Welcome < Configuration < System Configuration < Audio Format

Audio Format

The Audio Format tab is used to define multiple audio formats to be used for the different assets imported. When the audio file is imported it will be converted to the Audio Format defined and set for the asset type. This allows the station to play one audio format for one asset such as songs but another format for a different asset such as spots. The defined formats can have the same audio format, such as PCM, but have a different bit rate or sample rate.

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Supported Audio Formats

Zetta has support for the following formats. These formats can be imported and played in Zetta. Any formats not listed will require the Windows Media Foundation setting for Zetta to play the audio. Supported audio file extensions for Media Import, Auto Load, Metadata Card: *.wav;*.mp3;*.mp2;*.mpg;*.ogg;*.wma;*.m4A;*.aac;*.mp4;*.flac;*.opus.

Defined Formats

The defined formats section of this window displays the list of created formats. This section is used to add and delete formats. A (Default) format is already defined with an Audio Format of MP3, a Bit Rate of 256kbps, at a Sample Rate of 44100Hz using Channels set to Stereo.

Details

A different defined format can be created for Songs, Spots, Links, and Voice tracks using the following configuration options:

Name – Name is used to name or describe the format to be added.

Audio Format – An audio format is a medium for storing sound and music. Using the drop-down, the audio format can be set to PCM, MPG, MP3, M4A,AAC and Custom.

Bit Rate – Bit Rate often refers to the number of bits used per unit of playback time to represent a continuous medium such as audio after data compression. The size of a multimedia file in bytes is the product of the bit rate (in bit/s) and the length of the recording (in seconds), divided by eight.

Sample Rate - Sample rate is the number of samples of audio carried per second, measured in Hz or kHz (one kHz being 1,000 Hz). For example, 44100 samples per second can be expressed as either 44100 Hz, or 44.1 kHz.

Channels – The Channels drop-down is used to select mono or stereo.

Custom Audio Formats

The Custom option, in the Audio Format drop-down, allows the user to define an Audio Format using a third-party encoder.

Enter a name for the Audio Format, select Custom from the Audio format drop-down then enter the External encoder location. Please ensure the external encoder executable (.EXE file) is accessible and runnable from all computers tasked to perform the encoding. The Command line parameters are typically found in the help file for the encoder. Zetta will launch the external encoder with the provided parameters. Finally, enter the file extension to use for the newly created custom audio format. Click the Save button to save the Custom Audio Format.

Show mismatched system format(s) as

The 'Show mismatched system format(s) as' option can be set to Ignore, Warning, or Error. When set to Warning the Asset will show a warning in the Metadata card, Log, Stacks, Hot Keys® and On-Air module when the assets audio does not meet the specific format for the type of asset set in the System Managed Formats section of this window.

When the Show mismatched system format(s) as option is set to Error the Asset will show an error and will skip the asset in the Log and on-Air module.

System Managed Formats

The 'System Managed Formats' section is used in conjunction with Content Stores to convert imported audio to a specified format when it is content managed. When these values are set, the VBR Files and the CD Extraction settings of the Content Converters section of this window will be ignored. To keep the audio format of the original file set the format for the asset to (None).

Content Converters

If the System Managed Formats are set to None or Content Stores is not configured, a format can be specified for VBR Files and CD Extraction. This will convert all Variable bit rate (VBR) files to the same format. VBR Files will default to the defined default format of MP3 unless the setting is changed. When the CD Ripper is used, in the Extra tab of the Metadata Card, the file will be converted to the format specified for CD Extraction. If a Content Store is configured, in Content Stores, the file path for the conversions will not be visible. The Export | File Drop format selection is used to specify the format for audio that is exported using the Export Asset in the Audio Utility of the Library or by dragging and dropping the asset outside of the Zetta Application to an external application or windows operating system. The Background Recorder format selection is used to specify the format for audio that is recorded using the Background Recorder feature. The Zetta application and Startup Manager must be restarted to implement any setting changes made to this section.

Add a Zetta Audio Format Configuration

1. From the Configuration Menu, click System.
2. Click the Audio Format tab
3. Click the Add Defined Format button
   
4. Enter a Name for the format
5. Select the Audio Format.
6. If the Audio Format selected is MPG or MP3, select the Bit Rate
7. Select the Sample Rate
8. Select the Channels
9. Click Save
10. Repeat for each desired format.
11. If using Content Stores, assign the created or default format to the desired asset in the System Managed Formats section of the window. When these values are set the VBR Files and CD Extraction of the Content Converter values seen in the next step will be ignored.
    
12. If the above options are set to None or Content Stores are not configured, assign the created or default format and a file path to the VBR Files and the CD Extraction of the Content Converters section of this window. If Content Stores are configured the file path fields will not be visible.
    
13. Set the File Drop format to the format needed for files exported by using drag and drop from Zetta^® to an external application.
14. Click Save .
15. Restart Zetta and the Startup Manager to implement the new settings.

Add a Custom Audio Format Configuration

1. From the Configuration Menu, click System.
2. Click the Audio Format tab
3. Click the Add Defined Format button
   
4. Enter a Name for the format
5. Select the Custom for the Audio Format.
   
6. Enter the External encoder location. Please ensure the external encoder executable (.EXE file) is accessible and runnable from all computers tasked to perform the encoding.
7. Enter the Command line parameters. The Command line parameters are typically found in the help file for the encoder. Zetta will launch the external encoder with the provided parameters.
8. Enter the Audio file extension to use for the newly created custom audio format.
   
9. Click the Save button to save the Custom Audio Format.
10. Assign the audio format as desired.
11. Restart Zetta and the Startup Manager to implement the new settings.

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