Clocks

Clocks are hour-long templates used to define how an hour of playout content should sound. When a clock is scheduled, the playout log will generate items to schedule based on the clock items.

There are two types of clock:

Standard: a full hour-long clock that defines the complete structure of an hour.
Partial: a reusable mini clock that can be inserted into other clocks to avoid repeating common sequences of clock items.

Clock item types

A clock can contain the following types of clock item:

Track: plays a specific track from your library. The scheduler always inserts the chosen track at this position, which is useful for fixed elements such as a news jingle or station identifier that must play at the same point every hour.
Track Group: the scheduler selects a track from the chosen track group using a selection strategy, taking playout policies into account. Use this for music rotations where you want variety rather than a fixed track.
Break Note: a non-audio text marker in the playout log that reminds the presenter of something, such as a station ident or a live read. A break note can have a duration, during which silence is played.
Fixed Time Marker: anchors scheduling to a specific point in the hour. Items before the marker play normally; items after it are held until the marker's time is reached. Can be configured as Hard (cuts off any playing item to hit the time exactly), Soft (waits for the current item to finish), or Not Before (prevents items after it from playing before the specified time). Use fixed time markers to ensure news bulletins, ad breaks, or other timed content go to air at the right moment.
Voice Track: inserts a placeholder for a presenter link recorded ahead of time. The presenter records the link in the Segue Editor or via Remote Voice Tracking, and it is played back at this position in the log. Use voice tracks to pre-produce shows that sound live.
Remote URL: plays audio from an internet or network address. This can be a static audio file hosted on a server, or a continuous live stream such as an Icecast or Shoutcast feed. Use this to pull in a remote feed, for example a national network program or a DJ streaming from a remote location.
Aux Input: plays live audio from a physical input on your sound card for a set duration. Typically used to bring in a live news feed from an external provider, for example IRN or Sky News over satellite.
Advert Block: reserves a slot for a group of adverts. The actual advert tracks played are determined by the corresponding advert block entry in the advert log for the scheduled hour, matched by the block's start time. Use advert blocks to define where commercial breaks fall in your schedule. Requires the Advanced Scheduling module.
Scheduled Event Action: triggers a scheduled event action inline at this exact position in the playout log as part of playout, rather than at a fixed clock time. Use this when you need an action (such as switching automation on or off) to happen at a specific point in the running order rather than at a specific time.
Hook Sequence: plays short clips (hooks) from multiple tracks back to back, typically with station identifiers or sweepers between them. Used to promote songs coming up in the next hour or to showcase tracks from a particular group. Requires the Advanced Scheduling module.
Merge Start / End: defines a segment into which external content (typically a commercial traffic log) can be merged. Place a Merge Start item at the beginning and a Merge End item at the end of the segment, then use the Merge External Log File scheduled event action to insert the external content. Requires the Advanced Scheduling module.
Partial Clock: inserts a previously created partial clock into the current clock. Partial clocks are reusable mini-clocks containing commonly used sequences of clock items, keeping your programming consistent without duplicating entries. Items are inserted verbatim, including any fixed time markers, which maintain their absolute time positions.

Managing clocks

To manage clocks, open the Manage Clocks window. To edit a clock, open the Edit Clock window.