MusicMaster Blog

By Dave Tyler

Customization has always been the name of the game with MusicMaster and now Version 6 has a feature that sets the bar even higher. When it comes to our library we each have our opinions on what is important for us to view. When it comes to my Music Categories there are a lot of fields that are important to me and that I need to see and be able to readily enter information into. However, when viewing some of my Non-Music categories, for instance PSAs, there are fewer fields I need to view. With Version 6, we can now have default layouts for Music and Non-Music categories without having to switch the view manually every time you go into that category. This feature is a great example of MusicMaster listening to your needs and implementing them into a wonderful feature.

I already have my default view for my library set with the fields I need to see when working with my music but I don’t need to see things like “Artist Keyword” or “Gender” when working in my PSAs. In my example below I am creating a new layout for my PSAs which will also be my layout for my imaging and all Non-Music categories. Using the Show/Hide Fields icon I have selected (by adding/removing) the fields I want to view when in my Non-Music categories.

Once this step is complete you would select OK then click the Save Library Grid Layout icon. You will now have the choice to name this layout. Check the box for Save as a New Design then name the layout here. In my example I am calling it simply PSA. Click Save and you are done here.

In the example below you can see the differences between my Music and My Non-Music layouts.

Now we need to set these as the defaults by going to Tools/Options/Library Layout Defaults. Here is where you set not only your Music and Non-Music layout defaults but at the top you can choose which view (Layout) you will use when looking at your Entire Library (Music and Non-Music at the same time).

Once you have the defaults set to the layouts of your choice click Apply then OK and you are done. These will be the layouts you will see automatically when you open those categories. If ever you want to change the defaults, it is easy to do and now you know exactly how to do it.

By Jerry Butler

You wouldn’t drive your car without regular oil changes and maintenance. Are you taking that same care for your database? If you lost your data, how long would it take for you to rebuild your database… hours, days, weeks, months? All databases are different, but one thing is true about them all. Regular maintenance insures the health and wellbeing of your data. With these three steps, you can help keep your database running smoothly and be prepared for a catastrophic disaster.

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By Paul Ziino

MusicMaster version 6.0 is full of brand new features. One of those new items is Library Query clock elements.

I want to schedule a special dance party on Saturday night from 7 to midnight. With a Library Query clock element, this is a breeze.

• Create a new clock.
• Use the drop down under Element Type to select Library Query.
  The top half of the window is set up like any other library query in the database. Select the field to be queried in the first box, the operator in the second, and what you’re looking for beneath that. Then click OK to add the query.

• The lower half of the window is where you select which categories you want to query, and the order in which you want them queried. Click Select and check the categories you want. Click OK, then using the pointer drag the categories into the desired order.
• If you want the categories to use rules from a specific category, select that option, otherwise allow MusicMaster to use the rules from the category of each song tested.
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• Click OK, complete the clock, save it and assign it accordingly.
• The next step is to determine where in your pass order you want Library Query Elements to schedule. You can adjust this in Dataset/Schedule/Schedule Properties.
• When you start the Automatic Scheduler, make sure to check the Library Query Elements item under Schedule Special Elements to cause those Library Query positions to be automatically scheduled.

There are a number of cool things about this.

• You can use different Library Query elements throughout the clock to query for different things.
• You can organize the categories in the different positions to vary the preference.
• You needn’t turn on any rules in the rule tree to make this work, just using the element makes it happen in the clock!
• If you wish to edit a position scheduled via Library Query, the replacement options will also abide by the query from the clock.

Don’t have version 6.0? Contact your MusicMaster Scheduling Consultant to find out how to get it, or call our home office at (469) 717-0100 to speak with an available sales representative.

By Marianne Burkett

As your database ages, you acquire archived histories. The older the database is in years, the more histories you add, and the larger your database becomes. Like “trimming the fat” from your steak or your belly, MusicMaster has a feature called Purge History/Trim.

You should check these settings today and make sure your database is running at optimum speed.

Go to Dataset/Schedule/Purge History. Allow it to calculate your active history and your archived history. Active history is what you can access via the Schedule editor.

In addition, make sure you are “Automatically” purging histories on the first screen you come to. If you don’t see a check mark in that Automatically Purge box, check that off. This is needed so your database doesn’t become bloated and sluggish.

Now for the “trim”: If your database is five, six or more years old, you may want to consider flushing out some of the archived histories. After all, you probably don’t go back years and years to see what you did in 2007.

Click on the Trim button. You can use the Automatic settings or do this manually. Keep as many years as you’d like, but I recommend two years in the archived histories. Run the Trim. When it is done, close the Purge History utility and head over to Tools on your Toolbar. From there check to be sure you’re the only person in the database. (Tools/User List). If others have the database open, ask them to please exit the software. Once you are alone in the data, run Tools/Purge.

This essentially “flushes” your database, reduces its size and makes it a lean mean fighting machine again.

Be sure to make a new backup under Tools/Backup when you are done.

Happy Scheduling!

If you have any questions or concerns contact your Music Scheduling Consultant.

By Paul Ziino

Have you ever seen your Info Bar spread across your MusicMaster screen like this…

…and can’t figure out how to get it back where you like it? Here’s a quick and easy way to do so.

Right click anywhere in the info bar and check Dockable. Right click in the info bar again and click on Location and set it where you want (most common is Left).

Once you have the info bar where you like, right click within and select Locked, and now you won’t accidentally drag it away from its desired location. You can do the same thing for the F6 History Graph, too. Just right click in a gray portion of the graphic, select Dockable, then set your location and lock it.

By Jesus Rodriguez

This past summer I think I received more calls about how to match elements to each other than I had ever received since joining the MusicMaster consulting team.

There’s no secret to matching elements like jingles, sweepers or imaging to songs based on tempo, artist, title, etc. There are a few ways to do it and one of them happens to be my favorite because it is very easy and requires very few steps unlike some of the other options.

My favorite way is by using the Match Flow Rule that is found in an Attribute-Multiple field type. Some may say that using Specials Sets is the way to go for matching element types to songs before or after it. Special Sets can be used to do this but in my experience the additional steps it takes to set it up aren’t always the easiest to understand for my clients doing this type of feature for the first time. Don’t get me wrong you are more than welcome to use “Special Sets” and I promise that we can still be friends. Speaking of friends, if you would like to know how to match elements using special sets we have plenty of blogs that have been written on the subject by my friends here at MusicMaster.

I remember hosting a private Genius Day for one of our Colorado clients with MusicMaster’s very own President Joe Knapp. This question came up and I began to go through the steps of how to use special sets to match imagining to songs when Joe asked if he could jump in and offer a way easier solution. Well as Joe always does, he managed to blow our minds at how easy matching elements to items around it could be done in just a few simple steps.

First, you want to make sure that you have an Attribute-Multiple Field available to use because this field contains the rule called “Match Flow” that we will need later. You can find out if you have one available by going to Dataset > Library > Fields. Below is an example of one that I had available and I decided to rename it “Intro Drop” since I will be using it to match my imaging to specific songs.

You might pick a field you no longer need. You might also have “User” fields that you could use to do this. If not, talk to us about adding a field to your data to do this.

Now go into the attribute itself and begin to create codes to use in this field for your imaging and songs. You do this by going to Dataset > Library > Attributes and find your attribute in the drop down box. Here you will be able to assign attribute codes to be used to match items like imaging to the songs around it.

In the example above I created codes for sweepers that I want to match to a song by a specific artist because the artist is saying how much they love my station. I also have imaging to overlay into songs with intros where I already set the EOM in my automation to launch simultaneously with the song. I have generic produced imaging for songs with no intros, too. I also have English sweepers to go into English songs and the same for my Spanish elements. I have codes for tempo to control my high-energy sweepers from going into slow ballads. You know the ones with all the explosions that make you drive off the road when they play before a slow song!

The third step is to assign one or as many of the codes to each one of your sweepers and your songs being used in rotation. This is the cool part because a song and sweeper can be artist specific, tempo specific, intro, no intro, and as many possibilities that you want it to match one of in the process. The sky is the limit!

In the image below I am assigning my attributes to my sweepers. This determines which songs can schedule beside sweepers, looking for a match of at least one of the same attribute. In this example the sweeper is only allowed to play next to a Ne-Yo, a Spanish, David Guerra, or Nina Sky attribute assigned song.

In the example below we are assigning the attributes that a sweeper can match if it also has at least one of these attributes assigned to it. In this example by assigning English, Pitbull, Spanish, Wisin Y Yandel, and No Intros we are allowing the sweepers to know exactly which one of them can play next to this song. The only ones that will be allowed to do so are the ones that also have been assigned at least one of the attributes assigned to this song.
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There are a few more things to address: Make sure that your sweeper category is included in your clock. You also need to adjust the Schedule Properties so the sweeper category schedules after the music categories.

Finally, turn on the “Match Flow” rule in the Rule Tree. Simply drag and drop the Match Flow rule from the attribute you are using into your sweeper category’s unbreakable folder. This tells the sweep category that it must match at least one of those attributes assigned to it; either the song before, after or both.

That’s it in just a few easy steps you can now match items to others around them. Whether it’s imaging, sweepers, jingles, artist testimonials, a bank of generic voice tracks or anything else you can think of matching. It’s that easy to do!

By Drew Bennett

These days it’s tough to get everything done. We always seem to be saying things like, “I wish there were more hours in the day, “ or, “…if I could just clone myself!”

An online company has made an attempt to automate certain corners of your life to make those days seem a little easier. It’d called IFTTT. That stands for, “If This, Then That.”

IFTTT can help you automate anything. Maybe you like to turn on the house lights when you get home or maybe you’d like to start the slow cooker at home while you work in the office. IFTTT can help you do those kinds of things. Today, I’m going to show you how IFTTT can help you automate tasks in MusicMaster. It will be like having your own Music Director who performs tasks when you want them done but without all that salary and benefits mumbo jumbo.

Today, I’m going to show you how you can send a text message to yourself that tells your office computer to open MusicMaster and schedule the next days’ log.

You need several things to get it done.

1. An account at IFTTT.
2. A recipe at IFTTT that creates a file in Dropbox when you send a text message to yourself.
3. A batch file that is used to run a Windows Script file from a Windows Scheduled Task.
4. A Windows Script file that monitors the Dropbox folder for the text messaged file, deletes the file if it exists and runs another local batch file.
5. A batch file to run a command definition file inside MusicMaster.
6. A command file to automate a MusicMaster task like scheduling a day.

First, head to http://www.ifttt.com and create an account. Login, and activate the Dropbox Channel. Create a recipe where “THIS” expects a text message sent by you and “THAT” creates a file in Dropbox. I’ve included a screenshot to show you what that setup will look like. In the example below, I’ve chosen to create the file in a Dropbox folder called, Remote_Control.

When this recipe is performed, IFTTT creates a file in your Dropbox folder called —.txt. Test this by texting your IFTTT number to make sure the file gets created in your Dropbox folder.

Next, let’s create a batch file we will use with a Windows Scheduled Task. The batch file will run every 5 minutes or so via scheduled task. This file runs the script file for us. Open Notepad and paste the following:

@Echo on
cscript IFTTTSCRIPT.wsf

Save this file and call it IFTTTSCRIPT.bat

We need to create a Windows Scheduled Task that runs this file at an interval of your choosing. Open Windows Scheduled Tasks and create a new task.

This scheduled task runs the IFTTTSCRIPT.bat file that handles the Windows Script file you’ll make next. Schedule this task so that it runs at a regular interval.

Now, it’s time to set up the Windows Script file that looks for the SMS file in Dropbox. To save you some time and heartache, I’ve pasted the file here. You’ll make changes to the sections highlighted in red.

<job>
<script language="VBScript">

Dim file1

Set file1 = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
If (file1.FileExists("C:\Users\Owner\Dropbox\Remote_Control\---.txt")) Then
file1.DeleteFile "C:\Users\Owner\Dropbox\Remote_Control\---.txt"

dim shell
set shell=createobject("wscript.shell")
shell.Run """C:\Program Files (x86)\MusicMaster\IFTTT.bat"""
set shell=nothing

end if

Wscript.Quit

</script>
</job>

In the Windows Script file above, make sure the Dropbox path is the correct path on your machine. In the path to IFTTT.bat, make sure this is the correct path on your machine as well. Paste this text with your changes to a Notepad file and save it as IFTTTSCRIPT.wsf.

The Windows Script file’s job is to monitor the Dropbox folder for the existence of “–.txt.” If it exists, the script file deletes it and runs a batch file that launches a command def, scheduling a day in your database. If the file does not exist, nothing happens.

Let’s write the batch file that we use to run the command def in MusicMaster. It looks like this:

MUSICMASTER.EXE SAMPLE.mmd /STARTUP=SAMPLE.DEF /AUTOEXIT

The database and command file are in bold. Change these values to reference your database filename and your command file. Save this file and call it IFTTT.bat.

It’s time to make the command file that performs the automated task in MusicMaster. Command files can be used to automate tasks in MusicMaster like scheduling a day, exporting a log or running a history report. In fact, I’ve written another article on command files and how to set them up. Check it out here and once you’ve built your own command file, use it in this project to automate tasks in MusicMaster.

That’s it. Now, when you send yourself a text message, the scheduled task launches the WSF file which monitors Dropbox for the txt file created when you send the text. If that condition is true, the batch file runs and MusicMaster schedules a day, or whatever the command def tells it to do.

In fact, the text message doesn’t have to be the trigger. It could trigger when you pull into your driveway, when you send an email or when you turn on a light! IFTTT allows you to use all sorts of conditions in a recipe. If you have questions about this project or any MusicMaster related question, please contact your assigned Music Scheduling Consultant and happy scheduling!