Broadcaster Portable Studio & Broadcaster Desktop Support

Where can I find the setup Instructions?

The Broadcaster Portable Studio and Broadcaster Desktop would have been supplied with printed setup instruction and a copy of these put on your system as a PDF.  If this have been accidently deleted, please send an email to support@andertontiger.com with your school details and we will immediately sent you another PDF copy.

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How do I turn the system on?

BROADCASTER PORTABLE STUDIO
If the mains cable is connected to a standard 13amp socket and the supply is turned on you should see the mains power light illuminated on the power distribution board which is part of the rack mounted components.  Unlock the access panel to the computer if it is locked and open the flap, press the push-on power button to start up the computer.  If the computer does not start, take a look at the powered fader control desk to see if there are any lights or numbers being displayed.  If you cannot see anything on the fader desk then it is very likely that the mains trip has activated.  This will have happened the last time you turned the system off and it is a failsafe device that monitors mains leakage.  Some mains sockets can produce a slight arc when switched off and it is very likely that our RCD device has detected this and shut off the internal power.  To correct this, locate the RCD mains trip switch, it is protected from accidental activation by a cover.  Reverse the position of the switch, the fader desk will now illuminate and the PC power switch will start up the system.  If this occurs again, try using another mains socket nearby.

BROADCASTER DESKTOP
The Desktop is supplied with a 13amp RCD fused plug with a test button.  Check that the mains cable is attached to a powered socket and switch on at the socket.  Then press the RESET button on the RCD, the Fader Desk, Monitors should all power up.  Unlock the access panel to the computer if it is locked and open the flap, press the push-on power button to start up the computer.

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How do I adjust the monitor speakers volume?

BROADCASTER PORTABLE STUDIO
The master volume control for each powered speaker is securely positioned behind a locked access panel on the back of The Broadcaster.  To open these panels you will need the keys that were supplied with the system.  If you have lost these keys, don't worry we have the serial numbers in our database and can easily supply additional keys.  Before you open the access panel ensure that the mains supply is disconnected.  Open both of the panel doors and find the two powered speakers, the volume control adjustment is a rotary knob on the back of the speaker, make sure any adjustment is mirrored to the other speaker so ensure a good stereo balance.  You may want to adjust this control if you are working in a particularly noisy classroom or if you are working in studio location where higher volumes aren't necessary.  When you have completed your adjustment, ensure that the panels are locked again.  Test the volume setting by playing a jingle or music file from the control screen.

BROADCASTER DESKTOP

The Desktop is supplied with M-Audio AV30 Speakers and on the front of the speaker that has the audio feed and mains connection you will find a rotary volume control on the front, rotate to the right to increase the level and to the left to decrease it.  These monitor speakers will automatically mute when a microphone channel is opened.  If this is not happening, please check the Presenter Console StageBox connection to the Speakers.  You may have inadvertently connected the Headphone Amplifier to the Speakers and the Speakers to the Headphone XLR.
 

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I want to add more music

BROADCASTER PORTABLE STUDIO & BROADCASTER DESKTOP
Two things have to happen before you can drag music content or jingles onto the cue stack or jingle stack players.  First the media needs to be copied onto drive D:  Drive D are the two 500Gb RAID 1 Mirrored drives that comprise the data drive, you can create any file structure that supports your purpose.  We recommend, either year group, followed by class name or media project name.  Whatever you decide on just ensure that the folder structure is below d:\Broadcaster Library.  The Broadcaster software will currently play any MP3 or WAV file and these need to be copied to the drive first.  If you don't have a copy of the file in this format you can use the DVD Writer to RIP CD music onto the drive.  Using Windows Media Player, select the RIP feature after a music CD has been inserted, music will be converted and placed in the Music folder on the computer's drive C:  Select which tracks to move and then drag and drop them into the newly created folder on the Drive D:  This is a useful and necessary technique when complying with Music Licence requirements, your Dubbing Licence Fee need only reflect media stored on the Broadcaster media disk not the boot drive.  Now that you have the media in the right place this media needs to be imported using the Library Manager, this action creates an entry in the database and allows you the option of using a real name for the file.  You can also at anytime add an Intro period and an Outro period to any track, this informs the operator of the show of the time elapsed during the introduction to a music track and also warns of the time during the outro.  Without this feature it wouldn't be possible to talk over the instrumental start of a song accurately without knowing the track. 

To start this process, press on the screen or use the track-pad to select Import New Track.  This opens a dialogue box, find the track that you want to add, no other drive should be selected other than drive D:  It is not possible to import files from a memory stick or any other portable device in this manner.  The importing element is only recognising the content placeholder and name, the material should have already been copied onto the system.  Once the track has been selected confirm, you will then be asked if you want to Preview the track, only say yes to this if you aren't in the middle of a live show, or don't have the time to complete this task.  Preview actively searches the data file of the importing track and presents it in a time line so that you can set the intro/outro positions using the Scrubber Bar.  If you aren't planning on completing this task at this time, say no and come back another time to edit this data. 

Selecting preview can tie the system up for up to 1 minute depending on the size of your file.  For a standard music track the time to read the file will only be a few seconds.  You will know when the file has been read as the track total time appears or updates if you are adding lots of tracks during this session.  Pressing the play button will start the playback of this track, at the pre-selected monitor volume level, if any Microphones are open then this will not be heard through the monitor speakers, instead the sound can be heard using the presenter's headphones.  Press Pause when the desired place is reached for the end of the intro and press the Intro Marker button, intro time is automatically copied into the intro time box, this can be done manually if desired, and time is calculated in millionths of a second.  Repeat this activity for the outro, either listen to the rest of the track or use the Scrubber Bar to advance the time-line, when the desired outro point is reached press the Outro Button and this data will be stored in the Outro Box.  Fill out the other boxes, track name, note that no slashes or full stops or commas can be used in these boxes.  The Artist Name can be split across two boxes, so first-name and surname can be kept separate.  Or you can use the Surname Box for Show Names, allowing the search feature to easily find content quickly during a live show.  For example for good practice we recommend that you use the Artist Surname as YR7 Show, or something else suitable for yourself.  Content can easily be repurposed in this way making it even easier to find what you are looking for in a hurry. 

When everything has been entered you can then press the save button and this item will immediately be saved to the Library and is available for playback straight away.  The most recent items added to the Library will appear at the bottom.  Each track added has a unique Library Number assigned to it. Content can also be deleted from the Library, to do this just select the track item using and then on the other screen select Edit Selected Track.  The track data will be brought into the Library Manager for editing, or deleting.  To delete select delete track and the track information will be removed from the library.  This will not remove the track from drive D:  The recording will still be stored, if this is to be removed, then delete the file in the usual way.

 

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The Illuminated sign isn't working
 

BROADCASTER PORTABLE STUDIO
The Illuminated sign is powered and controlled by a separate relay housed inside the base unit.  Check that the XLR connectors are all correctly and firmly pushed in.  Under some circumstances when another USB device is removed without dismounting the device, it is possible for the control relay to lose the connection with the host computer.  To restore the connection, shut down the computer, then disconnect the power supply wait 5 seconds, reconnect and power the system on again.  If you should have to follow this procedure please note that the sign will require one additional activation before the sign is illuminated.  This is only necessary on the very first ON AIR activation after following the above procedure and normal operation will then be restored.  The MIC LIVE sign should work as normal once the ON AIR light has been activated at least once.

BROADCASTER DESKTOP
As a standard system the Desktop isn't supplied with a separate ON AIR/MIC Live sign, instead an ON-SCREEN dockable window is available that can be dragged onto a projected display or second monitor.  If you have purchased a sign separately or have purchased a Guest Studio Pack you will have our standard dual illuminated sign.  If it is not working, check that the XLR connection is properly made at the rear patch panel and that the cable isn't damaged.  The sign is controlled by USB interface and the USB can be left in a confused state if a mounted storage device is removed unexpectedly from the system without properly dismounting it from within Windows 7.  If this happens, completely power down your system, remove the mains supply for 5 seconds, power up and restart the system, normal operation will be resumed.

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I can hear an echo when I pull up fader 4

BROADCASTER PORTABLE STUDIO & BROADCASTER DESKTOP
The Broadcaster Portable Studio and the Broadcaster Desktop both use a separate the onboard Realtek sound card for streaming output, the soundcard comes with a system tray application that offers specific routing and DSP (Digital Sound Processing) options.  It is impossible to completely disable this functionality and it is possible that a sound processing effect has been selected.  If this is the case it will be easy to spot, one of the sound effects will be clearly illuminated on one of the top round buttons, you will also see a description of this effect in the pull-down menu on the right-hand side.  Deselect this effect or pull-down the right hand menu and select No-Sound Effect.

If this doesn't remove the echo sound there is one other possible cause.  Within the windows Audio Mixer settings there is a channel called Mic and this should be checked MUTE.  Having this channel selected and the volume level up will also cause a delayed echo type of sound effect to be present with all sources when fader 4 is open.  The Windows Sound Mixer is available inside the Program Accessories or within the control panel.  If you are unable to see the mic channel displayed, click properties and check the mic channel to have it displayed.  Once visible you can then select MUTE. 

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Audacity isn't getting any input audio

BROADCASTER PORTABLE STUDIO
Audacity is setup when originally installed to playback audio on Realtek output channel and record on the 1st instance of channels 7/8 in the soundcard settings.  To access these settings if they have become altered you simply load Audacity and go to the EDIT then PREFERENCE settings and make these selections.  We recommend the channel 7/8 routing so that you can play audacity output into your show or podcast, however this does mean that if you wish to pre-fade listen to Audacity, you will have to take fader 4 off the Programme Bus and pull the fader up.

BROADCASTER DESKTOP
Audacity 1.3.13 beta is setup when originally installed to playback audio on Realtek HD output channel and record on the 1st instance of channels 7/8 in the soundcard settings.  To access these settings if they have become altered you simply load Audacity and go to the EDIT then PREFERENCE settings and make these selections.  We recommend the channel 7/8 routing so that you can play audacity output into your show or podcast, however this does mean that if you wish to pre-fade listen to Audacity, you will have to take fader 4 off the Programme Bus and pull the fader up.  You should also ensure that the Record Bus buttons are selected for all of the channels you wish to record.  These buttons can be selected with the source fader level up or down, it doesn't matter, this is the benefit of a fully digital system, routing is instant.

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How do I reset my Fader Desk

BROADCASTER PORTABLE STUDIO & BROADCASTER DESKTOP
The Behringer BCF2000 is capable of total recall and standalone programming and it is possible that you may find users have attempted to try and program this controller.  All of our commands are issued in P-1 (program one) mode and all other modes would prevent the desk from operating correctly.  You can return to P-1 mode by pressing the program left key until P-1 is displayed, this should be sufficient to return to this mode.  However P-1 can also be programmed for additional functionality and you may need to reset the entire device back to factory settings.  You will find a full user manual here, we recommend only using this manual in exceptional circumstances and only when instructed to do so by our support team.  The PANIC RESET will return the most important data settings to their factory state.  Press and hold the EDIT button, now press the EXIT button.  You should see "PAnC" in the display.  Release the buttons, resetting can take a few seconds as factory values are written to the device memory.  As soon as reset is over P-1 should be displayed.  The fader desk is capable of controlling and being controlled by lots of different professional music software and devices.  It is possible to make the BCF2000 emulate these devices, normally our customers should be oblivious to these modes.  However it is possible with an accidental key-press combination whilst powering up the desk to move into a mode that will resist the master reset above.  Typically the desk will be unresponsive and have a different letter combination visible in the display.  To restore the emulation mode back to the factory default, follow these instructions in this PDF Here.  Basically you will be required to hold down the first programme bus key for the presenter microphone whilst powering up the desk using the power button on the right hand side of the back of the unit.  You should then see P1 displayed and they system, once the software has been reloaded will function normally.

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How do I increase the number of clients with Media Encoder

BROADCASTER PORTABLE STUDIO & BROADCASTER DESKTOP
Windows Media Encoder can support up to 50 clients directly connecting to it, the actual amount will depend on your local cabling and hub/switch configuration.  Another viable is the bit/rate of the broadcast, setting this too high will increase network traffic and soak your network.  We advice careful experimentation in conjunction with your network administrator to find the perfect sustainable combination of these variable.  Windows Media Encoder version 9 has recently had an update, you may not have noticed as it was bundled with a batch of updates.  The default number of streaming clients that are allowed to connect has been reset to 5.  Whilst this is outside of our control, you will find details below that will allow you to increase the listening capacity of your local streams.  This will require a Registry change and we have to warn you that with any system incorrectly editing the registry can severely damage your Broadcaster,  you should always back up any valued data on the computer before attempting this.  You should create a RESTORE POINT before proceeding.  To increase the maximum number of direct connections in the Registry Editor, use the tree view to navigate to the following subkey:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Software\Microsoft\Windows Media Tools\Encoder\MaxClientConnections    

Edit the subkey so that it reflects the maximum number of direct connections you want to allow.  The maximum possible number is 50.

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Where can I go for external streaming services

BROADCASTER PORTABLE STUDIO & BROADCASTER DESKTOP
You maybe getting to the stage where you want to offer listening options outside of your establishment and your firewall/internal network configuration is preventing this.  It is quite normal for educational establishments to be behind a protective firewall, in fact most networks are protected from the Internet in this way.  For your live radio shows to reach a wider audience you need to have your stream accessible from the other side of your firewall.  If your establishment is directly connected to the public internet you can run a streaming service on your server but on the other side of your firewall.  Your network administrator will be able to do this for you.  Most of our customers will be connected to a county/NEN Internet service and will not be able to do this.  Instead they will need an externally hosted streaming server, in some cases the local authority or ISP maybe able to provide this FOC.  However it may be easier and more convenient to rent your own server externally.  Many of our Broadcaster customers use Citrus3 www.Citrus3.com  They offer a range of Shoutcast (MP3) and Windows Media (WMA) servers for a very low monthly cost.  Their prices start for as little as £3.99 a month.  The process is quite simple, once registered you will have an upstream address and a listening address.  You will use the upstream address or publishing point to uplink your live stream.  We have installed EDCAST on your Broadcaster to do this, but WINAMP and other products are available and will do the same job.  You will then embed the listening link into your establishment's webpage and advertise the date and time of your live shows.  Listeners will then click on your embedded link and will immediately hear with a short delay, your live upstream broadcast.  For bigger capacity streaming providers try www.StreamSolutions.co.uk we use this company for our live radio shows and pay for listening bandwidth rather than listeners as this is cheaper with this organisation at just £2.00 a month depending on volume of data.  You may also want to experiment with a FREE provider, some of our customers use www.Ustream.tv however this service is funded by advertisers and some content may not be appropriate for very young children who maybe listening.  Although you can remove some of the advertising around your listening player, occasionally we have heard that a popup is seen inside the player presenting issues with age related content.  If you want to explore external streaming for free in a controlled way then Ustream.tv is a good place to start.

We do not benefit in anyway for recommending any of these providers.

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I cannot start my system

BROADCASTER PORTABLE STUDIO & BROADCASTER DESKTOP
At first it may appear that your hard disk has failed, the monitor screen has lots of white text on a black background and the system is asking for a boot drive.  In fact this is exactly what does happen when you experience a boot drive failure.  However we have chosen an extremely robust and expensive solid state drive and it is very unlikely that your drive has failed.  It is very likely that the boot order has been changed in the BIOS.  We have experienced a higher than expected number of support calls to do with this.  We recommend that you password protect access to your BIOS.  WARNING if you misplace this password you (and our support team) will not be able to access vital settings.  We also recommend that this password is notified to us and put in an envelope and kept in a safe place.  There are three drives in your Broadcaster, a boot drive and two RAID 1 drives that provide the single Data Drive.

To access the BIOS settings, press the Del key while the system is starting up, after a few seconds the BIOS settings screen will appear.  You may have to press this key more than once.  The application will then load, there are menus at the top of the screen.  In the main menu use the down arrow key to select Storage Configuration, you will know it has been selected as it will appear white.  Press the enter key, you are now in the Storage Configuration menu and you should see Configure SATA as [RAID]  If you do not see this, change the storage to RAID, press the enter key then arrow keys to select RAID, press enter to confirm.  Then press Esc to Escape from this menu.  You must now press F10 to Save and Exit, this will cause the system to look for RAID drives.  Press Del again as the system is starting to get back into the BIOS Setup Utility.  Use the right arrow key to get to the Boot menu, now press the down arrow key to select Hard Disk Drives.  Check and confirm that the 1st drive is RAID:Kingston or RAID:Corsair, and that 2nd Drive is RAID:Intel Data Drive or Data.  If these are not in the order that they should be in, change them by selecting each one in turn, pressing enter and re-selecting the correct position in the selection menu.

Press the Esc key once, then the up arrow key once to select Boot Device Priority, press enter.  The screen should show, 1st Boot Device as RAID:Kingston or Corsair as above.  2nd Boot Device should show CDROM: and the 3rd Boot Device should show Removable Device.  If it does not show this, change the settings.  To do this use the arrow keys as before and press enter to get to the selection menu, choose the correct option from the sub menu and press Enter to confirm.  Do this for each Priority Device if necessary.  Press F10 again and Save and Exit.

The system will now restart and boot into windows. To confirm that the system is back up and running correctly, in Windows, press the Start Button and select My Computer.  The correct configuration should be that there are only two Hard Disk Drives showing, System Drive (C:) and Data Drive (D:).  In a few seconds you will also see the Data Protection Activated Balloon appear in the System Tray to confirm normal operation.  You may also see a message to confirm that the Data Drive is verifying data, this is quite normal and will not affect operation.  Once completed you will see a successful message.

If you ever run your system for anytime using only one of your two data drives (D) and then re-establish your RAID1 configuration, your data may be overwritten with the contents of the previous un used drive.  It is not possible to determine which drive you are using and so this carries a 50% chance of having your most recent work erased.  We recommend the purchase of suitable backup media and suggest that you regularly adopt a backup regime.  The RAID1 system is only designed to protect your data from a single drive failure.  Accidental deletion is not something RAID1 provides a solution to.  You can also use a NAS or central backup facility if available.

If you need further help, please do contact us, in the unlikely event that a hardware fault has occurred that item will need to be replaced.

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Skype Settings - What should they be

BROADCASTER PORTABLE STUDIO
Skype is setup to receive audio from the settings in the Broadcaster Software, this allows the person operating the system to change what the caller hears during a live call or live show.  Within Skype, select Tools/Options/Audio Settings.  The automatic feature tick boxes MUST NOT be selected, otherwise Skype will make setting changes that conflict with the Broadcaster Software.  The MICROPHONE should be set to LINE 5/6.  The SPEAKERS should be set to REALTEK HD OUTPUT.  You should proceed to test these settings with the Broadcaster Software loaded and the Presenter Microphone selected and Fader 4 configured for Windows Audio.  Adjust the volume level so that the test caller is just peaking into the red, and your presenter microphone level is about the same.

BROADCASTER DESKTOP
Skype is setup to receive audio from the settings in the Broadcaster Software, this allows the person operating the system to change what the caller hears during a live call or live show.  Within Skype, select Tools/Options/Audio Settings.  The automatic feature tick boxes MUST NOT be selected, otherwise Skype will make setting changes that conflict with the Broadcaster Software.  The MICROPHONE should be set to SOUNDBLASTER LINE IN.  The SPEAKERS should be set to HIGH DEFINITION OUTPUT or REALTEK SPEAKERS, it should NOT be set to SOUNDBLASTER SPEAKERS.  You should proceed to test these settings with the Broadcaster Software loaded and the Presenter Microphone selected and Fader 4 configured for Windows Audio.  Adjust the volume level so that the test caller is just peaking into the red, and your presenter microphone level is about the same.

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I want to mute the programme in my headphones

BROADCASTER DESKTOP
This is a new feature of the software and only available currently to customers taking delivery from January 2012, an upgrade will be available soon for other customers.  This feature will mute all of the programme sources in all of the headphones allowing presenters and guest to concentrate on a TALKBACK conversation or on a SKYPE call before you’ve put the caller onto the show.  This feature uses an as yet unlabeled button on the fader desk.  On the bottom right hand side of the desk there is a set of four buttons.  The PINK one – top left is the Programme Mute Button, once pressed it removes programme audio from all headphones.  Press again to restores programme audio.  This does not affect the programme bus, the show will still continue to go out and you will it hear from the monitor speakers.  Be careful not to run out of time, keep a watchful eye on anything playing out on screen.  You might find this feature useful when speaking to guests using the TALKBACK feature as your voice will be competing with the programme audio in your guest’s headphones and the same applies to SKYPE callers.  Each time the PINK button is pressed you will temporarily see ON or OFF displayed on the desk and the light on the button will illuminate.  This is a MUTE button so when it is ON the Programme is ON MUTE, and when OFF – normal operation is restored.

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updated 19th February 2012