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Track-by-track cueing CD player - does such a thing exist ?
Hi All
Hope this is the right newsgroup to ask - you were all very helpful earlier in the year when I was looking at ways of micing the rostrum in our church..... (ended up with 2 boundary mics - works well - thanks !) Next problem. We have 2 services (Sat & Sun) at the Church - up to now we've had 2 organists - so they've shared the work out between them - no problem. One of our organists fell and broke her leg (badly) last week. This leaves just the one - who can't be expected to turn out 2 days a week - as well as the other work she does for the church. So - solution - make a CD - so that when she's not there, she can be there (if you see what I mean). Plan to record the three of four hymns & other bits of music as separate tracks - and whoever's chairing the service can then stop / start the CD player at the right points. Taking this one step further - it'd be nice if the CD player could be set up to play tracks in a specific sequence, and would automagically g play a track then stop, cued and ready to play the next track in the playlist...... Does such a piece of kit exist ? Or would it be possible to implement this system by going fully 'solid-state' - maybe with an MP3 player.... Anybody been there & done that ?? Operation of the system needs to be _very_ simple - ideal would be a single big red button labelled 'play next track' - but anything approaching this level of simplicity would be good..... I guess I could design / build something based around a PIC - talking to a computer cd-rom drive - but if this particular wheel has already been 'invented' then I'd rather not reinvent it again... Thanks in advance Adrian Suffolk UK |
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#2
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"Adrian Brentnall" wrote in message ... Hi All Hope this is the right newsgroup to ask - you were all very helpful earlier in the year when I was looking at ways of micing the rostrum in our church..... (ended up with 2 boundary mics - works well - thanks !) Next problem. We have 2 services (Sat & Sun) at the Church - up to now we've had 2 organists - so they've shared the work out between them - no problem. One of our organists fell and broke her leg (badly) last week. This leaves just the one - who can't be expected to turn out 2 days a week - as well as the other work she does for the church. So - solution - make a CD - so that when she's not there, she can be there (if you see what I mean). Plan to record the three of four hymns & other bits of music as separate tracks - and whoever's chairing the service can then stop / start the CD player at the right points. Taking this one step further - it'd be nice if the CD player could be set up to play tracks in a specific sequence, and would automagically g play a track then stop, cued and ready to play the next track in the playlist...... Does such a piece of kit exist ? Or would it be possible to implement this system by going fully 'solid-state' - maybe with an MP3 player.... Anybody been there & done that ?? Operation of the system needs to be _very_ simple - ideal would be a single big red button labelled 'play next track' - but anything approaching this level of simplicity would be good..... I guess I could design / build something based around a PIC - talking to a computer cd-rom drive - but if this particular wheel has already been 'invented' then I'd rather not reinvent it again... Elektor-Electronics April-2004 "Pandora's Sound & Music Box" Uses a single microcontroller and controls a standard PC-style CD-ROM drive. I believe it supports the "play next" function with one of its buttons. |
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#3
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"Adrian Brentnall" wrote in message
... So - solution - make a CD - so that when she's not there, she can be there (if you see what I mean). Plan to record the three of four hymns & other bits of music as separate tracks - and whoever's chairing the service can then stop / start the CD player at the right points. Taking this one step further - it'd be nice if the CD player could be set up to play tracks in a specific sequence, and would automagically g play a track then stop, cued and ready to play the next track in the playlist...... Does such a piece of kit exist ? Tascam pro units, designed primarily for radio station use, will do that. At least, they'll play one track and stop, if you enable the "Auto Ready" button. If your tracks on the CD are in the proper order, then you're home free. I gather the Tascams can have sequences programmed in to them as well, but I haven't needed to do that. Peace, Paul |
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#4
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Hi Richard
On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 20:59:55 -0800, "Richard Crowley" wrote: "Adrian Brentnall" wrote in message .. . Hi All snip I guess I could design / build something based around a PIC - talking to a computer cd-rom drive - but if this particular wheel has already been 'invented' then I'd rather not reinvent it again... Elektor-Electronics April-2004 "Pandora's Sound & Music Box" Uses a single microcontroller and controls a standard PC-style CD-ROM drive. I believe it supports the "play next" function with one of its buttons. Aha - thanks for the 'lead'. I've been to Elektor's site, but they don't have much online info on this project - so I've emailed them to see if it#s possible to get a reprint of the article. From the fairly short parts list it doesn't look too daunting - but I couldn't see any mention of any sort of display - maybe it doesn't have one ?? I'd have thought a simple 'track number' display would be helpful - at least you'd know that you're about to play the 'right' track then...? Thanks Adrian Suffolk UK |
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#5
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"Adrian Brentnall" wrote ....
Aha - thanks for the 'lead'. I've been to Elektor's site, but they don't have much online info on this project - so I've emailed them to see if it#s possible to get a reprint of the article. From the fairly short parts list it doesn't look too daunting - but I couldn't see any mention of any sort of display - maybe it doesn't have one ?? I'd have thought a simple 'track number' display would be helpful - at least you'd know that you're about to play the 'right' track then...? No display in the original article. However you have the source code and with the serial LCD displays, it would be pretty easy to add a display. If you have a fixed application (like a liturgy) you could even "firm-wire" the names of the tracks ("Introit", "Prayer Response", "Offertory", etc.) Or of you were really ambitious, you could investigate how optional text is encoded. |
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#6
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On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 23:20:13 +0000, Adrian Brentnall
wrote: Taking this one step further - it'd be nice if the CD player could be set up to play tracks in a specific sequence, and would automagically g play a track then stop, cued and ready to play the next track in the playlist...... Does such a piece of kit exist ? Some consumer CD players can do this, or close. My ancient dbx dx5 can be programmed to play tracks in a specific order. It wouldn't stop automatically at the end of the track, but hitting Stop on the remote and the the button would start the next track in the sequence. Not fullproof however - the progam cannot be saved and will be lost if power is turned off, and it would be easy to press the wrong button on the remote. Willie K. Yee, M.D. http://users.bestweb.net/~wkyee Developer of Problem Knowledge Couplers for Psychiatry http://www.pkc.com Webmaster and Guitarist for the Big Blue Big Band http://www.bigbluebigband.org |
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#8
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HI Paul
On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 08:07:13 GMT, "Paul Stamler" wrote: "Adrian Brentnall" wrote in message .. . So - solution - make a CD - so that when she's not there, she can be there (if you see what I mean). Plan to record the three of four hymns & other bits of music as separate tracks - and whoever's chairing the service can then stop / start the CD player at the right points. Taking this one step further - it'd be nice if the CD player could be set up to play tracks in a specific sequence, and would automagically g play a track then stop, cued and ready to play the next track in the playlist...... Does such a piece of kit exist ? Tascam pro units, designed primarily for radio station use, will do that. At least, they'll play one track and stop, if you enable the "Auto Ready" button. If your tracks on the CD are in the proper order, then you're home free. I gather the Tascams can have sequences programmed in to them as well, but I haven't needed to do that. Peace, Paul Thanks for the reply. I'm guessing that the 'Pro' bit comes with a suitably high price tag ? As usual, we'd like to do this for as little cost as possible. Also, operation needs to be as simple / foolproof as possible - hence the ideal of a big red #next# button g Regards Adrian Suffolk UK |
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#9
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"Adrian Brentnall" wrote in message ... Tascam pro units, designed primarily for radio station use, will do that. At least, they'll play one track and stop, if you enable the "Auto Ready" button. If your tracks on the CD are in the proper order, then you're home free. I gather the Tascams can have sequences programmed in to them as well, but I haven't needed to do that. Peace, Paul Thanks for the reply. I'm guessing that the 'Pro' bit comes with a suitably high price tag ? As usual, we'd like to do this for as little cost as possible. Medium, but they make up for it by being able to work, day in and day out, for years on end, whereas a lot of consumer-type CD players keel over and die after a year or two of serious button-pushing. Also, operation needs to be as simple / foolproof as possible - hence the ideal of a big red #next# button g Well, if the tracks are burned onto the CD in the order in which they'll be played, you just keep hitting Play. Peace, Paul |
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#10
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On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 17:38:36 GMT, "Paul Stamler"
wrote: Medium, but they make up for it by being able to work, day in and day out, for years on end, whereas a lot of consumer-type CD players keel over and die after a year or two of serious button-pushing. My dbx CD player is still going strong after 15 years with no maintenance. HOWEVER, my Proton D940 receiver, just as old, may be on its last legs. I will be taking it to a shop for repairs, but I am wondering if it is worth it. It has multiple problems: blows power fuses every hour now, intermittent cutoff in the Rr CD channel (seems like a dirty switch, but that is inaccessible), the the LED's on the radio station readout sometimes do not work. If it could be done, I would like to have this machine restored, including re-capping it if that is indicated and if this repair service can do it (I have the schematics). Why bother? All the stuff I see in the stores (all our hi-fi specialty stores have gone belly up in the last decades) looks like junk. Cheap lightweight construction visible on outside examination. As I go up the price range I get a ****-load of features that I really don't want, like 5.1, when I would rather have all the amp power available for stereo. The Proton has the I/Os, power, and features I need and has served me as my needs have grown. Is it time to give up the ghost, or is there stuff available that I am simply not seeing? I realize this question might better be answered on an audiophile group, but I suspect I know their answer: buy something new. And I respect the opinions of those here who are not busy responding to political trolls. Willie K. Yee, M.D. http://users.bestweb.net/~wkyee Developer of Problem Knowledge Couplers for Psychiatry http://www.pkc.com Webmaster and Guitarist for the Big Blue Big Band http://www.bigbluebigband.org |
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#11
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How about a software solution: isn't it possible to program a pause at the
end of each track on a CD? I thought I saw this option in Samplitude. Phil / Houston "Adrian Brentnall" wrote in message ... Hi All Hope this is the right newsgroup to ask - you were all very helpful earlier in the year when I was looking at ways of micing the rostrum in our church..... (ended up with 2 boundary mics - works well - thanks !) Next problem. We have 2 services (Sat & Sun) at the Church - up to now we've had 2 organists - so they've shared the work out between them - no problem. One of our organists fell and broke her leg (badly) last week. This leaves just the one - who can't be expected to turn out 2 days a week - as well as the other work she does for the church. So - solution - make a CD - so that when she's not there, she can be there (if you see what I mean). Plan to record the three of four hymns & other bits of music as separate tracks - and whoever's chairing the service can then stop / start the CD player at the right points. Taking this one step further - it'd be nice if the CD player could be set up to play tracks in a specific sequence, and would automagically g play a track then stop, cued and ready to play the next track in the playlist...... Does such a piece of kit exist ? Or would it be possible to implement this system by going fully 'solid-state' - maybe with an MP3 player.... Anybody been there & done that ?? Operation of the system needs to be _very_ simple - ideal would be a single big red button labelled 'play next track' - but anything approaching this level of simplicity would be good..... I guess I could design / build something based around a PIC - talking to a computer cd-rom drive - but if this particular wheel has already been 'invented' then I'd rather not reinvent it again... Thanks in advance Adrian Suffolk UK |
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#12
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Hi Richard
On Sun, 28 Nov 2004 04:18:08 -0800, "Richard Crowley" wrote: "Adrian Brentnall" wrote .... Aha - thanks for the 'lead'. I've been to Elektor's site, but they don't have much online info on this project - so I've emailed them to see if it#s possible to get a reprint of the article. From the fairly short parts list it doesn't look too daunting - but I couldn't see any mention of any sort of display - maybe it doesn't have one ?? I'd have thought a simple 'track number' display would be helpful - at least you'd know that you're about to play the 'right' track then...? No display in the original article. However you have the source code and with the serial LCD displays, it would be pretty easy to add a display. If you have a fixed application (like a liturgy) you could even "firm-wire" the names of the tracks ("Introit", "Prayer Response", "Offertory", etc.) Or of you were really ambitious, you could investigate how optional text is encoded. Thanks for the comments. There are two formats - one for the Saturday Service (hymn1, hymn2, hymn3, Vesper) and one for the Sunday Service (hymn1, hymn2, healing hymn, hymn3, Hymn 4, Vesper) - so that's not too complicated. I was imagining that showing some kind of display might offer some comfidence that 'what was about to be played' was the right thing - but it's probably over-complicating the thing. So long as there's the 'one-shot' action (pressing the big switch gets you one track, and then the unit waits, cued up) then 'nothing can go wrong' g. Only trouble is - no response from Elektor, at the moment - so I can't see the detail of the project.... I've found a company that will provide a PCB for 17 euros - so that's a start. Don't suppose you've got access to a copier or a scanner and could do me a paper or digital copy, could you ?? I'd be very grateful..... and cover any costs that you might incur. Thanks again for your assistance Adrian Suffolk UK. |
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#13
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"Adrian Brentnall" wrote...
I was imagining that showing some kind of display might offer some comfidence that 'what was about to be played' was the right thing - but it's probably over-complicating the thing. So long as there's the 'one-shot' action (pressing the big switch gets you one track, and then the unit waits, cued up) then 'nothing can go wrong' g. Only trouble is - no response from Elektor, at the moment - so I can't see the detail of the project.... I've found a company that will provide a PCB for 17 euros - so that's a start. Don't suppose you've got access to a copier or a scanner and could do me a paper or digital copy, could you ?? I'd be very grateful..... and cover any costs that you might incur. They are right there in your own country. They claim to sell back- issues for the cover price + postage. Give them a call (or "ring them" as you say). I am 8 timezones away and it would be a violation of international copyright for me to send you a copy as much as I would like to. OTOH, if they cannot supply a copy of the issue, I can scan it for you. |
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#14
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"Adrian Brentnall" wrote in message
So - solution - make a CD - so that when she's not there, she can be there (if you see what I mean). Plan to record the three of four hymns & other bits of music as separate tracks - and whoever's chairing the service can then stop / start the CD player at the right points. Taking this one step further - it'd be nice if the CD player could be set up to play tracks in a specific sequence, and would automagically g play a track then stop, cued and ready to play the next track in the playlist...... Does such a piece of kit exist ? Or would it be possible to implement this system by going fully 'solid-state' - maybe with an MP3 player.... Anybody been there & done that ?? What I've done is use multiple CD players, and put CDs I obtained or burned in each one, and cued them up and left them in pause before the service. I put a stick-on post-it on each one, noting what is inside. I then press the appropriate play button at the appropriate time. CD players are dirt cheap. 2 get the job done for me. If you run out of inputs on your console, a line mixer makes a nice extender for the inputs on your console. Good examples of such devices include the Rane SM 26 http://www.rane.com/sm26b.html or Behringer Ultralink http://www.behringer.com/MX882/index.cfm?lang=ENG |
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#15
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Hi Richard
They are right there in your own country. They claim to sell back- issues for the cover price + postage. Give them a call (or "ring them" as you say). I am 8 timezones away and it would be a violation of international copyright for me to send you a copy as much as I would like to. OTOH, if they cannot supply a copy of the issue, I can scan it for you. Many thanks. I was being a bit too hasty - they actually emailed me back this afternoon - and can supply me with a back copy of the mag - so I'll go that route...... Thanks for pointing me the right way - I'd not have known that the project existed otherwise.... I've got an incentive to get this working - as otherwise I expect I'll be called upon to play the organ _every_ weekend... g Take care Adrian Suffolk UK |
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#16
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HI Amy
On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 09:13:54 -0500, "Arny Krueger" wrote: Anybody been there & done that ?? What I've done is use multiple CD players, and put CDs I obtained or burned in each one, and cued them up and left them in pause before the service. I put a stick-on post-it on each one, noting what is inside. I then press the appropriate play button at the appropriate time. CD players are dirt cheap. 2 get the job done for me. If you run out of inputs on your console, a line mixer makes a nice extender for the inputs on your console. Good examples of such devices include the Rane SM 26 http://www.rane.com/sm26b.html or Behringer Ultralink http://www.behringer.com/MX882/index.cfm?lang=ENG It'd all be a great deal simpler if there was always somebody there at the Church who could act as 'sound engineer'. Short of volunteering my services full-time g - there ain't no such animal. So - it needs a _simple_ system that can be operated by the person - running the service - hence the idea of a 'service -on-a-CD', and a big 'next' button that plays the next track & then stops...... We've been 'spoilt' over the last ten years or so by having 'live' organists - but we're none of us getting any younger...... Thanks Adrian Suffolk UK |
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#17
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"Adrian Brentnall" wrote in message
HI Amy On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 09:13:54 -0500, "Arny Krueger" wrote: Anybody been there & done that ?? What I've done is use multiple CD players, and put CDs I obtained or burned in each one, and cued them up and left them in pause before the service. I put a stick-on post-it on each one, noting what is inside. I then press the appropriate play button at the appropriate time. CD players are dirt cheap. 2 get the job done for me. If you run out of inputs on your console, a line mixer makes a nice extender for the inputs on your console. Good examples of such devices include the Rane SM 26 http://www.rane.com/sm26b.html or Behringer Ultralink http://www.behringer.com/MX882/index.cfm?lang=ENG It'd all be a great deal simpler if there was always somebody there at the Church who could act as 'sound engineer'. Ah, the prerequisite dedicated volunteer. Short of volunteering my services full-time g - there ain't no such animal. I'm trying to train a stable full of back-ups and replacements. So - it needs a _simple_ system that can be operated by the person - running the service - hence the idea of a 'service -on-a-CD', and a big 'next' button that plays the next track & then stops...... I suppose that a PC could be programmed with one of the jillion music players that are downloadble... We've been 'spoilt' over the last ten years or so by having 'live' organists - but we're none of us getting any younger...... Indeed having a church service where all the music comes from traditional sources tends to drive off the younger prospects. |
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#18
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HI Amy
On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 10:57:22 -0500, "Arny Krueger" wrote: "Adrian Brentnall" wrote in message HI Amy On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 09:13:54 -0500, "Arny Krueger" wrote: Anybody been there & done that ?? What I've done is use multiple CD players, and put CDs I obtained or burned in each one, and cued them up and left them in pause before the service. I put a stick-on post-it on each one, noting what is inside. I then press the appropriate play button at the appropriate time. CD players are dirt cheap. 2 get the job done for me. If you run out of inputs on your console, a line mixer makes a nice extender for the inputs on your console. Good examples of such devices include the Rane SM 26 http://www.rane.com/sm26b.html or Behringer Ultralink http://www.behringer.com/MX882/index.cfm?lang=ENG It'd all be a great deal simpler if there was always somebody there at the Church who could act as 'sound engineer'. Ah, the prerequisite dedicated volunteer. Yes - these things can take over your life if you let them - but I guess you already know that ?? Short of volunteering my services full-time g - there ain't no such animal. I'm trying to train a stable full of back-ups and replacements. Mmmm - nice idea g So - it needs a _simple_ system that can be operated by the person - running the service - hence the idea of a 'service -on-a-CD', and a big 'next' button that plays the next track & then stops...... I suppose that a PC could be programmed with one of the jillion music players that are downloadble... Yes - but that's going up the 'complication scale' rather than down it - and there's no room on the rostrum for a pc (physically or maybe ideologically....) - needs to be a really simple solution..... (do I keep saying that ?) We've been 'spoilt' over the last ten years or so by having 'live' organists - but we're none of us getting any younger...... Indeed having a church service where all the music comes from traditional sources tends to drive off the younger prospects. Well, we're a bit different. It's a Spiritualist church, and we actually do get a fairly wide spread of ages in the congregation - and, somehow, the 'good old' hymns seem more appropriate.... Most people are there for the upliftment or in the hope of getting communication from their love ones in spirit - so there's no really need for 'jazzing up' the service with happy-clappy music...... Thanks again Adrian Suffolk UK |
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#19
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Adrian Brentnall wrote:
So - it needs a _simple_ system that can be operated by the person - running the service - hence the idea of a 'service -on-a-CD', and a big 'next' button that plays the next track & then stops...... I suppose that a PC could be programmed with one of the jillion music players that are downloadble... Yes - but that's going up the 'complication scale' rather than down it - and there's no room on the rostrum for a pc (physically or maybe ideologically....) - needs to be a really simple solution..... (do I keep saying that ?) One of the first projects I did when learning to use Visual C++ was to write some software that did exactly that. You had to create a simple text file containing the files to be played in the correct order and then the software would play the next file on the list whenever the big play button was clicked. It would work for any type of file that had a compatible player so it could be extendeded to MIDI and video files as well as audio. Cheers. James. |
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#20
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Adrian Brentnall scribbled:
Hi All So - solution - make a CD - so that when she's not there, she can be there (if you see what I mean). Plan to record the three of four hymns & other bits of music as separate tracks - and whoever's chairing the service can then stop / start the CD player at the right points. Taking this one step further - it'd be nice if the CD player could be set up to play tracks in a specific sequence, and would automagically g play a track then stop, cued and ready to play the next track in the playlist...... Does such a piece of kit exist ? Or would it be possible to implement this system by going fully 'solid-state' - maybe with an MP3 player.... Denon DN-C615 will do just that. You can set it up so that when you turn it on, it is already in the "play one track, then pause at the beginning of the next track" mode. That setting is stored in non-volatile memory, so it stays set that way through power cycles. And it can cue to the beginning of the audio, not to the beginning of the track. If your track has 1 or 2 seconds of silence at the beginning, it'll skip right over that, so the music starts the instant you hit the play button. |
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#21
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Adrian Brentnall scribbled:
Hi All So - solution - make a CD - so that when she's not there, she can be there (if you see what I mean). Plan to record the three of four hymns & other bits of music as separate tracks - and whoever's chairing the service can then stop / start the CD player at the right points. Taking this one step further - it'd be nice if the CD player could be set up to play tracks in a specific sequence, and would automagically g play a track then stop, cued and ready to play the next track in the playlist...... Does such a piece of kit exist ? Or would it be possible to implement this system by going fully 'solid-state' - maybe with an MP3 player.... Denon DN-C615 will do just that. You can set it up so that when you turn it on, it is already in the "play one track, then pause at the beginning of the next track" mode. That setting is stored in non-volatile memory, so it stays set that way through power cycles. And it can cue to the beginning of the audio, not to the beginning of the track. If your track has 1 or 2 seconds of silence at the beginning, it'll skip right over that, so the music starts the instant you hit the play button. |
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