Create a new Program Element
Creating Program Elements is the most important aspect of automation and audio programming. Special care and attention to details is required to ensure a pleasant playback (execution) experience.
Note: Please refer to the Graphical Program Element Editor for an alternative and graphical method of creating program elements. This is the program elements' multi track editor.
We will start by explaining the program element editing interface as it is different to the Grid, Schedule and Programs.
On the left hand side you have the program elements displayed in a tree control. This makes it possible to embed program elements within other program elements. For most scenarios, this functionality will not be required.
To the right of the tree view, there is the form where you can manage the program elements.
The right side of the form also has the Program Element Rules tab which is used to set automation rules on the program element when the element is not linked to an audio file. The system will use the rules set on that tab to apply the automated audio selection rules. To view this tab, you have to have a program element selected from the tree view.
To create a new program element, you click on the New button and use the form to enter the properties of the element you are working on adding.
The program element can be any of the following different types:
Let's select Song for our example and then click on the link button to select a song from our database.
This bring up the program element properties dialog box.
Click on the link button on the Program Element Properties dialog box to bring up the media search form for us to be able to search for a media file from our media database.
Enter whatever criteria you wish to search based on and click on the Search button.
Clicking on the Search button will retrieve the matching audio files. Select one of the result records and click on the OK button. Alternatively you may want to double click on the selected record.
The Program Element Properties dialog box will be populated with the selected media record properties. Notice that the End Time is adjusted to match the audio file's length or duration on record.
The check box next to the End Time is disable which forces the system to use the selected media's duration. Checking it allows you to cut the song playback short of the end of the audio length. You would normally want to use it with the last element of the program if it's length is beyond the boundaries of the program. This way, you make sure all your programs are started on time as scheduled.
Click OK to confirm.
Notice how the program element name was populated from the name of the media file selected.
Click on the Save button to save our newly created program element.