheduling or creating Live Mode lists. You can start looking for audioclips not only by title, but also by general searching metadata criteria down even to the smallest search details. The main part of the Search palette are tabs that gives you the option to choose what type of searching and browsing you want to use: Search - that works as a simple search engine Advanced Search - lets you set multiple criteria for searching Browse - lets you list all available files within a certain criteria All functions allow you to search for sound files as well as playlists.

Whether you choose simple Search, Advanced search or Browse option, the search results will appear at the bottom of the palette in the table containing Type, Title, Creator and Length of the resulting file.

By right clicking on an item (audio file, playlist or a webstream) in the search result table, a menu appears offering operations:

• Add to ScratchPad
• Add to Live Mode
• Upload to Network Hub

A fourth tab on the Search palette, Transfers, allows you to monitor the status of transfers to and from the Network Hub. For more information about the Transfers function, see "Transfer Window" in the Network Hub section.

Browse

The Browse function in Campcaster Studio allows you to browse all files from the server according to general criteria you specify. In order to narrow search results as much as possible, the browse function gives you the opportunity to choose between similar files that are in the same subcategory.

The browsing process is divided into three columns with the same list of offered criteria.

• The first column lets you choose the metadata category to browse from. You can choose any metadata that users have input to describe the files.
• Under that category, the second column allows you to choose one of the options that appear in the chosen category, which refines the number of displayed files.
• The third column works the same way and lets you continue refining and narrowing your results by entering first the category, and then selecting the option or an item displayed in the field below.

Note: It is in your best interest to choose as many categories as you need, in order to refine and narrow search results and to find the file quickly among the thousands of files in the server.

Simple search

The Search (simple search) option works as a basic simple search engine. The user types a keyword into the search field, and then presses the Search button. In the simple search option, the search process is based on keywords that you enter, and can represent complete words, phrases, or only a part. Keywords must refer to the information stored in either the title or creator fields; these are the only metadata criteria enabled in the simple search mode.

Advanced Search

Advanced Search also works like a regular search engine. As in simple search mode, you can search the metadata that you and other Campcaster users have input during the upload process. The main difference is that Advanced Search allows you to select as much metadata criteria as you find relevant to make your search successful. All the search results will appear at the bottom of the search palette.

The Advanced Search tab contains the following elements:

• Search field with three types of criteria in one row;
• The left pulldown menu allows you to select one metadata criterium you find relevant for the search. You can choose any metadata that Campcaster offers and users have input to describe audio content (title, genre, length, album, mood, bitrate).
• The middle pulldown menu enables you to refine your search by selecting whether the word you enter will represent full file name, only part of the name or its prefix.
• In the third blank field, you should enter the keyword you are searching for.
• The + sign located on the right allows you to add extra sets of criteria by clicking on the + sign located on the right of the search terms. You can add as many rows you need to refine your search. Clicking on the X sign removes a row.

By selecting more categories in the pulldown menu, and adding additional search rows, you can set your search process to be more precise and narrow your search results.

• Clicking on the Search button starts the searching process.

Options palette

Originally based on feedback from community radio representatives in South Africa, the Options palette is designed to make many of the setup and administration tasks in Campcaster Studio easier for users who were not familiar with a command-line interface. It is divided into 7 clickable tabs.

Sound tab

The Sound tab lets you change Campcaster Studio's sound card outputs. Because Campcaster uses three sound cards in an optimal configuration, this tab comes in really handy when setting the program up.

Before we set up the sound cards in the Sound tab, a little bit about how Campcaster handles sound under Linux. Those with experience in Linux sound can skip this and move on to the next section.

ALSA sound card notation

Campcaster uses the ALSA sound subsystem for its sound output. This means that the fields that are in the Sound tab must follow ALSA notation, which can be as follows:

• default
• hw:x,0
• plughw:x,0

where x is the number of the sound card you want to use for the output. Generally you should use hw:x,0 as the notation style.

Note: To see which number your sound card as been assigned by ALSA, you will need to open a terminal window and type the following: user@computer: $ cat /proc/asound/cards What you will get is a listing like this:

0 [ICH5           ]: ICH4 - Intel ICH5
                     Intel ICH5 with ALC655 at 0xfebffa00, irq 201
1 [CA0106         ]: CA0106 - CA0106
                     Live! 7.1 24bit [SB0410] at 0xbc00 irq 169
2
[YMF724F        ]: YMF724F - Yamaha DS-1 (YMF724F)
                     Yamaha DS-1 (YMF724F) at 0xfeaf8000, irq 185

The numbers at the beginning are the important ones for us. They tell us which card has which number. In this case, 0 is the Intel ICH5, 1 is the SoundBlaster Live! 7.1 24 bit, and 2 is the Yamaha DS-1.

In this computer, Sound Card 1, the SoundBlaster Live! is the one with the best sound quality, so we will use it as the Live Mode output. We'll use the Yamaha DS-1 as the Scheduler output, and we'll use the Intel ICH5 as the cue output.

Using the Sound tab to set up your sound cards

Now that we know where our sound cards are and which numbers they have, we can start to change the default Campcaster settings.

Default sound card values When you first install Campcaster Studio, the sound cards are assigned as follows:

• hw:0,0 - Scheduler output
• hw:1,0 - Live Mode output
• hw:2,0 - Cue output

The Sound tab has two lines:

• Cue audio device
• Live Mode audio device

Cue audio device The Cue audio device field is where you set the values for the sound card you want to use for cue (preview) output from Campcaster Studio.

Live Mode audio device The Live Mode audio device field is where you set the values for the sound card you want to use for the broadcast output from Campcaster Studio's Live Mode.

Test button You can test the sound output by pressing the 'Test' button. If you hear a cowbell (more cowbell!), then you have the sound card set up correctly.

Note: To change the sound card location of the Scheduler output, you must edit a file called campcaster-scheduler.xml. This file is in your home directory in the .campcaster directory. user@computer: cd /home/<your user directory>/.campcaster

Gnome users should type: gedit campcaster-scheduler.xml

KDE users type: kate campcaster-scheduler.xml

In that file, look for a value that reads: <audioPlayer>

   <gstreamerPlayer audioDevice = "hw:0,0">

</audioPlayer>

Change this value to the sound card you want.

Luckily, once these values are set up, you probably won't have to change these settings until you get another sound card.

Keyboard Shortcuts tab

The Keyboard Shortcuts tab lets you assign certain Campcaster Studio functions to keys on your keyboard (or numeric keypad).

In the Options palette, click the Keyboard Shortcuts tab. You will see a listing of different Campcaster Studio functions. With your mouse, click on the function you want to change the keyboard shortcut for. Then press the keyboard key you want to reassign to that function.

Default keyboard shortcuts

The default keyboard shortcuts are as follows:

Master Panel Play - x Pause - v Stop - c Next track - b

Live Mode Move item up - <Alt>Up Move item down - <Alt>Down Remove item - Delete Play - x

Scratchpad Move item up - <Alt>Up Move item down - <Alt>Down Remove item - Delete

Edit Playlist Move item up - <Alt>Up Move item down - <Alt>Down Remove item - Delete

Servers tab

The Servers tab allows users to change the locations of their various Campcaster server components.

Generally, most users will not have to change the default values that come when Campcaster is installed. This tab is useful, for example, when users need to set up Campcaster with a central storage server and multiple Campcaster Studio installations that draw from it.

For more detailed information on setting up Campcaster in a multiple-computer setup, click here.

The three server configurations on this tab modify the location Campcaster Studio looks for the:

• Authentication server
• Storage server
• Scheduler server

Each of the items includes:

• the server address, which a URL
• the port the server listens on
• the path to the script

Scheduler tab

The Scheduler tab allows users to see the status of Campcaster's scheduler, as well as to stop or start the scheduler. This is important when a user needs to stop a scheduled item from playback.

When it is running, items that are placed in it will be played at the appointed date and time.

When the scheduler is stopped, all items that are in the scheduler will be stopped.

Backup tab

Campcaster's Backup function is extremely important because it provides system administrators with a way to save the contents of the station's storage server for restoring at a later date.

Considering how frequently computers and hard drives fail, as well as how important your station's archive is, we strongly recommend that stations regularly back up their storage servers on a regular basis.

How frequently you should back up depends for a large part on how many new files are added to the storage server, as well as how much confidence you have in your storage server's hardware. We recommend to backup at least weekly.

Put another way, the frequency of your backup should be directly tied to how angry your station's personnel will be at you in the event everything is lost :-)

Importing backup files

To import a backup file, a user must take the following steps:

• Open the 'Upload File' palette in Campcaster Studio
• Click the 'Browse' button
• Locate the backup file on your hard disk
• Click 'Open' in the File Manager window
• Click 'Upload'

You do not have to input any metadata in the File Upload window (such as Title, Creator, Genre, etc.) for the backup files; the system will automatically detect that it is a backup, and it will import all metadata for the backup files.

After a moment, the 'Restore Backup' window will appear. It will display its status, and when the restore is completed, it will display 'Upload finished.'

Making and saving backup files

Campcaster uses an innovative backup function that backups to occur according to:

• Date modified
• Search terms

This means that if you only want to back up part of your station's archive (such as files with the word 'News' in the title), you can do so by searching for the certain metadata terms.

You can also give your backup a name that will help you later to find it and work with it.

Note: When the 'Modified since' and search windows are left blank, all items that are in the storage server will be prepared for backup.

Items prepared for backup appear in a list below the search window. These items are listed by the name you give the backup, the date and time it was prepared and its status.

When an item appears in this list with a status of 'Ready', the backup can be saved to a .tar file by clicking 'Save.' (.tar is the Linux equivalent of .zip)

Pressing 'Delete' removes the prepared backup from the list.

Any backup that appears in the list can be saved to a file. This list is kept when a user logs out of Campcaster Studio and logs in again. This can be useful as a 'time machine' for retrieving older backups.

Note: The prepared backup files can be quite large, so we recommend removing them from the list if they are not needed.

Backup files can then be saved to an external file location for archival on CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or another hard disk.

This process can take a long time, so please be patient.

RDS

The Radio Data System (RDS) is a European Broadcasting Union standard for sending text information to the display of compatible radios.

Campcaster Studio has the ability to send information to RDS encoder hardware via your computer's serial port.

The RDS tab has the following fields:

• Serial port - for setting which serial port you will use to connect your RDS hardware to
• Station name - a text field for inputting the name of your station
• Station code - a field for inputting the station's PTY code
• Clip info - a text field for inputting information about the item now playing.

There is a check box in front of Station Name, Station Code and Clip Info; you need to have the checkbox selected in order to send the info in that field.

Using placeholders with Clip info

Clip info placeholders You may also use the following variables to automatically update the Clip Info field.

• %c - Creator
• %t - Title
• %d - Duration
• %s - Album
• %y - Year

Placeholders can be combined, so that using the following in the Clip Info field: %c - %t - %s - %y

would display on listeners' RDS radios as: The Beatles - Yesterday - A Hard Day's Night - 1965

This will automatically update with the items in the Live Mode output.

Note: These placeholders only work for items played in Live Mode. They do not currently work for Scheduled Mode.

For more info on RDS placeholders, please see the Campcaster technical documentation entry.

About tab

The About tab displays information about the version and the people who have worked so hard to bring it to you.

If you'd like to see your name in this field as a future contributor to the Campcaster project, please contact us at contact@campware.org.

Campcaster 1.2.0 "Kotor" credits

For more information about Campcaster, see http://campcaster.campware.org

The original Campcaster (formerly LiveSupport) concept was drafted by Micz Flor. It was fully developed by Robert Klajn, Douglas Arellanes, Ákos Maróy, and Sava Tati?.

The user interface has been designed by Charles Truett, based on the initial work done by a team of his then-fellow Parsons School of Design students Turi McKinley, Catalin Lazia and Sangita Shah. The team was led by then-head of the school's Department of Digital Design Colleen Macklin, assisted by Kunal Jain.

Version 1.2.0 - "Kotor"

In alphabetical order:

Douglas Arellanes (Douglas.Arellanes at mdlf.org) - Tester and user feedback

Paul Baranowski (paul at paulbaranowski.org) - Project manager, HTML UI, storage server

Ferenc Gerlits (fgerlits at campware.org) - Studio GUI, scheduler, packaging

Tomáš Hlava (th at red2head.com) - Bug fixes

Robert Klajn (robert.klajn at gmail.com) - Superuser feedback, End-user manual

Mark Kretschmann (markey at web.de) - Audio player

Sava Tati? (sava.tatic at mdlf.org) - Manager

Version 1.1 - "Freetown"

In alphabetical order:

Douglas Arellanes (Douglas.Arellanes at mdlf.org) - Tester and user feedback

Paul Baranowski (paul at paulbaranowski.org) - Project manager, HTML UI, storage server, scheduler

János Csikós (retired) - HTML UI

Ferenc Gerlits (fgerlits at campware.org) - Studio GUI, scheduler, packaging

Tomáš Hlava (th at red2head.com) - Storage server, network hub

Mark Kretschmann (markey at web.de) - Audio player

Ákos Maróy (retired) - Architecture design, scheduler, audio player

Sava Tati? - Manager

Version 1.0

In alphabetical order:

Douglas Arellanes Michael Aschauer <mash at re-p.org> Micz Flor (micz.flor at web.de) Ferenc Gerlits Sebastian Göbel Tomáš Hlava Nadine Kokott Ákos Maróy (darkeye at tyrell.hu) Sava Tati? Charles Truett

Using the Network Hub to share program material between stations

Stations can share their program material with other Campcaster users via a 'Network Hub', which is a specially-designated central storage server that is available for other stations to access.

Campcaster makes it easy for stations to upload files via the Network Hub. It's also easy to search for files and then download them from the Network Hub.

Playlists and the Network Hub

Campcaster can share both individual sound files as well as playlists with the Network Hub. If you're uploading a playlist, Campcaster automatically packs up all of the individual sound files and uploads them all to the Network Hub. From there, other stations can either search for the individual playlist or any of the files that are part of it.

Conversely, if you select a playlist for download from the Network Hub, it will automatically include all of the files it uses.

Using the Network Hub from Campcaster Web

Campcaster Web can use all Network Hub functions. This includes uploading, downloading and search. This section will explain how to use those functions.

Uploading files to the Network Hub from Campcaster Web

Files that are uploaded to the Network Hub must be first loaded into your station's local storage server. From there they will be uploaded to the Network Hub.

There are several ways you can upload a file to the Network Hub. You can upload from the Search, Browse and Scratchpad windows. Click on a file to select it, and the context menu will appear. The last item is 'Transfer to the Hub.' Select this and the file will automatically be placed in the Transfers queue.Uploading files to the Network Hub Files that are uploaded to the Network Hub must be first loaded into your station's local storage server. From there they will be uploaded to the Network Hub.

There are several ways you can upload a file to the Network Hub. You can upload from the Search, Browse and Scratchpad windows. Click on a file to select it, and the context menu will appear. The last item is 'Transfer to the Hub.' Select this and the file will automatically be placed in the Transfers queue.

Searching for files on the Network Hub

Search for files on the Network Hub Searching for files from the Network Hub is very easy from the Campcaster Web interface. From the Media menu, select 'Hub Search'. From there you can input the criteria for your search and results will be displayed below. To download an item, click on it to bring up the context menu. There will be only one option, which is 'Transfer from the Hub.' The file will be placed in the Transfers queue.

Downloading files from the Network Hub in Campcaster Web

Once you've found a file you want to download from the search results, you can start the download process by clicking on it and selecting 'Download from the Network Hub'. This will place the file in the transfers queue.

When a file is marked 'Ready' in the Transfers window that means it has been copied from the Network Hub to your station's local storage. You can now use the file by switching the search back over to local storage and searching for it.

Using the Transfers window to check file transfer status

You can check on the status of the transfers in your queue by clicking on the Transfers tab at the top of the Browse, Search or Hub Search windows, or by selecting Media -> Transfers.

Using the Network Hub from Campcaster Studio

Campcaster Studio has completely integrated the entire file sharing capabilities offered by the Network Hub. It's very easy to use. This section will describe what you can do with Campcaster Studio and the Network Hub.

Uploading files to the Network Hub from Campcaster Studio

You can upload a file to the Network Hub from either the Live Mode, Search and Scratchpad palettes. Simply select a file and right-click on it. Select the last option in the menu, 'Upload to Network Hub'. The file will then be placed in a queue for upload in the background to the Network Hub. You can check on the progress of your files in the Transfers window (see below).

Searching for files on the Network Hub

It's easy to search for files on the Network Hub. To do so, open the Search palette and select either 'Search' or 'Advanced Search'. At the top of the palette there is an option for 'Search or browse on: Local storage'. Clicking on the 'local storage' pulldown allows you to switch your search between local and the Network Hub.

Downloading files from the Network Hub in Campcaster Studio

Once you've found a file you want to download from the search results, you can start the download process by one of two ways: Double-click on the file or Right-Click on it and select 'Download from Network Hub'. This will place the file in the transfers queue.

When a file is marked 'Ready' that means it has been copied from the Network Hub to your station's local storage. You can now use the file by switching the search back over to local storage and searching for it.

Transfers Window

The Transfers window is found on the last tab in the Search palette.

The Transfers window works for both the Network Hub uploads and downloads. It displays the files that are in the current queue, the date and time they were added to the queue, as well as their status. Generally files will report two status messages, either 'In Progress' or 'Ready.'

You can cancel a transfer by right-clicking on an item and selecting 'Cancel Upload'.

Sharing program material offline with Campcaster

Many stations still do not have Internet connectivity. For this reason, Campcaster has been designed to support the import and export of playlists to files, which can then be copied either to CDs or memory sticks.

The export functionality can also be useful for making copies of playlists for use in other media players, or for providing program tracklistings.

Exporting playlists from Campcaster Web

To export a playlist from Campcaster Web, click on a playlist either from the Scratchpad or from the search/browse results. Then select 'Export Playlist' from the context menu.

A popup window will appear that asks you for the type of export and file format.

Type With the type of export, you can either choose to export the playlist only (useful for listing the songs played on a show on your station's website, for example) or to export all components.

File format Campcaster playlists can be exported in one of two formats: either the SMIL format (this is what Campcaster uses) or the M3U playlist format (popular with other MP3 players).

For exchanging programs with other Campcaster-powered stations, select Type: 'All components' and File Format: 'SMIL.'

Additional information

Using the campcaster-import script to import large numbers of files

If you have a large number of files, the usual method of importing single files can be time consuming and tedious. That's why we have created a script that imports an entire directory of files.

The script works from the terminal, so you must first open a terminal and change directories to this directory: user@computer: ~$ cd /opt/campcaster/bin You must specify one of two options for using the import script: Either to copy files into Campcaster's storage server or to link to files elsewhere. Copying is handled with a -c switch in the command: user@computer: /opt/campcaster/bin$ ./campcaster-import -c /<path>/<to>/<your>/<files> Linking is handled with a -l switch in the command: user@computer: /opt/campcaster/bin$ ./campcaster-import -l /<path>/<to>/<your>/<files> ‘’’Copying and Linking: Advantages and disadvantages’’’ Each option (copying and linking) has their advantages and disadvantages, so you will have to think about how the files will be used in your station long-term.

For example, for files that are linked to external hard disks, you must make sure that the files are actually going to be there at playout time, otherwise they will be skipped! For this reason, we don't recommend using the linking option for easily-removable hard disks (like iPods or USB memory sticks) because there's a strong likelihood that the disk might be unplugged and taken away. It's also important to make sure the external hard disk is turned on and stays on.

On the other hand, for files that are copied, you may run into problems later on with hard disk space if you keep copying files into your hard disk.

’’’Good metadata: Garbage in, garbage out’’’ The campcaster-import script automatically imports any information that is in the files' ID3 tags. If these tags include 'junk' information, you will have to either edit the metadata later or live with potentially inaccurate information.

How to report bugs

Campcaster needs your input to constantly improve. If the software doesn't behave as it should, please let us know about it by entering a trouble ticket at http://code.campware.org/projects/livesupport. That way, the Campcaster team can keep track of your problem and notify you when it has been fixed.

Where to go for more help

You can visit Campcaster's discussion forums online at http://campcaster.campware.org. There you will also find program updates and other useful information.