Time announcement

[claudius06]

Hello Bernd,

I'd like to talk about the subject of time announcement via ProppFrexx. I've found a few discussions on the subject, but no answers to the questions I'm asking myself.
1/ Is it possible to announce the time randomly? I mean, if I record 24 files for the hours and 59 for the minutes, is it possible to broadcast the exact time at any time by calling a script that would be inserted between 2 songs (in the script Library script) or on the intro of a song or on the toth?
2/ If this isn't possible, then what needs to be done to announce the exact time without interrupting another sound element?

Thank you,
Claude.

[radio42]

To compose the time announcement you might need to create an extra script with eg. 3 script-lines:
LoadTrack C:\times\ItIs.mp3
LoadTrack C:\times\H${HH}.mp3
LoadTrack C:\times\M${mm}.mp3

You then reference this script as an embedded container, so that all above script entries are played as one combined stream.
The timing and cue-points of the single files needs to be good and already set, so that the combined entries sound good.

[claudius06]

Thank you for your reply.
I understand the idea, but I don't see how to distinguish between hours and minutes. I see the HH in uppercase and the mm in lowercase, but I don't understand why.
I need to create MP3 files for the 24 hours of the day and MP3 files for the 60 minutes that make up an hour. Is that correct?

[radio42]

As said. You specify 3 script-line entries.
One for the hour and one for the minute. Take a look again to my example. I was using a. Hour macro and a minute macro
See the user manual appendix for details.
Yes, as you initially suggested. 24 hour files and 60 minute files.
Hour files will start eg. with an H: H00.mp3,H01.mp3,H02,…
Minute files with an M: M00.mp3, M01.mp3,M02…

[radio42]

Alternatively you might also generate 1440 files eg. by AI and use them. Then you don’t even need a script but just one LoadTrack line directly.

[claudius06]

I’ve configured the script with SuppressGlobalHistoryCheck and the Embedded Container limited to 3 tracks, and everything seems to be working perfectly. Just a question: is it possible to use random ItIs from another folder, for example 'xItIs'? And thanks again for your help with that first solution.

Now I’m wondering what the best and most 'natural' solution is for the listener: this one, or the alternative?
Regarding the alternative, you said I don’t need a script, just LoadTrack directly — but in that case, how should the 1400 files be named, and how will PF play the right file at the exact time?

[radio42]

Sure. Use eg. a Media Library for the ‘ItIs‘ files and the Random script-line mode.
Or use the Folder mode and put only the ItIs file in it.

The 1440 file might be named Hhmm, eg. 1710.mp3 for the time 17:30 o‘clock. 24 x 60 =1.440 files.
Use the line LoadTrack C:\times\${HH}${mm}.mp3

But I guess the first might be nicer.