ProppFrexx ONAIR User-Forum

Hi Bernd,

Is it possible to end with the "end of a song" at a specific time?

Please, let me explain a little better and more detailed what I’m trying to achieve.

I have an end tune that I want to play every day at the end of the late evening script. This end tune has to end exactly at 23:29:59 with the end of the tune. At 23:30:00 a new script begins for the night radio.

I have to kind of managed to accomplish this with an overlay (EndsAt). Found this in an earlier topic here on the forum.

How to get a fixed end tune into a script

The problem with this is that it plays the whole song. I also want to use this method with another tune in the morning at the end of the night. That tune lasts 5’34”, and I do not want to play the full length of 5 minutes and 34 seconds every day. It just needs to fill the gap between the end of the last song and a given time point ending with the end of the tune or song. This means that the gap will be variable in time every day.

Example 1:

23:00:00 – TOTH Radio ID Jingle (0:13)
23:00:13 – U2, Beautiful Day (4:08)
23:04:21 – Rammstein, Sonne (4:32)
23:08:53 – …

23:23:48 – Yes, Owner Of A Lonely Heart (4:29) [23:26:56 START END TUNE]
23:28:17 – End Tune (3:03) [FADE IN]
23:29:59 – End Tune (3:03) [END WITH THE END OF THE TUNE]
23:30:00 – TOTHH Jingle Intro Night Radio (0:40)
23:30:40 – Madonna, Live To Tell (5:51)
23:36:31 – …

Example 2:

23:00:00 – TOTH Radio ID Jingle (0:13)
23:00:13 – Bryan Adams, Run To You (3:53)
23:04:06 – Debbie Harry, French Kissin’ In The USA (4:11)
23:08:17 – …

23:23:30 – Spandau Ballet, True (5:32) [23:26:56 START END TUNE]
23:29:02 – End Tune (3:03) [FADE IN]
23:29:59 – End Tune (3:03) [END WITH THE END OF THE TUNE]
23:30:00 – TOTHH Jingle Intro Night Radio (0:40)
23:30:40 – Ultravox, Dancing With Tears in My Eyes (4:05)
23:34:45 – …

In example 1 the tune plays for 1 minute and 42 seconds.
In example 2 the tune plays only for 57 seconds.

Is this, what I am trying to do, even possible in ProppFrexx? If yes, what am I doing wrong? Hopefully it is a little bit clear what I am trying to explain.

Thank you very much in advanced for your answer and precious time!

Ivan

No, such feature doesn’t exist yet.
As the position of where the ‚End Tune‘ (as you call it) would start would be different each time.
And currently PF could always start that track at the beginning and end at different locations to be on time, but not the other way around.

radio42 wrote: 18 Jul 2023 23:22 No, such feature doesn’t exist yet.

This sounds promising for a future release!

Yes, you are right. The tune, or song, has to fade in at a different time each day.

Will you always use exactly the same end tune every day?
Or will you pick an end tune from a library or list of end times?

I would always like to use exactly the same end tune.

In the latest v4.4.1.0 I added a new feature to support a bridge track at the end of a program to end exactly with its end (like you described it).

Note, that you actually define such bridge track with the next program - see the tooltip for details.
In addition you must set a negative value for the 'Minimum Bridge Time' in the general settigs, section Scripts/Scheduler.

Minimum Bridge Time:
Defines the minimum time in seconds an optional program bridge track should play.
If the remaining time (til the actual start time) of a program is less than this time, the bridge track will not be played and the program will be started early.
A negative value defines the same, but the bridge track will not be played looped in case it is longer than the bridge time, but instead will end exactly at the related start time.

In the (next) program scheduler entry you then define the Bridge Track:
Bridge Track:
A bridge track might be used as a filler right before this program actually starts. This to prevent a subsequent track of a currently running playlist to play for only a very short time. The bridge track will always be played looped (except with a negative Minimum Bridge Time).

As a program comes up early (ahead of the actual start time, see the Show in advance time) the currently running (previous) playlist will be monitored at this time. If a current track of that playlist will end during this time, the bridge track will be played until the effective start time of this program.

Note: The Minimum Bridge Track Time is also considered, if the remaining time (til the actual start time) is less than this minimum time, the bridge track will not be played and the program just starts early.

Wow, thank you very much Bernd for implying this feature so fast in a new update. I wasn’t expecting this at all. And that even on my birthday. The best present I could wish! What a great customer service.

I will try to set it up like you explained and report back.

Thanks again and have a very nice day!

Ivan

Happy Birthday!

Hi Bernd,

radio42 wrote: 27 Jul 2023 18:20Happy Birthday!

Thank you!

Sorry for my late reply, but in the past days I have been testing this new “end tune” feature extensively!

I created two simple scripts playing random songs, and both having a different Initial Track (an intro jingle). In the Scheduler I made 30 minutes programs with those two scripts continuously following up on each other. The next program is always loaded 300 seconds (5 minutes) in advanced every time.

The Minimum Bridge Time I have set to minus 90 seconds because I want this tune to play for at least a minute and a half.

In 50% of the cases it works perfect!

In the other 50%:

1. The gap between the end of the last song and the next program is too big, so that the tune plays in full length (3’03”), ends and start again from the beginning and then ends somewhere when the next program starts.

2. When a very long song like for example: “Dire Straits - Telegraph Road” (11’59”) is chosen by the script, and already is playing before the next program is loaded 300 seconds (5 minutes) in advanced. Then this song keeps playing and is faded out, if it is not finished when the next program begins. The Bridge Track will be ignored.

3. When the gap between the end of the last song and the start of the new program is smaller than the Minimum Bridge Time, the tune also will not play.

A nice future feature would be a setting that no matter what, at a certain time the last track is faded into this end tune. For example 90 seconds. Then even when the last song is playing, 90 seconds before the end of current running program the end tune is faded (adjustable) in.

It would be very fine if there was a setting wherein you could set the fade-in time for that bridge track. Now this transition is a little bit abrupt sometimes. It depends from song to song.

If possible, a way to make this Bridge Track visible in some sort of player would also be appreciated. Now it is playing and you can’t see it in the current, nor upcoming programs DJ-players.

Thank you very much for making this already possible! I realize that it is a very complicated feature. Hopefully it is explained in an understandable way.

Hi,

The ‘Show in Advance Time’ defines the time when the next program is monitored for the bridge track. If a current track ends in that time (gap as you called it), the Bridge Track is played looped.
As such…

1. Is by design. The bridge track is played looped in this scenario. You can reduce the Show in Advance time and not make it bigger than the length of the bridge track to prevent this.
This also matches your overall requirement.

2. Also by design. As there is nothing to bridge, that bridge track is not being played. The start type of the next program defines how the next program is being started, either Soft of Fixed.

3. This scenario is unclear to me and I can not reproduce it. If a current track ends after the Show in Advance time and there is still time til the next program, the bridge track of the next program will be played… as explained above.
So what is played instead in your case?
What is your ‘Start Early’ setting?

To your requirements:

Please define this ‘certain’ time! If you always want a fixed time no matter what, you might use a Fixed Time Element instead?!
But note, what should happen, if in your scenario the ‘last song’ just started to play for a few seconds?
It would be faded out immediately after it just stared to play this 90 seconds bridge track. In my mind also not a perfect transition.

I will take a look to the Fade-In time and can use the default manual fade-in time.

I am afraid, that there is currently no way to visualize the bridge track, as it is not played by any DJ Player. So I am not sure yet, if I can make it?

So let’s focus on the transition first, and the use of the bridge track, as your requirements are not fully clear to me, as Incan always image a scenario where there are exceptions. As explained above.
But if you want to have a final track, no matter what, check the use of a Fixed Time Element.