Rivendellaudio/docs/opsguide/voicetracking.xml
Fred Gleason 242167c3d6 2017-11-03 Fred Gleason <fredg@paravelsystems.com>
* Refactored the XML source for the Operations Guide up into
	per-chapter files.
2017-11-03 14:20:22 -04:00

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<chapter xmlns="http://docbook.org/ns/docbook" xml:id="chapter.voicetracking">
<title>VoiceTracking</title>
<sect1 xml:id="sect.voicetracking.voicetracking_in_rivendell">
<title>Voicetracking in Rivendell</title>
<para>
Voicetracking is a capability wherein custom &quot;one-off&quot;
content is created and inserted into logs, making it possible to
create programming that sounds very spontaneous and &quot;live&quot;.
In Rivendell, such voicetracks are placed into a special type of audio
cart known as a voicetrack cart. These carts are automatically
created, deleted and managed by the voicetracker interface (part of
the RDLogEdit module), with no manual user intervention required.
The voicetracker module also includes extensive capabilities for
allowing customization of the transitions between log elements.
</para>
<para>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata align="center" fileref="voicetracking.voice_tracker_dialog.png" scale="45"/>
</imageobject>
<caption><para>The Voice Tracker Dialog</para></caption>
</mediaobject>
</para>
<sect2 xml:id="sect.voicetracking.prerequisites">
<title>Prerequisites</title>
<para>
Before beginning voicetracking for a particular service, a
voicetracker group and pool of available cart numbers must be
configured in the RDAdmin module. These procedures are detailed in
the Rivendell Technical and Administration Guide.
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 xml:id="sect.voicetracking.voicetrack_markers">
<title>VoiceTrack Markers</title>
<para>
A voicetrack marker is a meta event that can be inserted into a log
as a &quot;placeholder&quot; to others to indicate where a voicetrack
is to be recorded. Track markers can be inserted by RDLogEdit,
RDLogManager events or even embedded in data generated by external
schedulers.
</para>
<para>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata align="center" fileref="voicetracking.voice_tracker_dialog_track_selected.png" scale="45"/>
</imageobject>
<caption><para>The Voice Tracker Dialog (track selected)</para></caption>
</mediaobject>
</para>
</sect2>
</sect1>
<sect1 xml:id="sect.voicetracking.using_the_voicetracker_dialog">
<title>Using the Voicetrack Interface</title>
<sect2 xml:id="sect.voicetracking.the_voicetracker_dialog">
<title>The VoiceTracker Dialog</title>
<para>
To voicetrack a log, start the RDLogEdit module,
highlight the desired log and touch the
<computeroutput>VoiceTracker</computeroutput> button, opening
the VoiceTracker dialog. This dialog consists
of three major parts: the waveform area, the log list and the control
buttons.
</para>
<para>
The waveform area is in the upper center part of the dialog, and
consists of four &quot;panes&quot;. The upper three display waveform
depictions while the fourth contains audition control buttons, an
audio meter and various counters. Directly below this is the log
list, showing a copy of the currently loaded log. The control
buttons occupy the bottom and right-hand edges of the dialog.
</para>
<para>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata align="center" fileref="voicetracking.voice_tracker_dialog_track_1_playing.png" scale="45"/>
</imageobject>
<caption><para>The Voice Tracker Dialog (1st track playing)</para></caption>
</mediaobject>
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 xml:id="sect.voicetracking.editing_transitions">
<title>Editing Transitions</title>
<para>
When an event is selected in the log list, a graphical depiction of
the transition into that event is loaded into the waveform area.
If the selected event and its prior event in the log is not a
voicetrack or track marker, then the selected event will be
displayed in the third pane of the waveform area and the previous
event displayed in the first pane. If the selected event or its
prior event is a voicetrack or track marker, then voicetrack or
marker will be displayed in the second pane of the waveform area.
</para>
<para>
Once selected, a transition can be auditioned by touching the play
button in the fourth pane of the waveform area. Play will start
from the left-hand edge of the topmost waveform. This start
location can be adjusted by dragging the topmost waveform to the
left or right by means of the mouse or touchscreen. If the
transition type of the selected event is SEGUE, it is also possible
to adjust the degree of audio overlap by dragging the second or
third waveform as well. It's possible to “undo” changes made in
the segue overlap by right-clicking on the waveform and selecting
<computeroutput>Undo Segue Changes</computeroutput> from the menu.
To make the overlap permanent,
touch the <computeroutput>Save</computeroutput> button. To restore
the transition to its default
state (calculated on the basis of segue markers from the Library)
touch the <computeroutput>Do Over</computeroutput> button.
The transition type can be changed by
right-clicking on an event and selecting the desired transition
type from the menu.
</para>
<para>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata align="center" fileref="voicetracking.voice_tracker_dialog_recording.png" scale="45"/>
</imageobject>
<caption><para>The Voice Tracker Dialog (recording)</para></caption>
</mediaobject>
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 xml:id="sect.voicetracking.inserting_and_deleting_track_markers">
<title>Inserting and Deleting Track Markers</title>
<para>
It is possible to insert a new voicetrack marker by selecting the
desired location in the log list and touching the
<computeroutput>Insert Track</computeroutput>
button. An existing voicetrack marker can likewise by deleted by
selecting it in the log list and touching the
<computeroutput>Delete Track</computeroutput> button.
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 xml:id="sect.voicetracking.moving_between_track_markers">
<title>Moving Between Track Markers</title>
<para>
It is possible to move directly to the next or previous voicetrack
marker simply by touching the
<computeroutput>Next Track</computeroutput> or
<computeroutput>Previous Track</computeroutput> buttons,
respectively.
</para>
<para>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata align="center" fileref="voicetracking.voice_tracker_dialog_track_2_playing.png" scale="45"/>
</imageobject>
<caption><para>The Voice Tracker Dialog (2nd track playing)</para></caption>
</mediaobject>
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 xml:id="sect.voicetracking.recording_a_voicetrack">
<title>Recording a Voicetrack</title>
<para>
Once the desired voicetrack marker has been selected, the process
of recording a voicetrack consists of four steps, each initiated by
one of the four square control buttons in the upper right-hand
corner of the dialog.
</para>
<para>
To begin, touch the topmost
<computeroutput>Start</computeroutput> button. This will cause the
audio in the topmost pane to begin playing, with a cursor to show
playback position. To begin the actual
recording, touch the <computeroutput>Record</computeroutput> button.
To start the following event (in the third pane), touch the second
<computeroutput>Start</computeroutput>
button. Finally, to stop recording, touch
the <computeroutput>Save</computeroutput> button.
The record process can be
canceled at any time by touching the
<computeroutput>Abort</computeroutput> button, restoring the
transition to its default state. It is also possible to undo a
completed voicetrack by touching the
<computeroutput>Do Over</computeroutput> button.
</para>
<para>
Once completed, the segue overlaps into and out of a voicetrack can
be adjusted in the same manner as for simple transitions i.e. by
dragging the appropriate waveforms with the mouse.
</para>
<para>
<mediaobject>
<imageobject>
<imagedata align="center" fileref="voicetracking.voice_tracker_dialog_track_completed.png" scale="45"/>
</imageobject>
<caption><para>The Voice Tracker Dialog (track completed)</para></caption>
</mediaobject>
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 xml:id="sect.voicetracking.adjusting_transition_levels">
<title>Adjusting Transition Levels</title>
<para>
It is possible to adjust the audio fade levels applied during
transitions by means of rubber bands on the waveform displays.
These are green lines with small square targets. To adjust a rubber
band, use the mouse to grab one of the targets and drag it to the
desired location.
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 xml:id="sect.voicetracking.importing_voicetracks">
<title>Importing Voicetracks</title>
<para>
In addition to recording in realtime, it's possible to import a
voicetrack directly from an audio file. To do so, select the
desired voicetrack marker and then touch the
<computeroutput>Import</computeroutput> button to open
the Import/Export Audio dialog. (For more
information on using the Import/Export Audio dialog, see Section
3.1.0 Importing Audio from a File). Once imported, the voicetrack
can be manipulated in the same manner as those that were directly
recorded.
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 xml:id="sect.voicetracking.hitting_the_post">
<title>Hitting the Post</title>
<para>
If the event following a voicetrack has its Talk Time markers set,
it is possible to set the transition so that the end of the
voicetrack automatically aligns with the end of the Talk Time
(commonly referred to as hitting the post). To do this, simply
touch the <computeroutput>Hit Post</computeroutput> button.
</para>
</sect2>
</sect1>
</chapter>