TuneTracker System Glossary of Terms
As-Run Log A special log listing the commercials played by TuneTracker™, which can be posted into your traffic software for billing. It is enabled in the "Logging" section of TuneTracker Preferences.
Attribute A file characteristic such as its size, date created, playing time, artist, title, etc. Used by our system to find files for music selection and commercial traffic scheduling.
Block Programming A long, uninterrupted or segmented element of programming that comes from a single source, such as a concert, old-time radio show, syndicated countdown show, lecture, or candidate debate.
Command A line of instruction in the format clock which tells TuneStacker™ or TuneTracker™ to do something specific.
See TuneStacker™ commands
and
TuneTracker commands.
CSacker An exclusive TuneTracker™ System utility which allows the instant generation of custom reports taken from the output log, for use in proof of performance for sponsors, song reports to BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC, public service announcement reports to the FCC, etc.
Dubbing Recording a copy of something. For example, playing back a cassette tape while recording its contents to another media, such as a digital audio file.
Event A single line of instruction in your program log. Every line in the program log that causes something to happen is an event, including audio cuts to be played, as well as automation command events intended to perform time-based tasks such as joining a live broadcast such as a newscast at an exact time. The only lines not considered events are blank lines and memo lines (those that start with ##), since they don't actually do anything other than display information.
Format The "style" your radio station broadcasts, such as Rock, Easy Listening, All-News, 24-Hour Sports, Christian, or Tourism Information.
Format clock A text file containing a single hour of programming, which will be combined with others, or duplicated over and over, to construct a full day's master log. See the How it Works page for an illustration showing the format clock's role in the TuneTracker™ System.
Genre A style of music, such as Rock, Classical, Jazz, Soul, and Gospel. You can label the Genre attribute of your songs using whatever words you like, even using compound words to further refine their description; such as EasyRock, SouthernGospel, and DepressionEraJazz.
ID3 Tags Valuable information embedded in MP3 files which can be converted to attributes under our system for use in music selection by a broad range of criteria.
Internet Streaming Broadcasting over the Internet, which in this system makes use of either the MP3 or the Ogg encoding system.
Interrupt In the TuneTracker™ system, an "interrupt" is a powerful command event which causes TuneTracker™ to start broadcasting a specific item at an exact time. "Interrupt" causes TuneTracker™ to skip ahead on the program log, fade whatever is playing, at a fade length you specify, and then start a live or recorded event at an exact time.
Live-Assist Doing a live DJ show by interrupting the TuneTracker™ automation to talk, and to talk-over songs. Doing live-assist means having the option to play items manually or to run the automation, or any combination, at-will. Our system supports full live-assist.
Master Log A text file which serves as a template for a full broadcast day, constructed from individual hourly format clocks. A master log is processed by TuneStacker™ to create a program log, ready for broadcast use. A master log can be used over and over again to generate program logs, each containing a new, randomly-selected, fresh mix of music and other programming.
Memo Line Memo lines in our system are simply lines of text you can add to your format clocks and master logs to serve as comments, reminders, and spacers. All memo lines start with a double pound sign (##). You can temporarily turn off a TuneTracker™ command by changing it into a memo line. Just make sure the line starts with two pound signs rather than one.
Music Selection Software TuneStacker™ performs this task under the TuneTracker™ System, selecting songs based on a broad range of criteria, and protecting the songs against being played too frequently.
Program Log A text file containing a set of instructions for TuneTracker™ to follow when automating a broadcast day, normally including a playlist of audio cuts, plus time-sensitive automation commands. In the TuneTracker™ System, a program log is created by processing a master log template, using TuneStacker™.
Ramp Song intros and endings that are accommodating to voice-tracking. The portion of a song that voice-tracking can safely overlap without talking over the singer or, in the case of a completely instrumental song, the main melody.
SoundPlay The award-winning audio player used as the "playback engine" in the TuneTracker™ System.
Template Log A common broadcast expression, which is another name for a Master Log.
Time-Correct An automation command which forces TuneTracker™ to jump ahead and skip some items scheduled on the program log, in order to keep from getting behind. Normally a Time-Correct is placed after a set of songs, so if the set starts to run long, some of the music can be skipped-over.
TimeTracker The TuneTracker™ System's background recording system, for recording live audio to be broadcast at a later time.
TuneTracker The TuneTracker™ System's radio automation system software, which follows the instructions in your program log, sending each audio event to SoundPlay for playback.
TuneStacker™ The TuneTracker™ System's music selection and program log builder. Program logs created in TuneStacker™ are loaded into TuneTracker™ for broadcast.
Traffic Log A schedule of commercials created by special third-party software that allows you do sophisticated scheduling of when ads and other announcements will play.
TSConvert A fast file utility for the conversion of format clocks and master logs designed for use in earlier versions of TuneTracker, adjusting their syntax to be compatible with the new TuneTracker™ System. Files are saved with the file extension, "ts2".
Timed Record A scheduled recording of a live audio feed, performed in the background, for broadcast at a later time.
Visualization In this context, a method of displaying your audio signal, taking the form of a digital or analogue VU meter.
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