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Files:

New - Recoauto.exe (System Settings/On-Off times)
New - Recaunat.exe (The actual recorder)
Altered - Utillist.exe (Utilities List)

To add the files:

hese files are located on setup diskette #1. Place this disk in the floppy drive and type the following:

COPY A:\REC*.EXE C:\AMATE {Enter}

This will place the needed files in the AMATE directory where they can be accessed through the utilities menu.


Usage Instructions:

To enter the program. Choose <F9> Utillites from the Main Menu. Then, Press the 'U' key (upper or lower case) to enter the Unattended Record Menu.

There are four main options from the Unattended Record Menu:

<F1> View/Edit Unattended Record Schedule

This is where you setup the schedule. Upon entry, choose the day of the week to work with, or choose daily to have the recording take place every day of the week.

After a day has been chosen, you will see any existing entries in the box to the right, and the file name chosen for each recording at the bottom of the screen.

You must select a number to edit, then enter the on-time and off-times (in 24hr time). Then enter the I.D. for the recording. 'S' for spot is the default first digit, but can be deleted (with the backspace key) and any digit may be entered in its place.

When all desired entries have been made, press <F1> and answer <Y> to save the list.

<F2> Set Recording Drive

Any drive that is present in the system may be used for recording. Just remember that the drive must be present at the time of recording. If not, the system will not make your recordings, and the computer could freeze-up. You will be prompted upon entry to the unattended recorder if the drive you have selected is not available - which should prevent the user from trying to record to a non-existent drive.

To change the recording drive, just press the up and down arrow.

Press enter to leave this utility.

Note that your current recording drive is always noted at the bottom of the screen.

<F3> Set Recording Fidelity

The unattended recorder will record at the fidelity that is set here. Any other fidelities set in any other Auto-Mate utilities will not be utilized. The only outside audio setting that is in effect is the 8 or 16 bit recording setting that is set from Utilities which is at <F9> from the main menu and then Set Default Audio Levels (Recording) at <F2> from the Utilities Menu.

<F4> Unattended .WAV Recorder

Upon entry, all entries will be loaded into memory. Then the recording willl be started on the drive specified when the 'on time' is encountered from the computer DOS clock.

When the green button states 'ACTIVE' your system is scanning, looking for an 'on time'. To be sure if the system is scanning, look at the bottom of the screen. You should see days and times flittering by constantly.

To exit the Unattended Record utility, press the <Tab> Key to highlight 'QUIT'. Then Press <Enter>. Note: Your system will also scan and record at the appropriate time if the green button states 'QUIT'.

Notes:

The 'bytes free' message should be viewed for the specified recording drive to make sure that enough space is free to make the desired number of unattended recordings.

The on and off times and days are determined from the DOS clock of your computer. Make sure the proper time and day are set to insure accuracy. Date and Time can be set from the Utilities Menu.

General Information about Unattended Recorder:

I. Any existing .WAV file of the same name that is set for unattended record will be deleted and replaced with the new file.

Recorded .WAV files will not play without an attached .DAT (data) file. There are two ways to accomplish generating a .DAT file:

1. Make an actual recording - <F1><F2><F3> from the Main Menu. The data file can be used indefinitely though the .WAV file may be replaced over and over. The only stipulation is that your new unattended recording must be made on the same drive as the orginal recording. This is because the .DAT file tells the computer where to look for the .WAV file. If you record the original file on C drive, but target a replacement unattended record file of the same name for D drive, the system will still play the old file on C drive - never knowing that the new updated file exists on D drive.

Warning: Displayed program lengths (total seconds) for the recording do not update when an unattended recording is made. The displayed length will be that of the original recording.

Do not use 'compression masking' capabilities if you expect the length of re-recorded files to be different from the original recording. Compression Masking causes audio files to end playback based on the recording length in the .DAT file. As stated previously, this length does not change when an unattended recording is made. Therefore, if the original recording made was 60 seconds, and the new recording is 90 seconds - the playback will terminate at 60 seconds if compression masking is ON. If it is OFF, playback will continue until the audio file is complete.

2. Use Build Spots from .WAV files option: Option <F4> from the Utilities Menu. Here, you enter the spot data and can even enter the exact length of the recording. The only thing you really need to know is the file name you wish to import and which drive the .WAV file is held on. It is also nice to know the length of the unattended recording in seconds (if known - as accuracy is for operator convenience only).



II. For Recordings Made to a drive that is in active playback mode:

Some users will wish to make an unattended recording to a drive that is actively being used in an Auto-Mate Playback mode. Uses for this might be, for example, an hourly unattended recording of a newscast at :30 that will play from the satellite template at :56.

Caution: While this type of activity is possible, users should be cautioned that some systems may have difficulty handling dual I/O (input/output) functions - namely recording or copying to a drive and playing audio from it at the same time. The result may be 'sputtering' of audio playback or even system malfunction while multiple I/O functions are taking place. You may wish to test the capabilities of your system by purposely forcing a break or liner to play from an active drive while an unattended record audio file is being written to it.

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file = '97 A:\UNATNED.DOC