button at right of the Filename field.GSelector supports the playback of audio associated with Songs, Links and Zetta Voice Tracks. GSelector windows display a set of Audio Controls in the top Menu Bar, to preview audio for one or more Songs or Links in Library screens, or scheduled Songs and Links in the Editor. For example, when using the GSelector player, you can preview the opening and closing of Songs in sequence in the Editor. The title bar displays the name of the Song or Link being played. When GSelector is Integrated with Zetta, Spots and Voice Tracks in the Editor can also be played.
Audio can be played from these windows:
The Song window, Browse window, Browse List and Category Changer windows in the Library section;
The Link window and Link Browse window in the Linker section;
The Balance tab: Song Demand in Goals;
The Categories window in Goals and Link Goals Categories in Linker;
The Spin and History tabs in Analysis and Spins and History tabs in Link Analysis;
The Editor window (for stations with On-Air Status only).
If you have already started a playing Songs or Links from one of the above windows, and then navigate to another window, these will continue to play as you work in the new window.
Audio files for GSelector player access can be stored locally or on a network. They can be played through the GSelector Internal Media player, through Zetta Integrated Streaming or through an External Audio player of your choice. The External Player setting also supports playout of Video files through a suitably equipped player.
Manually Associating Audio with a Song or Link
Working with large external Databases
using full file or basic filenames
Working with the GSelector player
Playing audio from an integrated Zetta system
Working with an External player
Using GSelector field data as metadata
GSelector supports the ability to manually specify a path to a specific file for any Song or Link in your database from the filename field in the Song or Link window. If you use the GSelector Song and Link Audio Paths to automatically reference files in a dedicated audio store, you do not need to use this field. Providing that the address information in this field is accurate, there is no need to remove data from this field if you switch to Audio Paths after using Filename associations. If this may not be the case, it's a good idea to review the contents of this field if you implement Audio paths.
To manually associate a Song or Link window with audio:
button at right of the Filename field.
When interfacing GSelector to an external playout system across a network, audio files are generally stored in a dedicated audio store. In many cases, file information for each item is copied directly to a specific field in the GSelector database. For details, contact RCS support. In other cases, users add audio files to their store and then enter the filename into a selected field in GSelector. When file information is stored this way, it enables the user to automatically access and play audio files from any Song or Link window from GSelector, by referencing the field in the audio path. See the notes below on Defining Audio Paths.
The GSelector Setup section Station - General window supports Audio Paths for Songs and Links. You can specify a path to the Audio folder for both Songs and Links, and to include one or more custom macros , which can specify the GSelector field storing the audio file name, or any field used on the Song or Link windows, listed below. You can also use a macro which references the filename field on the Song or Link windows. When you click the play button, GSelector reads the path details and locates the filename.
Audio paths using Song or Link fields
Audio paths using full file or basic file macros
button at the right of the field.This is the list of Song fields:
Internal ID
Station Specific ID
Media ID
User-Defined field 1
User-Defined field 2
User-Defined field 3
User-Defined field 4
User-Defined field 5
User-Defined field 6
User-Defined field 7
User-Defined field 8
User-Defined field 9
User-Defined field 10
Custom User-Defined (11-99) type Text
Custom User-Defined (11-99) type Number
NOTE: The Song and Link Additional tab User-Defined fields are listed, in sequence, by the names assigned to them in the User-Defined Fields window. For example, if you have defined Field 1 as 'Address', and Field 2 as 'Complete Work', those text strings will be displayed in order in the drop down. If you need to construct a more complex path manually using the User-defined fields, build in path information using the original field name, e.g. <%UserDefined3%>. Custom User-Defined (11-99) type Date and True False are not available.
Title
Artist
Station Name
Category Name
Category Long Name
Film Name
Runtime
Intro 1
Intro 2
Intro 3
Trim In
Trim Out
Hook Start
Hook End
The last two options allow you to specify Audio Paths using Filenames, detailed below.
Filename (with path)
Filename (without path)
When audio paths are specified in this way, there is no requirement to manually associate Audio in the Song or Link Media Pane Filename field. However, this does not prevent you from entering a value in this field. Some users enter values in both fields as a backup. Other users store local audio references in the Song and Link window filename fields, which could allow, for example, a user to check audio while working away from base with a laptop.
When working with these options, GSelector will reference the file and path information stored in the Song or Link Media Pane Filename field. This allows a range of configuration options depending on your programming requirements.
button, and scroll down to the bottom to select one of the two filename options.
NOTE: While the GSelector Player will work with most common audio file types, RCS Audio Analysis software will only work with .wav files.
The GSelector internal media player uses Window Media Player functionality in minimized mode. It can play any compatible audio file format. If the audio file format is not compatible with this player, you can optionally switch to the External Player. When GSelector is integrated with Zetta and the Audio Player is set to Zetta Integrated Streaming, the audio played is the Zetta normalized audio. See the Normalization settings in Zetta to adjust the Normalization values.
Associating Audio with a Song or Link
GSelector player controls are embedded in the menu bar at the top of the GSelector window. This Player cannot be expanded. To use the functions of an External player configure the player as an External player.
Click any control in the image for help
Keyboard Shortcuts can also be used to initiate the play of a single audio event or a list of audio events. Ctrl+F11 will play a single element. In a list, it will play the element having focus. Alt+F11 will play elements in a list consecutively. In a list, Alt+F11 will play the element having focus. When that element finishes playing, the next element lower in the list will play. This process will continue until the bottom of the list is reached. In a Browse List, CTRL+F11 will play the element having focus if the Browse list has focus. Alt+F11 will play elements in a list consecutively. In a list, Alt+F11 will play the element having focus if the Browse List has focus. When that element finishes playing, the next element lower in the Browse List will play. This process will continue until the bottom of the list is reached. In a non-list context, such as in the song editing window, Ctrl+F11 and Alt+F11 will play only the current element. These keyboard shortcuts can be used in the following windows to play audio.
Library | Browse - Library Browse List
Linker | Link Library | Browse - Link Library Browse List
Linker | Link Library | Category Changer
Linker | Link Goals | Categories
Click this button to play all audio events in the Browse List or Log Editor. The player will play your selected audio option (All/Hook/Open and Close/Open, Hook and Close) for all items in the list. The player does not segue or overlap audio files. Each file or file segment is played in its entirety, before moving on to the next audio file.
Note: If Zetta is integrated, Play Rest will play the rest of the current hour as opposed to the rest of the day. Play Rest will play the rest of the day if not integrated.
Click this button to play the selected audio event in the Browse List or Log Editor. The player will play your selected option for all items. When an item is being played, the Artist, Title, and elapsed time is displayed in the menu bar.
NOTE: When working with an External player, the Play Rest and Play This audio buttons will open the External Player application. Thereafter, you control the audio playback with the Player's controls.
Click the button next to the Event Play button to select the Audio Play Options. GSelector will continue using the setting selected here as the default setting until it is changed. The options are:
All - All will play the entire audio file.
Hook - Hook will play the audio between the Hook Start and Hook End markers.
Open/Close - Open/Close will play a set duration after the Trim Start marker and a set duration before the Trim End marker.
Open/Hook/Close - Open/Hook/Close will play the above and the hook audio portion.
Auto Play - Auto Play will switch from the previously playing element to the current element if the focus/selection changes.
For Example: If you have selected Song A and start playing it, then when you move to Song B, Song A will stop and Song B will start playing.
Click to pause the player. Click again to resume playing Audio.
Click to stop the selected item or items from playing.
Jump to the next or previous items in the list.
The Seek Slider control lets you change the playback position at any time. This control appears between the Play Option buttons and the Mute button. The control is adjustable only when audio is being played. When playing a hook, the seek slider will adjust to the length of the hook.
Use the speaker button to mute and unmute the audio being played.
Use this slider control to adjust volume.
When GSelector is Integrated with Zetta and the Audio Player is set to Zetta Integrated Streaming, GSelector will stream the audio directly from Zetta using the Normalization values set in Zetta. This allows the user to preview the Zetta audio for the Song or Link from the Library/Link Library in GSelector. Zetta Songs, Links, Spots and Voice Tracks can also be previewed in the GSelector Editor. The Spots can be integrated through GSelector using Linker | Traffic or through Zetta using flat file.
Note: The Log must be generated in both Zetta and GSelector for scheduled spots and Voice Tracks to be playable in the GSelector Editor.
GSelector supports the use of external players. This lets you use a player of your choice to playback any audio - or video - file, not just those files supported by Windows Media Player. You can select any suitable media player, including Windows Media Player. This allows you to use any external player's full functionality.
Configuring an External Player
When you configure an external player, the only operational GSelector buttons are the Play Rest, Play This buttons and the Seek Slider. Click either to access the External player, which opens in a separate window. Thereafter, once the External Player begins playback, you use the player controls.
However, any Song or Link field available to you when you define an Audio Path can be incorporated into the Song or Link path to automatically carry GSelector Song or Link data, and this can be used as Song- or Link-specific Metadata. The tool is particularly useful if GSelector has a very detailed database. This allows you to export detailed metadata to a suitably equipped third party player. When using audio paths this way, you should work with your IT department to create macros to parse this information so it can be used by the third party player.
You can access and play .wmv and other video file formats, subject to your External player's capabilities.