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Fig. 1: Custom scripts allow you to change controls on surfaces or to create standalone mixing UIs.

The author is a support engineer for Wheatstone Corp. This originally appeared in the ebook “Console Tech 2021.” It is one in a series of articles about how to get the most out of popular radio broadcast products. 

Consoles come in all shapes, sizes and forms these days, from legacy hardware surfaces to the newer virtual mixers on a laptop and everything in between.  

What worked in your studio yesterday might not work today, and what works today might not work tomorrow. That’s where scripting comes in, both in terms of custom scripts for virtual mixers as well as newer hardware consoles with software configured controls. 

Creating custom scripts to change controls on console surfaces such as our LXE or GSX models or to create entirely standalone mixing UIs is one practical and affordable way to meet these constantly changing requirements.

Nearly every broadcast mixing surface or console manufactured has a set of standard features that cover 90% of the workflow or use requirements for a studio. Generally, these are: input faders, control room and studio controls, mix-minus sends, and logic I/O for tallies and remote control.

Fortunately, the world of audio over IP enabled us to make several improvements on these features. 

[Related: “How to Choose Your Next Console”]

The change from legacy console, where one wires everything to the chassis of the mixer, to a distributed or routed environment with Blades or other I/O units becoming termination points for routing, replaced miles and miles of cabling in some cases.

But even with all the enhancements the AoIP routed studio brought us, at the end of the day the console (or what is now called a “surface”) is essentially doing the same job. That is, mixing your content together and sending that mix on to the next process in the chain.

The job of the console remains the same, but what has changed is how the job is done — and on what.

Multiplicity of applications

For example, with scripting, you can change the default behavior of any hardware button, fader, encoder or OLED screen on the LXE or GSX console surface. 

This can be done in easy-to-use setup software, and changes to the surface generally do not require a restart of the surface itself. In addition to a full array of surface standard functions, users also now have control over button colors as well as the behavior of that button. 

A person could also actually write custom code using the Surface Setup GUI and the Wheatstone scripting language to have the hardware button do more than one function, and then change LED state (such as color) based on the status of whatever it was they intended to control or change.  

A simple example of this is to set up a button to fire a salvo.  

This is a simple point-and-click procedure using the LXE or GSX Script Wizard in the Surface Setup GUI. 

Setting up a button to fire a salvo is a point-and-click procedure using the LXE or GSX Script Wizard in the Surface Setup GUI.

Once the change is sent to the surface, the button becomes a Fire Salvo (macro) button. In addition to firing the salvo to change the audio routing, we can also change the state of logic pins on another Blade in the system and at the same time, change the button to a different color when that logic pin is in the ON state or activated state. 

What’s more, you can go beyond the Script Wizard and into creating a custom piece of software that executes the salvo and changes the state of the logic pin when the button is pressed, plus change the LED color of the button when that logic is active. 

All you’d need is to open the Script Editor and add a few lines of code, as shown below. 

You can can go beyond the Script Wizard, to creating custom software that executes the salvo and changes the state of the logic pin when the button is pressed, plus change the LED color of the button when that logic is active. Open the Script Editor and add a few lines of code.

As workflows and requirements change, you can modify salvos and more, and the surface will automatically update without the need to restart it or the mix/DSP engine.

In addition, with scripting tools such as ScreenBuilder, you can add custom screens directly on the console GUI itself. One of the main benefits of being able to build custom screen interfaces directly on the console itself is that these UIs don’t have to run on a PC in the studio, which most likely is already doing quadruple duty as an Internet/edit/playback PC.  

Screens can be developed using drag-and-drop widgets such as buttons, labels and meters that can be set up with logic controls that modify various aspects of the system for changing audio routing, on/off logic and tallies.

You can set up screens for not only one specific studio, but all of the studios in a WheatNet-IP audio networked system as a whole.  

Across the network

Let’s say you have five stations in a location, and there’s one person in the facility for overnights who monitors all five stations. 

From one control room, the overnight talent could call up a screen to see the status of all five stations at once and swipe through a menu to monitor audio from those stations and to get data from various points in the system. 

This can be done directly on any LXE and GSX console surface in any studio, so if the overnight talent is not in his normal position or studio he or she can still see the system from any room there’s a GSX or LXE. 

Also, these new scriptable consoles have OLED displays for each input fader and two or more for each output module. Each of these displays can be configured independently to display different data sets about sources assigned, program assignments, mix assignments and can be further customized for your own text and graphic displays.You can even add station logos or other images to reinforce station branding, and provide at-a-glance data to the operator.

Another software benefit is the LXE and GSX’s ability to have up to 32 inputs and 16 outputs in their mix engines. This means broadcasters have access to ample inputs and outputs yet are able to keep the physical fader or surface size down to a minimum. By carefully deploying layers to the surface, they can page a smaller layout surface of say 4 to 16 faders to get access to those additional inputs and outputs. This allows studio designers to keep a smaller footprint on the furniture and make additional room, or clean up an already crowded space.

When off-site, operators can also remote in to the studio or physical console using apps such as Remote LXE/GSX, ReMIX or Glass E. These are software extensions of the AoIP network or physical console that can mirror what’s happening at the studio. In some cases, remote operation can be done on an entirely standalone virtual console that contains custom scripting, all of which could be the blocks of the all-virtual studio of the future. 

Robert Ferguson has been in radio for more than 25 years, with experience both behind the board and in front of it as a broadcast engineer and on-air personality.

The post Benefits of a “Scriptable” Mixing Console appeared first on Radio World.

In its strong opposition to allowing geo-targeting on FM boosters, the National Association of Broadcasters told the FCC it is worried about “cannibalization” among radio stations as well as harm to smaller and minority-owned stations.

Radio World is excerpting public comments filed to the FCC in a series of articles. Here, we summarize the section of the NAB filing about cannibalization.

“Although GBS presents its proposal as a permissive option, even voluntary adoption by only one or two stations is likely to disrupt the advertising market for other broadcasters in the same radio market,” NAB told the commission Wednesday.

“In particular, allowing geo-targeting could thrust broadcasters into a collision that disadvantages smaller stations less equipped to absorb the costs of implementing ZoneCasting effectively or reduced ad rates. GBS’s own filings demonstrates the risks.”

It pointed to an example from GBS showing a high-powered station broadcasting from downtown Manhattan that could use boosters to create zoned coverage areas in New Jersey, Connecticut and on Long Island:

“Although GBS offers this image to illustrate the station’s opportunity to use boosters to geo-target news and information to these respective areas, the station would also be able to sell geo-targeted ads,” NAB told the FCC.

“It is easy to foresee the negative impact on smaller stations licensed to Edison, N.J., and Mount Kisco, N.Y., and other distant suburbs. Such broadcasters must already compete with nearby stations for precious ad dollars from grocery stores, car dealers and other small businesses in the local area.

“If the booster rule is amended, they could be pitched into battle against much larger, New York City-based broadcasters for this critical local business. And contrary to GBS’s claims, some broadcasters believe that any such opportunity to sell zoned ads to new customers will largely be one-way because smaller stations do not have access to the capital necessary to implement geo-targeting as effectively, or capture enough new advertising business to justify the effort.”

[Related: “GBS Gathers Support for Geo-Targeting”]

NAB also questioned the usefulness of ZoneCasting for stations in small and mid-sized markets. It said its members in these markets view ZoneCasting as a “big city play,” at best.

“It would be unusual for small and mid-sized radio markets to have multiple pockets of population sufficient to support the investment required to deploy GBS’s system. GBS points to certain radio markets that cross state borders or cover multiple economic areas where geo- targeting could possibly make sense. Again, however, most broadcasters predict that larger stations would enjoy the lion’s share of any such benefits, at the expense of smaller stations.”

NAB argues that “nearly all” radio broadcasters consider GBS’s proposal “as a lose-lose proposition in which the only winners would be the technology provider and advertisers.”

The association also disputes that geo-targeting will help minority-owned broadcasters, a benefit that has been mentioned publicly several times by Commissioner Geoffrey Starks.

NAB acknowledged that public interest organizations led by MMTC have expressed support of GBS’s petition. “MMTC explained that minority station owners often entered broadcasting later than others, leading them to locate their tower sites located some distance from downtown. MMTC states that ZoneCasting would enable these broadcasters to target different programming to different audiences, and adds that such owners may also be able to entice small and minority owned businesses to purchase less expensive, zoned ads.”

NAB said it shares MMTC’s goals to help promote minority ownership of stations but says the booster rule change would likely be counter-productive.

“First, a minority broadcaster with a transmitter on the fringe of a market would already have the incentive and ability to obtain a booster so as to provide a stronger signal into the urban core of a market. Given that the FCC’s rules permit stations to deploy a booster at their convenience, we presume that any such broadcaster has already done so where the investment has been justified.”

NAB said that any incremental ad sales to small businesses from geo-targeting would not change that calculation, particularly in light of the risks and costs of implementing geo-targeting.

It noted that GBS has offered to provide vendor financing to certain FM stations, fronting the capital to design, build and operate a booster, in exchange for a share of the marginal ad revenue it generates.

NAB asked what would happen if GBS encounters financial problems and requires accelerated payment, and what would the station’s obligation be if revenues are insufficient to repay GBS or the station discontinues service.

“We understand that vendor financing has been used in other telecommunications contexts. However, to NAB’s knowledge, it would be highly unusual if not unprecedented for the FCC to alter a long-standing rule in order to approve a new broadcast technology based on the promises of a single, private company to fund its rollout.” It said the FCC should not rely on GBS’s about vendor financing plan.

“Finally, MMTC does not address the unintended consequences that ZoneCasting could impose on minority broadcasters. Just like other similarly situated, smaller radio stations, minority owned stations could face new competition from large stations in other parts of a market. There would be nothing to stop a large downtown station, with the resources to fund its own booster and effectively sell zoned ads, from building a booster near a minority-owned station and using the booster to seize ad dollars from small or minority-owned businesses in the area,” it wrote.

“Moreover, a larger station could better afford to charge very attractive prices for zoned ads to win such business. In the end, ZoneCasting could be little more than a vehicle for large stations to increase their dominance at the expense of smaller stations, including those owned by people who are members of historically underrepresented groups. Such an outcome would not serve the public interest in diverse radio service.”

[Related: “ZoneCasting Would Level the Playing Field for Radio”]

The post NAB Details Its “Cannibalization” Worry appeared first on Radio World.

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Requests the substitution of channel 18 for channel 13 at Kearney, Nebraska, in the DTV Table of Allotments

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Requests the substitution of channel 27 for channel 8 at Jonesboro, Arkansas, in the DTV Table of Allotments

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Issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture in the amount of $1,500 to Iglesia Sinai Pentecostes, Inc., for failure to timely file a license renewal application for Station WLDC-LP, Goshen, Indiana

Requests an amendment of the DTV Table of Allotments to delete channel 10 at Peoria, Illinois, substituting channel 10 at Oswego, Illinois. Further requests modification of WAOE's license to specify Oswego as its community of license

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Maquoketa Broadcasting Company enters into consent decree to resolve political file investigation

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Trending Media, Inc. enters into consent decree to resolve political file investigation

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