QUICK START

 

PASSWORDS

 

The default password is "ARC" and is not case sensitive. Both the Player and the Editor passwords can be set or disabled separately.

 

PLAYER

 

The Player boots up in scheduled mode, click "stop" and then "play now" to play sequence. The first screen you will see after opening ARC is the Player. This screen displays sequence slots where you can build show sequences once your narration or music files are completed. They can be used to identify one completed file or a collection of files. To edit the sequence name simply double click the name you wish to change.

 

Some of the options available in this section of the program allow you to Edit the sequence (don’t forget to highlight the one you want to work on!) Add a Sequence (up to 255 sequences) and change the Play order of the sequences. The player will play the checked sequences in order from top to bottom.

 

Essentially, the Player shows you a summary of what you have created using the various other screens explained below and provides overall control of ARC.

 

Manual Cue allows you to work within a playing Sequence, providing manual override for performance enhancements, without disturbing the operation of the sequence itself.

 

Spacer Cue lets you fill “empty time” between sequences and can be programmed with start and stop times on a weekly loop if desired.

 

EDITING A SEQUENCE

 

Select a Sequence and click on the Edit Button. This will open the Sequence Editor screen. This screen will identify the sequence being edited and display all files contained within. You can add or delete files, change the order of their execution, and schedule start and stop times with day-of-the-week control for the chosen sequence. You can also loop the sequence for repeated playback.

 

CUE EDITOR

 

The Cue Editor is the heart of the application, so most of the work you do in ARC will be done in this mode. This will be the area where you load/import the MP3 audio track of your choice and apply your Cue Points. The Cue Points tell ARC when to perform the tasks you assign.

 

Your first step is to Load an MP3 file. Click on the Open button and tell the dialogue box that appears where to find your file. It’s a standard browser window so you can go anywhere in your system that you wish. This browser will return to wherever you directed it the last time, so if you keep your audio files in one folder they will automatically be available to you each time you open this dialogue box.

 

Select the file to be loaded into the Cue Editor. The first two horizontal bands show you the left and right channels of your audio file, underlined with the time signature of the file. The third horizontal bar is a composite of the first two.

 

This third bar is grey shadowed. This shadowed area can be modified to zoom in on the main file. Find the + and – button. Click the + button one time. Notice how the grayed area is reduced. It is allowing you to take a closer look at one section of the audio track. If you repeat this process you zoom in closer providing you with greater potential precision in the placing of your cues. The – key backs you up one step or you can click the “A” key to restore the original default view. This feature is especially useful when you start adding many cues in a small section of the audio track. You can zoom in and get a good look at what’s going on.

 

Note the transport keys to the left of the zoom keys. Think of them as equal to the control keys on your VHS player. Notice that you have two Play buttons. The one on the left automatically starts at the beginning of your file. The other one starts wherever you place the Placement Marker.

 

The Placement Marker is your workhorse. Left click anywhere in any of the three horizontal audio bars and a red vertical line will appear. Let’s assume that this is where you want to place a cue. Click on the ADD button and the ADD CUE dialogue box will appear. Depending upon the configuration of you system, a number of choices will appear in the box. Placing or removing a check mark next to the action of your choice means that the next time ARC plays your audio track, these actions will occur at this point in the playback. That’s all there is to creating CUE POINTS!

 

This dialogue box allows you to name your cue if you wish and preview the required activity with the Preview button. It also tells you the time signature of the CUE POINT.

 

As your cues accumulate they will be listed in the lower right window of the Cue Editor and can be Edited, Previewed, Added or Deleted.

 

Go ahead and try it!  It’s easy!  When you’re done, don’t forget to save your work.