- Radio software
Almost all radio stations today use some form of
broadcast automation . Although some only use small scripts in audio players, a more robust solution is using a full Radio Automation Suite. There are many commercial and free radio automation packages available.Radio software history
Radio software allows AM & FM broadcasting to reproduce music and voices from the computer’s hard disk instead of using CD, tape recorders or the old cartridge tape (see
Fidelipac ). Usually the radio stations stores all advertising campaigns and most of the music in hard disk. Then, instant replay of all the recorded material is done from a keyboard or with a click of the mouse. Now the PC computer is part of every AM & FM broadcasting, WEBcasting or Podcasting system around the world.Radio software not only reproduces audio. It is possible to create a “playlist” that can reproduce automatically, without an operator, a complete radio program, including meteorological announces, advertising campaigns, music tunes, satellite network connection, etc Then, 24 hours radio stations are possible, also in small towns that can not afford to have operators and speakers all around the clock. Standard PC computers are connected in a LAN network to be used on the Master Control Room, Production, News, Administration, etc
This technology is claimed to be invented in Buenos Aires by Oscar Bonello in 1989 . [ The Audicom History [http://www.lanacion.com.ar/Archivo/Nota.asp?nota_id=187775 La historia del Audicom] ] The first radio software for automation, using lossy compressed digital audio codecs, was named
Audicom and was internationally introduced at the 1990National Association of Broadcasters Convention in Atlanta, USA. . [ [http://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=6674 PC-Controlled Psychoacoustic Audio Processor by Bonello, Oscar Juan] ] The world first radio station to use it was KIKO AM at San Francisco, California. The basis of the Audicom was the first application, targeted at radio automation, of the audio bit compression technology used to reduce the amount of data. Bonello delivered the first radio automation working technology using the masking curves published by Richard Ehmer [ “Masking by Tones vs Noise Bands”, Richard Ehmer, Journal of the Acoustic Society of America, September 1959]See also earlier developments of a
Music_scheduling_system such as of the US CompanyRadio_Computing_Services in 1979.Nowadays with invention of the
MP3 bit compression technology and standard audio cards there are a lot of automation software providers at the market. Some systems includes Administration facilities for the traffic department, Disc Jockey schedule, Live Assist windows and even Artificial Intelligence automation control.Notes
Free and open-source developments
* [http://freshmeat.net/projects/somad/ Soma Suite]
*Campcaster
* [http://www.rivendellaudio.org/ Rivendell]
* [http://dev.tilos.hu/projects/ikra/ IKRA]Freeware
* [http://www.zararadio.com/ ZaraRadio]
* [http://www.mixtime.com/ DirEttore]Commercial products
* [http://www.airshift.tv/ Airshift Studio]
* [http://www.raduga.net/ Raduga]
* [http://www.spacialaudio.com SAM Broadcaster]
* [http://www.pulsarmultimidia.com.br/idiomas/ingles/index.htm Pulsar Multimídia]
* [http://www.backbone.com Backbone Networks]
* [http://www.solidynePRO.com Audicom System]
* [http://www.hardata.com Hardata]
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