Parallel overlays - ident keeps playing

[andrerotgans]

Hi Bernd,

Don't know if it's a bug or 'by design', but I notice something happening when playing out overlays as they are combined :

I've got a local news overlay, scheduled af **.30.00, soft start. It starts with an intro jingle with a bed attached to it. It plays some news items, separated by a sounder. At the end there is a closer. Nothing specials, works fine.

I want this news element in my programming to end with a local weather forecast. So, I've created an additional overlay, scheduled for **.30.10, also soft start. I've selected the combine parallel overlays option and made sure that all requirements are met.

It also works, however, it keeps playing the start (the bed) of the local news overlay under the weather forecast. So, it does combine the two overlays, but the intro of the 1st one keeps playing under the second overlay.I didn't expect that to happen. Is this expected behavior ?

I can try to schedule this weather forecast from i.e. a fixed time element in the scheduled script, but I'd like to do it on a higher level, from the overlay scheduler.

Kind regards,

André

[andrerotgans]

No, I don't use the soundbed option, I only use the opener / closer. The opener starts with an intro to the news and runs for another 4 minutes. That works fine with only one overlay, so, no need for a separate soundbed in that case.

Can this be the reason why it's continuing when two overlays are combined ? Should I give it a try with a separate soundbed. However, as far as I remember, that soundbed starts each time a new news items is played. The way I use it at the moment the bed keeps running, even underneath the seperators. So, it's more uninterrupted.

[radio42]

I still do not know how/where you define a soundbed?!
Is it a Track Insert event you are using to fire off a 4 minute long track within the Opener? Or where else is that 4 minute track defined?!

If yes, this would of course explain things, as a track insert event just fires a 4 minute track - which is played as long as the overlay exists - up to 4 minutes!

[andrerotgans]

hi Bernd,

that 4 minutes track is defined in the category dialog as the Opener (right click on the category in the news categories, pick edit, that dialog). And although it's 4 minutes, it doesn't play for four minutes. It only plays 'till the end of that particular overlay. When there's only 1 overlay, that's no problem, that's what I want.
However, if that overlay is combined with an parallel overlay, it plays until the end of the _combined_ overlay. And that's not what I want.

I've set up the category to use a soundbed as possible in the category dialog. That'll do the job (it stops playing) but, it sounds bad. The soundbed starts again at every new news item and stops with every separator.

Do you understand what I mean ?

[radio42]

May be I am a bit slow today; but that still doesn't explain what you mean by "It starts with an intro jingle with a bed attached to it"?!

In the News Category editor dialog you can specify:
- An opener track (played at the very first track; preceding the effective news tracks)
- A separator track (played as intermediate tracks in between two subsequent news tracks)
- A closer track (played at the very last track; succeeding the effective news tracks)
- A soundbed track (used as a background track for each individual news tracks)

As explained the Opener plays at the very beginning!
Did you define a Next cue-point plus some volume envelope with that Opener, so that the News tracks follow early ?
If yes, regardless, it will play until the end (e.g. the end of the _combined_ overlay) - that is by design and no bug!
Otherwise the opener track would play till it end (in your case 4 minutes); before the fist News-Track is being played !
So where is your 'bed' you are talking about?

[andrerotgans]

Maybe we are both a little bit slow today
The opener track is the one I mean. It's ONE track, a jingle with a bed mixed in it. So, just one WAV file containing both. It's got a next cue set, of course, to start the news tracks early. So, exactly like you say. And, this sentence is the one I wanted to hear : If yes, regardless, it will play until the end (e.g. the end of the _combined_ overlay) - that is by design and no bug!

Now I know it's by design I have to find a work-around. I didn't expect the opener of overlay 1 to extend into the secondoverlay, even if they are combined. I expected it to be two overlays, the first one just handled as it would be when it was only ONE overlay.
As said, I don't like the option with the soundbed track. So, I'll have to split it into two independent overlays.

[radio42]

Yes, the Opener will just play as is - regardless of how many other overlays are joined later.
It is just be a coincidence, that it is stopped, when the overlay player stops - but that is simply because the whole overlay player is being reset and as such all playing tracks as well.

Combining overlays effectively means, the tracks of the 2nd overlay are joined (added) to the existing playlist of the 1st one.
A combined overlay then also plays as one overlay!

[radio42]

I can not reproduce your issue here.
Please show me exactly how/where you defined your soundbed track.

I assume you are using directly the 'Soundbed' option of the News category?!

If not, what do you mean by "It starts with an intro jingle with a bed attached to it"?!