Important note : ALL Sonicart and Selector keyboard commands are carried out via the spacebar, this is to facilitate linking the PC up to the start button on a broadcast mixer ( details on how to do this will be coming shortly ) This does not apply the 'Options' window.
On loading, Sonicart first looks for pre-scheduled carts (i.e. adverts) that have been setup using Sonipack. It looks ahead until the end of the current month. If it finds any scheduled adverts then 'Next Scheduled adverts due' will display the date and time when are due to be played. If those adverts are inside the pre-load window time ( set via the 'Options' button ) the adverts will be loaded immediately and are ready to play. Otherwise, the Selector bar will be loaded. The Selector bar is setup using Sonishow. If no adverts are found then the Selector bar will be loaded anyway. If no jingles have been setup for the Selector bar, then this will not be loaded either.
If the adverts have been loaded, then the 'Play' button is highlighted. To play using the keyboard hit the spacebar.
Once playing, the 'Stop' button is highlighted if this is pressed then the 'Reset' button is highlighted. If this is pressed then the carts are reset and the first cart is ready to play again. This helps if for example the fader is not up and the carts need to be quickly reset.
Once all the adverts have finished playing, the Selector bar will then be displayed.
Sonicart can also start playing the next cart before
the previous one has finished. To enable this, open the 'Options' window.
Check the 'Enable' box in the 'Mix' section and set the 'Mix Length' between
0.5 and 3 seconds
Important Note : Scheduled adverts always take priority over the Selector bar and the show carts selected from it, when an advert window arrives the Selector and show carts will be replaced with the scheduled adverts.
Using the Selector Bar
With the mouse
Click 'Start Selection'
Click the carts displayed in the order you wish
them to be played. A purple border will appear around the cart.
To deselect a cart click it again.
When you've finished selecting the carts you require, click 'Cue Carts' The carts will then be loaded and ready to play.
With the keyboard
With the Selector button showing 'Start Selection'
click the spacebar. The first cart will be highlighted in yellow. To select
this cart wait until the border turns purple. If you do not wish to select
it, press the spacebar again. The next cart will be highlighted.
Cycle round the carts, using the spacebar, until you reach the cart you
require, wait until the border turns purple and then move on the next
one.
Once you have selected the carts you require, wait until the Selector button text changes to 'Cue Carts' then click the spacebar again. The carts will then be loaded and ready to play.
If you've made a mistake in your selection, keep
waiting. The selections will then be reset and you can start over again.
If you've cued the carts but the selection was wrong then play, stop and
then reset, which will then load the Selector again.
As with the mouse, the order the carts are selected is the order in which they're loaded.
Note : the time delays for selection with the keyboard can be altered in the Options window, again this is to facilitate use with a broadcast mixer.
Logging
Sonicart logs all pre-scheduled jingles, whether played or not. This is useful when you are playing station sponsor adverts and evidence is required of advert frequency for billing etc.
The logs are stored in the Sonicart directory as
'played.rtf' and 'notplayed.rtf' the filenames speak for themselves. Information
in the played log is only stored when a set of pre-scheduled adverts is
played in its entirety. The Date and Time along with the set of adverts
is stored.
Information in the notplayed log is stored if a set of adverts has been
cued by Sonicart and not started playing after the playback window has
passed. Again the Date and Time along with set of adverts is stored.
The log will also store what kind of advert has been stored i.e. Advert, Show Promo and Station ID. This is to help billing.