It’s been a couple weeks since we reviewed RCS2GO’s line of remote products and since we’re here to answer YOUR questions, we decided to host another remote workflow session. This time, we recapped basic remote workflows and then dove deeper into some settings, configurations, and teased upcoming new features.

Remember, all of our RCS2GO products can be accessed remotely with a basic URL – so no downloading from an app store. Users will need some type of network security, like a VPN, to allow outside access. RCS products are equipped with proper security like Firewall port exceptions and advanced configurations. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out and we’ll be more than happy to help offer suggestions or clarify any advanced network techniques. Pending on what browser or platform you’re broadcasting from, RCS2GO products will respect your browser’s default playback and recording Windows devices.

Let’s dive into what users can do remotely with RCS2GO products. Starting with music scheduling, RCS users can add music, schedule, and massage their log via Selector2GO. Since we’ve done extensive videos in the past, we dove deeper into some Selector2GO configurations, including the Library Verbose vs. Default setting. Verbose will offer a more customized layout, which also allows users to Edit Layout to add additional unique metadata fields. So if you find yourself missing out on some metadata in your current Selector2GO setup, take a look at switching to Verbose and Edit Layout.

Next, with Zetta2GO, users can continue to broadcast live, add audio, voice track, and more. Again, we’ve done generic remote workflow videos, so we broke down a couple unique settings that are found within Zetta2GO. Each module has its own gear to open its corresponding settings. If you’re voice tracking, don’t forget to click on the settings gear to make sure the voice tracker is operating like you want, including spacebar start/stop, buffer rates and one or three voice tracking record modes. There’s also Live settings found under the Configuration / Settings. If you find yourself with Internet limitations, then you’ll want to double check some of those settings. We’ve found client success with lowering the buffer rate or switching to Mono recording. If you’re using Hot Keys to voice track, users can control the volume by switching to Local Mode, remember On-Air is truly on the air, and then controlling the volume fader to the right.

Since there are significant upgrades to Zetta2GO in future Zetta releases, users can expect slightly more control and configurations throughout the program. Just using Hot Keys as an example, users can now set Custom Name via Zetta2GO, as well as arm a Hot Key for voice track recording. And speaking of future enhancements, we also teased upcoming performance improvements and in Zetta 5.21.1, due out in Summer 2021. One of the biggest requested features will now be available: Volume Markings throughout the IVT module. In Zetta 5.21.1, users can now set their Trim In, Trim Out, Volume Marking and more, just like the traditional Zetta Segue Editor / Voice Tracker. Once we get closer to the release date, definitely expect an upcoming RCS Live to breakdown the new 5.21.1 features. Also mark your calendars because the 5.21.1 beta should be out sometime in late March.

Finally, we reminded users about thinking outside the box and utilizing compounded remote hybrid workflows. Essentially, starting the work in local Zetta, combining workflows, like macros, and then saving them as Hot Keys so that remote users can trigger said workflows. For example, you have a voice tracker who is temporarily voice tracking your station or you don’t feel safe enough to offer them access to the main Zetta system with a VPN. Users can piggyback on Zetta Cloud Based Disaster Recovery and use Zetta Cloud’s two-step authentication, which doesn’t require your VPN, allowing the new voice tracker to safely and securely access your Zetta Cloud, record over an Empty Voice Track and that voice track will land correctly back in your local Zetta. Finally, remember, Zetta2GO is made to ENHANCE the Zetta experience, not replace. So although there are sections of Zetta missing in Zetta2GO, that doesn’t mean you can’t achieve the same desired workflow. Sometimes, all it takes is to ask and our team can find you an answer.

We’re still looking for GSelector 4.9.0 and Zetta 5.20.1 Beta users! If you’re interested in getting the latest and greatest from RCS, reach out to your local RCS office and let them know you would like to become a Beta power user. Plus, you can now stream us on multiple platforms including Twitch, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn and you can still comment or ask your questions via any platform of your choosing! We’ll also be sending out reminders to each medium, so that you’ll see a full list of upcoming topics. Reminder to take and double check your backups and Data Exchanges and we’ll see you next Thursday at 11am ET for another RCS Live!

There you are, listening to your station and you come across a transition that triggers your ear. “Eh, I don’t like that.” Why? What is it that you don’t like? In this RCS Live, we take a conceptual approach to understanding how to better your rotations and transitions by identifying transitions that you either like or don’t and then applying GSelector’s Goals, Rules and Priority Lists to help your station sound exactly the way YOU want it to sound.

We kicked off the video by first discussing the concept of identifying and isolating transitions. Remember, GSelector is GOAL and RULE based scheduling, which means that we can look at a transition between two elements and think to ourselves, “What about this transition do we like or what don’t we want to happen in the future?” That’s one of the biggest pieces of programming advice that we can give: isolate a transition and identify exactly want you want or not want to schedule. It’s easier said than done, so keep a simple approach. Two songs are scheduled back to back and first look at the attribute that caught your ear. Is it tempo? Mood? Sound Code? Low research scoring song? Was it based on time or a song positon? Everything can be controlled in GSelector as long as you know where to find it. For example, we looked at two songs that shouldn’t play back to back and reviewed how to find out why it has the score it does. Configure an attention grabbing highlight color (Tools | Global Settings | Appearances | Assignments For: User | Select your desired color) or make a note of the Failure Details window and any possible highlight. If there’s a particular attribute that you want to visually flag, you can right click and choose a color via Goals | Balance | Attributes | Expand the desired attribute.

Found under Goals | Priorities, next we reviewed GSelector’s Priority Lists. The idea is to define a Priority List with a series of Goals and Rules that can be intertwined during the scheduling process. As in, GSelector will take into account all Goals and Rules equally, as defined by the ranking/scoring Priority List definition. Don’t forget that by default, Goals cannot be made unbreakable, but Rules can either be Breakable (Score of 65+) or Unbreakable (0 and cannot scheduled). Once you have your set of Goals and Rules, we assign that Priority List to a particular category (or categories) and Daypart(s). Make a note of Themes and Twofers. Many users simply duplicate all of their Priority Lists and that’s not best practice when using an example like “Two for Tuesday” Twofer scheduling. If you maintain Vocalist Minimum Separation or Segue Bans of similar attributes, GSelector cannot properly schedule Twofers. For example, if you have Bon Jovi and maintain a single Priority List for all categories, then Bon Jovi’s second Twofer song will not schedule by either the Vocalist Minimum Separation or Segue Ban: Sound Code: 80s Hair into 80s Hair. Utilizing our philosophy of identifying transitions, when you see that the second Twofer has been left unscheduled, go to your Editor, manually insert the desired element and note the Failure Details window or the score of the element and figure out exactly why it can’t play. Users can also double click on the element, bringing them to the Library | Song tab and then look at the Adjustments tab to see why, when, and where, that element cannot schedule. You can also find a generic overview of these types of settings via Goals | Balance | Adjustments.

While working through Priorities Lists, we also covered the Rotations Rules window, breaking down all of the rules featured within the Rotation Rules window. Make a note of the Show Assigned Values, F3 to copy cell, F8 to copy the entire row and if you double click on the header, GSelector will maximize the Rotation Rules window. If you’re looking to combine dayparts so that you only have to set values once, while still maintaining Daypart Rotations, users can combine dayparts via Setup | Dayparts | Definition | Add a Group value | Make sure that each desired combined daypart has the same defined Group value. We also covered the significance of Hour Rotation and its ties to Dayparts. After breaking down the Rule via F1 Dynamic Help, remember that Hour Rotation Rule will rotate the element in different hours as defined by the specific daypart. Simply put, if my afternoon drive daypart encompasses 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, and 6pm, then the Hour Rotation rule will rotate within 3-6:59pm, not 12am – 11:59pm. So if you make a blanket Hour Rotation rule of 4, you are telling GSelector to play in 3pm, then 4pm, 5pm, and finally 6pm before returning to 3pm. That’s a tight window, especially with other rules like Yesterday (Same Hour). Of course, we wanted to keep this example simple with sequential order. Normally GSelector will schedule in a single hour and then not schedule that element in the same hour again until the Hour Rotation Rule value has been completed.  If you’re looking to implement some of these rules you’ve learned, make a point to start small and then gradually increase your values. You’ll know that you’ve gone too far by the broad category spin count (Analysis | Current Station) or unscheduled positions (Scheduler | Current Station).

Finally, we covered some generic Goals and Rules, including the differences between Linear and Radial Spread. Think of Linear as left to right or 12am – 11:59pm, whereas Radial is Wednesday at 12pm and GSelector will look around the scheduled element in a circular fashion, Tuesday at 11am and Thursday at 1pm. We also covered Multi Attribute Timed Segue Bans so that users can ban two different attributes from playing next to one another. For example, a Classic Hits station may want to avoid scheduling Era: Pre-1969 into a Research Score: Low Testing Song. Finally, if your categories seem to have a wider spin count, programmers can tighten them via the Airplay Starvation Goal. Essentially, your category should spin around 10 spins per week, however, when you check the Analysis, you find that there are some elements that are 5 spins and others are 15. To close that gap, enable the Airplay Starvation Goal to tighten the spin count to something more like 8 and 12 spins. You can set the Maximum Airplay Starvation Turnover Percentage via Setup | Station | Features | Advanced. Users can define a range from 150% (1.5 times through the category) to 200% (2 times through a category) before GSelector encourages the non-scheduled element to schedule with a higher score.

Looking for more ways to watch our weekly RCS Lives? You can now stream us on multiple platforms including Twitch, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn and you can still comment or ask your questions via any interface of your choosing! We’ll also be sending out reminders to each medium, so that you’ll see a full list of upcoming topics. Reminder to take and double check your backups and Data Exchanges and we’re always looking for GSelector 4.9.0 and Zetta 5.20.1 Beta users. If you’re interested, reach out to your local RCS Support department or Sales Representative. As always, we’ll see you next Thursday at 11am ET for another RCS Live!

You have questions and RCS Support is here to help answer them. As part of our ongoing RCS Live series, we were joined by Barry Hill, RCS VP of Customer Success, to offer a greater understanding of how Support works, COVID updates and we revealed our 2020 RCS Support Technician of the Year!

First, it goes without saying, but still – RCS Support is always here to help you! In the words of Barry Hill, it’s what you pay for, so don’t hesitate to call or email RCS Support with your questions or troubleshooting issues. We’re available 24/7 via telephone (+1 914-259-4900) or email (support@rcsworks.com). What’s best, phone or email? That all depends on the severity of the issue and your comfort level. Obviously, if there’s an off-air emergency, you’ll probably want to call in instead of sending an email. In addition, we’re here to answer any type of question – no matter how big or small.

Next, we had the pleasure of announcing our 2020 RCS Support Technician of the Year. The Support Tech of the Year has the highest score average from all of the customer surveys, so they’re essentially voted by you! Plus, the winner gets their name on the coveted Golden Phone trophy. This year, the award goes to – drum roll please – PHIL NEWMARK! Congrats Phil! This is actually a back to back win for Phil, who also won the Support Tech of the Year in 2019. We also revealed January 2021’s Support Technician of the Month, which was awarded to SARA DIAZ!

Finally, Barry and Nate reviewed some of the other RCS products you may have noticed through your radio travels. Media Monitors tracks all types of audio and logs to better offer sales and programmers insights on trends and the ability to preview audio elements. Mediabase is also available to rank and analyze music charts. Don’t forget, both of these services can be imported and integrated into GSelector’s Interface tab so that programmers can schedule based on research attributes, defined under Setup | Research. Think of Research Columns like GSelector Category Groups and Research Attributes like Categories. Users can then set Goals or Rules in their Priority List to assist GSelector in scheduling based on those Media Monitors, Mediabase, Test All Media, or Critical Mass Media defined research scores.

As we roll on with 2021 we have more RCS Lives on the way. You may have noticed a collection of Facebook Events and we’ll continue to add additional RCS topics so that you can RSVP, set reminders and post your questions that will be answered live in real time every Thursday at 11am ET.

We’re still looking for GSelector 4.9.0 and Zetta 5.20.1 Beta users! If you’re interested in getting the latest and greatest from RCS, reach out to your local RCS office and let them know you would like to become a Beta power user. See you next week for another RCS Live.

SURPRISE! We had our first surprise guest of 2021 as Martin Blazek, Zetta Product Manager, joined Brian Willard, head of our Field Technician Services Team, and Jeff Zigler, Senior Director of Sales Engineering, to discuss the origin, differences, and the best cases on when to implement Zetta’s Site Replication or Z-Cast features. Martin even teased special features currently being coded for future Zetta releases and we offered more examples of how users can utilize Site Replication or Z-Cast to share audio, metadata or logs across markets.

To better understand which configuration is best for you and your team, let’s first discuss the purpose of each Zetta feature. Z-Cast is the evolution to NexGen’s Wancast, that essentially pushes audio, metadata and/or logs from one site to another. Think of it as, “You need this audio. I am pushing it to you.” Whereas, Site Replication is a very unique Zetta feature in which multiple sites are treated as one site, sharing all audio, metadata, logs, profile settings etc… Think of Site Replication, or Site Rep, as a “we” environment in which a user would want multiple sites to be 100% in sync. Martin pointed out that obviously, some sites need to share audio, but they don’t necessarily need to be 100% in sync. Start to identify your users, station and market requirements and then ask us, the professionals, what would be the best configuration for you. Plus, we have many users that actually utilize both. For example, Market A needs to share audio, like Spots voiced by Market A talent, to Market B, who has their own local talent voicing elements for Market A. In order to share audio back and forth, users can automatically or manually Z-Cast audio and metadata to and from each market. Whereas, in addition to the Z-Cast function, Market A also has an offsite or an additional redundancy machine that is Site Replicated to the Market A Zetta File Server. This way, both are running 100% in sync and per another Martin example, remote talent can pick up that machine and broadcast just like they are part of the in-studio Zetta environment. With Site Replication and Z-Cast, there are tons of possibilities with flexible workflows.

Throughout the video, we offered suggestions and helpful hints on how other users interpret Site Rep and Z-Cast workflows. For another example, Brian presented the concept of broadcasting live from a remote location. Essentially, a morning show that is in another market or physical studio, that requires their studio to be the “content source” for RDS or audio routing. The idea is that when triggered via a GPIO (usually in the Zetta Clocks by a macro), that morning show becomes the primary Zetta, with everything that comes along with being the “main” Zetta. When the morning show is over, we return to the normal Zetta studio and setup. With Site Replication, morning shows have access to all audio, metadata, user profiles, layouts, etc… and are 100% in sync with that of the main studio and Zetta environment. This will allow the morning show to operate on their own, while being still part of the Zetta experience.

Next, we briefly demonstrated how to properly configure some of the Site Replication and Z-Cast settings. Since there are many moving pieces that we don’t expect you and your team to memorize, just know that we’re here to help properly configure any desired workflow. Both features have Zetta services that require enabling via Configuration | System | General, as well as corresponding Managers, both found under the same Configuration dropdown: Configuration | Site Replication Manager and Configuration | ZCast Connections. Both require some type of defined Organizations or Stations within the Zetta database that are isolated to properly configure both settings. In regards to Z-Casting, users can define what type of assets are sent and received automatically or manually by each station. Whereas the Site Replication Manager respects the Organization, such as All Stations.

If you’re looking for a great example of how users implement Site Replication verses Z-Cast for voice tracking, please check out our previous RCS Live: Voice Tracking for Today’s Talent found here. In that video, we actually breakdown the steps on how users can send logs from Market A to Market B, then voice track remotely via Market B’s Zetta2GO, which will save within the Market B Zetta station log, that is then forwarded back to Market A’s log. Or, for users that have Zetta Cloud Based Disaster Recovery, they can bypass the VPN, voice track within Zetta Cloud and via Site Replication, that voice track will land back in your local Zetta for playout.

After answering user driven questions, Martin pulled back the Zetta curtain and discussed a couple behind the scenes tips, tricks and teasers of new features that users can expect in 2021. We also revisited some of the new 5.20.1 new enhancements, including Server Side Search. If you’re looking for all the new 5.20.1 options, check out our RCS Live: Zetta New Features, found here.

You may have noticed a slew of Events on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/RCSSoundSoftware). Our 2021 goal is to outline upcoming RCS Lives so that users can RSVP, set reminders and add questions on the discussion board that we’ll answer during the RCS Live. Upcoming topics include GSelector Better Rotations and Music Logs and a Conversation with VP of Customer Success Barry Hill.

We’re still looking for GSelector 4.9.0 and Zetta 5.20.1 Beta users! If you’re interested in getting the latest and greatest from RCS, reach out to your local RCS office and let them know you would like to become a Beta power user. RSVP to the Events on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/RCSSoundSoftware and don’t forget to send us your “work from home” photos for some RCS goodies and we’ll see you live next Thursday at 11am ET.

It’s time for another installment of RCS Live and this week we broke down some of the benefits of having an Enterprise Music Scheduler. First, what does an Enterprise mean? Per GSelector, think of it as a single database that houses multiple stations that can share metadata. In this video, we presented a couple users tips and tricks to maximize your station’s enterprise workflows.

First, we started by outlining different areas in GSelector that users can switch between stations. Think of your GSelector database as an island. All the stations inside that island are the people and they all can talk amongst themselves or per the metaphor, share metadata. Users can switch between stations by going to Stations | Selecting the desired station. GSelector will open that station for the user to work and then they can switch back via the same dropdown. If there’s another market, for VPs of Programming or other administrators, GSelector can connect to another database via Tools | Servers | Remote Service Hosts and define the description of the external GSelector database and the IP address of its server. Continuing the island metaphor, Remote Service Hosts act as a boat to travel between markets or databases to maintain active communication. Users can also jump between markets via File | Connect to Remote Service Host, which will close and reopen GSelector to allow the user to open their desired database and subsequent station.

GSelector also features Global or Station Specific attributes so that the user can either share certain attributes or isolate desired scheduling coding. Each attribute can be set via Setup | Station | Features | Attributes. Then within each Song metadata cart, anything to the left will be considered as a Global Attribute and anything to right will be station specific. In the video, we used Beyoncé as an example. We could use the Global Attribute Vocal: Female because we know that no matter what the format is, Beyoncé will always be Vocal: Female. Whereas, her songs could be interpreted as Sound Code: Pop on a Hip-Hop station vs. Sound Code: R&B on an AC station. If you are stuck understanding where that line is inside of GSelector, use the History window as a guide. Obviously, those are showing the spins of the open station, not every station in the database. Although, that can be found under the Analysis tab. If you wanted to copy an element across stations, utilize the Library | Songs | Multi-Station tab, which allows programmers to activate an element on a desired station(s), as well as copy the attributes and then save the asset in a specific category. Users can also copy many aspects of GSelector from one station to another. Make a note of the two folders with arrows icon marked “Copy to…” throughout GSelector. Just a couple examples, users can duplicate Clocks, Priority Lists, etc…

Programmers can also schedule multiple stations in a single session without having to close and reopen another station. The Scheduler | Multi Station tab will allow users to highlight their desired date range and stations. Click on the Schedule icon and GSelector will schedule each station’s logs, based on their regular defined scheduling process. Make a note of the Conflict Checker. This is used when you have elements that are shared across stations that perhaps you want to make sure a listener, who is tuning around the dial, isn’t hearing the same song on both of your stations. The Conflict Checker Settings will define the criteria you would like GSelector to consider as a “Conflict.” The threshold has the option to define a conflict of two songs via an overlap, two elements in the Same Hour, Adjacent Hour or a Custom Time Window. The Conflict Checker can also isolate conflicts based on Song, Title, Artist, Album, and/or Vocalists. From the administrator perspective, there are three workflows: Find will simply display the conflicts as defined by the Conflict Checker Settings, allowing the user to simply identify any conflicts or print the conflicts, both physical or as an PDF export, by going to File | Print. Fix will automatically let GSelector choose a new song based on a score and the station priority order from Tools | Administration | Security | Organizations and the up or down blue arrows on the right hand side. The last option, Fix Interactively, will run the Conflict Checker and then prompt the user to decide what element they wish to change.

If you want to search the entire database, GSelector is equipped with an Advanced Search option that will search not only the station loaded, but the entire database, allowing you to see the “big picture.” For example, if you wanted to see songs that were active or inactive, you would search for the Attribute: Active and True for the station and the Advanced Search will show all songs that are active, with the blue circle, in the database. Or, switch the Attribute: Active, False for the station and it will display all the elements not active on that open station with an orange square. Note the green plus icon to add additional fields and the black X at the top right of the Advanced Search to close this window.

But what happens when an administrator needs to review a certain change that was made in the database? Not just the single station, perhaps an unknown change that occurred within a database? Administrators can use GSelector’s User Activity to review all documented changes that are made within a GSelector database. These can be identified by a user, timestamp and asset alteration. At the bottom, users can further define their search based on numerous variables.

We’re still looking for GSelector 4.9.0 and Zetta 5.20.1 Beta users! If you’re interested in getting the latest and greatest from RCS, reach out to your local RCS office and let them know you would like to become a Beta power user. RSVP to the Events on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/RCSSoundSoftware and don’t forget to send us your “work from home” photos for some RCS goodies and we’ll see you live next Thursday at 11am ET.