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Updated Wednesday January 25, 2012

This page details some of my software efforts - some of which are free. Of course, you will also find details of my buyware applications like such as:
AdPlay , ButtonPanel , DAC Cartwall , DACSlot , DADMAN , EDE EncoDAD Editor , EZCart , GetFile , MyLibrary , SHOUTcaster , SureLog and txIP.

How It's Done
Much of my software is written in VB6 and .NET although I use Delphi from time-to-time. What does VB6 code look like ? A bit like this!

My first computer exploits were on a BBC model "B" - whilst other kids my age had a Master System, NES or C64, I preferred the "real computer" and those wonderful 5.25" floppy disks.

With some help from the Micro User magazine, the first program I wrote was a fruit-machine game called Fruits.

After progressing to a PC in 1993, I went through an 8MHz XT, Compaq Deskpro 286, 386DX-40 and so on...

Me, with my BBC B Micro, 1990

Sometime around 1996 (whilst conjuring-up lots of audio delights in WaveStudio under Windows 3.1), I wrote a very simple DOS-based audio player. Once I got going with a 32bit OS I eventually took the plunge with VB.

Applications are written using my desktop PC which features a 3.6GHz single-core P4 CPU with 2GB RAM running Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit. I also have a Windows XP Pro with SP3 machine which is my "studio" PC along with a Samsung laptop.l

In the case of Windows 7 systems you may need to run the program in XP Compatibility mode, so right-click the application EXE and on the "Compatibility" tab, select "Run this program in compatibility mode for: Windows XP (Service Pack 3)" from the drop-down box. The free programs are offered "as is" but I welcome any feedback regarding bugs, issues or feature requests.

Custom Software Solutions
Sometimes, existing software solutions just don't match your exact needs - so why not create your own ? Whether you need a simple audio player, list maker, file tagger or perhaps something that mixes features from several programs into 1 simple screen - I may be able to help. It won't cost the earth - and you can choose to have the full source-code as part of the project.

Rates are based on usage and the hours/work required - simply tell me what you want the software to do, what it's for and if you have a specific budget, I will do my best to offer a solution that keeps you within it - if I can't, I'll try and help you find something that will.

Custom Software - could yours be here next ?

AutoMute
Line Input Control for satellite/remote feeds

DACpad
A simple jingle player designed for use with a USB Numberpad - Offers 9 hotkeys with overlapped outputs.

DAC Slot
A keyboard-friendly jingle player offering 4 slots of 8 buttons which can be controlled via a keyboard - specifically designed for programmable keyboards such as Tipro or X-Keys.

DARPMix - custom creation for Blue Revolution
Takes a playout log from DARP and produces a mixdown to a single audio file - aids in the production of syndicated programming.

DTMF Detector
Triggers external events based on DTMF signals received from an audio STL

GetFile
Download utility to retrieve an audio file each hour, normalize and top/tail the audio then save it to station's audio server.

JMButton.ocx is a very simple button control offering 3 captions - it also has a hover colour property.

It is deliberately simple and is offered free for any usage that you wish - this ActiveX object was originally written to serve as a Hotkey button for JockMaster.

Download JMButton ActiveX

NewsBud
A news reader, RSS feed viewer and audio editor/player for newsrooms

PlaylistSplitter
Takes a daily playlist and splits it into 24 "hourly" files so that they can be used with playout software that prefers (or explicitly requires) hourly playlists.

The links below will jump to the relevant software...

	AdMan Commercial planner, scheduler and invoicer		GetFile Audio File Downloader and Processor Application

	AdPlay Split Commercial Playout - for split ads, jingles and other branding		JockMaster Automation and LiveAssist playout for radio studios - Currently in BETA and available for a special introductory price.

	AutoMute Line Input Control for satellite/remote feeds		Meridian Music Library Management and Scheduling Package

	ButtonPanel Touchscreen-friendly audio/jingle player		MP3List Audio File listing tool

	CartPlayer It's a free triple-stack cartridge player!		MyLibrary Music Library Admin - APE/FLAC/ID3/OGG, CartChunk tagger and automation/scheduler import utility for home and professional users.

	ClusterClient DX Cluster Telnet Client with advancing DX spotting/filtering		NewsBud A news reader, RSS feed viewer and audio editor/player for newsrooms

	DAC Cartwall Instant audio player		Pips BBC-style time signal player ;)

	DACpad A free jingle player for use with a USB Numberpad		PlaylistSplitter Splits a daily playlist into 24 hourly files

	DAC Slot Keyboard-friendly jingle player for Tipro or X-Keys keyboards		SD Cart Player A software/hardware project to act as a digital cart machine.

	DADMAN v1.40 Remote Controller for Enco DADpro32 Controls Enco DAD/Presenter via joystick, keyboard or K8055 USB		SHOUTcaster Updates a SHOUTcast server from a text file - allows you to interface a playout program to your "now playing" stream.

	DARP Stuff Things I wrote for DARP/ProTrak		StudioScreen Studio Clock and Transmission Controller

	DTMF Detector Control playout software or TA Flag using in-band tones		SureLog Broadcast Audio Logger - records hourly files to MP3 or WAV format

	EDE EncoDAD Editor A neat add-on for EncoDAD users who wish to edit/record existing cuts in a "DJ-friendly" way. Perfect for telephone recording or adjusting cue points.		txIP txIP is an IP-based STL application for radio broadcasters and is now available for pre-order.

	EncoExport Utility Exports an EncoDAD Cuts.dbf to a CSV file		uRecord Production Recorder and Editor for Radio Studios

	EZCart A simple jingle player with 8 "cart" slots		uTag A free and simple APE/ID3 and Cart Chunk tagger

AutoMute - Line Input Control for satellite/remote feeds
Last updated 17th April 2011

Licence : Freeware
Download : AutoMute v1.2

AutoMute is a simple application that controls the line input of your default sound device - it opens the line input for "play through" every hour, and mutes it at another time. Typically, at 59:59 it will open the channel for your news feed, and at 02:01 it will mute it. You may specify these times within the program. You may specify days and hours to exclude the line input control.

Windows 7 users: Due to the way in which the audio system was re-designed in Windows 7 (and Vista), Automute will most likely not function. XP is advised.

You can control the Line Input using a command-line, eg: "C:\AutoMute.exe" open to open the input, and "C:\AutoMute.exe" close to close it. The application automatically exits if using a command-line so the chances are you won't even see it appear - but it works fine! There is a "bug" which you may have noticed due to the way the time and hour settings work. If you specify Hour 06 to Open at 59:59 but not have an Hour 07 entry to Close, then input will remain open. Therefore, you would have to specify the Open time as 07:00 not 06:59:59 - As this is a free app, I'm in no hurry to improve it ;)

AutoMute Screen	AutoMute About Box

This is a free utility - hope you find it useful...

CartPlayer v1.4 - Free Triple-Stack Cart Machine
Last updated 30th October 2010

Licence : Freeware
Download : CartPlayer v1.4

What Is It ?
It is what it looks like - a set of cart machines! You have a file+folder view on the left of the window showing available drives, folders and audio files - whilst the default view offers a set of 3 "cart" machines modelled on the famous Sonifex microHS series. You can also change them to 3 ITC Series 99 machines or an ITC triple-stack.

They work just like the real-thing - Drop a file into the "slot", press play - the timer counts down with the audio. After play, the Stop button will flash to indicate that the cart has finished. You can pause the cart by pressing stop, but remember to re-cue it before re-starting it ;) Double-clicking a cart will eject it. You can also Start the slots by pressing F1, F2, F3. Files can also be dropped from any "Explorer" window. The "cart labels" are populated using the ARTIST - TITLE syntax from the filename.

It seems like somebody actually beat me to this software - a Dutch website is offering a similar product:
http://www.csnmedia.nl/CSN_media_Software/Jingleplayer.html

v1.4 includes joystick remote-start via analogue 15-way port or USB interface. Buttons 1-3 start the players. See this image for a wiring example.

CartPlayer Screen

Download the full ZIP file here (it contains some sample audio and a couple of DLL/OCX files) - just unzip the contents into any folder.
If you get any DLL/OCX errors - please let me know.

If you've already got an earlier version - you can get the updated EXE here.

NOTE: Some users have reported a TR/Dropper alert from Avira AntiVir - this is a false alert and the files are quite safe ;)
You may need to run the program in XP Compatibility mode, so right-click the application EXE and on the "Compatibility" tab, select "Run this program in compatibility mode for: Windows XP (Service Pack 3)" from the drop-down box.

Sonifex Cart Machine Skin

ITC Series 99 and Triple-Stack Skins

DACpad - Instant Audio Player for USB Numberpad
Last updated 16th June 2011

Licence : Freeware
Download : DACpad v1.1 Setup

A free and simple application to play in short-form audio clips such as jingles, sound effects and clips - It works great with a USB Numberpad and offers up to 9 hotkey buttons. MP2/MP3/WAV files are dragged from any Explorer window onto a button - just touch to play. Buttons can overlap and a global "Stop All" button is also provided.

16th June Update : Revised audio system - now offers a Fade / Multi play feature

This is a free application, provided "as is" - it is not going to have many features ;)

Download : DACpad v1.1 Setup

DACpad - Main Screen DACpad - Info and Config

DARP Stuff
Last updated 23rd March 2011

If you are looking for the DARP User Guide - it's still here!

DARP/ProTrak Exporter
DARP is a playout program written by Chris Oakley - it's a reasonably-priced and well-featured bit of kit... However, it's a bit restrictive with scheduling as it has to be through an accompanying program called ProTrak. My solution to this was to produce ProTrack Exporter which takes your DARP Carts (and a ProTrak Database if you have one) to produce a � delimited output which you can import into a scheduler. This enables you to import your data into a scheduler for "proper" music scheduling. There is also an option to create .bcx Info Files should you wish to merge your data to BCX3 ;)

This application was a custom-build for Blue Revolution.

DARPMix [custom, not for re-sale]
Again, another custom app for Blue Revolution. This one takes the scheduled log from DARP and produces a mixdown of the show complete with fades/ducks for sweepers and voice-tracks. Essentially, it saves you having to play a DARP Log and recording it back into the computer in real-time. A real labour-saver!

This application is used to assist with the production of Blue Revolution's Totally80s , Totally90s and Weekend Vibe shows.

DTMF Decoder - control playout software or TA Flag via DTMF
Last updated 14th July 2010

Licence : Buyware - custom app

This application does exactly what it says on the, errr, tin... It receives DTMF tones from your default recording sound device and if they are one of the 6 pre-programmed codes and event will be triggered. Internally, there is support for mAirListCommand which can issue a Cartwall/Playlist/Player command to control split-advert machines or regional jingles etc. There also exists the possibility to control your RDS' TA Flag using a logic output from your COM port.

This was a custom build for a client in Europe - created in less than a day from enquiry to delivery. It is used to accept DTMF tones down their analogue STL which in-turn controls their local playout. They can also trigger the local transmitter's TA Flag on the RDS unit using the 51# and 510 sequence of tones.

UPDATE: It now includes a TCP server that can accept command strings sent via TCP/IP from a playout system.

The example below shows the sequence 51# being received and the appropriate indicator lighting-up...

Although this solution was a custom-build, it is available on a buy-out basis - please contact me for details..

What Does It Do ?
This is a small but effective program that I wrote for somebody who wanted to export their DAD CUTS.dbf file to a tab-delimited text file. It exports a number of DAD database fields and the resulting output file can then be read by Access, Excel or a music scheduler.

Download EncoExportUtil [freeware]
First-time users may need to use the full installer, which can be downloaded here. This installs the required dBase files onto your computer.

This utility is offered "as-is", if you find it useful or require extra DAD fields to be exported - let me know.

If you are looking for DADMAN, it's now on it's own page here!

EncoExport Utility

MP3List - Audio File Listing Tool
Last updated 23rd September 2009

Licence : Freeware
Download : MP3List v1.4

What Is It ?
This application creates a list of files inside a folder - either in basic M3U, or HTML formats. I have also included a PHP option with line breaks <br> so that you can use a PHP Include for song lists (this is how my songs list is displayed on my Songs page.

23rd Sept 2009, v1.4 Update
I have added a few extra "goodies" onto MP3List: Prefix/Append text - allowing you to specify extra text in the output file. It now remembers those settings so if you regularly need to perform an action with prepend/append text - the fields are saved between sessions.

MP3List running on Vista
MP3List by Charlie Davy

Pips - BBC-style pips for your radio station
Last updated 27th April 2011

Licence : Freeware
Download : Pips.zip

Have you ever wanted to broadcast those Radio 4 pips on the hour ? Of course, you can always press a button to play a sound file but wouldn't it be good if you had automatic pips - on time - and without you having to play it in manually ?!

In conjunction with an internet time client (such as Dimension4), your pips will be played on time at every quarter-hour. The pips.wav file is included in the download and all you need to do is fade-up your default soundcard each time you want to broadcast the pips - You can even play them by clicking a button if you really want to!

"Serial Mode" will not play the pips.wav file but "blip" the RTS line of your COM1 port to trigger an external device.

Updated: June 2011
Added MSCOMM32.ocx to the ZIP file as it isn't present on some (mainly Win7) machines.

You can now select the sound device used for the Pips file... It also now uses the FMOD Audio DLL. A new feature allows you to trigger an external device (such as my BASIC Stamp tone board) to generate the pips. Sample code is included with the download but you can view it here. You will need the STAMP development board, a BS2 unit and some discrete components. If you don't know what these are - then visit this site!

PlaylistSplitter - convert a daily playlist into 24 hourly files
Last updated 19th September 2009

Licence : Freeware
Download : PlaylistSplitter.zip

This simple application takes a daily playlist and splits it into 24 "hourly" files. Typically, it can be used with playlists generated in Evolution, Natural Music and PowerGold so that they can be used with playout software that prefers (or explicitly requires) hourly playlists, eg: mAirList and StationPlaylist Studio.

v1.2 Update
All playlists in the source folder are processed (not just the one you highlight)... Fonts/sizes of the folder and playlist views can now be set.

PlaylistSplitter - Ready to Process

PlaylistSplitter - Done!

A simple yet handy utility if you want to break-up a daily playlist into hourly chunks ;)

SD Cart Player - digital cart machine using SD media
Last updated 6th November 2010

Status : Work in progress

This isn't strictly software - but the heart of it uses a PIC chip with source-code written by me so I guess it means about 50% of this project is software-based!

Simply put, it's a custom SD audio player (like the DJ-style ones available in many music shops) but is designed to look and operate like a cart machine. In 1993, Sonifex went digital with their own digital "cart" format using HD+ED 3.5" floppy disks - this project takes the concept further (similar to the ASC 'Dart' units) and uses a large-capacity media to store linear PCM (WAV) audio such as music, jingles and other broacast audio. The SD cards can be up to 32GB and there are 3 slots that can be operated as individual devices - 3 sets of controls and 3 stereo outputs (plus remotes).

The main parts used in this project are:

PIC
20x4 LCD Display
3x SD Card Modules
7 Push Buttons
3 Rotary Encoders

3xSD Cart Player

The Small Print
With the exception of bloggers who may quote brief passages, all text, images and other content is copyright Charlie Davy unless otherwise specified and may not be re-produced elsewhere without prior written consent.

Terms of Sale