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 → Audio → Devices → Primary Output. Make sure the correct device is selected, that it's actually connected, and that its level slider is at about 0 dB.
  • Check the VU meters in the transport controls — if they're showing level but you hear nothing, the issue is downstream of AutoCast (your board, your amp, your monitoring).
  • If the Silence Sensor has fired, you'll see SILENCE SENSOR in the status area, and the Report Log will have a "Silence sensor triggered" line with details.
  • On a Free license, check the Message Pad for an alert that your library is over the 250-file limit. After the 3-day grace period, AutoCast turns Auto off until you trim the library or upgrade.

Music is playing but the level is very low

  • Check Settings → Audio → Devices: the level slider beside Primary Output (0 dB is normal; it can go down to −20 dB) and Master Volume Trim (which should be near 0 and can't go beyond ±3 dB).
  • 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. Drag it back up to restore it.
  • 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. Both are measured back from the end of the song: an EOM point starts the next song that many seconds before the end and fades the old one out, while a Cue point starts the next song that many seconds before the end and lets the old one play to its natural end.
  • 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 / you can't hear the mic on air

  • Confirm the correct input device is selected in Settings → Audio → Devices → Primary Input, and that its level slider is at about 0 dB.
  • 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 Off-Air Preview Output must be configured in Settings → Audio → Devices — preferably a different device from your Primary Output (headphones or a monitor speaker, for example). Without one, AutoCast says "AutoVision requires a Preview Output device" in the Message Pad.
  • Make sure the preview device is physically connected and recognized by macOS.

Program Log Problems

AutoCast isn't playing and the Report Log says "No log file found"

  • Check that today's program log exists in Logs/Program Logs/ inside your Station Folder.
  • Confirm the log filename is today's date as six digits, MMDDYY, with no extension (for example 102525). If there's no dated log, AutoCast falls back to a log named for the day of the week (Saturday, Sunday…). Program logs generated by ClockWork are named correctly automatically.
  • Verify the Station Folder path in Settings → System → General is pointing to the right location. The status line under the path tells you if the folder looks right.

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 [MISSING] entries ("Scheduled file not on disk at play time"). 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. A missing log is noted in the Report Log ("No log file found").
  • If audio files are on a network share (/Volumes/...): network disruptions can cause AutoCast to lose access to files. The Report Log will show [MISSING] entries, and after three different missing files in a day you'll get an email (if alerts are on). 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 — and that FileVault is off.
  • Look for "relaunched by TuneTracker Go sentinel" in the Message Pad or Report Log: that means AutoCast crashed or was killed and TuneTracker Go brought it back.

The silence sensor is triggering incorrectly (false alarms)

  • Lower the threshold in Settings → Audio → Silence Sensor → Level Threshold (more negative dBFS). Try -55 or -60 dBFS if your content includes very quiet passages.
  • Increase the Duration Threshold 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 orange or red / stream isn't connected

  • Red means the Feed Audio to SignalCaster switch in Settings → Streaming → SignalCaster is off. Turn it on (and click Save). The feed needs a paid license (Basic or Pro).
  • Orange means the feed is on but AutoCast hasn't connected. Make sure SignalCaster is running, on the same Mac.
  • Check that the port number in Settings → Streaming → SignalCaster matches the port SignalCaster is configured to listen on (default 9170).
  • If the connection was working and dropped, AutoCast tries again every few seconds. 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 → Now Playing.
  • 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 Location (a ZIP code, or a city and country such as London, UK) is entered correctly in Settings → Weather. Outside the US, set Weather Provider to Open-Meteo (Global).
  • Check your Mac's internet connection. AutoCast needs network access to reach the weather service (for the National Weather Service provider, that's api.weather.gov on port 443 — some firewalls block it).
  • 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 Open-Meteo for the temperature and sky conditions automatically.

Hardware Switcher Problems

Switcher isn't connecting / commands aren't working

  • Switcher control is a System 7 Pro feature. On other licenses, Settings → System → Switcher says it's available with an upgrade.
  • Check the physical serial connection and USB-to-serial adapter. Try disconnecting and reconnecting the adapter.
  • Confirm the correct port is selected in Setup → Switcher Configuration… (menu bar) and that you clicked Save. Then look at Settings → System → Switcher: Detected should name your switcher and say "responding"; "None detected — check the cable, power and serial adapter" means it didn't answer. AutoCast checks when it starts and whenever you open that tab, so reopen the tab after you plug something in. (It tries your saved port first, then USB serial adapters.)
  • AutoCast always talks to the switcher at 9600 baud, 8N1, unit ID 0. Make sure the switcher itself is set that way.
  • Check the Switcher Activity Log — press Shift-X to see it in the Message Pad, or open Logs/Switcher Logs/switcher_activity.txt — 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.

Help Problems

The Help window says "Help is currently unavailable"

  • The Help button opens this User's Guide from the TuneTracker Systems website, so it needs an internet connection. Once your Mac is back online, click Help (or press F1) again.

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