Setting up POWERGOLD for use with LogMerge requires some steps to ensure that your exported log file will reflect the information you need in addition to the music information.

Setup Requirements

DOS Version

The POWERGOLD version needs to be v7.04 or greater - it supports multi-line Break Notes with an [ALT-F7] keystroke in format editor. By way of further explanation, the standard, older versions of POWERGOLD allow for a single line of break note information for each format element. With automation expanding and the need for sequences of events like "play jingle out of music into stopset, then play stopset, then play liner into music set" becoming more prevalent, POWERGOLD was enhanced to allow for multi-line break notes in v7.04. v7.04 allows the user to enter Break Notes two ways, but the multi-line approach should be used, as embedded DCS macro characters will be passed through.

Outside Events

You must use POWERGOLD's documented automation 'outside events' flags in order that any special commands for DCS are created and intended to be exported. If you don't, the information won't be exported. All DCS commands are issued via the Break Note

POWERGOLD documents the caret (^) as the character to tell the export this is an outside command. Further, once the command is issued in a break note, ONLY the text to the first space is exported, i.e., "DCS_Break Note" will be exported as "DCS_Break". Therefore, all commands issued to DCS must be non-space characters. The underscore (_) is used to accomplish this. POWERGOLD also documents the @ character followed by a value will cause the export to place a duration for the event in the Total Duration field of the exported file (expressed in seconds).

Music Cart Numbers

The music cart number must be placed in the first 4 characters of the Miscellaneous field of the song record. Either numbers or letters may be used. Examples would be: "1000", "M100", "123Z" (no quotes).  This is the field recommended by POWERGOLD to ensure that existing CD ID's, etc., are preserved.

Exporting the Log

The finished music log needs to be printed, using POWERGOLD Automation print option from the Print Playlists menu. Once 'printed', the output file needs to be converted from either System | Automation menu, or by exiting POWERGOLD and running TRAY.EXE from the command line (launch from POWERGOLD directory). The reason for two methods is that some implementations of POWERGOLD don't make the menu option available - as in the case of TM's UDS setup, where POWERGOLD assumes the export will be to UDS.

Keyword Flags

Non-music elements, including other carts - liners, jingles, voice tracks, etc.- and DCS-specific automation information can be entered in the music log as special log notes. A special syntax is used to tell LogMerge that these elements are not standard log notes.  Each of the items available must start at the beginning of the note and be entered as documented in the table below.

BE SURE YOU SAVE YOUR WORK WHEN EXITING THE POWERGOLD Multi-Line BREAK NOTE EDITOR!

Here's an example of a Break Note that tells DCS to perform a liner out of the song, a break at :20 past the hour, then a jingle into the music set:

^DCS_Cart_VT_^%##_0015_VoiceTrack_to_Brk
^DCS_Traffic_Merge20_Goto_TR_LOG
^DCS_CART_VT_J200_0003_Jingle_to_music

Hour Opener

This information is entered in the Format Development | Clocks | Update Clocks section of POWERGOLD.

Use the second header line (the one labeled by POWERGOLD as used to appear before the first song of the hour) to indicate whether or not the hour is to be automated (voice-tracked) and to embed a load or load play directive if necessary. Each format clock MUST have the basic hour opener information included in this second line. LogMerge uses the hour opener information to determine whether or not the hour will be voice-tracked. The syntax for the this line to include both automation (voice-tracking) and a LoadPlay directive would be as follows:

 ^DCS_HR_VOICE_TRACK01 @00 ^DCS_DIRECTIVE_LP_00_6000_LoadPlayHR

The "01" on the voice track statement means voice ##, the "00" on the LoadPlay directive means place the directive at the 00 minute mark of the hour, and the "6000" value means 60 minutes, 00 seconds of duration for the directive.  The syntax for a non-voice tracked hour is simple and provides only the hour marker. Note that you can also include additional directives, as with a voice-tracked hour, if desired. A standard hour - non-voice-tracked - would have the syntax:

 ^DCS_HR  @00

Note the real difference between a voice-tracked hour and a standard hour is the text following the keyword ^DCS_HR. If blank, it's a standard, live-assist hour. If the text is ^DCS_HR_VOICE_TRACK??, then it's recognized as a voice-tracked (automated) hour.

The effect of an hour defined as an automated hour is that all log notes are stripped from the output log unless the Keep All Log Notes option in configuration is set.  If an hour is not automated, log notes by default are passed through to the finished log.

Creating the Export File

The file name of the finished file will be mmddyy.ASC, which is a standard file extension for POWERGOLD on their standard automation output.

Note that creating the export file is a two-step process.

Printing the Playlist

Once you've completed format work and entered the cart numbers in the music database, you can generate a play list as usual.

To create the export file, select Print Playlists from the PlayList Generator menu. You'll be prompted for the number of days to print (select 1) and Log Design Assignment Grid (select your choice). Press [ENTER] and you'll be prompted for the date to print. Select the date. You'll be prompted to select the output - choose A)utomation.

Next, you'll be prompted to enter a filename. Type the file name as mmddyy.TXT where mm=month, dd=day, yy=year. An example is 061495.TXT. Press [ENTER] and you'll get the normal prompting for beginning and ending hours to print. Take the defaults - 12:00am to 12:00am to produce a 24-hour log. The log will then be printed to a file that will need to have a final process applied.

Touch the [ESC] key to return to the Generate Playlist menu and [ESC] again to the Main Menu.

Use Automation Utilities

There are two ways to access POWERGOLD's Automation utilities menu.  If you can select
System | Automation from the menu, do so.  Otherwise, use this alternative method:

From the Automation Utilities menu, select A-Standard Automation. You'll be prompted for the text file name to convert. This would be the filename you entered when printing the playlist - i.e., "061495.TXT" (no quotes) - and press the [ENTER] key. The file will be converted and stored in the same directory as TRAY was launched from.

You'll next get a prompt that indicates you may copy the file to a diskette. If you wish to copy the file to a diskette, enter the drive name (i.e., A:) and press the [ENTER] key. If you want to skip copying the file to a floppy, press the [ESC] key and you'll be returned to the Automation Utilities menu. Press [ESC] to exit the Automation utilities.

DOS File Layout Reference

These file layouts are provided for information and troubleshooting purposes.

Music Record

Break Note Record

 

---