Spacial News

Update: SAM Broadcaster 4.9.4

Tue Mar 13 00:00:00 EDT 2012

How to start multiple instances of SAM Broadcaster and SAM Cast.

Note: The following documentation is for SAM Broadcaster, but the same method can be applied for SAM Cast by browsing to SAMCast.exe instead. You cannot just copy SAMBC.exe into a folder, you must use the installer; otherwise the application will not work correctly. (Application will exit and/or have audio problems)

On your desktop, right click and select “New => Shortcut” from the context menu.

In the shortcut wizard select the browse button and browse to the SAMBC.exe file in your SAM Broadcaster installation.

Typically this would be under "C:Program Files (x86)SpacialAudioSAMBCSAMBC.exe".

In the textbox showing this path on the wizard now add the text: /INSTANCE=SAM123

Using SAM123 is unique name for this shortcut.

If you create another shortcut and give it another name then it will start a different instance of SAM and this way you would be able to launch multiple instances of SAM. For example adding - /INSTANCE=SAMRadio1 to another shortcut will launch a separate instance of SAM.

Tip: For the name do not use any spaces and stick to “Alphanumerical” characters (i.e. A-Z and 0-9)

The full text in the location textbox will then look something like this:
"C:Program Files (x86)SpacialAudioSAMBCSAMBC.exe" /INSTANCE=SAMRadio1

Click on “NEXT”, select a name for the shortcut (like SAM123),

Click finish and you are set.

Repeat this process with different names for /INSTANCE=SAMRadi1 parameter for each of the different instances you want to launch.

To shutdown all instances the application could run with the /SHUTDOWNALL flag.

Player.Fade To Next Custom(fade Level, duration)

This method fade to the next item in queue and acquire as parameters fadeLevel which is a value between 0 and 100, where 0 is muted and 100 is the maximum duration which is measured in milliseconds.

Player.Fade To Volume(volume Level, duration)

This method fade to a volume level provided by volumeLevel, to do so in a duration specified by duration, which is measured in milliseconds.

Queue.Refresh

This refreshes the queue from the database. This is useful for when the database is altered by a third party application.

For any information regarding these updates, please contact our Support Team

How To Set Up Your SpacialNet Encoder

Thu Dec 08 00:00:00 EST 2011

SpacialNet allows you to stream your audio in popular formats like MP3, Windows Media (WMA) and aacPlus. MP3 is one of the oldest streaming formats, WMA works well with Windows Media Player and Microsoft Silverlight, while aacPlus provides the best sound quality at lower bitrates.

Once you’ve chosen the format you’d like to stream in, you can set up your SpacialNet encoder. To do this, open SAM Broadcaster and follow these steps:

Click on “Desktop B” in the toolbar.
In the “Encoders” window, click the plus sign (“+”) to add a new encoder.
Select the SpacialNet encoder.
Click “OK.”

The SpacialNet encoder window will then appear.

In the “Service” tab, enter your SpacialNet username and password.
Click “Login.”
A list of active services will appear. Click the “Select” button next to the service you wish to use.
Click “Next” to proceed to the “Encoder” tab and make sure to verify your settings.
Click “Next” to proceed to “Station Details.”

In “Station Details”:

Enter your radio station’s name.
Select your station’s genre from the drop-down menu.
Provide your website’s URL.
The “AIM,” “ICQ,” and “IRC, channel” fields are optional. If you have already provided your station details under “Config” in “Station Details,” the information will be filled in. So you may proceed to the next step.
Click “Next” to proceed to the “Archive” tab.

In the “Archive” tab:

Check “Save stream to file” if you want to save a copy of your stream to your local hard drive.

Once you’ve configured all your settings, click “OK” to close the SpacialNet Encoder window.

How To Set Up Your SpacialNet Statistic Relays

Thu Dec 08 00:00:00 EST 2011

Setting up a statistic relay will let you know how many listeners are tuned in at any given time.

To set up SpacialNet statistic relays, open SAM Broadcaster and follow these steps:

Click on “Desktop B” in the toolbar.
In the “Statistics” window, click the plus sign (+) to add a new relay.
Select “SpacialNet Relay” from the list.
Click “OK.”

The “SpacialNet Relay” window will appear.

In the “Service” tab, enter your SpacialNet username and password.
Click “Login” and select a streaming service.
To select the "Color on graph," click on the color box, and a color selection window will appear. In it, select the color you want to use to represent this particular statistic on your relays graph.
We recommend leaving "Private statistic relay" unchecked, since "Public" relays get listed on AudioRealm.com.
Click "OK."

College Media Convention Round-Up

Tue Nov 08 00:00:00 EST 2011

It seems everyone we met at the National College Media Convention in Orlando had astute observations to offer up about the state of college radio. We were eager to share the wisdom with you, so we took our video camera and just kept rolling.

Watch more NCMC videos here and here.

Featured in this video (in order of appearance):

Mark Maben, CBI Development Director and General Manager at WSOU (Seton Hall University)

Omar Assad, Station Manager at WSOU (Seton Hall University)

Latrese Dean, Editor at The Bent Tree (Clayton State University)

Kenny Harris, Wildcat Student TV (University of Kentucky)

Dr. Rob Quicke, General Manager at WPSC (William Patterson University) and co-founder of College Radio Day

Jennifer Waits, DJ at KFJC and Editor at Radio Survivor and Spinning Indie

Jaime Hernandez, Assistant Program Director at SCAD Radio (Savannah College of Art and Design)

Kyle Johns, WSUW (University of Wisconsin)

Kendrel Dickerson, Wildcat Student TV (University of Kentucky)

Yul Banks, President at Clayton State TV (Clayton State University)

Kali Mattheus, Wildcat Student TV (University of Kentucky)

***

With special thanks to CBI.

U.S. Royalties, Made Easy

Fri Nov 04 00:00:00 EDT 2011

During the ever-informative National College Media Convention, many university broadcasters were eager to learn the basics of music royalties for a U.S.-based listenership. Thankfully, the folks at CBI had the foresight to invite Sound Exchange's Manager of Licensing & Enforcement, Travis Ploeger, who cheerfully answered students' questions at the event. In between Q&As, Ploeger sat down with Spacial to clarify some issues that many SAM users often ask about. Here's what he had to say.

For more information on Sound Exchange, visit their website. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

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With special thanks to CBI.

Radio Automation Helps College Radio Go Pro

Wed Nov 02 00:00:00 EDT 2011

There was no shortage of insightful people at this year's National College Media Convention in Orlando, Florida. But Al Reynolds caught our attention when he hosted a round table on radio automation during the conferences organized by College Broadcasters, Inc. (CBI). In his role as WIKD's Assistant Engineer, it's his job to make sure programming runs smoothly, even if there are fewer people to man the station during the summer months. So we asked him to chat with us about how radio automation helps his student-run station at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Check out WIKD on Facebook and Twitter.

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With special thanks to CBI.

Rookery Radio Wins the Spacial-CBI Contest

Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 EDT 2011

Left to right: Jean-Philippe Desormiers (Spacial), logo designer Adam Rogers (Rookery Radio), Dr. Adam Earnheardt (Rookery Radio), Josh Stipanovich (Rookery Radio) and Olivia Collette (Spacial).

As some of you might know, we attended the National College Media Convention in Orlando last week. The experience was eye-opening. We met so many interesting people, we were introduced to several college radio stations, not to mention that we had loads of fun. We also hosted a contest in collaboration with College Broadcasters Inc. (CBI), and the grand prize was a bundle that includes SAM Broadcaster, SAM Cast, free streaming for 1 year, a Flash player and an iPhone app. The winner was Rookery Radio, from Youngstown State University in Ohio.

When Rookery Radio's media adviser, Dr. Adam Earnheardt, found out about the win, he wasn't just ecstatic; he was moved. Having just launched the station last spring, this prize means a lot to him and to the 50-some students involved.

We chatted with Dr. Earnheardt to get the full story on Rookery Radio. We'll also be checking in on the station over the next year to give you a head's up on how they're doing.

Could you tell us a bit about Rookery Radio and Youngstown State University?

We launched Rookery Radio in spring 2011 as a way to bring traditional college radio back to Youngstown, to teach students about radio, and to promote the arts, culture and business in the Youngstown area.

There is a deep, rich history of media in Youngstown, and we wanted our students to be a part of it, to create their own history. Students were clamouring for a way to get their voices heard on campus. But as with most other universities with campus media, resources were very limited, so we relied heavily on support from a few people on campus and in the community; people who had the same vision for Rookery that we did. After about 18 months of planning, and several drafts of a business plan, we launched Rookery in February 2011.

Why is it called "Rookery Radio?"

YSU's mascot is a penguin. After a “Name your college radio station” contest, a group of about 30 students combed through 300 or so entries and landed on Rookery – which means “a gathering of penguins.” It also means a “gathering of breeding mammals.” Of course, they didn’t tell me about this alternate definition until after we announced our name to the campus.

We really dig your logo. Who came up with it and what does it represent?

Again, another contest. We asked students to design a logo, and we received about a dozen or so entries. Then a group of about 5 or 6 students selected the winning entry. The student who designed the logo, Adam Rogers, won an Amazon Kindle for his efforts.

About how many people are involved, in some way, at Rookery Radio?

Right now, we have more than 50 students involved. We’re on air from 7 am to 11 pm Monday through Friday, and we're automated the rest of the time. Each student gets a two-hour shift. The great thing about our group of students is that they come from so many different majors. They’re not just communication students as one might suspect. We have students majoring in psychology, criminal justice, art, education and so on.

What does it mean to you to that Rookery Radio won this grand prize?

This is a game-changer for us. Right now, we’re piece-mealing our content and delivery systems, and quite frankly, the software and media-filing situation is a mess. Having the SAM Broadcaster and SAM Cast tools at our disposal will make Rookery Radio what it really should be: a professional experience for our students. Now they’ll get access to a professional automation and delivery system on par with some of the larger commercial stations in our area.

What will this grand prize package allow Rookery Radio to do that it couldn't do before?

Pretty much everything. As of now, we’re using a scaled-down, inexpensive version of an automation system. And we’re encoding using freeware, which creates some reliability issues. Now we have so much more – and for me, the level of support is what I think is most impressive. Right now I’m trying to figure out all this stuff on my own, and that’s the downside to using free or inexpensive software.

To know that I can call someone to get support, to get the answers, that’s huge for me. Let’s face it, many college media advisers like me are spending all our free time to make media happen for our students. This will save a lot of that free time for other things.

We'll be monitoring your progress over the next year. What can listeners expect during that time?

A professional sound, more programming, and more options for accessing our content. For one, the iPhone app and Flash Media player will be huge. Right now, students are trying to figure out the best way to tell people to listen to us, and no one answer is ever the same.

Also, our current software doesn’t really allow for mixing, so to have access to cross-fades and beat detection will be a big bonus. In short, I think our audience will hear a much more professional sound coming from the Rookery stream – the kind of sound they would expect to hear from our commercial counterparts.

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Follow Rookery Radio on Facebook and Twitter.

And the Winner Is...

Fri Oct 21 00:00:00 EDT 2011

Meet James Allen, winner of our contest and the new host of our video tutorials. James is a versatile fellow. On top of being tech-savvy, he's a voice-over artist with a real love for all things 80s. We chatted with James to get to know him a little better. Here's what he said.

You can also watch the audition video that won him the part below.

What made you want to audition for the role of Spacial's video tutorials host?

I had felt for a while that I would really enjoy making video tutorials but had not yet had the opportunity or motivation to try my hand at it. I was also keen to try out being in front of the camera instead of just behind a mic.

Having fallen in love with SAM, the prospect of helping people to learn this great piece of software as well as help me improve my presenting skills was a very attractive prospect.

What's the name of the online radio station you work with?

CodeBass Radio.

What show do you host?

The 80s Rewind Show with James Allen and The Researcher “Princess Pickles.” [ed. Follow the show on Twitter]

What can people expect when they listen to your show?

A total rewind to the 1980’s – with music from the US Billboard Top 1000, original movie trailers, TV themes, TV commercials, facts/trivia and more. Our aim is to transport our listeners back to this great decade, recreating some of the texture and atmosphere of this wonderful time - ending the week in style and kick-starting the weekend.

When did you get into radio, and why?

I started my radio show in mid-2010, when an opportunity arose to broadcast on an Internet radio station. I have been interested in 80s music and everything that made the decade so great. An idea had been bubbling in my head for a while about an 80s-themed show and ways to really take people back to the decade.

I had recently gotten into voiceover work and trying my hand at radio really fit into my overall plans for improving my voice, along with entertaining an audience.

I had also been a pro-wrestler so the urge to entertain and get on the mic was very addictive. J

What made you get into voice-over work?

Since being a teenager, I had always had a fascination with speaking on the mic – whether it was to play around doing impressions of famous people or pretending I was the deep-voiced trailer guy. It wasn’t until recent years that I started thinking that maybe I could actually do it on a professional level. I bought my first real mic and from the moment I fired up Adobe Audition and heard my voice back, I knew it was something I wanted to get into. I then started doing jingles for some of the radio shows I was involved in, and it went from there.

You're from Nottingham, UK. What is Nottingham known for?

The three most well-known things that Nottingham is known for are Robin Hood, the lace industry and the urban legend that there is a 1:5 ratio of men to women – making Nottingham a *very* popular destination for bachelor parties!

Here's James's winning video:

Updates: SAM Broadcaster 4.9.2, SAM DJ 4.4.2 & SAM Cast 3.4.0 – Changelog

Mon Oct 03 00:00:00 EDT 2011

Thanks to all those who helped us sort out bugs on the last versions of SAM Broadcaster and SAM DJ. In

this latest update, we fixed the issues you reported, and we also brought some improvements to SAM

Cast. Below is a rundown of the changes to each program.

If you’re running SAM Broadcaster or SAM DJ from the v.4 series, or SAM Cast from the v.3 series, you

can download these updates for free right here. To view previous changelogs, click here.

SAM Broadcaster v.4.9.2 – October 3, 2011

SpacialNet encoder and relays were added to configure SpacialNet stream hosting more easily
The UTF-8 support in player decks, Song Info editor and search window is fixed
The double-play issue when custom cross-fade settings are applied is fixed
Email address for activation is updated
All buttons now properly fit in the Edit Time window
The Pause/Play button can now toggle when you click on the corner of it
There is now more room for the “Artist” info on the player
Improved URL encoding for the HTML output parser
Maximum limits for Wowza stats have been added
0-9 filter on the samPHPweb template is fixed
A few more PAL script examples are provided
“Remove from All” now disables correctly

SAM DJ v.4.4.2 – October 3, 2011

Fixed UTF-8 support in player decks, Song Info Editor & Search window
The double-play issue when custom cross-fade settings are applied is fixed
Email address for activation is updated
All buttons now properly fit in the Edit Time window
The Pause/Play button can now toggle when you click on the corner of it
There is now more room for the “Artist” info on the player
“Remove from All” now disables correctly

SAM Cast v.3.4.0 – October 3, 2011

SpacialNet encoder and relays were added to configure SpacialNet stream hosting more easily
Updated email address for activations
Added maximum limits for Wowza stats where supported

Indie to the Bone

Thu Sep 29 00:00:00 EDT 2011

Photography and indie music aren’t things we automatically associate with one another, but for DJ Bones, it’s all in a day’s work.

On Thursday evenings, he’s a radio DJ at the University of Moncton’s CKUM station. On weekends, he travels all over the Canadian East Coast to share his unique taste in music with hundreds of club-goers. In this audio slideshow, DJ Bones tells us how it all happened.

This video featured two songs by independent artists.

The first song was “Stay Sharp” by Laura Peek, from her sophomore album, Key. Rooted in pop, Peek’s reflective songs explore the past, ulterior motives and the consequences of the choices we make. “Stay Sharp” is described as “a classic pop progression with memento mori lyrics.”
Laura Peek on Bandcamp
Laura Peek on Facebook
Laura Peek on Myspace

The second song was “Bones” by Whale Skin, the electronic/dance project of Willow Bell, who’s been honing his skills as a producer in Halifax, working with the likes of Jenocide, AA Wallace, Paper Lions and DJ Bones. Whale Skin is unabashed pop music, made to bring you straight to the dance floor.
Whale Skin on Bandcamp
Whale Skin on Twitter
Whale Skin on Myspace