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One of the steps when setting up a station on Station Manager is determining the cue point delay from the Radio Automation System (RAS) and aligning it with the ad injection stream. This is typically performed by Triton Digital as part of the initial implementation and setup of Station Manager. However, over time there might be a need to re-align the cue points, such as when there is a change of station hardware or RAS system. The Cue Point Alignment Tool (CPAT) was developed to let you quickly and easily reset the cue point alignment yourself.
How it Works
Stream your RAS signal through Station Manager. Open the CPAT and (optionally) select the type of cue point you want to use for your alignment and wait for a cue point to be sent. When you know a cue point is coming soon, start recording the stream in CPAT. When the cue point arrives, CPAT saves ten seconds of the recording, with the cue point exactly in the middle. You can then play the recording back, and use the visual sound wave graph to determine exactly where the cue point is, and where the ad is injected. Align the red bar on the ad injection point. Save the setting and you’re done.
Record button.
Saved recording.
Sound wave graph. In this view, the left side has been muted.
Yellow line marks the cue point.
Red line is the moveable line that you align with the start of the ad injection.
The cue point delay (this display is dynamic; it changes as the red alignment line is moved).
Save button.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Important
Before you begin, ensure that the audio device used by Station Manager, and the Windows audio output device are not the same. If they are the same, change the Windows audio output to a different device. (Otherwise, the CPAT recording will play on your live stream along with your actual stream.)
First - record a cue point:
Open the CPAT: on the Media Proxy tab, click Options for the station you want to align.
(Optional) Use the drop-down Cue Point Type selector to choose the type of cue point that you wish to align.
When you expect a cue point to arrive soon, click Record Cue Point.
The recording button turns red. The recording ends five seconds after the CPAT detects the cue point, and the file appears in the lower part of the CPAT. (The file contains ten seconds of audio: five seconds before, and five seconds after the cue point.)
Second - align cue point with ad injection:
Select the recording and press the Play button to listen to it. The vertical line in the middle of the graph shows where the cue point arrived.
Using both visual information (the sound wave graph) and audible cues (when you hear the ad kick in), you should be able to tell if there is a misalignment between the cue point and the ad injection.
Grab the vertical line and move it to the point where the ad injection starts.
The line splits into two: the fixed yellow line is the cue point and the red movable line should be moved to the spot where the ad begins.
Once you are satisfied with the alignment, click Save to save the cue point delay setting.
The CPAT closes after you save.
Usage Notes
You can stop the recording at any time by clicking the red Recording... button.
You can record multiple cue points. The recording names have numbers appended to them (KSADFM_000, KSADFM_001, KSADFM_002, etc.).
You can mute the left or right side of the waveform graph by scrolling over and clicking clicking it. Click again to un-mute.
Recordings are stored in the following location:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Triton Digital\Station Manager\Server\Data\RecordingsThe recording file name is the name of your station with the recording number appended, e.g., KSADFM_001.flv
You can manually delete the recordings from the folder where they are stored (see above). However, the recording might still appear in the CPAT recordings list. If you select a recording that has been deleted, the message "Cannot download recording" appears:
