I-Producer Contents
I-Producer

Contents

Quick Tutorial

Introduction

Create a Project and Location Variation

Add Announcements

Add Music

Make Production (Mix, CD, Disk or Online)

Screen References

Main Screen

Project Options

Variations Options

Script Options

Music Options

Window Options

Settings Options

Topics

About I-Producer

Setup and Run Software

Projects and Variations

Announcements

Music for On-Hold

Setup for Online Audio Updates

Make and Distribute Files

CD-ROMs for IMS, IAP or BMS

Disks for IMS and IAP

Updates by Email for IMS, IAP or BMS

Online Updates for IMS, IAP or BMS

On-Hold Wav Mixes and Audio CDs

Website Voice Over Projects

General (Other) Voice Over Projects

Editing Announcements

Backup

Software Licence Terms

Online Resources

I-Producer Home Page

I-Producer Online Technical Support

Reseller Program and Discount Licences

IMS Telephone On-Hold Messages Player Software

BMS Business Announcement and Music System

IVM Answering Attendant

WavePad Sound Editor

More business audio software to download...

I-Producer

(c) NCH Swift Sound

www.nch.com.au/iproducer


Hash Field Reference

The following fields can be used in Print Templates, Automatic Email Templates, WebEdit Templates and WebPublish Templates.

##PROJECTNAME - The name of the project

##VARIATIONNAME - The name of the variation or location

##VARIATIONID - The ID number of the variation or location

##DATE - The current date

##CONTACTPERSON - Customer contact person as on the Notes tab

##TELEPHONE - Customer telephone as on the Notes tab

##FAX - Customer fax as on the Notes tab

##ADDRESS1 - Line 1 of customer address as on the Notes tab

##ADDRESS2 - Line 2 of customer address as on the Notes tab

##ADDRESS3 - Line 3 of customer address as on the Notes tab

##ADDRESS4 - Line 4 of customer address as on the Notes tab

##EMAIL - Customer email as on the Notes tab

##KEYWORDS - Web keywords as on the Notes tab

##HASHHASH - "##" (For completeness)


Background Process
You can tell when I-Producer is creating a project by the progress bar which should appear over the Main Screen.

While a project is being packed, you should not make any further changes to the project.

If you need to stop the process in abnormal circumstances, click on the cancel button under the process progess bar.


Tutorial: Introduction

This short tutorial will take you through the process of creating an on-hold messages production with I-Producer.

This tutorial covers the essentials of creating a production. If you want more information at any time, please consult the other reference pages.

Before you begin, please ensure that you have some test audio material recorded as wav files on your hard disk. If necessary, you can use the files supplied with Windows in the C:\Windows\Media folder but you will find it more useful to have real voice overs and music to work with.

You may also wish to install the IMS On-Hold Messages Player (download from www.nch.com.au/ims) to load and test the player file that you will have created by the end of this tutorial.

If you have not already done so, run I-Producer by clicking on the I-Producer shortcut on the computer destop.

Next:

Create a Project and Location

See also:

Contents


Tutorial: Project and Locations

If you have just installed I-Producer, the Default project and location variation will already have been created.

Open the "project -> open project" option, then select "Default" in the pull down list in the Project box.

I-Producer can contain multiple production variations (it needs at least one variation for each project). Usually, there will be one variation for each location so a Variation often simply means Location. When you installed I-Producer, the Default project will have been created with a demonstration / test variation already created called "Demo Location Production". The demonstration / test variation is suitable for this tutorial.

In this tutorial, you are going to be making an On-Hold Messages production. So select "On-Hold Messages" under "project -> change project type".

Now you need to add announcements to the project.

Next:

Add Announcements

See also:

Contents

Overview: Projects and Locations

Project Screen Reference


Tutorial: Add Announcements
Tutorial: Add Messages

Announcements are stored separately on I-Producer. By storing the announcements separately and mixing on demand, announcements can be easily manipulated and scheduled.

Announcements can be recorded directly into I-Producer, or they can be loaded as wav or mp3 files.

In this tutorial, you need to have some voice overs recorded as wav files on your hard disk. If necessary, you can use the files in the C:\Windows\Media folder as a last resort.

To add the wav file announcements, right click the main screen and select Import File(s). The Open File box will then be displayed. You need to browse to the folder containing the wav files and then select all the wav files which you want to load as announcements. To select many files at once, hold down the Shift or Ctrl key while you select files. When you have highlighted all the files you want to load, click OK. The wav/mp3 files will immediately be copied into I-Producer project.

At this stage in the tutorial, you may also wish to record some of your own announcements. Click F5 to record a new announcement. If the default is not correct, select your record device. You can also select the record channel which defaults to "Windows Record Mixer". For example you may want to change your record Channel to "Microphone" if your microphone is connected to the mic input of the sound card. Only if you select a manual record channel can you adjust the record volume. If you are doing a level check, the level meter should touch the red at the loudest times. At any time during recording, press F6 to "take it from the top". Press F5 to record the next message.

In a normal production, you would now select each announcement in turn and then enter any date and time information and paste the script (from your wordprocessor). But in this tutorial you will move on...

Next:

Add Music

See also:

Contents

Overview: Announcements

Announcements Screen Reference


Tutorial: Add Music

Music is stored separately from announcements in I-Producer's Music Library.

Once you have added music tracks to your library, using music in your productions becomes a very rapid process.

In this tutorial, you can now either take the easy option and simply add tracks from the Library, or you can take the long option and add a brand new track to the Library. You may want to take the easy approach now and come back and repeat the process with the long approach later.

Quick Option: Add Music From Library

Click on the Add button, select the music track and click OK. It is that simple!

Next (for now):

Make Production (Mix, CD, Disk or Online)

Long Option: Adding Music to the Library

You are going to have to add a new music track to the library which is a longer process than simply adding a track from the library.

Open "settings -> music -> music library" option. Now right click the music library screen and open "import file(s)". Select one music wav/mp3 file from your hard disk. If necessary, use a file from the c:\Windows\Media folder if you do not have any music.

For a messages on-hold presentation you should create a repeat loop of between 20 and 40 seconds. For more information about why this is useful, please see: Music for On-Hold

To open the loop options right click the file you want to edit and select "change cue times/Repeat Loop. Use the left and right arrows to move backwards and forwards in the screen that opens.

When you get to a beat where the repeat loop should start, press the space bar to start the scrub mode. When in scrub mode, the wave profile will be displayed and you can move backward and forward with precision using the left and right arrow keys. When you have found the point immediately before the beat, click on the Mark button next to the Repeat Start time.

Repeat this process to find a suitable beat for the repeat loop end.

When I-Producer mixes the messages and music automatically, it sounds better if the messages start at a suitable time, for example after the end of a vocal head. You can mark 2 such start times for each music track. The times are called the "Message Cue Time" and the "Alternative Message Cue Time". Usually the Message Cue Time should be between 5 and 18 seconds from the start of the track and the Alternative Cue Time between 12 and 30 seconds.

When you have marked the repeat loop and the cue times, you can continue to the make the mix...

Next:

Make Production (Mix, CD, Disk or Online)

See also:

Contents

Overview: Music for On-Hold

Music Screen Reference


Tutorial: Make Production

Select the Project option, and click new.

I-Producer can make files for many types of distribution media. You can select the type in the"variation -> change output type" pull down-list.

When working with an On-Hold Messages project, I-Producer can play a complete mix instantly. To do this select the "Other Play Mix" option in the Output Type pull-down list and then select "project -> make now". Select the music gap length and click OK.

That's it. You have made an on-hold messages production!

Now, you can do the same for the IMS On-Hold Messages Player. Select "IMS MOH File" in the Output Type List and click Make Now. Select the music gap and click OK. I-Producer will make an IMS file (you will see the Progress Bar displayed). Run the IMS On-Hold Messages Player, click Load, click NCH File then click Load Now and select the file ohm1.moh in the C:\Program Files\NCH Swift Sound\I-Producer\Output\v1 Folder. Your IMS On-Hold Messages Player should now be playing a presentation.

See also:

Contents

Make and Distribute Files

CD-Roms for IMS and IAP

Disks for IMS and IAP

Updates by Email for IMS and IAP

Online Updates for IMS and IAP

On-Hold Audio CDs


Main Screen

The I-Producer main window is divided into 5 segments. These are:

1.	Project Details (top left)

2.	Variation Details (top right)

3.	Project notes (Upper text screen)

4.	Recordings List (central window)

5.	Recording Script (Lower text screen

Project Details

This segment of the main screen shows the name, type, and date of creation for your current project.

Variation Details

This segment shows the name of your selected variation, the output type, and the contact details. You can also use the drop-down menu at the top of this screen to select a different variation.

For more information visit Overview: Projects and Locations.

Project Notes

Use this segment to add notes about your current project.

Recordings List

Use this screen to create, edit, and manage your recordings. To perform a function just right click the screen and select the option you want. Alternatively you can use the shortcut keys below:

Play

Click on the Play option (or use shortcut F9) to play the announcement. You can select the sound out device and volume using the Settings option. The keyboard shortcut for play is F9. To stop, push the Esc key.

Rename

Click on the Rename option (or use shortcut F2) to rename an announcement.

Import File

To add new wav or mp3 files to the file, click on the Import File option. You can select multiple wav/mp3 files by holding down the Shift or Ctrl key while selecting files.

New Record

To record a new announcement, click on the New Record option (keyboard shortcut F5). The Recording Dialog Box lets you select your record device and channel. If you select any other channel not being the Windows Record Mixer, you can adjust the volume of the recording.

When recording is complete, use the Enter key to Stop recording.

If you make a mistake while recording you can either press F6 to restart ("take it from the top") or press F8 to record-edit-on. If you click stop in the Record Box you can use the left and right arrow keys to find a position then click F8 again to record from that point. If you have already record-edited-on and you make a mistake again, you can use the F7 key to "take it from the same point again".

Record Over

To record over the selected announcement, use keyboard shortcut F6. The record over function can be undone by pressing Alt+Backspace.

Edit

Click on Edit to edit the current selected announcement. For more information about editing, please see the Editing Overview.

Delete

To delete a message, click on the Delete option (keyboard shortcut Delete).

Duplicate

To duplicate (make a copy of) an announcement, right click on the announcement and select the Duplicate item from the pop up menu.

Note: You do not need to use this with the IMS On-Hold Messages Player. With the IMS, simply select a higher rotation rate.

AutoJoin Follow On ...

To join 2 adjacent announcements together, right click on one announcement and select the AutoJoin option. This will automatically link your current announcement to the next one.

Stock Announcements

If you use the same announcement frequently in different projects, you can add the announcement to the Stock Announcement Library. Whenever you need to use the announcement you can then easily add it to your project.

To copy the selected announcement into the Stock Announcement Library, right click on the announcement and select "Make Stock Announcement" from the pop up menu.

To add a stock announcement from the Library to the current Project, right click on the announcements list and select "Add Stock Announcement" from the pop up menu (or use keyboard shortcut Ctrl+S).

Examples of Stock Announcement might be "Thank you for calling..." announcements in on-hold projects, "We are now closed..." announcements in in-store projects.

Rotation Rate (On-Hold and In-Store Projects Only)

This determines the rotation rate of announcements. Normal rotation rate results in an average music gap of around 15 seconds (assuming say 8 20 second messages and subject to intelligent scheduling variations).

Edit Options

Use Music (On Hold Messages Only

The option selects whether music should be played before and under the message. Generally, if the message contains its own music you should uncheck this box.

Manual Play (In-Store Projects Only)

Checking this option puts the Announcement on the manual play list.

Confirm Play (In-Store Projects Only)

Checking this option means that a warning message will be displayed on the player when the user attempts to play a message manually. This is useful for Evacuation and Emergency Announcements to prevent the messages being played by accident.

Date Time Scheduling

The announcement can be set to play only between the set Commencement Date and Expiration Date and between the set Times of Day and on the set Days of Week.

The Date format depends on your computer's regional settings. This is usually mm/dd/yy in the USA and dd/mm/yy in the rest of the world. You can use IMMEDIATE for the Commencement Date and NEVER for the Expiration Date.

The time format is hh:mm:ss.

Variations or Locations

This option is useful with projects with multiple variations or locations.

Each announcement can either be used in all the variations (locations) or in selected variation(s). To use the announcement in only the selected location(s), click change variation. Select the location and click OK.

Autoplay (In-Store Projects Only)

There are three modes of autoplay:

1.	Autoplay in Sequence. The IAP will move through all announcements with this option set and play the next announcement every number of minutes. The number of minutes between announcements is set on the player. Example: "Play an announcement every 5 mins. Play this announcement in the sequence until it expires on 6/7/00."

2.	Autoplay Every Mins. The IAP will play the selected announcement every number of minutes. Example: "Play this announcement every 30 minutes between 12:00 and 17:00."

2.	Autoplay at Fixed Time. With this option you set the exact time of day when you want the message player. Example: "Play this closing announcement at 17:00:00 every weekday."

Play 	F9

Record New 	F5

Record Over 	F6

Rename 	F2

Edit Schedule Date/Time 	Ctrl + Shift + D

Edit Options 	Ctrl + Shift + O

Edit Voice Name 	Ctrl + Shift + V

Edit Autoplay 	Ctrl + Shift + A

You can also change the order of your recordings by right clicking a record and dragging it to a new location in the list.

Edit Script

This segment can be used to keep a record of the script for each recording.

See also:

Contents

Overview: Projects and Locations


Project Options

New Project

The New Project option creates a new project. Click on this option and enter the name of the project. If you are using a registered project, the project name must be exactly the same as the registered name. When you have entered the new project name, the new variation / location box will automatically open (see below).

Open Project

The Open Project option lists all the current projects. To open an existing project, simply select your project from the list and double click it, or click open. I-Producer automatically saves projects.

Rename Project

Renaming projects is discouraged because the project name is used by I-Producer to ensure uniqueness of audio files. If you do need to rename projects make sure that all background tasks are complete and then select this option.

Delete Project

The Delete option will delete the current project. Click on Delete and then confirm that you want to delete the project.

Change Project Type

Click this option then select the project type in the pull-down list. Currently I-Producer supports "On-Hold Messages", "In-Store Announcements", and "General (Other) Voice Over" project types.

Change Project Reminder Date

The format for the date when the Reminder Notice will be displayed depends on your computer's regional settings. This is usually mm/dd/yy in the USA and dd/mm/yy in the rest of the world.

You can enter NEVER to disable the notice at all locations within the project.

Close Project

Select this option to close the current project.

Make Properties

Click on this option to edit the properties for the selected output type. The properties depend on the selected output type (and of course the project type). For software output types, it will be the version and optionally the email address. For play mix and wav file options, you can select the duration mode and the quality processing options. (Note the Make Properties are also displayed when you click on the "Make Now" option, but this option lets you change the settings without actually making the file).

Make Now

When you click on this option, you will first see the Make Properties box. Once you confirm the Make Properties I-Producer will make the file and, if selected, upload or email the file.

Music

Use this option to edit your project music settings and the music library. Check Music Options for more information.

Send Email

Use this option to send an email to your customer quickly and easily by entering your customer's email and clicking send email. You can also attach the script for your current project by clicking the "send script" option in the lower left corner of the screen.

Quick Print Templates

If you find that you need to be able to print fast delivery letters, CD labels, disk labels or packing labels, you can use the Print Quick Template option to automate your printing.

To use Print Templates, you need to have filled the customer contact details in "variation -> edit customer contact details".

Click on the Quick Print option. Select your template and then click Print.

You can also create and edit your own print templates. If you have many labels per page, you can select a number of frames and their respective positions on the page (in percentages).

The print templates use the Hash Field Definitions.

Settings

Select this option to enter the settings screen. For more information go to Settings

options.

Exit

Click this option at any time to exit I-Producer.

See also:

Contents

Settings

Overview: Projects and Locations


Variations Options
Variations (Locations)

Variations (Locations)

A list of project variations can be found in the top right corner of the I-Producer screen. This box lists all production variations within the project (usually there will be a separate variation for each location). A project should always have at least one variation.

New

To add a new variation or location to a project, click on the New option within the Variations menu and enter the variation description or address. If you are using a registered location (for IMS, IAP or BMS encoding), the details must be exactly as registered.

Delete

To remove a variation or location from a project, click on the Delete option within the Variations menu and then confirm that you want to delete the location.

Output Type

Each location can have different distibution and player media. Select the output type in this pull down list. The options depend on the project type. For more information, please see: Make and Distribute Files.

Edit Customer Contact Details

Use this screen to edit the location and contact information for each project.


Script Options

Script

You can Paste the text for each announcement into the text box at the base of the main screen. With the IAP, IMS, BMS and IVM the customer can then view or print the script at any time. With the IAP and BMS, if you use the script, the user will see the text of the announcement they are about to play.

You can copy the script of all announcements in the project using the Copy All option. This is useful if you want to incorporate the full script in another document to the customer.

You can print the script of all announcements in the project using the Print All option.

You can also use the Undo function to reverse any changes you have made to the script.

See also:

Contents

Main Screen Reference


Music Options

The Music options are used with on-hold messages files to add music to the music library, and to select music for the project.

Select On-Hold Music

Add

Click on the Add button to add a music track to the project from the music library.

Remove

Click on the Remove button to remove a music track from the project. Note this does not remove the track from the music library.

Play

Click on the play button to hear the music track you have selected.

Music Library

Click on the Music Library button to open your music library.

Open Music Library

Library: Play

Right click a track and select the play option to hear the track.

Library: Edit

Right click a track and select "edit" to make changes to the track. The edit facility for I-Producer has recently been replaced with our WavePad software. To learn more about the features of WavePad you can download and test the software from our website at www.nch.com.au/wavepad.

Library: Delete

To delete a track from the Library and from every project that uses the track, right click on it, and select "delete".

Library: Rename

To rename a track, right click on it, and select "rename".

Library: Import File

Right click on the main screen and select the Import File(s) option to add a wav/mp3 file to the library. You can add many wav/mp3 files at once by holding down the Shift or Ctrl keys while selecting files.

Library: New Music Folder

Right click and select this option to create a new folder to store your music library files in.

Library: Delete Music Folder

Right click and select this option to delete the current music library folder.

Library: New CD Track

I-Producer includes a CD-Ripper to load digital audio music directly from audio CDs in the CD-ROM drive. This option only works with the more modern CD-ROMs with the digital audio transfer facility. This offers excellent audio quality since the transfer is completely digital and no conversion is needed in your sound card.

To "Rip" a CD Track into the Library, right click the main screen and select the "New CD Track" option. Select the track(s) you want to load and then click OK.

New Record

The New Record option is used to create a music track. The process is identical to recording an announcement.

To record the new music, press F5. In the record box, you can select the record device and record channel. If you select any other record channel except the "Windows Record Mixer" you can adjust the record level.

When recording is complete, use the Enter key to Stop recording.

If you make a mistake while recording you can either press F6 to restart ("take it from the top") or press F8 to record-edit on. If you click F8 in the Record Box you can use the left and right arrows to find a position then click F8 again to record from that point. If you have already record-edited on and you make a mistake again, you can use the F7 key to "take it from the same point again".

Date-Time Scheduling

As with announcements, each music track can be scheduled to play only between a set Commencement Date and Expiration Date. For example, if your customer wants Christmas music, you can schedule music to expire on Christmas Day.

The date format depends on your computer's regional settings. This is usually mm/dd/yy in the USA and dd/mm/yy in the rest of the world. You can use IMMEDIATE for the Commencement Date and NEVER for the Expiration Date.

To change the date-time scheduling, right click the file you want to change and select "change Date-Time Scheduling".

Music Volume

To edit the volume of a track, right click it and select "change music volume".

You can set the music volume between music tracks (the Normal Volume) and the music volume under the voice over (the Fade Volume). You can enter the levels directly (in dB) or you can use your mouse to adjust the level.

The usual settings are Normal Volume -6dB and Fade Volume -20dB for an instrumental track. A lower Fade Volume might be used for a track with vocals to avoid the vocals interfering with the voice over.

Change Cue Time / Repeat Loop

To change the cue time and repeat loop, right click the file you want to change and select "Change Cue Times/Repeat Loop".

Cue Time

With any music track there are times within the track when a voice over start sounds good. You can mark 2 such suitable points for each music track and I-Producer will use these points to start a message (depending on the ideal music gap length). This way the on-hold mix process can be fully automated with the messages starting at appropriate times.

You should mark these 2 points at points between the repeat start and the repeat end times. Doing this allows I-Producer to extend and predict edit points in the later repeats. Usually the primary Cue should be between 5 and 15 seconds and the Alternative Cue between 10 and 30 seconds.

Time formats can be entered in the format h:mm:ss.ss or more shortly ss.ss. For example 13 seconds would be 13.00.

You can also mark the cue times while playing or scrubing the music track (see below). Click on the mark buttons.

Note: You only need to mark these times once for each music track. Once the track is in the library, I-Producer will store this information with the music track.

Repeat Loop

All music tracks must have repeat loops to ensure continuous music behind the voice overs.

Usually a 30 second or 60 second music track should be repeated. The repeat loop will be between 20 and 40 seconds in a messages on-hold presentation. You can use longer repeat loops for music on-hold presentation.

Editing music repeat loops requires a good understanding of audio editing. You will need to mark the start and end just before the beats ensuring that the beats are in time. A professional engineer should be able to edit almost all production music tracks so that you cannot hear the repeat edit. If you are new to audio editing it may take you a few attempts to get it right.

You will need to use the music player with the scrub facility (see below). When you find the point for the repeat start or repeat end, click Mark. Use the keyboard shortcut Home and End to mark the start or end of the repeat loop respectively. If you make a mistake with the repeat end, click undo and re-edit the repeat end point.

Note: You only need to mark these times once for each music track. Once the track is in the library, I-Producer will store this information with the music track.

Music Rotation Rate

The IMS On-Hold Messages Player and I-Producer when creating an on-hold mix will change the music tracks after a set number of announcements. The default is to change the music track after 2 messages have been played. You can adjust this by right click the file, selecting "change rotation rate" and choosing the number of messages the music should play for.

Close

Right click and select this option to close the Music Library Screen.

See also:

Contents

Overview: Music for On-Hold


Settings

Make

Make 1.4M Disk Drives

Use this drop-down menu to select which (if any) 1.4M disk drive you want to use.

Email

I-Producer can automatically send  files by email.

I-Producer defaults to sending Email by MAPI, which will only work if you have MAPI compliant email software such as Netscape or Eudora. If your software will not accept the I-Producer files, open "project -> settings -> change email settings" and select use internal SMTP. You will also need to enter your mailhost and email address for this option.

To enable this feature check the Automatic Email Send check box.

You can also edit the default subject line and email text that I-Producer uses when automatically sending productions by email. To edit these, click on the Set Default Edit Text button. The email templates can use the the Hash Field Definitions.

Online Internet Servers

I-Producer can automatically upload files to an internet server for the various project types.

For each of the various upload types, you can enter the server, username, password and upload directory.

If you leave the server details blank, I-Producer will create the files in the Output Folders but you will need to upload them manually.

Audio Processing

You can set the processing for each project type using this box.

Please note that processing is done after the recording or import file so you will only hear the difference if you play the announcement after the background process indicator has turned off.

If you do not know what you are doing do not adjust the settings.

Noise Gates

I-Producer includes a multiband (5 band) noise gate. This will reduce background noise that is softer than the voice. The default value is -35dB. The acceptable range is -40dB to -25dB. If the level is too high you will hear a noticable droping of the voice.

Multiband Process

I-Producer divides the signal into 3 bands (7 actually) and compresses each separately. It is similar to a tone control but the tone control varies according to the input signal. This is very effective to improve the voice for noisy (ie. in-store) or poor media (eg. telephone).

Automatic Trim

When this option is selected, I-Producer will automatically trim the start and end of each recording.

Automatic Gain Control

This AGC ("gain rider") can be adjusted depending on how tight you want the levels. Defaults are Max Gain +2dB and Max Attenuation -8dB. Please note that this is applied in the process chain before the compressor.

Dynamic Range Compressor and Limiter

The final stage in the process is a compressor and limiter. The compression ratio is set at 2:1. Default threshold is compressor at -9dB and limiter at +2dB. The compressor includes a side chain de-esser.

System Folders

I-Producer has 5 working folders: Files, Music, Output, Stock and Templates. The Files folder stores project infomation and all announcements in the projects. The Music folder stores all music tracks and attached information relating to each music track (eg Repeat Loop, Levels etc). The Output folder is the default output directory and stores files for recording onto CD (in addition to uploaded and emailed files). The Stock folder stores all stock announcements.

By default these directories are in I-Producer Program Files Folder. For example, the Output folder might be C:\Program Files\NCH Swift Sound\I-Producer\Output.

WARNING: Take care when changing folders, you can damage the integrity of I-Producer file system. Always create the folders first and copy all files using the Windows Explorer before changing folders with I-Producer. You should also backup before moving files because files can be corrupted when transferred between disk drives.

See also:

Contents

Overview: Projects and Locations

Project Screen Reference


About I-Producer

I-Producer is expert audio production software designed just for studios who produce Telephone On-Hold Messages, In-Store or Point of Sale Announcements, Telephone Information Lines, Website Audio and other Voice Overs.

This software manages recording files, records voice overs, automates production and encodes files for the IMS or BMS software based players.

I-Producer assists you to:

~ record and edit announcements

~ manage a large number of customers and location variations

~ produce complete mixes instantly

~ maintain a music library

~ keep track of updates and contact details

~ process audio for telephone, web or in-store

~ automatically email or upload files to customers

I-Producer is designed to be integrate fully with the computer base player software, the IMS On-Hold Messages Player (download from www.nch.com.au/ims) and the BMS Business Announcement and Music System www.nch.com.au/bms) in addition to more traditional player media such as compact discs.

System Requirements

~	Windows 95/NT4/98/Me/2000/XP.

~	Pentium 300 or higher CPU.

~	32MB or higher RAM.

~	Sound Card.

~	[Optional] CD Recorder with CD Recording Software.

I-Producer can be used free to produce on-hold messages on CD, digital units or cassettes.

To use I-Producer with the IMS On-Hold Messages Player, the IAP In-Store Announcement Player, BMS Business Music System or the IVM, you must have I-Producer ID which is supplied when you register the IMS, IAP or BMS software for professional use.

I-Producer is developed by NCH Swift Sound who specialise the development of Business Audio Software.

See also:

Contents


Setup and Run Software

Installing I-Producer from a Downloaded File

If you have downloaded I-Producer from the Internet or have received the software by email, run the file ENCSETUP.EXE. To do this click Start on the task bar, select Run and then click Browse to locate the file ENCSETUP.EXE. The file should be located in your download or attachments directory.

Installing I-Producer from CD-ROM

Insert the CD-ROM into the drive. If you have an autostart enabled CD-ROM, the setup program will run. If nothing starts after about 10 seconds, run the file SETUP.EXE on the CD-ROM. To do this, click Start on the task bar, select Run and then click Browse to locate the file ENCSETUP.EXE. The file should be located in D: if D: is the designator of your CD-ROM.

After installation

After the setup program has run, you will be able to use I-Producer immediately. You can select your record and play device and, if necessary, change the file folders using the Settings Option.

You can run I-Producer at any time by simply clicking on the shortcut on your desktop. To close I-Producer, click on the Exit button.

See also:

Contents

Settings Options

Setup for Online Audio Updates

About I-Producer

Quick Tutorial


Projects and Variations
Projects and Locations

Projects

To create a new project, click on "New Project" in the Project Options. Enter the name of the new project and then click next. You will then be asked to select the type of project (e.g. On Hold Messages, In-Store announcements, Voice-overs) you want to use, select the project, then click "next". Now enter the details of the first variation or location (see below) then click next. Now enter the type of recording you want to make (such as sending an IMS file by email, or recording CD files) and click finish.

Where different productions use common material, you should use a single project with multiple variations (see below).

Note: Where you are using I-Producer for a registered production (only for IMS, IAP or BMS), the name of the project must be the same as the registered name.

Project Type

Each project can be "On-Hold Messages", "In-Store Announcements" or "General Voice Overs". The project type determines the output options (see the Output Type below) and the audio processing settings.

Variations or Locations

Each project must contain 1 or more Production Variations. Usually, each Location will be a separate Variation. Each Production Variation or Location can use all, or specified selected, announcements.

To add a Variation or Location click New in the Variations (Locations) options. Enter the description of the Variation or Location. If you are using I-Producer to produce for the IMS, IAP or BMS you will need to enter the Location Name and ID exactly as provided when you registered the IMS, IAP or BMS for your customer.

Output Type

Each location can have its own distribution medium or "Output Type". For example in one project, you might have one location with On-Hold Messages on IMS CD-ROM, one location with an IMS Online Update and one location with an Audio CD.

For each location, you can select an Output Type by opening "Variation -> change output type" and using the Output Type pull down list. The options depend on the Project Type.

See also:

Contents

Screen Reference: Project List

Tutorial: Creating a Project and Location


Announcements

I-Producer stores announcements separately. Each announcement has information about the date-time validity, rotation rates, play times and so on for each message.

Announcements can be recorded directly with I-Producer or added as wav or mp3 files.

Using Wav or MP3 Files

Right click on the recordings list, select "import files", and then select the files to add. You can add many files at once by holding the Shift key or Ctrl key while selecting the files.

I-Producer copies the files so you can delete the original wav or mp3 files once they have been added using I-Producer.

I-Producer supports all PCM formats and many other wav file formats. MPEG Layer 3 (mp3) files are supported (I-Producer no longer supports the older MPEG Layer 1 and 2). I-Producer supports sample rates between 8000Hz and 96kHz. Recommended sample rates are 22,050Hz for IMS On-Hold, 22,050Hz for IAP Announcements, 11,025kHz for telephone information lines and 44,100Hz for all other options.

Recording Announcements

To record a new announcement, press F5. In the record box, you can select the record device and record channel. If you select any other record channel except the "Windows Record Mixer" you can adjust the record level.

To record over an existing announcement, select the announcement and press F6.

When recording is complete, use the Enter key to Stop recording.

If you make a mistake while recording you can either press F6 to restart ("take it from the top") or press F8 to record-edit on. If you click F8 in the Record Box you can use the left and right arrows to find a position then click F8 again to record from that point. If you have already record-edited on and you make a mistake again, you can use the F7 key to "take it from the same point again".

Background Process

Once you have added a file or recorded a announcement, the background audio system will process the audio. The process includes automatic level control, multiband limiting, compression, noise gates and a deesser. While the background process is busy, you can continue to work with I-Producer. For example, you can play messages, enter scheduling times and so on.

The settings for the audio processing can be adjusted using the "project -> settings -> audio processing" option. Different settings apply for each project type and for importing or recording announcements.

Editing Announcements

You can edit announcements once they have been recorded. I-Producer has been linked to our WavePad software to improve the ease and quality of audio editing.

Date Time Scheduling

Each announcement can be set to play only between a set commence and expiration date, on particular days of week or times of day. This will only work on the IMS, IAP or BMS. If you attempt to make an Audio CD, the CD will exclude the date-scheduled announcement.

For more information about the information that can apply to a announcement, please see Main Screen Reference.

See also:

Contents

Main Screen Reference

Tutorial: Add Announcements


Music for On-Hold

Music for on-hold projects is stored in a separate music library. The music, and related information such as the repeat loop music levels and so on, are kept in a music library so they can be added to a new project very quickly.

When you create a repeat loop or set any times or levels of a music track, those details will apply to that track in all projects. This should make production time very fast.

Removing a track from a project does not remove the track from the music library.

Repeat Loop

Where music will be playing mostly under voice overs, it is useful to repeat-loop a short track. The repeat loop is then played indefinitely with a seamless repeat by the IMS On-Hold Messages Player or with I-Producer's Instant On-Hold Mix.

There are a number of reasons why a repeat loop is useful:

~	The end presentation is seamless (no starts and stops between music tracks).

~	The upload files and disks are smaller and more music can be supplied in the same file.

~	The cue and alternative cue times are most likely to match the ideal music gap time (see below).

~	Under some production music copyright licence terms, lower licence fees are payable.

Usually a 30 second or 60 second music track should be repeated. The repeat loop will be between 20 and 40 seconds in a messages on-hold presentation. You can use longer repeat loops for music on-hold presentation.

Editing music repeat loops requires a good understanding of audio editing. You will need to mark the start and end just before the beats ensuring that the beats are in time. A professional engineer should be able to edit almost all production music tracks so that you cannot hear the repeat edit.

Cue and Alternative Cue Times

When I-Producer mixes the messages and music automatically, it sounds better if the messages start at a suitable time, for example after the end of a vocal head. You can mark 2 such start times for each music track. The times are called the "Message Cue Time" and the "Alternative Message Cue Time".

You should mark these 2 times between the repeat start and the repeat end times. Doing this allows I-Producer to extend and predict edit points in the later repeats. (You will now see one of the reasons why repeat loops of shorter length are useful). Usually the primary Cue should be between 5 and 15 seconds and the Alternative Cue between 10 and 30 seconds.

The general steps to adding a New Music track the the library is to:

1.	Load a new CD Track, record a new track or import a new wav/mp3 file into the library.

2.	Mark the Repeat Loop Start.

3.	Mark the Repeat Loop End.

4.	Mark the Cue Time.

5.	Mark the Alternative Cue Time.

For more information about editing music tracks please see Music Options.

See also:

Contents

Music Options

Tutorial: Add Music


Online Internet Audio Update Setup

Announcements can be automatically updated over the Internet using the Online Upload facility of I-Producer with the Automatic download features of the IMS On-Hold Messages Player, the IAP Announcement Player, the BMS Business Music System or the IVM.

I-Producer can upload the audio files directly to your website when you click the applicable "Project -> make now" option for a location. The audio is stored on your server to be downloaded by the player software. The player software can be set to check your server every 24 hours for new material. If new material has been uploaded by thr I-Producer, the player software will download the audio automatically and change the messages or announcements with the customer being required to do anything.

Note: This is different to the Email Update Option of I-Producer.

Requirements for Online Internet Update:

~	Internet connection (either fixed or dial up).

~	Microsoft WinInet. This is provided with Windows 98, Windows 2000, Internet Explorer 4 and Internet Explorer version 5. If you are still using Windows 95, you will need to install the free Internet Explorer.

~	A Website which has anonymous FTP access in the root directory of a domain. You will need your own web domain. Most web hosts offer anonymous FTP free. Please check this with your server.

Ask your ISP hosting company to confirm the following information:

~	FTP upload server. This will be something like ftp.yourdomain.com.

~	User Name. This will be your user name provided by your web server, often simply your domain name.

~	Your password for FTP uploads.

~	The exact directory to upload into for anonymous FTP access from the root directory of the domain. Your web server will need to provide you with this information. This might be something like /home/yourdomain/anonftp. Note your server must have set the permissions for anonymous downloads from the root directory (ie. ftp.yourdomain.com/), not the often used "pub" directory.

Once your ISP hosting company has provided you with this information, select the "project -> settings -> make" option and enter the information in the "Online Internet Upload Servers" box for "IMS/IAP/BMS IVM Upload".

When you want to upload a customer, from the "variation -> change output type" option make sure you have selected the Output Type "IMS Online Internet", "IAP/BMS Online Internet" or "IVM Online Internet" and then click on the "Make and Upload File" button. I-Producer will then make your file and upload it.

For more information, please see: Make Online Updates for IMS, IAP or BMS

See also:

Contents

Settings


Make and Distribute Projects

Each location variation has its own Output Type or distribution medium. Within one project, different locations can use different media for updates. In the context of I-Producer "Make New" means saving an nch file, uploading a file, emailing a file, making a wav file on-hold mix or playing a on-hold mix, depending on the output type.

To make a location, select "variation -> new".

Each of the output types are dealt with in turn:

~	CD-ROMs for IMS, IAP or BMS

~	Disks for IMS, IAP or BMS

~	Updates by Email for IMS, IAP or BMS

~	Online Updates for IMS, IAP or BMS

~	On-Hold Wav Mixes and Audio CDs

~	Web Voice Overs Output Types

~	General Voice Overs Output Types

The only other output types are IMS MOH File or IAP ANN File. These options simply make the packed file in the Output folder. They are useful for testing the IMS, IAP or BMS (where they are running on the same computer as I-Producer). They are also useful if you want to transfer the file to the player in a less conventional way (eg using PC Anywhere).

All output files are placed in I-Producer Output Folder in a sub-folder named according to the variation ID. For example, all the output files for a project variation 100200 would be placed in a folder named "v100200" within I-Producer's Output folder.

The file in I-Producer's Output Folder is named according to the project type and the location Id. For example an On-Hold project with ID 2000 would be named "ohm2000.moh" in a folder named "v2000" within I-Producer's Output folder. Please wait until the process is complete before loading or transferring the file.

The distinction between a IMS or IAP CD and an Audio On-Hold CD is important. An IMS or IAP CD-ROM contains the audio and scheduling information packed into a single file recorded on a data CD with software for automatic loading. The customer location needs to have a IMS or IAP to use an IMS or IAP CD-ROM. An Audio CD On-Hold Mix, on the other hand, is a wav file which can be recorded onto an audio CD with a complete on-hold mix to be played by an ordinary CD player.

See also:

Contents

Tutorial: Make Production


CD-ROMs for IMS and IAP

If a location has the "IMS on CD", "IAP on CD" or "BMS on CD" Output Type selected, I-Producer will make all the files for recording onto a data CD-ROM. When this CD-ROM is inserted into the drive of another computer running the IMS, IAP or BMS software it will be automatically loaded.

To use this option, you need a CD recorder with software allowing you to record data CD-ROMs. The computer running the IMS, IAP or BMS must have a CD-ROM drive.

Select this option in "variation -> change output Type" for a location then click the "project -> make now" option. I-Producer will then make the files. The files will be stored in the locations folder within I-Producers Output folder. For example, the files for location number 2000 will be in the folder "v2000" located in the Output folder as chosen in the Settings Options. The file will then be saved.

Once the process indicator turns off, run your CD recording software to record a data CD-ROM. You need to record all the files in the location's output folder onto the CD-ROM. For example, for location ID 9000 record all of the files in the C:\Program Files\NCH Swift Sound\I-Producer\Output\v9000 onto the CD-ROM.

You will see that 2 of the files you record are "autorun.inf" and "autoload.exe". The autorun.inf and autoload.exe files are needed to make the CD automatically load when inserted.

NOTE: Making an IMS, IAP or BMS CD-ROM is very different from making an On-Hold Audio CD.

See also:

Contents

Make and Distribute Files


Disks for IMS, IAP and IVM

If a location has the "IMS on 1.4M disk" or "IAP on 1.4M disk" output type, I-Producer will make (a) disk(s) for loading by a computer running the player software.

Disks are the old method for updating a customer running the IMS or IAP. Audio quality is better on CD-ROMs for IMS or IAP but disks are still a practical method of updating files. Quality is reasonable for telephone or announcement use.

Select this option as the "Output Type" for a location and click the "Make Disk" button. You will then be prompted to insert the first disk into your disk drive. If the files do not fit on a single disk, a prompt will ask you to insert additional disks.

See also:

Contents

Make and Distribute Files


Updates by Email for IMS, IAP or BMS
Updates by Email for IMS, IAP, BMS and IVM

If a location has the "IMS by Email", "IAP/BMS by Email" or "Files by Email" Output Type, I-Producer will make a file for sending by email, and, if you have the option selected under Settings, the file will automatically be sent to your customer by email.

I-Producer defaults to sending Email by MAPI, which will only work if you have MAPI compliant email software such as Netscape or Eudora. If your software will not accept the I-Producer files, open "project -> settings -> change email settings" and select use internal SMTP. You will also need to enter your mailhost and email address for this option.

Select the option as the "Output Type" for a location and click the "make now" option. The name of the file depends on the location number and the project type. For example an On-Hold project with location number 2000 will have the file name ohm2000.moh in the folder v2000 within I-Producer Output File. The file is located in the Output folder as set in the Settings Options.

If this feature is not available, or if you have disabled it in the Settings options, I-Producer will simply make a file (eg. ohm2000.moh) in the Output folder. You can then send the file yourself.

You can edit the default email messages which are sent with the audio updates by clicking on the Set Default Email Text button under Automatic Email Send (MAPI) in the Settings Options. You can set default email text for each project type. The templates can use the the Hash Field Definitions.

See also:

Contents

Make and Distribute Files


Online Updates for IMS, IAP or BMS
Online Updates for IMS, IAP, BMS and IVM

If a location has the "IMS Online Internet" or "IAP/BMS Online Internet" Output Type, I-Producer will make a file for sending by email, and if you have the option selected under Settings, the file will automatically be uploaded to your FTP server, to be automatically downloaded by your customer's IMS, IAP or BMS player software.

The automatic uploading will only work if you have an Internet connection and have Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows 95/NT4 with Internet Explorer 4.0 or later installed. For more information, please see Setup for Online Audio Updates

Select this option as the "Output Type" for a location and click the "project -> make new" option. I-Producer will first make the file, then connect to the Internet and upload the file.

If this feature is not available, or if you have disabled it with the Settings Options, I-Producer will simply make a file (eg. ohm2000.moh) in the Output folder (eg. C:\Program Files\NCH Swift Sound\I-Producer\Output\v2000). You can then upload the file yourself using FTP software such as WS_FTP.

See also:

Contents

Make and Distribute Files

Setup for Online Audio Updates


On-Hold Wav Mixes and Audio CDs

This option is only available for on-hold messages.

If a location has the "CD/Other Wav Mix" output type, I-Producer will make a complete mix of messages and music as a wav file. This wav file can then be directly recorded onto CD without needing any further editing or mixing.

To use this option to record a CD, you need a CD Recorder with software allowing you to record audio CDs.

Select the "CD/Other Wav Mix" option as the Output Type for a location. Click on the "Make New" option. If you need the duration of the final mix to be fixed, select "Fixed Duration" and enter the time - I-Producer will automatically fit the mix to the exact time. Otherwise, use Automatic Duration. Click OK. I-Producer makes the file in the background.

The name and location of the mixed wav file depends on the location number. For example a location number 2000 will have the file name ohm2000.wav and be located in the v2000 folder in I-Producer Output folder as chosen in Settings.

Once the background process is complete, record the wav file onto an audio CD using the CD recording software.

This wav file option can also be used for other older style digital on-hold messages players which take a wav file source.

NOTE: This option cannot be used to make files for the IMS On-Hold Messages Player. Use the IMS on CD option instead.

See also:

Contents

Make and Distribute Files


Website Voice Overs

I-Producer can make website voice overs (and even upload them directly to your customers' sites). It uses the mp3 format with the streaming extension (m3u).

In order to use this project type you must purchase the mp3enc.exe command line encoder from Fraunhofer at www.opticom.de. Fraunhofer own the patents on the world's best mp3 encoding quality process so unfortunately you need to pay to purchase their encoder.

Once you have purchased and installed mp3enc.exe, copy the file mp3enc.exe into the c:\Program Files\NCH Swift Sound\I-Producer folder. If the downloaded file is called, for example mp3enc31.exe you must rename the file mp3enc.exe before copying into the IProducer folder.

Create your project and select the "Website Voice Overs" project type. Record or import your files as necessary. If you rename the announcements, it is recommended that you do not use spaces in the names.

If you provide the website voice overs on a data CD-ROM, use the "Files on CD-ROM" output type. With that option you will need to record all the files from I-Producer output folder onto a CD-ROM after you Make the files with I-Producer. Your customer will then have to upload the files from the CD-ROM.

If you provide the website voice overs to your customer by email select the "Files by Email". If you have a MAPI email application, I-Producer will encode them directly. You can also zip all the files together if you have the PKZIP.EXE file in I-Producer folder. See General Voice Overs for more information about using the zip function.

If you upload the website voice overs directly to your customer's site, use the "Online Internet Upload" option. You will need the ftp upload server, user name, password and exact upload directory.

In order to use the m3u streaming format, you need to know the Web URL Base. That is the location where the files will be available to the public (including the final /). For example, if your voice overs will be publically available at http://www.customersdomain.com/voice/intro.m3u then the Web URL Base will be exactly http://www.customersdomain.com/voice (take care otherwise the voiceovers will not stream correctly).

To embed the voice overs use the HTML code like this: <EMBED src="../voice/intro.m3u" autostart=true>. The m3u streaming format will work with both the Real Audio plugin and the WinAmp plugin.

Please do not name announcements with spaces.

See also:

General Voice Overs

Contents


General (Other) Voice Over Projects

This project type covers all other voice over projects where you want I-Producer to manage and distribute your voice overs.

You can record or import all files using I-Producer which can then encode and deliver them according to the Output Type and Make Properties.

I-Producer uses 2 third party applications to automate the process.

Mp3 Encoding and Delivery

Mp3 is a high compression ratio audio format which can be used to significant reduce the file size (and upload times) of voice overs.

In order to distribute your voice overs in the mp3 format you must purchase the mp3enc.exe command line encoder from Fraunhofer at www.opticom.de. Fraunhofer own the patents on the world's best mp3 encoding quality process so unfortunately you need to pay to purchase their command line encoder.

Once you have purchased and installed the mp3enc.exe command line encoder, copy the file mp3enc.exe into the c:\Program Files\NCH Swift Sound\I-Producer folder. If the downloaded file is called, for example mp3enc31.exe you must rename the file mp3enc.exe before copying into the IProducer folder.

If you install the mp3 encoder, you will also be able to create Website Voice Overs.

Zip Files

The zip file format is patented by PKWARE. Fortunately, their command line zip tool PKZIP.EXE can be downloaded free at www.pkware.com.

Once you have downloaded (and installed) the command line zip tool PKZIP.EXE, copy the file PKZIP.EXE into the c:\Program Files\NCH Swift Sound\I-Producer folder. If the downloaded file is called, for example, PKZIP25.exe you must rename the file PKZIP.EXE before copying into the IProducer folder.

See also:

Website Voice Overs

Contents


Editing Announcements

The edit facility for I-Producer has recently been replaced with our WavePad audio editing software. To learn more about the features of WavePad you can download and test the software from our website at www.nch.com.au/wavepad.

See also:

Contents

Main Screen Reference


Backup

Backup

You should regularly backup all files in the Music and Files folders. Make sure you backup all sub-directories within the Files folder.

Apart from the usual reasons for maintaining backups, if your hard drive failed without a proper backup, I-Producer would not be able to maintain correct records of which files had been sent to customer.

If you backup on CD-ROM, take care to make sure I-Producer files are not marked as read-only when you restore them. Incorrect read-only attributes can cause I-Producer to malfunction.

See also:

Contents

Settings


Software Licence Terms

1.	The copyrights in this software and any audio or visual work distributed with the software belong to NCH Swift Sound. NCH Swift Sound reserves all rights. NCH Swift Sound licences the distribution and installation of this software only in accordance with these terms.

2.	By installing, using or distributing this software you, on your own behalf and on behalf of your employer or principal, agree to be bound by these terms. If you do not agree to any of these terms, you may not use, copy, transmit, distribute, or install this software.

3.	This software, and all accompanying files, data and materials, are distributed "as is" and with no warranties of any kind, whether express or implied except as required by law. No warranty is made that the IP address lookup service offered by NCH Swift Sound will be available all the time or continue to operate into the future.

4.	NCH Swift Sound will not be liable for any loss arising out of the use of this software including, but not limited to, any special, incidental or consequential loss. If you intend to rely on this software for critical purposes, it is essential that you should test it fully prior to using it for critical applications, use static IP addresses and must assume the entire risk of using the program.

5.	You may not use this software in any circumstances where there is any risk that failure of this software might result in an injury or loss of life. Any such use by you is entirely at your own risk, and you agree to indemnify NCH Swift Sound from any claims relating to such unauthorized use.

6.	You may copy or distribute the installation file of this software in its complete unaltered form but you may not, under any circumstances, distribute any software registration code. In the event that you do distribute a software registration code, you will be liable to pay the full purchase price for each location where the unauthorised use of code occurs.

7.	You may not use I-Producer to produce material which is to be played by software not created by NCH Swift Sound Software.

8.	The contract arising out of this agreement is governed by the laws and courts of the Australian Capital Territory.

I-Producer

(c) NCH Swift Sound

www.nch.com.au/iproducer