AutoCast Help › Reference

Troubleshooting

Most problems with AutoCast fall into a handful of categories: audio routing, missing files, timing issues, and connectivity. Here's a practical guide to the most common situations and what to do about them.

Audio Problems

No audio on air — nothing is playing

  • Check that the Start button has been clicked and that Auto is on (green dot visible).
  • Look at the deck display — is there a song on Deck A? If yes, check your audio output device in Settings → System → Primary Output Device. Make sure the correct device is selected and that it's actually connected.
  • Check the left VU meter in the transport controls — if it's showing level but you hear nothing, the issue is downstream of AutoCast (your board, your amp, your monitoring).
  • If the Silence Sensor has fired, check the Message Pad for a notification and the Report Log for details.

Music is playing but the level is very low

  • Check Settings → Audio → Master Volume Boost. If it's set to a large negative value, that will reduce your output level globally.
  • Check the individual deck volume — if a deck's volume was dragged down (by clicking and dragging on the deck body), it stays reduced until the next song rotates in. Right-click the deck for reset options.
  • Check your audio device's output level in macOS System Settings → Sound.

Crossfades sound wrong — too early, too late, or choppy

  • For songs with EOM and Cue points set in the library: refine those points in Librarian. The EOM point controls when the crossfade triggers; the Cue point controls where the next song starts.
  • For songs without EOM/Cue points: adjust Settings → Audio → Universal Overlap and EOM Fade Duration to tune the default transition behavior.
  • Choppy crossfades may indicate the Mac is under heavy CPU load from other processes. Check Activity Monitor to see if something else is consuming too many resources.

The live mic isn't working / no level on the right VU meter

  • Confirm the correct input device is selected in Settings → System → Primary Input Device.
  • Check that macOS has granted AutoCast microphone access — go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and make sure AutoCast is listed and enabled.
  • Check the physical connection — is the mic/board actually plugged in?

Preview doesn't work / AutoVision has no audio

  • A separate Preview Output Device must be configured in Settings → System. This must be a different device from your Primary Output Device.
  • Make sure the preview device is physically connected and recognized by macOS.

Program Log Problems

AutoCast says "No program log found"

  • Check that today's program log exists in Logs/Program Logs/ inside your Station Folder.
  • Confirm the log filename matches the expected date format. Program logs generated by ClockWork should be named correctly automatically.
  • Verify the Station Folder path in Settings → System is pointing to the right location.

Songs are being skipped unexpectedly

  • Check whether a # Time-Correct command is in the log. If AutoCast is running behind schedule, Time-Correct will skip items to catch up. This is expected behavior — it's doing its job.
  • If songs are being skipped due to missing files, check the Report Log for "file not found" entries. The missing file paths are listed there.
  • Check that your Station Folder's audio file paths haven't changed — if files moved, the paths in the log are stale.

Timing is off — the station is consistently early or late

  • Make sure your Mac's clock is accurate. Go to System Settings → General → Date & Time and enable "Set time and date automatically."
  • Review your # Time-Correct placements in the program log. They should be positioned early enough before the target time to give AutoCast room to skip ahead if needed.
  • Check whether EOM points in the library are set accurately. Songs with incorrect EOM points will end earlier or later than expected, affecting downstream timing.

Playback Engine Problems

AutoCast stopped playing in the middle of the night

  • Check the Report Log for the date/time of the stoppage — it will contain silence sensor entries, watchdog events, and any error messages.
  • Check whether the program log existed for the overnight hours. An empty or missing log causes AutoCast to stop and post a notification.
  • If audio files are on a network share (/Volumes/...): network disruptions can cause AutoCast to lose access to files. The Report Log will show consecutive file failures. Consider storing critical audio locally on the automation Mac.
  • Check that Reboot Recovery and Auto-Login are both configured if the Mac may have restarted.

The silence sensor is triggering incorrectly (false alarms)

  • Lower the silence threshold in Settings → Silence Sensor → Level (more negative dBFS). Try -55 or -60 dBFS if your content includes very quiet passages.
  • Increase the Duration setting so brief quiet moments don't trigger the sensor.
  • For scheduled silent periods, use # SS Off in the program log before the quiet segment and # SS On afterward.

Streaming Problems

The SignalCaster status dot is red / stream isn't connected

  • Make sure SignalCaster is running first. AutoCast can't connect to SignalCaster if it isn't running.
  • Check that the port number in Settings → Streaming matches the port SignalCaster is configured to listen on (default 9170).
  • If the connection was working and dropped, AutoCast will attempt to reconnect automatically. Give it a moment. If it doesn't reconnect, restart SignalCaster.

The Now Playing file isn't updating

  • Confirm Enable Now Playing File is turned on in Settings → Streaming.
  • Check that at least one Field is selected (Field 1 through Field 4).
  • Look for the file at Misc/System/current_song.txt in your Station Folder — if it doesn't exist at all, check that AutoCast has write permission to that folder.

Weather Problems

Weather shows "unavailable" or isn't updating

  • Confirm your ZIP code is entered correctly in Settings → Weather.
  • Check your Mac's internet connection. AutoCast needs network access to reach the National Weather Service API.
  • Open Misc/System/weather_log.txt in your Station Folder for a detailed log of weather fetching activity — it will show exactly where the pipeline is failing.
  • If NWS data is unavailable (which can happen during NWS outages), AutoCast falls back to alternate weather data automatically.

Hardware Switcher Problems

Switcher isn't connecting / commands aren't working

  • Check the physical serial connection and USB-to-serial adapter. Try disconnecting and reconnecting the adapter.
  • Confirm the correct port is selected in Settings → Switcher Configuration.
  • Verify the baud rate matches the switcher's configuration — check the Broadcast Tools manual for the correct value.
  • Check the Switcher Activity Log at Logs/Switcher Logs/ for error responses or connection failures.
  • macOS Ventura and later may require explicit permission for USB serial adapters. Check System Settings → Privacy & Security if the adapter isn't appearing in the port list.

Getting More Help

If you've worked through the relevant troubleshooting steps and still have a problem, TuneTracker Systems provides personal support. Visit tunetrackersystems.com or click the "contact us" link in AutoCast's welcome message in the Message Pad. TuneTracker is a small company that takes support seriously — a real person will respond to your question.

When you contact support, it helps to have these ready:

  • The contents of today's Report Log (Logs/Report Logs/)
  • A description of what you expected to happen and what actually happened
  • The AutoCast version number (visible in About AutoCast)
  • Your macOS version