Hardware Switchers

AutoCast can control a Broadcast Tools audio routing switcher connected via a serial (RS-232) port on your Mac. This lets you automate the physical routing of audio signals — switching between different audio sources, routing satellite feeds, firing relay closures to trigger transmitter equipment, and more — all from program log commands or Button Pad buttons.

This chapter is relevant to stations that have a Broadcast Tools switcher in their audio chain. If you don't use one of these devices, you can skip this chapter entirely — none of the switcher features affect anything else in AutoCast.

Connecting the Switcher

Before AutoCast can communicate with your switcher, you need to connect it and configure the connection. Go to Settings → Switcher Configuration (or access it from the Setup menu). The Switcher Configuration window lets you:

Setting	What It Does
Port	Select the serial port your switcher is connected to. AutoCast scans for available ports and lists them.
Baud Rate	The communication speed. Must match the switcher's configuration — consult your Broadcast Tools documentation for the correct value.
Reserved Channel	An input/output pair that is always maintained after a ClearSwitcher command. Useful for a "home" routing (such as a main studio feed) that should always be present unless explicitly overridden.
Connect / Disconnect	Manually initiate or close the serial connection.
Status	Shows the current connection state and the switcher model once connected.

When AutoCast connects successfully, it identifies the switcher model and logs the connection to the Switcher Activity Log. Connection status is also shown in the Message Pad.

Switcher Commands in the Program Log

Once your switcher is configured and connected, you can control it from the program log using these commands:

# Switcher — Timed Route

# Switcher 01:00:00 3-1 Network Join

The primary switcher command. It routes audio through the switcher for a specific duration, holds automation while the event is active, and automatically ends the routing when time expires.

Parameters in order:

Parameter	What It Is
Duration (HH:MM:SS)	How long the routing stays active. Use 99:00:00 for an open-ended route that you'll end manually.
Routing (X-Y)	Input X to Output Y. Use X-0 to route to all outputs. Multiple routes can be comma-separated: 3-1,4-2.
Label (optional)	Text displayed on the deck during the event — "Network Join," "Satellite Feed," etc. Helps the operator know what's happening.

While a Switcher event is active, automation is held — AutoCast waits at this point in the log until the event ends. When the duration expires, routing is automatically cleared and automation resumes with the next log item.

You can also end a Switcher event early by right-clicking the deck during the event and choosing the end option. If the event was scheduled in the program log (not triggered from a Button Pad), automation resumes normally when you do this.

Multiple routes at once:

# Switcher 00:30:00 3-1,4-2 Sports Coverage

This routes Input 3 to Output 1 and Input 4 to Output 2 simultaneously for 30 minutes.

# Route-On — Persistent Route

# Route-On 3-1

Activates a routing immediately with no automatic duration. The routing stays active in hardware until you explicitly clear it with # Route-Off or # ClearSwitcher. AutoCast advances immediately to the next log item — it doesn't wait. Use this when you need to set a route and continue running the log at the same time.

# Route-Off — Deactivate a Route

# Route-Off 3-1

Deactivates the specified routing. Like Route-On, AutoCast advances immediately after executing this command.

# ClearSwitcher

# ClearSwitcher

Mutes all active routing on all inputs and outputs, then (after a 100ms delay) re-establishes whatever Reserved Channel you've configured. This is a clean slate — use it to return to your default routing state after a switcher event.

# SendRelay N

# SendRelay 2

Fires a momentary pulse on relay number N (1–8). Use this to trigger external equipment — a transmitter relay, a remote control, a GPIO input on another device. AutoCast advances immediately; the relay pulse happens in hardware.

Switcher Buttons in the Button Pad

You don't have to use program log commands for every switcher action. The Button Pad supports three switcher-related button types:

Button Type	What It Does
Switcher	Executes a switcher routing event when clicked — same as the # Switcher command, but triggered manually from the button.
Relay Closure	Fires the specified relay (1–8) when clicked — equivalent to # SendRelay.
Clear Switcher	Executes a ClearSwitcher command when clicked — mutes all routing and restores the reserved channel.

These buttons are particularly useful for unscheduled routing changes — when something happens in the broadcast day that wasn't in the log, and you need to manually route audio or fire a relay on the spot.

The Switcher Activity Log

Every command sent to the switcher — routes, relay pulses, clears — is logged to the Switcher Activity Log at Logs/Switcher Logs/ in your Station Folder. Each entry is timestamped and tagged (CONN for connections, RECV for received responses, etc.).

If a switcher command fails or the switcher returns an error response, AutoCast logs it and posts a warning in the Message Pad (shown as "⚠️ Switcher command error"). The Activity Log is your first stop for troubleshooting switcher communication issues.

Routing Syntax Reference

AutoCast accepts switcher routing specifications in both shorthand and longhand:

Syntax	Meaning
3-1	Input 3 to Output 1
Input 3 to Output 1	Same as above, spelled out
3-0	Input 3 to all outputs
3-1,4-2	Input 3 to Output 1 AND Input 4 to Output 2 (simultaneous)
3-1,4-2 Salvo	Same as above — the word "Salvo" is accepted as a keyword for multi-route events

Inputs and outputs are numbered 1–8. Use output 0 (or omit the output) to apply a command to all outputs.

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