PlayIt Live

What is PlayIt Live?

PlayIt Live is radio broadcast automation and playout software for Windows. It schedules and plays out your station's audio (music, jingles, adverts, and presenter links) either fully automated, fully live, or anywhere in between. It is used by community, internet, hospital, school, and commercial radio stations around the world.

The PlayIt Live main window

The PlayIt Live main window in Live-Assist mode.

PlayIt Live is free to download and use, with optional premium features for professional broadcasters.

What you can do with PlayIt Live

Player modes

PlayIt Live has two player modes, which you can switch between from File > Settings > Player Mode:

Extending PlayIt Live

PlayIt Live can be integrated with other systems and automated through the Control API, a premium feature that lets you control PlayIt Live programmatically from external hardware and software.

Where to go next

Concepts

This page introduces the main building blocks of PlayIt Live and explains how they fit together. Each concept links to a more detailed section. If you are new to PlayIt Live, reading this page first will help the rest of the documentation make sense. For short definitions of individual terms, see the Glossary.

The playout log

The playout log is the heart of PlayIt Live. It is the running order of everything your station will play, shown as a list of items in the order they will go to air. Most items are tracks, but the log can also contain voice tracks, break notes, fixed time markers, and other special items.

You can build the log by hand by dragging tracks into it, let PlayIt Live fill it automatically from your schedule, or use a mixture of both. See The Playout Log.

Tracks and track groups

A track represents an audio file, together with the information PlayIt Live needs to play it well: artist, title, duration, and cue points such as the intro and cue out position. Tracks are imported into your library and can be browsed and searched from the track list.

Track groups organise your tracks. A group can be a Listed group (a hand-picked list of tracks), a Filtered group (tracks selected dynamically by their properties, for example "all songs from the 1980s"), or a Grouped group (a combination of other track groups). Track groups are used throughout PlayIt Live: to filter the track list, to build a playout pattern, and within clocks and playout policies.

Players, segues, and player modes

The players load tracks from the playout log and play them in sequence. In Live Assist Mode, several players sit at the top of the main window, each showing intro, elapsed, and remaining timers.

A segue is the transition from one item into the next, where one track ends and the following one begins. PlayIt Live works out segues automatically from each track's cue points, and you can fine-tune them in the Segue Editor.

PlayIt Live offers two player modes: Live Assist Mode, built around the playout log, and Decks Mode, a classic deck-based layout.

Automation

PlayIt Live can run your station on its own. Two switches in Live Assist Mode control this:

With both switches off you are in full manual control; with both on, the station runs unattended.

Scheduling

Scheduling is how PlayIt Live decides what to play and when. There are a few related concepts:

Together these feed the scheduling engine, which generates the playout log.

Adverts and scheduled events

Advert Scheduling manages commercial spots: you create campaigns of adverts, PlayIt Live places them into advert blocks across the log, and it produces a play report for billing.

Scheduled Events trigger actions at specific times or when PlayIt Live starts, for example merging an external log or switching Automation on.

Voice tracking

Voice tracking lets a presenter record links between tracks ahead of time. The recorded link is stored in the log and played at the right moment, so a pre-produced show can sound live. Voice tracks can be recorded in the studio or remotely with Remote Voice Tracking.

QuickCarts

QuickCarts are instant-playback buttons for jingles, sound effects, beds, and other audio you want to fire on demand while presenting. They are arranged on pages of buttons alongside the playout log.

Priority streams

Priority Streams allow a remote presenter or external source to take over from automated playout. When a priority stream is live it overrides normal Live-Assist output, then hands back automatically when it ends.

Bringing audio in and out

Working remotely and across studios

The Built-in Remote Access Server lets you reach PlayIt Live from a web browser to:

To share a single set of data across several computers, PlayIt Live can connect to PlayIt Manager (or to the built-in server of another PlayIt Live), keeping tracks, schedules, and the playout log in sync.

Plugins

PlayIt Live can be extended through plugins, installed and configured from the Plugins menu in the main window. Available plugins include Microphone Mix, Audio Processing, and Remote Start (MIDI).

Glossary

Common terms used throughout PlayIt Live and this documentation. For a fuller explanation of how these pieces fit together, see Concepts.

Installation

To install PlayIt Live, download the latest version from the PlayIt Software website.

Installation Steps

1

Download the installer

Visit playitsoftware.com/Products/Live and click the Download for Free button to download the latest version.

PlayIt Live website

Download button

2

Run the installer

Once the download is complete, run the downloaded .exe file.

Downloaded installer

3

Accept the licence agreement

You will first be presented with the software licence agreement. Once you have read and agree to these terms, click I Agree.

4

Choose components

Choose the components to install. Here you can select whether to install Start Menu shortcuts. No shortcuts will be created on the desktop. Click Next to continue.

5

Choose install location

Choose the location to install the software. By default, this is in Program Files, but can be changed to your preference. Click Install to begin installation.

6

Launch PlayIt Live

Tick Start PlayIt Live and click Finish to launch PlayIt Live. If PlayIt Live does not start, go to the Start Menu and type PlayIt Live.

PlayIt Live shortcut

Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime Requirement

As part of the installation, PlayIt Live will install the Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime. This is required for embedded web browser features such as tutorial videos and the Plugin Gallery. The runtime is already installed as part of Windows 11, but will need to be downloaded and installed for Windows 10. Please note that embedded web browser features are not supported in Windows 7.

If you need to install the WebView2 runtime manually, you can do so via the Microsoft Edge WebView2 page.

Upgrading Versions

New versions of PlayIt Live are regularly available from playitsoftware.com/Products/Live. It is important to back up your data before you install any new versions. Data and logs for PlayIt Live are stored in the Windows 'ProgramData' folder.

By default, this is located at:

C:\ProgramData\PlayIt Live

To back up your data, simply copy this folder to an alternative location, such as an external hard drive.

When a new version is installed, the data in the location above will not be removed.

Uninstallation

When installed, PlayIt Live will include an Uninstall shortcut in the Start Menu.

Uninstall shortcut in Start Menu

If you chose not to add Start Menu shortcuts, the uninstaller can be found at (by default):

C:\Program Files (x86)\PlayIt Live\uninstall.exe or C:\Program Files\PlayIt Live\uninstall.exe

Double-click the icon to start the uninstall process.

Uninstall welcome dialog

By default your database and settings will be retained when you uninstall. You can choose whether PlayIt Live data is removed by ticking the Delete application database and settings checkbox.

Click Next.

Uninstall confirmation dialog

Click Uninstall to remove PlayIt Live.

Getting Started

PlayIt Live Get Started window

In order to begin using PlayIt Live, you need to log into your PlayIt Software account. Click the Log In... button to begin logging in. If you do not have an account, you can create one for free by clicking Register... or visiting playitsoftware.com/Account/Register.

If the computer you are using is not connected to the internet, you can activate offline.

Logging In

To get started with PlayIt Live, click on the Log In... button in the Get Started window. This will take you to a web browser where you will be prompted to log in using your PlayIt Software account.

Enter your account email address and password, or log in using your Facebook account.

PlayIt Software login page

Once you are logged in, the main window will appear, allowing you to begin using the software.

Enter Registration Details

If you do not already have an account, click on the Register... button in the Get Started window. This will take you to a web browser where you will be prompted to register for your PlayIt Software account.

PlayIt Software registration form

After clicking Register, you will be prompted to verify your email address. Check your registered email account for an email from PlayIt Software with the subject "PlayIt Software: Please verify your email address...". To ensure that you receive this email, add [email protected] to your address book.

Email verification page

Once you have followed the verification link in the email, you will be logged in to PlayIt Live and the main window will be displayed.

Activating Offline

If the computer on which you have installed PlayIt Live is not connected to the internet, it is possible to activate offline.

1

Open Activate Offline

From the Get Started window, click Activate Offline...

PlayIt Live Get Started window
2

Generate a licence key

In the Activate Offline window, you will need to enter your Licence Key. To generate a new licence, visit playitsoftware.com/Account/Licences/Generate. If you have not already, you may be prompted to log in or create an account.

In the Generate New Licence section, select PlayIt Live and ensure that version 2.05+ (latest) is selected. Enter the Computer Name and Machine Code that you see in PlayIt Live and click Generate Licence Key.

Generate New Licence page

3

Enter the licence key

Once the licence key is generated, make a note of it or download the licence file and select it within PlayIt Live. Licence keys start with the text "3*".

Activate Offline window

By following these steps, you can activate PlayIt Live offline without an internet connection.

The Main Window

When PlayIt Live first starts it will be presented in Live-Assist Mode. The player mode can be changed from File > Settings... > Player Mode.

PlayIt Live main window in live-assist mode

The main window provides access to all PlayIt Live features:

Live-Assist Mode

Live-Assist Mode is the primary operating mode in PlayIt Live. It provides a comprehensive interface for managing live broadcast playout, with players at the top, a playout log showing upcoming and past items, a track list for browsing and adding tracks, and controls for automation and scheduling.

PlayIt Live in Live-Assist Mode123456789101112131415
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Notification bar

Notification bar

The notification bar is used to provide important information to the user without disrupting their current activity. Warnings will be displayed here if there are any setup issues or a track fails to load.

3

Players

Players

The players at the top load tracks from the playout log in the expected order. Players can be assigned to individual sound cards so they can be used with different channels on a professional mixer.

Each player has three timers and three buttons.

The blue timer indicates the intro remaining of the loaded track. The green timer indicates the elapsed time of the loaded track. The red timer indicates the remaining time of the loaded track.

The green play button starts playing the track. The orange pause button pauses the track. The silver eject button fades out and stops the player.

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Playout log

Playout log

The playout log shows the upcoming items that are scheduled to take place. Typically these are tracks to be played, but can be break notes, fixed time markers, or other special items. Each playout log item features (from left to right) the play time Eta, icon, title, tempo (if adjusted), duration (or remaining time) Duration, segue toggle switch, edit and eject/delete button. These are the default columns; you can change which columns are shown by right-clicking the column headings and selecting Select Columns (see Displaying more information about a track below). A three-dots ellipsis icon is used to show additional menu options.

Icons

The icon on the log item displays the type of the item. Icons and colours can also be customised based on the track group a track belongs in. It is possible to colour the entire row by changing this setting.

  • track-icon - Track
  • voice-track-icon - Voice Track
  • break-note-icon - Break Note
  • fixed-time-marker-icon - Fixed Time Marker
  • currently-playing-item-icon - Currently playing item
  • gray-tick-icon - Past item that was played
  • gray-skip-icon - Past item that was not played
  • skip-icon - Future item that will not be played due to a fixed time marker

Current Item

The current item is indicated by a right arrow in a circle icon:

  • current-item-icon

The current item is the currently playing or the next item to be played when playout resumes.

Adding tracks

To add a track to the playout log, drag and drop a track from the Track List to a position between existing tracks or between an empty "drag tracks here" marker. If you dragged a track into a position soon to be played it will be loaded into one of the players in sequence. You can also drag and drop audio files directly from Windows File Explorer into the playout log.

Playing tracks

To play the track, click the Play button in the player at the top. When an item is playing it will be shown in green and the duration column will display the remaining time for that item.

While a track is playing, the progress bar will be displayed showing the current position in the track. To change the position, click the Seek checkbox to the left of the progress bar and then click the position in the progress bar. The Seek checkbox is there to prevent the position of the track from being accidentally changed whilst on air.

The triangles on the progress bar indicate the track's trigger points: the grey down-pointing triangle marks the fade point (Cue Out), and the red triangle marks the point at which the track is ejected and finishes.

Seek Progress Bar

It is possible to scroll up to past items to see what was played, or scroll down to see what is going to be played in the future. You can do this by scrolling with the mouse wheel or using the up and down arrows to the right of the playout log. You can also navigate using the keyboard arrow keys or the Page Up and Page Down keys.

You can click the Home button to return to the current item. Pressing the Home key on your keyboard does the same. The Home button has two states, underlined and not-underlined. When the Home button is underlined the playout log will automatically scroll with the current item. If you manually scroll away, the Home button will no longer be underlined. After 5 minutes of inactivity the playout log will return home.

Home Button

The Go to time button can be used to navigate to a specific date and time in the log. This is useful if you wish to edit the log or record voice tracks for a future programme.

Go To Time Button

Toggling segues

A segue is the transitioning of one item into another item. The segue toggle switch changes between a green arrow Segue Next and a red stop sign Segue Pause. A green arrow indicates that the succeeding track will automatically play after this track. A red stop sign indicates that playout will stop after this track has finished.

Fine tuning segues

The Edit button Edit Button allows you to fine tune the segue between the current, preceding and succeeding tracks. This will launch the Segue Editor.

Recording voice tracks

For voice track items the edit button will be replaced by the Record button Record Button. This will launch the Segue Editor allowing you to record your voice track. Until a voice track is recorded, a voice track item will display a placeholder entry. This will not be loaded into a player and will be skipped if a voice track has not been recorded. You can change the length of the placeholder duration by clicking on the duration. By default this looks like [00:30].

Deleting, restoring and ejecting items

  • Click the Bin/Trash button Soft Delete Button to soft delete a playout item from the log.
  • Hold the CTRL key to display the Delete button Delete Button to hard delete the item.
  • Click the Restore button Restore Button to restore a previously soft deleted item.
  • If the item is currently playing, the Eject button Eject Button is shown instead. Clicking it fades out the item, and the next item plays if the segue option is set to continue.

Protected items

If the item is marked as Protected, the Shield icon Protected Icon is shown. This prevents the item from being accidentally deleted. Protected items will not be dropped by Fixed Time Markers or soft deleted by the Auto Adjust feature.

Playout log item menu

Click the Ellipsis button Ellipsis Button to expand the context menu for the playout log item. Here it is possible to perform additional actions such as Edit Segue, Edit Track, Delete, Track Play History, or visit Web Links. Right-clicking a playout log item will also bring up the same menu.

Hour headings

The log contains headings for the hour for which the item is scheduled. Each hour shows how much the hour is currently over or under running. Each hour also features an Ellipsis button with additional options. This can be used to schedule the hour now, import an hour from a playout log format, export an hour to PlayIt Playout Log format or a plain text format, or clear the hour completely. The import/export features are useful if you want to save a playlist and import this into another hour. You can also select to Mixdown this hour to an MP3 or WAV file for later broadcast or review.

Scheduling an hour now

Click the hour heading's Ellipsis button and select Schedule Hour Now to immediately populate that hour of the playout log from its scheduled clock, without waiting for the log scheduler to reach it. In the menu, Schedule Hour Now appears at the top, above the existing Import, Export, Clear and Mixdown options.

Schedule Hour Now generates the playout log items for that hour from the clock assigned to it in your clock schedule, exactly as the log scheduler would when it reaches that hour. If you have advanced scheduling, any adverts due in that hour are scheduled at the same time.

This is useful when an upcoming hour has not been automatically populated yet. For example, the log scheduler only looks a short way ahead, so a future hour you have scrolled to may still be empty. Rather than switching the Log Scheduler on (which would schedule from the current point forward), you can schedule just that one hour on demand so you can review, edit, or voice track it ahead of time.

Displaying more information about a track

You can display more information about a playout log item by right-clicking the column headings and selecting more columns. You can resize the columns by clicking and dragging between the columns. You can reorder the columns by going to Select Columns and using the Up and Down buttons.

You can also display more information about a particular track by clicking and expanding the log item. The Out Cue, Intro, Album, Genre and Year are displayed on the left with the Comment field displayed on the right. If the track was recently played, the Last Played time is also displayed.

Additional Fields

Frequency spectrum

The playing items on the playout log can display a frequency spectrum visualising how the audio changes dynamically. The bars indicate the distribution of audio frequencies, from low on the left (bass) to high on the right (treble). This can be disabled under Settings.

Frequency Spectrum
  • Up: Move the selection one item up.
  • Down: Move the selection one item down.
  • Page Up: Move the selection one page up.
  • Page Down: Move the selection one page down.
  • Home: Move the selection to the current item.
5

QuickCarts panel

QuickCarts panel

The QuickCarts panel provides instant playback buttons for jingles, sound effects, and other audio items. See QuickCarts.

6

Internet broadcast indicator

Internet broadcast indicator

The status of your internet broadcast. To enable internet broadcasting, set up a stream from Tools > Internet Broadcast (see Internet Broadcast).

7

Currently logged in user

Currently logged in user

This shows the user who is currently logged in. To log out, click the button and then click Log out. This is only shown when Require users to log in to use PlayIt Live is ticked on Manage > Users.

8

Track Group selector

Track Group selector

To filter the track list by track group, select the track group from the dropdown. The track list will show only tracks that exist in the selected track group. Track groups can be managed from Manage > Track Groups.

10

Track list

Track list

The track list shows a list of tracks added to the system. By default, the list shows each track in the form Artist - Title with the duration in the second column. Click either column to sort by that column, click the column again to reverse the sort order. The list can be filtered using the search box or the Track Group selector above.

It is possible to select the columns in this list by right-clicking a column and selecting Select Columns. On the track list, it is also possible to right-click a track item to view additional options such as Edit Track, Pre-Fade Listen, Track Play History, and Web Links.

The track list can be resized by dragging the space to the left of the track list.

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Special items

Special items

While Tracks are a fundamental playout log item type, you can also insert special items into the log. Simply drag and drop the box for the item type you want to insert into the playout log. You can click the down arrow icon to collapse this section to save space.

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Onscreen Clock

Onscreen Clock

The onscreen clock shows the current date and time. The onscreen clock can also be configured to include two additional clocks, for example, countdown clocks. Right-click the clock and select Configure.

Clock types that can be selected are:

  • Current Time: Shows the current clock time.
  • Until End of Hour: Shows a countdown until the end of the current hour.
  • Until Time in Hour: Shows a countdown to a specific time within an hour. This can be useful if your show ends a few minutes before the top of the hour to account for commercials/advertisements.
  • Until Next Fixed Time Marker: Shows a countdown to the start of the next fixed time marker. This can be useful to count down to the next break.
  • Until Next Stop: Shows a countdown to the next time audio will stop playing. Note that the playout engine only looks forward up to 5 hours, so it will display --:-- if audio will stop in the long-term future.
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Log Scheduler Switch

Log Scheduler Switch

Switch the log scheduler ON to automatically schedule the playout log so that there are always items scheduled to play out.

14

Automation Switch

Automation Switch

Switch automation ON to automatically schedule the playout log and lock it so it cannot be changed to prevent accidental changes. Switching Automation ON will also switch on the Log Scheduler.

When Automation is switched on, a message will be shown at the top of the playout log indicating that the log is locked.

15

Master controls

Master controls
Master controls

The master controls control the overall player status. Click the Play button to start the next item in the playout log. When the audio is playing the Play button will become a Play Next button which, when clicked, will advance to the next track. Click the Pause button to pause all playing players. Click the Stop button to fade out and stop all playing players.

Priority Streams

When one or more priority streams are open, priority stream players are displayed below the main live-assist players. These will indicate which priority streams are connected and playing.

When priority streams have overridden main live-assist playout, a message will be shown to indicate this.

For more information see the Priority Streams section.

Segue Editor

The Segue Editor is used to give you greater control over how tracks are sequenced. Tracks can be moved closer or further away from the preceding or succeeding track. If you are familiar with PlayIt VoiceTrack, the Segue Editor operates in the same way. It is possible to move tracks, trim the start and end, and fade tracks in and out or adjust the volume.

Segue Editor12345678910111213
1

Waveform

Waveform

The waveform represents the audio signal. It shows the changes in amplitude over the duration of the track.

Click anywhere in the waveform view to set the current position marker.

2

Fade envelope

Fade envelope

Changing the fade envelope allows you to adjust the volume of the track. Click the orange line on the waveform to edit the fade envelope. Clicking on the line will create an envelope point. Adding multiple envelope points will allow you to create a shape to adjust the fade volume. To remove a point, drag the point outside the waveform box. The light-grey envelope shown is the effective envelope when a track playing at the same time has Duck other tracks enabled.

3

Waveform top bar

Waveform top bar

Drag and drop the top bar of the track to align it with the previous or next track. Dragging from the far left of the bar adjusts the track's position relative to the previous track; dragging from the far right adjusts it relative to the next track.

4

Cue point marker

Cue point marker

A thick vertical line shown on the track represents a cue point marker. The Cue In point is shown in green, the Cue Out point is shown in pink and the Intro point is shown in cyan. Cue Points can be changed via Manage > Tracks and editing a track.

5

Recording and playback controls

Recording and playback controls
  • Record button - Record button: Start recording from your microphone. Please see the Voice Tracking section for more details. This button is disabled if you are not editing the segue for a voice track.

  • Delete recording button - Delete recording button: Deletes the recording so it can be discarded. This button is disabled if you are not editing the segue for a voice track.

  • Play button - Play button: Start playback from the current playback position. Tip: You can use the space bar to perform this action.

  • Pause button - Pause button: Pause playback at the current playback position.

  • Stop button - Stop button: Stop playback and reset to the previously selected position marker. Tip: You can use the space bar to perform this action if audio is playing.

  • Jump to start - Jump to start: Move the position marker to the start of the view. Tip: You can use the Home key to perform this action.

  • Move to previous track - Move to previous track: Move the position marker to the previous track from the current position. Tip: You can use the Page Down key to perform this action.

  • Move to next track - Move to next track: Move the position marker to the next track from the current position. Tip: You can use the Page Up key to perform this action.

  • Jump to end - Jump to end: Move the position marker to the end of the view. Tip: You can use the End key to perform this action.

Current playback position Playback position: Indicates how long has elapsed in the project.

6

Zoom controls

Zoom controls

As an alternative to using the mouse wheel to zoom the multi-track view, you can use the zoom buttons to zoom in and out.

7

Prev Segue / Next Segue

Prev Segue / Next Segue

Quickly move to the previous or next tracks in the playout log. These can be used to iterate through the tracks in the playout log efficiently.

8

Prev Voice / Next Voice

Prev Voice / Next Voice

As above, but you will advance to only voice track segues. These can be used to iterate through voice tracks and quickly record voice tracks. These buttons are disabled if there are no voice tracks nearby in the log.

9

Segue Information

Segue Information

The Segue Information shows how the selected track will sequence from the previous track into the next track. To see the segue information for the track, click on the waveform.

The segue style defines specific ways that the track will sequence:

  • Cue Out/In (default): The cue in of the track will line up with the cue out of the previous track.
  • Sweep Start: The sweeping track will start at the same time as the next track, provided it is short enough to play before the intro point of the next track. If the sweeping track is longer than the intro of the next track, the sweeping track will start before the next track and play up to the end of the intro. This option will make use of the Early Out cue point on the previous track if this is available.
  • Sweep Intro: The sweeping track will finish playing immediately before the end of the intro point of the next track. This option will make use of the Early Out cue point on the previous track if this is available.
  • Custom: You can manually set up how the tracks sequence with each other.

When you move a track by dragging the waveform, the segue style will automatically change to Custom.

Note that Sweep Start and Sweep Intro require Intro or Early Out points to be set on the preceding or succeeding tracks, otherwise Cue Out/In will be used.

The Duck other tracks checkbox can be used to reduce the volume of the previous and next track when this track is played. You can configure the ducking (volume and speed) via the Settings button. When ducking is active you can see the effective track envelope changing to show the volume change.

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Audio Settings

Audio Settings

If the volume of a track or recorded voice track is too quiet, use the Gain setting to increase the volume. The default gain for voice tracks can be set via Settings....

It is also possible to adjust the tempo of the track. Typically this is used automatically by the Auto Adjust feature to fit items to a Fixed Time Marker or the end of the hour.

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Settings button

Settings button

The Settings button allows quick access to voice tracking settings from the Segue Editor. Here you can edit the audition time or the audio devices for playback or recording.

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Save button

Save button

Save your segue changes and close the Segue Editor window.

13

Cancel button

Cancel button

Discard your segue changes and close the Segue Editor window.

Voice Tracking

Premium Feature · Voice Tracking

Purchasing the Voice Tracking module unlocks full voice tracking functionality. Until activated, voice tracks are preceded by an audio overlay.

Voice tracking is an industry-standard technique to create the illusion that there is a live announcer sitting behind the desk in a radio studio, when in fact all the audio has been prerecorded and played out automatically. Voice tracking can allow you to record a three-hour show in less than half an hour.

PlayIt Live enables you to do this by inserting Voice Track items into the playout log and recording the audio with your microphone. The recorded audio can then be sequenced with other tracks in the log and tweaked using the Segue Editor. It is also possible to record voice tracks remotely, on another computer, and send these voice tracks to PlayIt Live. For more information on this, see Remote Voice Tracking (Setup).

Inserting voice tracks

Start by dragging tracks into the log for the hour you wish to voice track. Then drag a Voice Track item from the Special Items panel into the log for every voice link you would like to record between tracks.

Special Items panel

The Special Items panel contains the Voice Track item (highlighted). Drag and drop a Voice Track item into the playout log to insert a voice track placeholder.

A placeholder will be shown in the playout log for each voice track item you need to record.

Playout log with voice track placeholders

Recording a voice track

Click the red circle record icon Record Button on the voice track you wish to record. The Segue Editor will be shown allowing you to record your voice.

Segue Editor with voice track placeholder ready to record

If you are using voice tracking for the first time, go to Settings... and ensure that your microphone device and audition time settings are set up correctly. The audition time is the number of seconds of the end of the previous track you will hear when you start recording your voice track. Remember to click OK to save your settings.

To start recording your voice track, click the Record button, or press the R key.

A pop-up box will be shown if you have not purchased a Voice Tracking module licence.

Your recording will start and you will hear the end of the previous track. Start speaking to record your voice. The Record button will change to the Play Next button. Click the Play Next button to play the next track after the voice track, or press the R key again. The button will change to the Stop button. Click the Stop button to finish recording, or press the R key one more time.

Editing a voice track

Your Segue Editor view should now look something like this, with the recorded voice track shown in the middle:

Segue Editor with a recorded voice track, untrimmed

You can trim the audio of the recording by clicking the edges of the waveform to remove any unwanted silence at the start or end of the recording. You can also move the audio around by clicking and dragging the top bar of the waveform and edit the volume by clicking and dragging on the orange fade envelope. If the audio you have recorded is too quiet, use Gain to increase the volume.

Segue Editor with a recorded voice track, trimmed

You have now recorded your first voice track. Click Next Voice to save and record the next voice track, or click Save to save and return to the playout log.

Voice tracks in the playout log

The voice track will now be shown loaded into the players if playing next, and shown in the log with the other tracks.

PlayIt Live with a recorded voice track in the playout log

Voice tracks can be recorded as far in advance as you need. Just scroll down the playout log to the required time.

Recording beds and imaging

When recording a voice track item, a Carts section is shown to the right hand side under the Audio Settings section. This can be used to record other audio alongside your voice track, for example, a bed (background music) or imaging such as station idents.

Simply drag and drop an audio file into the cart, or you can use the menu icon to load an existing track, file, or eject the cart. You must ensure carts are loaded before starting to record your voice track. Use the volume slider to adjust the volume of the audio if you want to talk over it.

Cart

Remote Voice Tracking Setup

Premium Feature · Voice Tracking

Purchasing the Voice Tracking module unlocks full remote voice tracking functionality. Until activated, voice tracks are preceded by an audio overlay. Remote voice trackers can send voice tracks to PlayIt Live without needing the module themselves. The number of users who can connect concurrently is determined by the number of users selected when purchasing. With the Premium Module Bundle, an unlimited number of remote voice tracking users can connect at the same time.

PlayIt Live can be configured to allow users to connect from another computer at home or another studio and record voice tracks in your playout log. They can also edit the segues and add additional tracks from your library.

You will need to do the following to allow remote users to connect:

  1. Enable remote connections by starting the built-in remote server.
  2. Set up users, including username, password, and the hours they are allowed to edit in the playout log.
  3. Add voice track placeholders to the playout log where users can record voice tracks.
  4. Give the remote URL from step 1 and a username and password from step 2 to the user.

1. Enable remote connections

From the main interface, go to File > Enable remote connections...

File menu with Enable remote connections option

The File menu with the 'Enable remote connections...' option highlighted.

Expand the Advanced section, ensure that Use HTTPS is checked. The default server port of 25433 should be fine. Click Start Server.

Advanced settings with Start Server button

The Advanced Settings section showing the Start Server button, the Server port field set to 25433, and the Use HTTPS checkbox ticked.

This will enable remote connections to PlayIt Live. Depending on your configuration, you may be required to configure your Windows Firewall and network port forwarding to allow connections from outside your network. You can use the Help me set up external access button to assist you with this.

Help me set up external access button

The 'Help me set up external access' button.

Under external access is a remote URL that will be used by the remote user to connect. Take note of this.

External access confirmation with remote URL

A green tick confirms that PlayIt Live is set up for external access. The remote URL is displayed below.

2. Set up users

From the main interface, go to Manage > Users...

Manage menu with Users option

The Manage menu with the 'Users...' option highlighted at the bottom.

On the Manage Users window, click Add New. Enter a display name, username and password for the user. Use the Remote Voice Tracking grid to select the hours the user is allowed to remote voice track into.

Remote Voice Tracking permissions grid

The Remote Voice Tracking permissions grid. Days of the week are listed on the left and hours 00-23 across the top. Green 'Y' cells mark the hours the user is allowed to voice track.

Add more users as necessary.

Click OK on the Manage Users window to apply the changes.

3. Add voice track placeholders

Voice track placeholders are gaps in the playout log where users can record their voice tracks. You can add voice track placeholders to the playout log by dragging the Voice Track button from the Special Items panel onto the playout log.

Special Items panel with Voice Track button

The Special Items panel showing the Voice Track button highlighted with a red border, alongside Fixed Time Marker, Break Note, and Remote URL buttons.

You can use the Go To Time button Go To Time button to go straight to an hour to drop voice tracks for a future hour.

Alternatively you can add voice track placeholders directly via Manage > Playout Log or via a clock via Manage > Clocks. If a user starts a remote voice tracking session for an hour which has not yet been scheduled in the playout log, PlayIt Live will automatically schedule this hour.

4. Connect a user

Once you have set up the above, contact your remote voice trackers sending them the remote URL and their username and password. Remote voice trackers can remote voice track in two ways:

  1. Recommended: Voice tracking via a web browser (any operating system). Please refer to Remote Voice Tracking (Usage).
  2. Via PlayIt VoiceTrack (Windows only). Please refer to the PlayIt VoiceTrack documentation.

Remote Voice Tracking Usage

Premium Feature · Voice Tracking

Purchasing the Voice Tracking module unlocks full remote voice tracking functionality. Until activated, voice tracks are preceded by an audio overlay. Remote voice trackers can send voice tracks to PlayIt Live without needing the module themselves. The number of users who can connect concurrently is determined by the number of users selected when purchasing. With the Premium Module Bundle, an unlimited number of remote voice tracking users can connect at the same time.

This page explains how to perform remote voice tracking into PlayIt Live via a web browser. You will need:

  1. The remote access URL of your station. This usually ends with .playitradio.com and must start with https://.
  2. Username
  3. Password
  4. A Chrome-based web browser such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Vivaldi. These are available on any operating system.

Connecting to PlayIt Live

Visit the remote access URL in a web browser. Select Remote Voice Tracking.

Remote Voice Tracking option

The Remote Voice Tracking option on the PlayIt Live remote access landing page, shown as a large button with a microphone icon.

Enter your Username and Password and click Log In.

Remote Voice Tracking login page

The PlayIt Remote Voice Tracking login page with Username and Password fields and a Log In button.

Selecting a voice tracking slot

Select the voice tracking slot you wish to voice track into.

Select Voice Tracking Slot page

The Select Voice Tracking Slot page showing a list of available hour slots as blue buttons, each labelled with the date and time.

If there are no voice tracking slots available you will see the following message. Your station programmer must ensure there are voice tracking placeholder items in the hours you need to voice track.

No slots available message

A message stating 'No slots available' with instructions to contact your administrator and ensure voice track placeholders exist in the playout log.

The remote voice tracking interface

After selecting a slot, the playout log items in the hour will be downloaded and the browser will begin to download the start and end of the audio for each of the tracks in the hour. Once the download has finished, the Downloading indicator will disappear.

Remote voice tracking playout log

The remote voice tracking playout log showing tracks with their scheduled times, a purple 'Downloading' indicator next to tracks still being downloaded, and voice track placeholders with red record buttons.

On the right hand side, you will see the Session Controls section. Here you can switch to a different hour slot or end the remote session. It is important to end the remote session after you have finished so that other voice trackers can connect. The number of people who can connect at the same time depends on the Voice Tracking licence of the station you are connecting to, so if you are unable to connect you may need to wait for another voice tracker to finish, or contact your station administrator. The Update queue shows the commands that are being sent to the server. If these are showing as "Processed" you know these are being accepted successfully by the remote voice tracking server.

Session Controls panel

The Session Controls panel showing a 'Switch Slot' button, an 'End Remote Session' button, and the Update queue area.

Recording a voice track

Click the red circle Record icon next to a Voice Track Placeholder item to launch the segue editor.

Record icon on voice track placeholder

A voice track placeholder row in the playout log with a red arrow pointing to the record button on the right side.

Web-based Segue Editor

The web-based Segue Editor showing three audio waveforms stacked vertically (previous track, voice track placeholder, and next track), with playback controls at the bottom and segue settings on the right.

If this is the first time you have used voice tracking you will be prompted to allow the browser to access your microphone. You must click Allow.

Browser microphone permission dialog

A browser permission dialog asking to use your microphone, with Allow and Block buttons.

Select the Playback device that will be used to play the audio and the Microphone device used to record. You should choose a microphone device that does not record the playback and you should wear headphones so the audio from the computer is not picked up by the microphone. Click Save Changes.

Audio device settings dialog

The Settings dialog showing dropdown menus for Playback device and Microphone device selection, with a Clear Audio Cache button and Save Changes/Cancel buttons.

To start recording your voice track, click the Record button, or press the R key.

The end of the previous track will start playing and your microphone will be recorded. Speak as the track is finishing. When you are ready to play the next track, click the Play Next button Play Next button, or press the R key again. Finish recording your voice track, then click the Stop button Stop button, or press the R key one more time.

Depending on the performance of your computer, the browser may need to finish encoding your recorded audio. Once encoding has finished, the interface will be ready to use again.

Editing a recorded voice track

After recording, the voice track waveform will appear in the segue editor between the previous and next tracks.

Recorded voice track waveform

The Segue Editor showing a recorded voice track waveform between the previous and next tracks, with a purple duration label showing the recording length.

Click anywhere in the timeline to place the playback marker and click the Play button (or spacebar) to start playing the audio to review your recording. If you wish, you can use the Duck other tracks checkbox on the Segue Information section to bring down the audio of the previous and next track. The attenuation settings used here are the ones configured within PlayIt Live.

Duck other tracks volume envelope

The Segue Editor showing the end of a track waveform with a volume fade-down envelope (orange line) and red square control points where the track overlaps with the voice track below.

You can also manually adjust the volume envelope by clicking on the orange line to create a point and then clicking again on that point to move it. Each point will be shown with a red square. To remove a point, drag the point up or down outside the waveform box.

Volume envelope with control points

The volume envelope on a track waveform with multiple red square control points on the orange line, creating a custom fade shape.

You can change the overall volume of the track by editing the Gain section under Audio Settings. This is useful if your microphone is particularly quiet. In this case you would increase the gain value.

Gain setting in Audio Settings

The Audio Settings section showing a Gain field set to 4 dB, next to a voice track waveform.

You can move your voice track recording relative to the previous or next item. To do so, click the title bar (where it says [Voice Track Placeholder]) and drag it to the desired location. If you move it from the left-hand side of the track, it will move relative to the previous track. If you move it from the right-hand side of the track, it will move relative to the next track. Moving a track is useful if you missed the point where you wanted to finish speaking and wanted to correct it without re-recording.

Dragging voice track position

The title bar of a voice track being dragged, shown by the cursor grabbing the '[Voice Track Placeholder]' label.

Saving and finishing

Once you have finished recording and tweaking your voice track segue, click Next Voice to advance to the next voice track item to record. Once you do this, the voice track you just recorded along with the segue information will be sent to the voice tracking server ready to broadcast.

Once you have finished with the segue editor, click Save Changes at the bottom.

You will notice in the main interface that the Update queue is populated with processed commands.

Update queue with processed commands

The Update queue section showing a list of processed commands including 'Upload Voice Track (Processed)' and several 'Update Segue Data (Processed)' entries.

It is worth regularly checking this to ensure the queue is being processed as expected.

Adding more voice tracks

To add more voice tracks to the hour, drag and drop the Add Voice Track button to where you want to add the voice track. If you click the button, the voice track will be added to the end of the hour.

Add Voice Track button

The 'Add Voice Track' button with a microphone icon, being dragged into position in the playout log.

Track list

You can see a list of the tracks available on the remote voice tracking system that you can drag and drop into the hour. You can also filter by track group or use the search box.

Track list panel

The Track List panel showing a dropdown filter set to 'All Tracks', a search box, and a list of available tracks with Artist, Title, and Duration columns.

Re-ordering the hour

Click and drag any item row to move it within the hour.

Reordering items in the playout log

Items in the playout log being reordered by dragging. A track is shown being moved to a new position between other tracks.

Segue editor carts

In the segue editor, the Carts feature allows you to record audio from your computer straight into your voice track. This is useful if you want to include a bed (background music) or a station ID (jingle). Carts are located on the right-hand side of the segue editor.

Empty cart slot

An empty cart slot with a play button and a volume slider.

To load a track, you can either drag and drop a track from your file system into the player, or you can click the menu icon (three dots) and select Load File...

Click the Play button to play the cart while recording a voice track and the cart will be included directly in the recording. Drag the slider on the cart to adjust the volume of the cart if it is too loud to talk over.

Cart loaded with a bed track

A cart slot loaded with a bed track, showing the track name, duration (02:02), and a volume slider.

Audition time

The audition time is the amount of time the segue editor will play of the end of the previous track before you need to speak. This can be changed under the Settings button on the Segue Editor. If you increase the Audition Time, you will need to click Clear Audio Cache and refresh the browser to download more audio, otherwise you will hear silence if not enough audio has been downloaded.

Finishing up

Remember to end your remote session by clicking the End Remote Session button so others can connect, if necessary. If there are any pending items in the update queue, it will wait for these to finish before logging you out. Do not close your browser until these have finished, otherwise your hour may be incomplete.

Troubleshooting

If you are having trouble connecting to your station's remote access URL, try visiting https://playitradio.com and pasting the address into the box and clicking Connect.

If you see the following error message, please contact your station administrator. The server has not been correctly configured for browser-based remote voice tracking.

HTTPS required error message

An error message on a pink background stating 'A secure (HTTPS) connection is required to use Remote Voice Tracking in the browser. Please contact your administrator to select Use HTTPS under Advanced options when starting the server.'

Priority Streams

Priority Streams is a feature allowing you to bring in an external stream such as a remote presenter/DJ or outside broadcast. When a priority stream is live, normal live-assist playout will stop and the priority stream will take over. If a priority stream is not connected or if it is too quiet or silent, it will not go live and not take over normal live-assist playout. The highest priority, open, active priority stream will take priority over normal live-assist playout.

Premium Feature · Advanced Scheduling

Purchasing the Advanced Scheduling module unlocks Priority Streams. Start a free two-week trial from within PlayIt Live via Help > Licensing Information.

How it works

When a priority stream is open, PlayIt Live will continuously try to connect to a live URL (for Live URL streams) or check for connections on the direct stream connections port (for Direct Connection streams). If a connection is made and the volume level of the audio is sufficient (see silence threshold) then the priority stream is considered active. Normal live-assist playout will fade and stop, or wait until the currently playing track finishes (depending on settings) and then the priority stream will go live. If there are multiple active priority streams, the one with the highest priority will go live. If the priority is the same, the one that was active first will go live.

When the priority stream is no longer active, live-assist playout will resume its previous state (playing or stopped) or switch Automation ON, depending on settings.

To control the open state of a priority stream automatically you can use a Change Priority Stream Open State action under Manage > Scheduled Events, or add a Scheduled Event Action item in the playout log.

Main interface

When one or more priority streams are open, priority stream players are displayed below the main live-assist players. These will indicate which priority streams are connected and playing.

PlayIt Live with an active priority stream12
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Priority stream panel

Priority stream panel

When one or more priority streams are open, priority stream players are displayed below the main live-assist players. Each priority stream shows its name, connection type, connection status and audio levels.

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Priority stream override message

Priority stream override message

When priority streams have overridden main live-assist playout, this message will be shown to indicate that normal playout has been paused and the priority stream is live.

Scenarios

Allowing a stream to take over live-assist automation at any time

  1. Simply create an open priority stream.
  2. Then stream audio to the live URL or to the direct stream connections port.

Allow a stream to take over live-assist automation after the news

  1. Create a closed priority stream 'Example'.
  2. Add to the playout log the following items:
    • Fixed Time Marker 00:00 (Hard)
    • Scheduled Event Action: Change Priority Stream Open State: Close [All Priority Streams]
    • Track: News
    • Track: News Out Jingle
    • Scheduled Event Action: Change Priority Stream Open State: Open 'Example'
    • Then add additional items after that match the format of the streaming show. These will act as a backup if the priority stream is disconnected or does not turn up.
  3. Then stream audio to the live URL or to the direct stream connections port. When the priority stream is open it will go live.

Pre-buffer a stream to take over live-assist automation after the news

  1. Create a closed priority stream 'Example'.
  2. Add to the playout log the following items:
    • Fixed Time Marker 00:00 (Hard)
    • Scheduled Event Action: Change Priority Stream Open State: Close [All Priority Streams]
    • Track: News
    • Scheduled Event Action: Change Priority Stream Open State: Pre-Open 'Example'
    • Track: News Out Jingle
    • Scheduled Event Action: Change Priority Stream Open State: Open 'Example'
    • Then add additional items after that match the format of the streaming show. These will act as a backup if the priority stream is disconnected or does not turn up.
  3. Then stream audio to the live URL or to the direct stream connections port. When the priority stream is open it will go live.

Scheduled Event Actions can be added to clocks to template the automatic control of priority stream open states.

When creating clocks that contain Scheduled Event Actions to bring in priority streams, you should add track or track group items that match the format of the show that is being streamed. If the priority stream disconnects, PlayIt Live automation will be able to take over with relevant songs.

Terminology

Active: An active priority stream is one that is open, is connected and has a volume level higher than the silence threshold. If a stream is disconnected or falls below the silence threshold for a period of time it will be considered inactive.

Go Live: The priority stream with the highest priority which is active will be faded up. Depending on the settings selected, the normal live-assist playout will fade and stop, or the current track will finish before the priority stream is faded up.

Open: PlayIt Live will try to connect to the live URL or check for audio for the user on the direct stream connection port. Open streams can go live.

Pre-Open: As Open, but the stream will not go live. This can be used to pre-buffer a stream before opening and going live.

Closed: PlayIt Live will not check or stop checking for connections for the priority stream and will stop going live.

Decks Mode

Decks Mode emulates a cart machine where a disc jockey physically presses a button to control the cart. Tracks are loaded into individual decks by dragging and dropping from the track list or from a file on your file system.

To enable Decks Mode, go to Settings > General and select the Decks Mode (Classic) option under player mode. You can configure the number of decks and audio device assignments in the Settings > Decks Mode tab.

PlayIt Live in Decks Mode1234567
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Players

Players

The deck players at the top allow you to load and play tracks. Each deck operates independently with its own playback controls. See Decks Mode Player for details on the individual deck controls.

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Segue button

Segue button

The segue button between each pair of decks controls whether the next deck will automatically start playing when the current deck finishes. A green arrow indicates that automatic playback is enabled. Click the button to toggle this behaviour.

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QuickCarts panel

QuickCarts panel

The QuickCarts panel provides instant playback buttons for jingles, sound effects, and other audio items. See QuickCarts.

4

Onscreen clock

Onscreen clock

The onscreen clock shows the current date and time. See Onscreen Clock for configuration options.

5

Track list

Track list

The track list shows a list of tracks added to the system. Drag and drop a track from this list onto a deck to load it. See Track list.

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Track Group selector

Track Group selector

Filter the track list by track group using the dropdown. See Track Group selector.

Decks Mode Player

A Decks Mode player is loaded with a track by dragging and dropping a track from the track list or from a file on your file system. When a track is loaded, it is automatically cued to the Cue In point if this is set on the track.

Decks Mode player controls1234567891011
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Intro

Intro

The blue timer indicates the intro time remaining on the playing track.

2

Elapsed

Elapsed

The green timer indicates the elapsed time on the playing track.

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Remaining

Remaining

The red timer indicates the remaining time on the playing track.

4

Track title

Track title

The track title is shown in the form Artist - Title.

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Out cue

Out cue

The Out text is displayed when the Out Cue information is entered on the track.

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Progress bar

Progress bar

The progress bar indicates the duration that has elapsed for the track in the player. Click the seek checkbox to the left of the progress bar to enable seeking. When seeking is enabled, the elapsed portion of the progress bar will change to blue. Click on the progress bar to seek to that position in the track.

The progress bar features a number of highlightings:

  • Grey: Cue in point
  • Silver: Intro point
  • Pink: Cue out point
Play

The Play button starts playing the track.

8

Pause

Pause

The Pause button temporarily suspends playback of the track. Click this again to resume playback.

Stop

The Stop button fades out and stops the track. The stop button is replaced with the Eject button when the track is not playing or no track is loaded into the player.

Eject

The Eject button unloads the track from the deck. The eject button is shown when the track is not playing. When a track is playing, it is replaced with the Stop button.

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Deck number

Deck number

The deck number identifies the deck player.

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Segue button

Segue button

The segue button controls whether the next deck will automatically start playing when the current deck finishes. A green arrow indicates that the next deck will automatically play. Click the button to toggle this behaviour.

QuickCarts

QuickCarts are single-click one-shot players. They are typically used to play jingles, promos, or beds. Simply drag and drop a track from the track list or an audio file from Windows Explorer onto a QuickCart to load it.

QuickCarts can be configured as a panel of rows at the bottom of the main window, or as a separate window (like a cartwall) which can be placed on a separate monitor. Multiple pages can also be configured.

QuickCarts panel123456
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Paging controls

Paging controls

Use the left and right arrows to navigate between pages. Click the page name to open the QuickCarts Pages window where you can add, rename, and reorder pages.

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Row of QuickCarts

Row of QuickCarts

QuickCarts are displayed in one or more rows. Drag and drop a track or audio file onto a QuickCart to load it. When loaded, the cart displays the artist and title of the track with the remaining time below.

In Playback mode, click a cart to start playing. Click again to fade out and stop. Click once more to force stop immediately.

When playing, the cart shows a progress bar as the background and a status of PLAYING. A looping cart shows LOOPING and a cart that is finishing its loop shows FINISHING. While a cart is fading out, the cart turns a dark shade of grey and the status FADING is shown.

By default the playback sequence is Play → Fade → Stop. This can be changed per cart from the Edit QuickCart window, for example to immediately stop without fading (Play → Stop), or to cease looping first (Play → Cease loop → Fade → Stop).

If a cart is configured as Solo, playing it will fade out and stop all other playing carts. It will also stop if any other cart starts playing.

Segue arrows allow you to create automatic transitions between QuickCarts. In Edit mode, click the space between two adjacent carts to set a green arrow indicating the segue direction. When the first cart reaches the cue out point it will automatically trigger the next cart in the direction of the arrow. Click the arrow to reverse direction, or click once more to remove the segue.

When a QuickCart plays, other players can be ducked. See Settings to configure this.

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Page indicator

Page indicator

The dots indicate the current page position relative to the other pages. Click a dot to navigate directly to that page.

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Playback mode

Playback mode

Click the hand button to enter Playback mode. In this mode, clicking a cart plays, fades, or stops it.

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Edit mode

Edit mode

Click the pencil button to enter Edit mode. In this mode, clicking a cart opens the Edit QuickCart window where you can select a track or file and override the artist and title. Right-click to eject a cart. While in Edit mode, hold Ctrl to temporarily switch to Playback mode.

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Paint mode

Paint mode

Click the paint bucket button to enter Paint mode. In this mode, clicking a cart changes its background colour. Double-click the paint button to select a new colour. While in Paint mode, hold Ctrl to temporarily switch to Playback mode.

Gain slider

The gain slider appears on each loaded cart and allows you to adjust its playback volume independently. This is useful for balancing levels across carts recorded at different volumes without modifying the original audio files.

The gain slider visibility is configured under File > Settings > QuickCarts:

QuickCart Pages

The QuickCart Pages window is used to manage the pages in the QuickCarts panel or window. All changes are applied immediately.

QuickCart Pages window1234567
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Page list

Page list

The page list shows all pages in order. Select a page to rename it, delete it, or change its position. Double-click a page to make it the current page and navigate to it in the main window.

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Add Page

Add Page

Click Add Page to add a new page to the bottom of the list.

3

Rename Page

Rename Page

Click Rename Page to rename the selected page.

4

Delete Page

Delete Page

Click Delete Page to delete the selected page. A confirmation will appear before the page is deleted. It is not possible to delete the last remaining page.

5

Move Up

Move Up

Click Move Up to move the selected page one position up in the list.

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Move Down

Move Down

Click Move Down to move the selected page one position down in the list.

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Close

Close

Click Close to close the window.

Edit QuickCart

The Edit QuickCart window is opened by clicking a cart in Edit mode. It lets you configure the audio source, display name, background colour, and playback behaviour for an individual QuickCart.

Edit QuickCart window123456789101112131415
Type

Choose the audio source type:

  • Track: Select a track that has been added to PlayIt Live.
  • File: Select a file directly from the file system, without adding it to PlayIt Live.
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Track selection

Track selection

Click the track link to select a different track. This section is only available when the Track type is selected.

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File selection

File selection

Shows the file path of the selected audio file. When the File type is selected, click Browse... to select a different audio file.

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Artist

Artist

Check the Artist checkbox and type in the box to override the artist name displayed on the QuickCart.

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Title

Title

Check the Title checkbox and type in the box to override the title displayed on the QuickCart.

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Background colour

Background colour

Click the colour box to select a custom background colour for the QuickCart. Click Use default to revert to the default colour (blue).

Solo

When Solo is checked, playing this cart will fade out and stop all other playing carts. This cart will also stop if any other cart starts playing. Solo is designed to ensure only one cart plays at a time.

Loop

When Loop is checked, the cart will loop between the Loop A and Loop B cue points. If Loop B is not set, the cart loops from the end. If Loop A is not set, the cart returns to the Cue In point when the loop restarts.

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Playback sequence

Playback sequence

The playback sequence determines how the cart behaves when clicked in the main window. By default, the sequence is Play > Fade out > Stop, meaning each click advances the cart through these states. Click any step to change it.

For looping carts, additional options are available: Cease loop (stop the cart from looping, allowing it to play to the end) and Go to Loop B (jump to the end of the loop, useful for beds with a specific ending).

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Cue points

Cue points

Set the Cue In point where playback begins, and the Cue Out point where a segued cart will start. Use the Set button while listening to mark the current position. Use the Test button to preview from the set point.

For looping carts, Loop A and Loop B cue points also appear here.

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Waveform

Waveform

The waveform shows the audio volume over time. Cue points are overlaid as coloured markers. Double-click on the waveform to start playing from that position. Use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out.

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Playback buttons

Playback buttons

Use Play and Stop to preview the cart. The audio device used to play back the audio can be configured in Settings. Use Back and Forward to jump to the start or end of the track. Use the Zoom buttons or the mouse wheel to adjust the waveform zoom level.

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Analyse

Analyse

Click Analyse to automatically detect the Cue In point based on the silence at the start of the track.

OK

Click OK to save changes and close the window.

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Cancel

Cancel

Click Cancel to close the window without saving changes.

Pre-Fade Listen

The Pre-Fade Listen window allows you to listen to a track before it airs.

Pre-Fade Listen window

Click the Play and Stop buttons to control playback. You can double-click on a part of the waveform to advance to a position in the track. Use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out of the waveform for a more precise position selection. Audio will play back on the audio device you have selected under Settings > Track Editor Audio Device.

Track Play History

Track Play History window showing a grid of days and hours with track and artist play icons
Premium Feature · Advanced Scheduling

Purchasing the Advanced Scheduling module unlocks the full play history across days and hours. Without the module, only the most recent play is shown.

The Track Play History window provides a visual representation of when and how often a track and its artist are played over a selected time period. This supports in-depth analysis and informed decisions in music scheduling.

Accessing Track Play History

To view the Track Play History for a specific track:

Reading the Grid

The window displays a grid where:

For times in the future, the icons indicate the track or artist is scheduled for that hour.

Practical Uses

Track Play Frequency: Instantly see how often a track is played, helping to avoid overplay or underplay of particular songs or artists.

Play Pattern Analysis: Identify patterns in track plays to optimise music rotation and scheduling.

Artist Exposure: Monitor how frequently songs from a particular artist are played, helping to maintain a diverse playlist.

User Login Window

Log In window showing username and password fields with a Log In button

The Log In window appears when PlayIt Live is configured to require users to log in before use. Enter your username and password and click Log In.

If you have just installed PlayIt Live you will not see this window. To require users to log in, go to Manage > Users and click Require users to log in to use PlayIt Live.

Changing Your Password

If your administrator has set up your account and requires you to change your password on first login, you will be prompted to enter and confirm a new password. Click Change Password to continue.

Forgotten Admin Password

If you are an administrator and have forgotten your password, you can reset it by logging into your PlayIt Software account on the PlayIt Software website with the same account as that who has licenced the software:

  1. Visit https://www.playitsoftware.com/Account/Dashboard/ResetAdminPassword and verify that the Client ID matches. You must be signed in to the PlayIt Software account that licenced the software; attempting to reset the admin password from any other account will not work.
  2. Enter Reset Code Part 1 into the website, which will generate Reset Code Part 2.
  3. Enter Part 2 into the box in PlayIt Live and click Reset.
  4. You will be prompted to change your password.

Settings

The Settings window allows you to configure all aspects of PlayIt Live. Open it from the File menu by clicking Settings....

It is organised into the following sections:

General

The General tab contains settings for the overall appearance and behaviour of PlayIt Live.

PlayIt Live Settings - General tab123456789101112131415

The General tab of the Settings window.

1

Section Tabs

Section Tabs

The tab strip at the top of the Settings window allows you to switch between the different settings sections.

2

Language

Language

Select the language used throughout the PlayIt Live user interface. A change of language only takes effect after you restart PlayIt Live. If you switch to a language by accident and can no longer read the menus, see Changing the language back at the bottom of this page.

3

Theme

Theme

Select the visual theme for PlayIt Live. You can choose between Dark and Light, which change the colour scheme of the application.

4

Track List Font Size

Track List Font Size

Set the font size used in track lists throughout the application.

5

Track List Double-Click Behaviour

Track List Double-Click Behaviour

Choose what happens when you double-click a track in a track list. Options include playing the track, editing its properties, or adding it to the playout log.

6

Time and Date Display

Time and Date Display

Configure the time and date format used throughout the application. You can choose between 12-hour and 24-hour time, and between day-first and month-first date formats. You can also enable or disable the on-screen clock.

7

Fade Time

Fade Time

Set the default fade time in seconds. This is the duration used when fading between tracks. This also applies when tracks are segued in Live-Assist Mode.

8

Flash Players

Flash Players

When enabled, players will flash when the remaining time drops below the specified number of seconds. This provides a visual warning that a track is about to end.

9

Track Editor Audio Device

Track Editor Audio Device

Select the audio device used for previewing and editing tracks. This is the device used when you audition a track from the track editor or track list. The track editor audio device is also used for the player in the Pre-Fade Listen window and the segue editor.

10

Silence Analysis

Silence Analysis

Configure the cue-in and cue-out thresholds for silence analysis. These values determine at what volume level (in dB) a track is considered to have started or ended. By default, the Cue In threshold is -62 dB and the Cue Out threshold is -14 dB. Silence analysis is used to automatically set cue points on imported tracks. These settings are also applied when a file is dragged and dropped from the file system onto a player, helping to achieve the best sounding gapless playback.

11

Live-Assist Mode

Live-Assist Mode

Select Live-Assist Mode as the player mode. In Live-Assist mode, tracks are queued in a playout log and played sequentially through a set of players.

12

Decks Mode

Decks Mode

Select Decks Mode as the player mode. In Decks Mode, each deck operates independently, similar to traditional broadcast mixing desks.

13

User Login

User Login

When enabled, users must log in before using PlayIt Live on this computer. This is primarily used to restrict user permissions, and applies to logging in locally on the same computer as PlayIt Live. This is the same checkbox available under Manage > Users.

OK

Click OK to save your settings and close the Settings window. If there are any errors that need correcting a popup box will be displayed.

15

Cancel

Cancel

Click Cancel to discard your changes and close the Settings window.

Changing the language back

If you switch to a language by accident and can no longer read the menus, you can still find your way back to this setting. Open the menu at the top left (the File menu), choose the Settings... item, then use the Language setting at the top of the General tab. The table below gives those two menu labels in each language:

LanguageFile menuSettings item
Deutsch (Deutschland)DateiEinstellungen...
English (United Kingdom)FileSettings...
English (United States)FileSettings...
Español (España)ArchivoConfiguración...
Español (Latinoamérica)ArchivoConfiguración...
Français (France)FichierParamètres...
Italiano (Italia)FileImpostazioni...
Nederlands (Nederland)BestandInstellingen...
Português (Brasil)ArquivoConfigurações...

Live-Assist Mode

The Live-Assist Mode tab contains settings for the number of players, audio device assignments, segue behaviour, scheduling, and user interface options when using Live-Assist mode.

PlayIt Live Settings - Live-Assist Mode tab123456789

The Live-Assist Mode tab of the Settings window.

1

Number of Players

Number of Players

Select the number of players to display in Live-Assist mode. You can choose between two, three, or four players. More players allow you to have more tracks loaded and ready to play simultaneously.

2

Player Audio Device Assignments

Player Audio Device Assignments

Assign an audio output device to each player. By default, all players use the same device, but you can assign different devices to different players for multi-output setups.

3

Remote Studio Mic Device

Remote Studio Mic Device

Select the audio device used for Remote Studio microphone playback in Live-Assist mode.

4

Default Segue

Default Segue

Choose the default segue behaviour when one track finishes:

  • Next - Automatically start the next track in the playout log.
  • Stop - Stop playback and wait for the presenter to start the next track.
5

Sweeper Segue and Duck Settings

Sweeper Segue and Duck Settings

Configure the default sweeper segue style and ducking behaviour. Sweepers can overlap with the previous track, and ducking reduces the volume of the playing track while the sweeper plays.

6

Scheduling Settings

Scheduling Settings

Configure the built-in log scheduler and schedule-ahead settings. When the built-in log scheduler is enabled, PlayIt Live will automatically schedule tracks ahead by the specified number of hours and minutes.

Schedule ahead

By default, PlayIt Live will schedule at least 15 minutes ahead when the Log Scheduler is ON. Use this setting to increase the amount that is scheduled ahead, up to 24 hours. PlayIt Live schedules in full hours, so scheduling ahead by at least 15 minutes will trigger the next hour to schedule at xx:45 past the hour (15 minutes before the end of the hour).

Default Track Scheduling Strategy

PlayIt Live uses a scheduling strategy when deciding what tracks to select for Track Group clock items or track groups in the Playout Pattern. The options are:

  • Smart Selection - Selects a track using a weighted random algorithm. A track played longer ago is given a larger weight, increasing its chance of being selected.
  • Random - Selects a track entirely at random from the track group.
  • Most Rested - Selects the track from the track group that was played longest ago.

Clock scheduling mode

Choose how PlayIt Live decides which clock applies to each hour:

  • Clock Grids - Use the Clock Grids window, where you build reusable weekly templates with layers, recurrence, and date ranges. This is the preferred mode for new schedules.
  • Legacy (Calendar) - Use the older calendar-based clock schedule.

Only one mode drives clock selection at a time. Switching modes does not delete anything: the data for the mode you switch away from becomes inactive but remains stored, so you can switch back at any time.

7

Item Colouring

Item Colouring

Choose how track group colours are displayed in the playout log:

  • Edge only - Show a coloured strip on the left edge of each item.
  • Entire row - Colour the entire row background.
8

Show Frequency Spectrum

Show Frequency Spectrum

When enabled, a real-time frequency spectrum analyser is displayed alongside the players.

9

Playout Log Font Size

Playout Log Font Size

Set the font size used for the live playout log on the main interface. A larger font makes the upcoming items easier to read at a glance, which is useful for presenters reading the running order from across the studio or on a larger studio monitor. A smaller font fits more items on screen at once.

You can choose from the sizes 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16. The default is 10. The playout log headings, warnings, and other text scale in proportion to the size you choose, so the whole log stays balanced.

To change the size, select a different value from the dropdown and click OK. The change is applied to the live playout log immediately, with no need to restart PlayIt Live.

Voice Tracking

The Voice Tracking tab contains settings for recording and managing voice tracks. Voice Tracking allows presenters to pre-record links between tracks.

Premium Feature · Voice Tracking

Voice Tracking requires the Voice Tracking module. Until you purchase it, recorded voice tracks are preceded by an audio overlay.

PlayIt Live Settings - Voice Tracking tab123456789

The Voice Tracking tab of the Settings window.

1

Licence Status

Licence Status

Shows the current licence status for the Voice Tracking premium module. If Voice Tracking is not included in your licence, this will display a message explaining how to activate it. Without a valid Voice Tracking module, all voice tracks will be preceded by an audio notice requesting that you purchase the module.

2

Microphone Recording Device

Microphone Recording Device

Select the audio input device used for recording voice tracks. This should be set to the microphone or audio interface you use for recording. The device chosen here should not record audio that is played back, to avoid music from being recorded into the voice track recording.

3

Audition Time

Audition Time

Set the number of seconds from the end of the previous track that are played when you start recording a voice track. This determines how much context the presenter hears while recording a voice track.

4

Recordings Folder

Recordings Folder

Enter the folder where voice track recordings will be saved. Use the Browse... button to select a folder. Ensure the currently logged-in user has write access to this location, and that there is sufficient disk space to store recordings at this location.

5

Recordings Format

Recordings Format

Select the audio format for voice track recordings. You can choose from different formats and quality levels. Higher quality recordings sound better but take up more disk space.

6

Duck Other Players

Duck Other Players

When enabled, the volume of other players is reduced while a voice track is playing. You can set how much the volume is reduced (the duck amount, as a percentage) and how quickly the change is applied (the duck speed).

7

Cue Point Analysis

Cue Point Analysis

When enabled, PlayIt Live automatically detects cue points for voice track recordings. Set the cue-in and cue-out thresholds (in dB) to control the volume levels at which the voice track is considered to start and end.

8

Default Gain

Default Gain

Set the default gain (in dB) applied to newly recorded voice tracks. This can be used to boost or reduce the volume of voice tracks relative to music tracks.

9

Default Playout Log Editing Mode

Default Playout Log Editing Mode

Choose the default editing mode when opening the playout log for voice tracking:

  • Only voice tracks - Only voice track slots are editable.
  • Full playout log editing - All items in the playout log can be edited, including adding, removing, and reordering tracks.

This setting can be overridden on a per-user basis.

Advanced Scheduling

The Advanced Scheduling tab contains settings for priority streams, fitting to time, and other advanced scheduling features.

Premium Feature · Advanced Scheduling

Advanced Scheduling requires the Advanced Scheduling module. Start a free two-week trial from within PlayIt Live via Help > Licensing Information.

PlayIt Live Settings - Advanced Scheduling tab1234567

The Advanced Scheduling tab of the Settings window.

1

Licence Status

Licence Status

Shows the current licence status for the Advanced Scheduling premium module. If Advanced Scheduling is not included in your licence, this will display a message explaining how to activate it.

2

Fitting To Time

Fitting To Time

Configure how PlayIt Live fits scheduled content to time markers. Adjust the target threshold (how close to the target time the scheduler should aim), the number of attempts, and the time allowed per fit calculation. These settings control the precision and performance of the fitting algorithm.

By default, Target threshold is set to 30 seconds, Number of attempts to 25 and Seconds per fit to 2 seconds. This means that PlayIt Live will generate up to 25 combinations of playout log items and pick the first (or best) one that fits within the target threshold.

Decreasing Target threshold or increasing Number of attempts or Seconds per fit will increase the time it takes to schedule playout log items.

3

Priority stream audio device

Priority stream audio device

Select the audio device used for monitoring priority streams. Priority streams allow external audio sources to take priority over scheduled playout.

4

When a priority stream becomes active

When a priority stream becomes active

Choose what happens to the currently playing track when a priority stream becomes active:

  • Fade the currently playing track immediately - The current track fades out smoothly.
  • Wait for the currently playing track to finish - The priority stream waits until the current track finishes.
5

When no more priority streams are active

When no more priority streams are active

Choose what happens when there are no more active priority streams:

  • Return to the previous playing state - PlayIt Live returns to whatever it was doing before the priority stream started.
  • Turn automation ON and start playing - Automation is enabled and playout continues from the schedule.
6

Silence Detection

Silence Detection

Configure when a priority stream is considered inactive based on silence. Set the volume threshold (in dB) and the duration (in seconds) that the stream must be below this level before it is considered inactive.

7

Direct Stream Connections

Direct Stream Connections

When enabled, PlayIt Live listens for direct stream connections on the specified port. This allows external applications to send audio directly to PlayIt Live as a priority stream.

Remote users can connect using any Icecast-compatible encoder such as the Internet Broadcast plugin, BUTT, or Rocket Broadcaster. To set up a user to connect, create a user under Manage > Users. The following details can be used by the remote user to connect:

SettingValue
Server TypeIcecast
Server AddressYour external IP address
Server PortThe port specified here in settings (remember to tick the checkbox to allow connections)
UsernamePlayIt Live user specified under Manage Users
PasswordPlayIt Live user password specified under Manage Users
Mount/

Other Advanced Scheduling features include Auto Adjust, Advert Scheduling, Track Dayparting, Daypart Separation and Hook Sequences.

Decks Mode

The Decks Mode tab contains settings for the number of decks, audio device assignments, and Remote Studio Microphone Playback Device when using Decks mode.

PlayIt Live Settings - Decks Mode tab123

The Decks Mode tab of the Settings window.

1

Number of full row decks:

Number of full row decks:

Set the number of full-row decks displayed in Decks mode. Each deck operates independently and can be loaded with a different track. There is no fixed upper limit on the number of decks you can select, but the maximum is constrained by your screen resolution.

2

Deck Audio Device Assignments

Deck Audio Device Assignments

Assign an audio output device to each deck. By default, all decks use the same device, but you can assign different devices for multi-output setups.

3

Remote Studio Microphone Playback Device:

Remote Studio Microphone Playback Device:

Select the audio device used for Remote Studio microphone playback in Decks mode.

QuickCarts

The QuickCarts tab contains settings for configuring QuickCart panels. QuickCarts provide instant playback of jingles, sound effects, and other short audio clips.

PlayIt Live Settings - QuickCarts tab12345678

The QuickCarts tab of the Settings window.

1

Docked to Bottom

Docked to Bottom

Enable or disable the QuickCarts panel docked to the bottom of the main window. When enabled, you can configure the number of rows, carts per row, and audio device for this panel.

2

Number of QuickCart Rows

Number of QuickCart Rows

Set the number of rows of QuickCart buttons in the docked panel.

3

Number of QuickCarts Per Row

Number of QuickCarts Per Row

Set the number of QuickCart buttons displayed in each row. As more QuickCarts are displayed per row they will be resized to fit the available space on the screen.

4

QuickCart Audio Device

QuickCart Audio Device

Select the audio output device used for playing QuickCarts in the docked panel.

5

Separate Window (Cartwall)

Separate Window (Cartwall)

Enable or disable the separate Cartwall window. This provides an additional set of QuickCarts in its own floating window with independent layout and audio device settings.

6

Enable right-click eject in Playback mode

Enable right-click eject in Playback mode

When enabled, right-clicking a QuickCart in Playback or Edit mode will eject the currently loaded cart. When the setting is off, eject only works in Edit mode.

7

Duck Other Players

Duck Other Players

When enabled, the volume of other players is reduced while a QuickCart is playing. You can set how much the volume is reduced (the duck amount, as a percentage) and how quickly the change is applied (the duck speed).

8

Show Gain Slider

Show Gain Slider

Choose whether to display a gain slider on each QuickCart button, allowing presenters to adjust individual QuickCart volumes.

Keyboard

The Keyboard tab allows you to configure keyboard shortcuts for common actions in PlayIt Live.

PlayIt Live Settings - Keyboard tab123

The Keyboard tab of the Settings window.

1

Command/Shortcut List

Command/Shortcut List

The list shows all available commands and their current keyboard shortcuts. Select a command from the list to view or change its shortcut in the editing panel below.

2

Edit Keyboard Binding

Edit Keyboard Binding

Use the modifier checkboxes (CTRL, ALT, SHIFT) and click the key box to define the shortcut for the selected command. Click Clear to remove an existing shortcut.

For example, to bind CTRL+Right to move to the next QuickCart page, select the CTRL checkbox and click the '<key>' text box. When prompted to press a key, press the Right arrow on your keyboard. The keyboard shortcut is now configured.

3

Global Trigger

Global Trigger

Enable this checkbox to make the shortcut work even when PlayIt Live is not the active window. This is useful for controlling playback from other applications.

Please think carefully when choosing keyboard shortcuts. For example, it is not recommended to configure the Space Bar as a keyboard shortcut. This could interfere when you are typing into the search box and inadvertently trigger an action.

Advanced

The Advanced tab contains low-level audio and system settings. These settings should only be changed if you are experiencing specific issues or have been advised to change them.

PlayIt Live Settings - Advanced tab1234

The Advanced tab of the Settings window.

1

Playback Buffer Length

Playback Buffer Length

Set the playback buffer length in milliseconds. A longer buffer provides more stable playback but introduces more latency. The default value works well for most systems. Only increase this if you experience audio glitches or dropouts. A restart of PlayIt Live is required to apply the change.

2

Clock Offset

Clock Offset

Adjust the clock to account for a broadcast delay. Positive values move the clock forward, negative values move it back. A restart of PlayIt Live is required to apply the change.

3

ASIO Devices

ASIO Devices

Select which ASIO audio devices are available for use in PlayIt Live. ASIO provides low-latency audio output and is recommended for professional broadcast setups. Only devices that are checked in this list will appear in the audio device dropdowns throughout the application. ASIO devices must be explicitly initialised to avoid potential conflicts with the equivalent standard driver loaded by PlayIt Live.

4

Additional Advanced Settings

Additional Advanced Settings

A text field for entering additional advanced settings as key-value pairs. These settings are used for specialised configurations and troubleshooting. Only modify these if directed by PlayIt Software support. You may need to restart PlayIt Live for changes to take effect.

Tracks

Tracks represent audio files that can be imported into PlayIt Live. With each track, additional information is stored to assist playback and announcing on air. This information includes:

Track types

The following track types are available:

The track type can be set manually on the Edit Track window, or left as Inferred to be determined automatically.

Inferred Type rules

When a track's type is set to Inferred, PlayIt Live determines the type automatically using the following rules, in order:

  1. If any of the track's tags match a track type name, that type is used.
  2. Otherwise, if the artist or title field matches a track type name, that type is used.
  3. If the track's duration is less than 30 seconds, the type is set to Station ID.
  4. Otherwise, the type defaults to Song.

All comparisons are case-insensitive.

Additional properties

Tracks also have the following properties that affect playback:

Managing tracks

Manage Tracks Window

The Manage Tracks window allows you to browse, search, and manage all the tracks in your PlayIt Live library. Open it from the Tracks menu by clicking Manage Tracks....

PlayIt Live Manage Tracks window123456789

The Manage Tracks window showing the track library.

1

Track Group Selector

Track Group Selector

Use the Track Group dropdown to filter the track list by a specific track group. Select All Tracks to show every track in your library, or choose a specific group to see only the tracks it contains. Track groups can be managed from Manage > Track Groups.

2

Export to CSV

Export to CSV

Click this button to export the current track list to a CSV file. This is useful for creating reports or sharing track information with external systems.

4

Track List

Track List

The main track list displays all tracks matching the current filter and search criteria. By default, the columns shown are Artist, Title, Intro, Duration, and Path. Right-click a column header to choose which columns are visible, or to access the column selector.

Double-click a track to open the Edit Track window for that track.

To delete a track, select it and press the Delete key, or click the delete icon on the row. You can select all tracks with Ctrl+A to delete in bulk. A confirmation prompt will appear before deletion. Changes are not saved until you click Apply or OK. Deleting a track will remove it from your entire PlayIt Live library, even if a track group filter is applied. To remove a track from a specific track group without deleting it, edit the track and remove it from that group; or edit the track group and remove the track from there.

5

Add New

Add New

Click Add New to open the Add New Tracks Wizard, which guides you through importing new tracks into your library from files or folders.

Edit

Click Edit to open the Edit Track window for the selected track. You can select multiple tracks using Ctrl or Shift and click Edit to bulk edit their properties.

OK

Click OK to save any pending changes and close the Manage Tracks window.

8

Cancel

Cancel

Click Cancel to discard any pending changes and close the Manage Tracks window.

9

Apply

Apply

Click Apply to save any pending changes without closing the window.

Edit Track Window

The Edit Track window allows you to view and edit the properties of a track in your library. Open it by selecting a track in the Manage Tracks window and clicking Edit, or by double-clicking a track.

PlayIt Live Edit Track window12345678910111213141516171819

The Edit Track window showing track properties and cue points.

1

File Path

File Path

The full file path of the track's audio file on disk. This field is read-only. Click the folder button to the right of the path to open the folder containing the audio file in Windows Explorer, with the file selected. If the file no longer exists on disk, a message is shown telling you that it could not be found.

Type

The track type, which can be Song, Station ID, Promo, Commercial, News, Bed, or Station ID + Bed. When set to Inferred, the type is determined automatically from the track's tags, artist, title, and duration. See Inferred Type rules for details.

3

Artist

Artist

The performer of the track. This is typically read from the file's metadata tags when the track is first imported. You can type a new value or select from previously used artists. The Artist field is used by Artist Separation playout policies to ensure that tracks by the same artist are not played too close together.

4

Title

Title

The title of the track, typically read from the file's metadata tags when imported. The Title field is used by Title Separation playout policies to ensure that tracks with the same title are not played too close together.

5

Out Cue

Out Cue

The Out Cue can be the style of the track's ending, such as "Fade Out" or "Sustain"; or the last spoken words in the track, so the presenters know when to talk over the end of the track. This is displayed on the playout log when clicking an item.

6

Album

Album

The album the track belongs to. This is typically read from the file's metadata tags when imported.

7

Genre

Genre

The genre of the track. Select from the dropdown or type a custom value. This is typically read from the file's metadata tags when imported.

Year

The release year of the track as a four-digit year. This is typically read from the file's metadata tags when imported.

Tags

Semicolon-separated tags for categorising the track. Tags can be used for filtering and for Inferred Type rules. Select from existing tags or type new ones.

10

Comments

Comments

Free-text notes about the track, such as usage instructions or background information.

11

Sweeper

Sweeper

When enabled, this allows the playout system to play this track over the intro of the next song (before the Intro point); or over the end of the previous song (after the Early Out point). It is typically used for sweepers, which are short clips that identify the station or show, and are usually dry (no background music) so they do not clash with the track they are playing over.

12

No Fade

No Fade

Prevents the track from being faded out when the next track begins. Use this for tracks that have a natural ending that should not be cut short.

13

Adjust Tempo

Adjust Tempo

Adjusts the playback speed of the track. Tempo can be adjusted from -10% to +10%, without changing the pitch.

14

Gain

Gain

Adjusts the playback volume of the track in decibels. Use positive values to boost quieter tracks or negative values to reduce louder ones.

15

Track ID

Track ID

A unique identifier for the track, used for integration with external systems such as music scheduling software or playout logging.

16

Tabs

Tabs

The tab bar provides access to additional track settings. See the Tabs section below for details on each tab.

17

Track Navigation

Track Navigation

Use the < and > buttons to navigate between tracks without closing the window. The current position and total track count are shown alongside.

18

Save Track

Save Track

Click Save Track to save your changes and close the window. If you are navigating between tracks using the navigation buttons, changes are saved automatically when you move to another track.

19

Close

Close

Click Close to close the window without saving any unsaved changes.

Tabs

Cue Points

The Cue Points tab is the default view and contains the waveform visualisation along with controls for setting Cue In, Intro, Hook, Early Out, and Cue Out points for the track. Cue points are used to control how tracks are played and how they transition to the next track in Live Assist mode. You can use the playback controls to preview the track and fine-tune the cue points.

Edit Track window Cue Points tab123

The Cue Points tab with waveform, cue point controls, and analyse button.

1

Cue Point Controls

Cue Point Controls

The cue point controls let you set the following points for the track:

  • Cue In: The position in seconds where the track should be started by a player.
  • Intro: The position in seconds where the vocals start on the track.
  • Hook Start: The position where a hook in a hook sequence will start. Click the Hooks section to expand this cue point.
  • Hook End: The position where a hook in a hook sequence will end, if the full hook is used. Click the Hooks section to expand this cue point.
  • Early Out: The position where the track is considered to be almost finished. Click the E. Out section to expand this cue point. Early Out can be used in two scenarios:
    • For songs, the point indicates to PlayIt Live that it can place a sweeper after this point as the track is finishing, providing a smoother transition.
    • For tracks marked as Sweeper, the point indicates that PlayIt Live can start the next track after this point, allowing the end of the sweeper to play over the intro of the next song.
  • Cue Out: The position in seconds where the track is considered to have finished. When this point is reached in Live Assist mode, the players will begin fading out this track and start playing the next track. The players count down the remaining time to this point.

Each cue point has its own Set, Test, and × buttons:

  • Set: While listening to the track, click Set to capture the current playback position as the cue point value.
  • Test: Click Test to play the track from the cue point position.
  • ×: Click to reset the cue point to its default position.

Cue points can also be adjusted using the keyboard or mouse. Click on the cue point value of interest, then use the following:

ActionResult
Left Arrow / Right ArrowAdjust the cue point by 0.01 seconds.
Shift+Left Arrow / Shift+Right ArrowAdjust the cue point by 0.1 seconds.
Click and drag over the cue point valueAdjust the cue point with the mouse.
Enter or double-click the cue point valueTest playback from the cue point.
SpacebarStop playback.
2

Analyse Button

Analyse Button

Click Analyse to automatically detect the Cue In and Cue Out points based on the silence at the start and end of the track. The sensitivity of the analysis can be configured from Silence Analysis in Settings. The system will not automatically set the Intro, Hook, or Early Out points.

3

Waveform

Waveform

The waveform shows the volume of the audio track over time. Cue point markers are overlaid as coloured lines using the following colour coding:

Cue pointColour
Cue InGreen
IntroBlue
HookHot pink
Early OutOrange
Cue OutRed

Double-click on the waveform to start playing at a different position in the track. Use the Play and Stop buttons to control playback, and the Go to start and Go to end buttons to jump to the start or end of the track. Use the Zoom buttons to zoom in and out of the waveform if you need to set a more precise cue point. You can also zoom with the mouse wheel while hovering over the waveform.

Scheduling

The Scheduling tab contains options for controlling when the track is available for scheduling.

Edit Track window Scheduling tab1234

The Scheduling tab with disable, valid from, expires, and ignore year on dates options.

1

Disabled

Disabled

Tick this checkbox to prevent the track from being considered when scheduling. Disabled tracks remain in your library but will not be scheduled automatically.

2

Valid From

Valid From

Tick the checkbox and select a date to make the track available for scheduling only from that date onwards. Before midnight (00:00) on the selected date, the track will not be scheduled.

3

Expires

Expires

Tick the checkbox and select a date after which the track should no longer be scheduled. After midnight (00:00) on the selected date, the track will not be scheduled automatically.

4

Ignore year on dates

Ignore year on dates

Tick this checkbox to ignore the year part of the Valid From and Expires dates so the track recurs every year between the same day and month. For example, a Christmas track set to be valid from 1 December and to expire on 1 January returns to the schedule each year automatically, without you having to update the dates. This option is only available while both Valid From and Expires are ticked, and is cleared automatically if you untick either of them.

Dayparting

Premium Feature · Advanced Scheduling

Dayparting requires the Advanced Scheduling premium module.

The Dayparting tab allows you to restrict the track to specific days and hours. This feature requires the Advanced Scheduling premium module. A green indicator next to the tab shows that the module is licensed. If the indicator is red, click it to purchase or start a trial of the module.

Edit Track window Dayparting tab12

The Dayparting tab with the hour and day selector grid.

1

Dayparting Enabled

Dayparting Enabled

Tick this checkbox to enable dayparting for the track. When enabled, the track will only be scheduled during the time slots selected in the grid below.

2

Dayparting Grid

Dayparting Grid

The grid shows days of the week as rows and hours of the day as columns. Select cells and press Y to allow scheduling during those time slots, or N to block them. Green cells indicate allowed time slots.

Reporting

The Reporting tab contains fields used for music reporting and royalty tracking. These values can be exported via Manage > Logged Tracks to report to licensing and royalty collection agencies.

Edit Track window Reporting tab12

The Reporting tab with ISRC and Record Label fields.

ISRC

The International Standard Recording Code for the track. This is a 12-character code used to identify individual recordings for royalty tracking and music reporting.

2

Record Label

Record Label

The record label that released the track. This information is included in music reports.

Track Groups

The Track Groups tab shows which track groups the track belongs to. Track groups are used to organise your library and control scheduling rotation. Alongside the Listed Track Groups that you can add and remove, the tab also displays any Filtered or Grouped Track Groups that dynamically include this track. These dynamic memberships are read-only and shown for reference.

Edit Track window Track Groups tab12

The Track Groups tab showing group memberships.

1

Track Group List

Track Group List

The list of Listed Track Groups that the track currently belongs to. You can select a group and press Delete to remove the track from it. Filtered and Grouped Track Groups that dynamically include this track are shown alongside for reference and cannot be edited from this tab.

2

Add Track Group

Add Track Group

Click Add Track Group to add the track to an additional Listed Track Group. A dialog will appear allowing you to select from available track groups.

Bulk Editing Tracks

You can edit multiple tracks at once using the bulk edit feature. This is useful when you need to change a shared property across several tracks, such as correcting an artist name or setting a genre.

Selecting Multiple Tracks

Open the Manage Tracks window, then hold Ctrl or Shift to select multiple tracks in the list. To select all tracks in the list, click any track and press Ctrl+A. Click Edit to open the bulk edit dialog.

Manage Tracks window with multiple tracks selected

Select multiple tracks using Ctrl or Shift, then click Edit.

Editing Shared Properties

The bulk edit dialog shows the properties of all selected tracks. Fields where all selected tracks share the same value display that value. Fields where the values differ are left blank.

Each field has a checkbox next to it. Tick the checkbox for any field you want to change, then enter the new value. Only fields with a ticked checkbox are updated when you save. Fields without a tick are left unchanged on all selected tracks.

In this example, several ABBA tracks have been imported with different spellings of the artist name. By selecting them all and ticking the Artist checkbox, you can correct them all to "ABBA" in one step.

Bulk Edit dialog with Artist changed to ABBA

Tick the checkbox next to a field to change it across all selected tracks. Here the Artist is being corrected to ABBA.

Bulk Analysing Cue Points

You can also bulk analyse cue points in the selected tracks by clicking the Analyse All button in the Bulk Edit dialog. This runs cue point detection across every selected track in one step, so you do not need to open and analyse each track individually.

Bulk Editing Tags

When bulk editing tags, you can choose how the tags you enter are applied to the selected tracks. Tick the Tags checkbox, choose an operation, then enter the tags you want to apply, add, or remove in the Tags field.

Three operation modes are available:

Click Save Tracks to apply your changes to all selected tracks, or Close to discard them.

Add New Tracks Wizard

The Add New Tracks Wizard guides you through importing new tracks into your PlayIt Live library. To open it, go to Manage > Tracks... and click the Add New button in the Manage Tracks window.

The first page of the wizard asks you to choose how you would like to add tracks.

PlayIt Live Add New Tracks Wizard source selection page123456

The Add New Tracks Wizard showing the source selection options.

1

From Individual File(s)

From Individual File(s)

Select this option to add one or more specific audio files. When you click Next, you will be prompted to browse and select the files you wish to add.

2

From a Folder

From a Folder

Select this option to add all supported audio files from a folder. When you click Next, you will be prompted to choose a folder. All audio files found in the folder will be imported.

3

From a CSV Import File

From a CSV Import File

Select this option to import track data from a CSV file. When you click Next, you will be prompted to select a CSV file containing track metadata and file paths. See CSV Track Import for details on how to create a CSV file and the full list of supported columns.

To generate a template CSV file, go to Manage > Tracks and export the current list of tracks using the Export track list to CSV button. You can then modify the exported file to import a new set of tracks.

Back

Click Back to return to the previous page of the wizard. This button is disabled on the first page.

Next

Click Next to proceed to the next step. Depending on the source option you selected, you will be prompted to choose your files, folder, or CSV import file.

6

Cancel

Cancel

Click Cancel to close the wizard without adding any tracks.

CSV Track Import

PlayIt Live can import tracks from a CSV (Comma-Separated Values) file using the Add New Tracks Wizard. This is useful when migrating track metadata from another playout system, a music scheduling tool, or a spreadsheet.

Before You Start

The CSV importer expects data in a specific format. If you are exporting from another system, you will almost certainly need to convert and reformat the data before it can be imported into PlayIt Live. This requires some manual effort and familiarity with spreadsheet tools such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

In particular, all duration and cue point values must be in decimal seconds. Formats like 3:45 or 0:08.5 are not accepted because they are ambiguous (they could represent minutes:seconds or hours:minutes). You will need to convert these values yourself before importing. See Value Formats below for details.

The best approach is to export a few tracks from PlayIt Live first using the CSV export in Manage Tracks. This gives you a template showing the exact column names and value formats that the importer expects.

Creating a CSV File

The CSV file must have a header row with column names, followed by one row per track. You can create the file in any spreadsheet application and export it as CSV, or write it in a text editor.

Minimal Example

At minimum, each track needs a file path and a duration:

Path,Artist,Title,Duration
C:\Music\Katrina and the Waves - Walking on Sunshine.mp3,Katrina and the Waves,Walking on Sunshine,239
C:\Music\Journey - Don't Stop Believin'.mp3,Journey,Don't Stop Believin',250.5
C:\Music\Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody.mp3,Queen,Bohemian Rhapsody,354

Full Example

A more complete CSV file with timing and metadata columns:

Path,Artist,Title,Duration,Intro,Cue In,Cue Out,Genre,Year,Type
C:\Music\Walking on Sunshine.mp3,Katrina and the Waves,Walking on Sunshine,239,8.5,0,228,Pop,1985,Song
C:\Music\Bohemian Rhapsody.mp3,Queen,Bohemian Rhapsody,354,15,0,340,Rock,1975,Song

Value Formats

Every column has a specific value format. Using the wrong format will cause the row to be skipped during import.

Decimal Seconds

All duration and cue point columns must be in decimal seconds using a dot (.) as the decimal separator.

CorrectIncorrect
2393:59
8.50:08.5
228.753:48.75
00:00

If your source data uses minutes:seconds format, you will need to convert it. In a spreadsheet, you can use a formula such as =MINUTE(A1)*60+SECOND(A1) to convert a time value in cell A1 to total seconds.

Text

Text values (Artist, Title, Album, etc.) are plain strings. If a value contains a comma, the entire value must be enclosed in double quotes in the CSV file. Most spreadsheet applications handle this automatically when exporting to CSV.

Boolean

Boolean columns (No Fade, Sweeper, Disabled, Ignore Validity Year?, Gain Set Manually?) accept true or false (case-insensitive). If the column is missing or empty, the value defaults to false.

Date

Date columns (Valid From, Expires) accept standard date formats such as 2026-01-15. The time portion is ignored.

Decimal

Decimal columns (Gain DB, Loudness Target LUFS, Tempo Adjust Percentage) use a dot (.) as the decimal separator. For example, -3.5 for a gain reduction of 3.5 dB.

Column Reference

Required Columns

Only the Path and Duration columns are needed for a valid import. All other columns are optional. If a column is missing from the header, the field is left empty or set to its default value.

ColumnFormatDescription
PathTextThe full file path to the audio file on disk. Used for playback and duplicate detection.
Duration or Duration (seconds)Decimal secondsThe total duration of the track (e.g. 239 or 228.5).

Track Information

ColumnFormatDescription
ArtistTextThe artist or performer name.
TitleTextThe track title.
AlbumTextThe album name.
GenreTextThe genre (e.g. Pop, Rock, Jazz).
YearTextThe release year.
TypeTextThe track type. Must be one of the type identifiers listed below, or left empty.
TagsTextSemicolon-separated tags (e.g. upbeat;classic;80s).
CommentsTextFree-text comments about the track.
Out CueTextThe out cue text (e.g. "and don't it feel good!").
ISRCTextThe International Standard Recording Code.
Record LabelTextThe record label name.
Track IDTextA custom track identifier.

Track Type Values

The Type column must use one of the following values exactly as shown below.

ValueDescription
SongA music track.
Station IDA station identification jingle.
PromoA promotional announcement.
CommercialA commercial or advert.
NewsA news bulletin or clip.
BedA background music bed.
Station ID + BedA combined station ID with a background bed.

If the Type column is left empty, the type will be inferred automatically.

Cue Points and Timing

ColumnFormatDefaultDescription
IntroDecimal secondsNot setThe intro duration. The point at which vocals or the main content begins.
Cue InDecimal seconds0The cue in point. Playback starts from this point.
Cue OutDecimal secondsSame as DurationThe cue out point. The next track begins at this point.
Early OutDecimal secondsNot setThe early out point. Used to play a sweeper early.
Hook StartDecimal secondsNot setThe start of the track's hook section.
Hook EndDecimal secondsNot setThe end of the track's hook section.

Playback Control

ColumnFormatDefaultDescription
No FadeBooleanfalseSet to true to disable the fade-out at the cue out point of the track.
SweeperBooleanfalseSet to true to mark the track as a sweeper and allow it to play over other tracks.
DisabledBooleanfalseSet to true to disable the track from being scheduled.
Valid FromDateNot setThe date at midnight from which the track becomes available (e.g. 2026-01-15).
ExpiresDateNot setThe date at midnight after which the track is no longer available (e.g. 2026-02-15).
Ignore Validity Year?BooleanfalseSet to true to ignore the year part of Valid From and Expires so the track recurs every year between those dates. Only takes effect when both Valid From and Expires are set.

Audio Processing

ColumnFormatDefaultDescription
Gain DBDecimalNot setAudio gain adjustment in decibels (e.g. -3.5).
Gain Set Manually?BooleanfalseSet to true if the gain value was manually configured rather than auto-detected by Loudness Analysis.
Loudness Target LUFSDecimalNot setThe loudness normalisation target in LUFS stored by the Loudness Analysis feature.
Tempo Adjust PercentageDecimalNot setPercentage adjustment to the playback tempo.

Scheduling

ColumnFormatDescription
DaypartingTextControls when the track is allowed to play. The value starts with Y (enabled) or N (disabled), followed by semicolon-separated day and hour pairs using the format DayCode|Hour. Day codes are Mo, Tu, We, Th, Fr, Sa, Su. Hours are 0 to 23. For example, Y;Mo|09;Mo|10;Fr|14 enables the track on Mondays at 9am and 10am, and Fridays at 2pm.

Error Handling

Add New Tracks Additional Options

After selecting your source in the Add New Tracks Wizard, the Additional Options page lets you configure how the import will be processed.

PlayIt Live Add New Tracks Wizard additional options page1234

The Add New Tracks Wizard showing the additional options for a folder import.

1

Source

Source

Displays a summary of the source you selected on the previous page. For a folder import, this shows the folder path. For individual files, it shows the number of files selected.

2

Include Sub Folders

Include Sub Folders

When importing from a folder, tick this option to also scan all sub-folders within the selected folder for audio files. This option is only available when importing from a folder.

3

Analyse Silence

Analyse Silence

When ticked, PlayIt Live will analyse the silence at the start and end of each track and cue in and out points. This is recommended for most imports. The parameters for the silence analysis can be configured from Settings > General.

4

Duplicate Handling

Duplicate Handling

Controls what happens when an imported track has the same file path as an existing track in your library. This section is only available when your library already contains tracks.

  • Replace any tracks with the same file path: If a file is found that has the same path as a track in the system, it will be overwritten by the new track file.
  • Skip any tracks with the same file path: If a file is found that has the same path as a track in the system, it will be ignored and will not change the existing track already added to PlayIt Live.
  • Duplicate any tracks with the same file path: If a file is found that has the same path as a track in the system, it will be added again, resulting in two instances of the same track in the system.

Add New Tracks Progress

After configuring your additional options, the wizard begins importing your tracks. The progress page shows the status of the import as each file is loaded and processed.

PlayIt Live Add New Tracks Wizard progress page123

The Add New Tracks Wizard showing an import in progress.

1

Current File

Current File

Displays the file path of the track currently being imported. This updates as each file is processed.

2

Artist and Title

Artist and Title

Shows the artist and title of the track currently being processed, as read from the embedded tag information within the file. If this information is missing, the artist and title are determined from the filename in the format Artist - Title.ext where ext is the file extension.

3

Overall Progress

Overall Progress

A progress bar showing the overall completion of the import, along with text indicating how many tracks have been processed out of the total. If any tracks were ignored during the import, the count of ignored tracks is also displayed. Tracks are ignored if they are not valid audio files, have no duration, or if the duplicate handling option is set to skip and a track with the same file path already exists in the library.

Add New Tracks Review

After the import progress completes, the wizard moves to the review page. Here you can choose which tracks to include in the import and review or edit each track's metadata before it is saved to your library.

PlayIt Live Add New Tracks Wizard review page123

The Add New Tracks Wizard showing the review page with a track selected for editing.

1

Track List

Track List

Displays all the tracks discovered during the import, listed alphabetically by artist and title. Each track has a checkbox that controls whether it will be included when you complete the wizard. All tracks are checked by default. Click a track to select it and view its details in the track editor panel.

2

Track Checkbox

Track Checkbox

Each track in the list has a checkbox. Uncheck a track to exclude it from the import. Only checked tracks will be added to your library when you click Finish. This is useful if some of the discovered files are not tracks you want in your library.

3

Track Editor

Track Editor

When you select a track from the list, the track editor panel appears on the right side. This shows the track's metadata as read from the file's tags, including artist, title, album, genre, year, and other fields. The fields shown here are the same as those in the Edit Track window, so you can set them up consistently before the track is imported. You can edit any of these values before the track is imported. Changes are saved for that track when you select a different track or proceed to the next page.

Add New Tracks Group

After reviewing your tracks, the final page of the wizard is the group assignment section. Here you can add the imported tracks to an existing track group, create a new group for them, or leave them in the All Tracks group. Click Finish to add the tracks to your library.

PlayIt Live Add New Tracks Wizard group assignment page1234

The Add New Tracks Wizard showing the group assignment options.

1

Leave in All Tracks Group

Leave in All Tracks Group

Select this option to leave the imported tracks without assigning them to a particular track group. The tracks will still appear in the All Tracks group.

2

Add to Existing Group

Add to Existing Group

Select this option to add the imported tracks to an existing track group. Choose the group from the dropdown list.

3

Add to New Group

Add to New Group

Select this option to add the imported tracks to a new track group. Enter the name of the new group in the text box.

4

Finish Button

Finish Button

Click the Finish button to complete the wizard and add the tracks to your library.

Track Groups

As the name suggests, Track Groups are used to group tracks by certain criteria. There are three types of track group:

Track groups are used on the main interface to filter tracks in the track list. They are also used in playout policies, playout patterns, and clocks.

Customising the playout log with track groups

It is possible to change the icon and colour of a track on the playout log on the main interface. When editing a track group, you can optionally select an icon and colour for the track group. There are a number of built-in icons but it is possible to add your own.

To add your own icons, go to the C:\ProgramData\PlayIt Live\icons folder on your computer. Please note that C:\ProgramData\ is a hidden folder, so you should type the full path into Windows Explorer or the Run window.

The built-in icons are 256x256 PNG icons with transparency. To add your own icons to PlayIt Live, simply add the images to this folder. PlayIt Live uses the filename without extension to store which icon is associated with each track group. Therefore you should not use the same filename with different extensions for different icons. You should also not prefix your images with playit-. Anything with this prefix could be removed or overwritten by a new version of PlayIt Live. Once you have added your icons to the folder they will be visible for use in PlayIt Live.

Manage Track Groups Window

The Manage Track Groups window lists all the track groups in the system. Open it from the Manage > Track Groups menu.

PlayIt Live Manage Track Groups window1234567

The Manage Track Groups window showing a list of track groups with their types and track counts.

2

Track Group List

Track Group List

Displays the Name, Type, Track Count, and Hidden? state of each track group. Double-click an entry in the list to begin editing. Depending on the type, this will open the Edit Listed Track Group, Edit Filtered Track Group, or Edit Grouped Track Group window.

Each row also includes:

  • Hidden? checkbox. Check it to hide the track group from the main interface track group selector.
  • Clone icon. Click it to make a copy of the track group.
  • Delete icon. Click it to delete the track group from the system.
3

Add New

Add New

Click Add New to begin adding a new track group. This opens the Choose Track Group Type window.

Edit

Click Edit to begin editing the selected track group. Depending on the type, this will open the Edit Listed Track Group, Edit Filtered Track Group, or Edit Grouped Track Group window.

OK

Click OK to save changes and close the window.

6

Cancel

Cancel

Click Cancel to discard changes and close the window.

7

Move Tracks

Move Tracks

Use the Move Tracks feature to easily move tracks between existing Listed Track Groups. See Move Tracks Window.

Choose Track Group Type Window

When you click Add New in the Manage Track Groups window, this dialog appears to let you choose which type of track group to create.

PlayIt Live Choose Track Group Type window12345

The Choose Track Group Type window with the three track group type options.

1

Listed Track Group

Listed Track Group

A Listed Track Group lets you manually select a fixed list of tracks to include in the group. Select this option and then click OK to open the Edit Listed Track Group window.

2

Filtered Track Group

Filtered Track Group

A Filtered Track Group dynamically selects tracks based on filter conditions applied to track properties such as artist, genre, or year. Select this option and then click OK to open the Edit Filtered Track Group window.

3

Grouped Track Group

Grouped Track Group

A Grouped Track Group combines multiple existing track groups into a single group, letting you treat several groups as one. Select this option and then click OK to open the Edit Grouped Track Group window.

OK

Click OK to continue creating a track group of the selected type.

5

Cancel

Cancel

Click Cancel to stop creating a new track group.

Edit Listed Track Group Window

The Edit Listed Track Group window allows you to manually select which tracks belong to the track group.

PlayIt Live Edit Listed Track Group window1234567891011

The Edit Listed Track Group window showing the track list and track group track list side by side.

1

Track Group Name

Track Group Name

The name of the track group.

3

Track List

Track List

List of tracks not already in the track group. You can select the columns that are displayed in this grid by right-clicking the header and selecting Select columns.... You can right-click a track in the track list to show additional options, including the ability to preview the audio to hear what the track sounds like.

4

Add to Track Group

Add to Track Group

Click the > button to add the selected tracks from the track list to the track group.

5

Remove from Track Group

Remove from Track Group

Click the < button to remove the selected tracks from the track group.

6

Track Group Track List

Track Group Track List

List of tracks in the track group. You can select the columns that are displayed in this grid by right-clicking the header and selecting Select columns.... You can right-click a track in the track list to show additional options, including the ability to preview the audio.

7

Colour

Colour

Tick the Colour box to show a colour for any tracks in this track group when they are displayed on the playout log on the main interface. Click in the colour box to change the colour.

Icon

Tick the Icon box to show an icon for any tracks in this track group when they are displayed on the playout log on the main interface. Click in the icon box to change the icon, and the Select Icon window will be shown. To add your own icons, see the Customising the playout log section.

9

Priority

Priority

The priority is used to determine which track group is used when displaying a track on the playout log on the main interface that appears in multiple track groups. The track group with the highest priority will be used when displaying the colour or icon.

OK

Click OK to confirm changes to the track group.

11

Cancel

Cancel

Click Cancel to discard changes to the track group.

Edit Filtered Track Group Window

The Edit Filtered Track Group window allows you to create dynamic track groups using filters. For example, you can filter tracks by songs by artists that start with A.

PlayIt Live Edit Filtered Track Group window12345678

The Edit Filtered Track Group window showing filter conditions and matched tracks.

1

Track Group Name

Track Group Name

The name of the track group.

2

Filter Builder

Filter Builder

The filter builder lets you define one or more conditions that tracks must match to be included in the group.

Each filter row contains:

  • Field Selector: choose the track property to filter on, such as Artist, Title, Genre, Year, or Type.
  • Operation Selector: choose how the field value is compared, such as Contains, Does Not Contain, Starts With, Ends With, or Is Empty.
  • Filter Value: enter the value to compare against.

When you have more than one filter row:

  • And / Or Selector: choose how to combine the conditions. And requires tracks to match both conditions. Or requires tracks to match either condition.
  • Open / Close Parentheses: use parentheses to group conditions and control the order of evaluation. Use the up and down arrows to add or remove parentheses.

Use the Add button to add a new filter condition and the Remove button to delete the selected condition.

3

Open Parentheses

Open Parentheses

Use parentheses to form complex filters. Use the up and down arrows to increase and decrease the number of opening parentheses.

4

Close Parentheses

Close Parentheses

Use parentheses to form complex filters. Use the up and down arrows to increase and decrease the number of closing parentheses.

5

Add Filter

Add Filter

Click the Add button to add a new filter condition.

6

Remove Filter

Remove Filter

Click the Remove button to remove the selected filter condition.

7

Matched Tracks

Matched Tracks

As the filter is updated, the Tracks matched by this filter list updates to show the tracks that match the current filter conditions.

8

Colour, Icon and Priority

Colour, Icon and Priority

See the Colour, Icon and Priority settings on the Edit Listed Track Group page.

Edit Grouped Track Group Window

The Edit Grouped Track Group window allows you to combine multiple existing track groups into a single track group.

PlayIt Live Edit Grouped Track Group window123456

The Edit Grouped Track Group window showing the track group selections.

1

Track Group Name

Track Group Name

The name of the track group.

2

Invert Selection

Invert Selection

If this checkbox is checked, the tracks in this group will be the inverse of the selected groups. That is, this track group will include only tracks that do not appear in the selected track groups.

3

Track Group Selections

Track Group Selections

Lists all the track groups in the system. Click a checkbox to include the selected track group in this grouped track group.

4

Colour, Icon and Priority

Colour, Icon and Priority

See the Colour, Icon and Priority settings on the Edit Listed Track Group page.

OK

Click OK to confirm changes to this track group.

6

Cancel

Cancel

Click Cancel to discard changes to this track group.

Move Tracks Window

You can use the Move Tracks window to easily move tracks from one Listed Track Group to another. Open it by clicking Move Tracks in the Manage Track Groups window.

PlayIt Live Move Tracks window123456

The Move Tracks window showing two track groups side by side with move controls.

1

From Listed Track Group

From Listed Track Group

Select the track group you want to move tracks from. Select the tracks you wish to move and click the right arrow. You can select multiple tracks while holding the Ctrl key. You can also double-click tracks to move them to the other track group. Right-click the header and select Select columns... to customise the displayed columns. Right-click a track to show additional options, including the ability to preview the audio.

2

To Listed Track Group

To Listed Track Group

Select the track group you want to move tracks to. Select the tracks you wish to move back and click the left arrow. You can select multiple tracks while holding the Ctrl key. You can also double-click tracks to move them to the other track group. Right-click the header and select Select columns... to customise the displayed columns. Right-click a track to show additional options, including the ability to preview the audio.

3

Move Right

Move Right

Move the selected tracks from the track group on the left to the track group on the right.

4

Move Left

Move Left

Move the selected tracks from the track group on the right to the track group on the left.

OK

Save changes and close the window.

6

Close

Close

Close the window without saving changes.

Multiple Artist Splits

Multiple Artist Splits define the text used to separate combined artist names in the Artist field of a track. Without splits configured, PlayIt Live treats a name such as Take That feat. Lulu as a single distinct artist, so artist-separation rules in Playout Policies will not apply to the individual artists within that name.

For example, adding a split with the text feat. causes PlayIt Live to recognise Take That and Lulu as separate artists. Playout Policies can then prevent either artist from being played too close together, regardless of whether the track credit is listed as the combined name or individually.

Multiple Artist Splits list window123456
List

The list of existing Multiple Artist Splits.

  • Split Text - The text used to split combined artist names into separate artists.
  • Disabled - A tick indicates the split is disabled and will not be used when separating artists.
  • Clone - Click to create a copy of the split.
  • Delete - Click to remove the split.
2

Add New

Add New

Click to add a new Multiple Artist Split. Opens the Edit Multiple Artist Split window to enter the details of the split.

Edit

Click to edit the selected Multiple Artist Split. Opens the Edit Multiple Artist Split window to modify the details of the split.

OK

Click OK to save changes and close the window.

5

Cancel

Cancel

Click Cancel to discard changes and close the window.

6

Apply

Apply

Click Apply to save changes without closing the window.

Edit Multiple Artist Split Window

Edit Multiple Artist Split window12345
1

Split Text

Split Text

The text used to separate a Track Artist into multiple artists. Include spaces either side of the text if you intend to split by a word. For example, with on its own could match George Michael with Elton John but also Bill Withers.

2

Matched Artists

Matched Artists

This table shows all the artists that are matched given the entered split text. Here you can see if the split text is achieving the desired outcome.

3

Disabled

Disabled

Use this checkbox to disable this Multiple Artist Split so it is not considered by the scheduler.

OK

Click OK to save the Multiple Artist Split and close the window.

5

Cancel

Cancel

Click Cancel to discard changes and close the window.

Monitored Folders

Monitored Folders can watch the state of a Windows folder (and optionally its sub-folders) for new, updated or deleted track files. Monitored Folders can be accessed via Manage > Monitored Folders.

When a file is added to the folder, it will be added to the PlayIt Live database if it is a valid track file. The track file can also be automatically analysed for cue points and added to a track group.

When a file is updated in the folder, it will be updated in the PlayIt Live database, updating the duration, cue points and any file metadata contained within the file, if desired.

When a file is deleted from the folder, it will be deleted from the PlayIt Live database, if desired.

If you delete a track from Manage > Tracks, but the underlying audio file still exists in a monitored folder, the track will be re-added to the database on the next folder scan. To permanently remove a track that belongs to a monitored folder, delete the audio file from the folder itself rather than removing the track from Manage > Tracks.

Monitored folders work by periodically scanning for changes in the folder, every 30 seconds. Folders with a large number of files or sub-folders will take longer to scan. For this reason, do not use C:\ as the folder to scan for changes to every file on your computer. This will likely never complete. Choose a folder where you know audio files are located.

Use Monitored Folders if you have dynamic content, e.g. news or weather, from a folder such as Dropbox. Create a Monitored Folder with a Path to the shared Dropbox folder to pick up changes automatically.

You can check the Monitored Folders Status window for recent changes to your monitored folders.

Manage Monitored Folders Window

From the Monitored Folders window you can see the list of existing Monitored Folders.

Manage Monitored Folders window123456