This article is part of a series on WideOrbit.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Tether integrates with several automation systems, including WideOrbit. This series of articles is generally geared toward your station's IT/engineering staff, but it's a good idea for program directors to be familiar at a higher level with this information too.
There are three basic pieces to integrating WideOrbit with Futuri:
- Now Playing information - Song elements and a few select Memos will be configured to export from WideOrbit to Futuri.
- Voting session integration - WideOrbit's API has built-in integration for Tether, and we'll configure our Echo software to communicate with WideOrbit for this information.
- Music Logs- Echo will also periodically send Futuri a copy of the day's WideOrbit log. These logs are used for two primary purposes:
- Voting Sessions - Depending on the voting feature your station uses, music logs help to tell Futuri what the vote options should be (or to see what songs should be used for separation purposes).
- Instant Alerts - Users can sign up to receive alerts when their requests are about to play on your station. Futuri's system compares what your station is playing now with what's scheduled in the near future so that we can send these alerts ahead of when the request actually plays (so there's time for the user to turn on the radio).
Installation
To work through this installation process for the first time, please contact Futuri VIP Support. A remote session with one of our Support Agents should take about 20-30 minutes per station.
This process includes the following steps:
WideOrbit Information Gathering
In order for Echo to be configured to interact with WideOrbit's API, we'll just need the following information:
- Name of the WideOrbit central server (can either be an IP or a name)
- Name of the station on that server (case-sensitive, typically WXYZ-FM or something similar)
Echo can be installed either directly on the Central Server or on another PC that runs 24/7 (as long as it can see both the CS and the internet).
Note: Microsoft .NET 4.0 or higher is required for Echo. If you're running Windows 7 or higher, you should be all set, but If needed, you can download .NET 4.0 by clicking here and following the instructions. When .NET 4.0 is confirmed to be installed, run Echo.exe and navigate to File > Boot on Startup so that Echo will start up with the PC.
You may also want to check your category definitions in your WideOrbit admin to make sure that ONLY song categories are configured as "music." It is helpful to provide a list of these categories to Futuri VIP Support as well.
Echo Setup
There are three basic functions of Echo on WideOrbit stations:
- Now Playing information - Song elements and a few select Memos will be configured to export from WideOrbit to Futuri.
- Voting session integration - WideOrbit's API has built-in integration for Tether, and we'll configure Echo to communicate with WideOrbit for this information.
- Music Logs- Echo will also periodically send Futuri a copy of the day's WideOrbit log. These logs are used for two primary purposes:
- Voting Sessions - Depending on the voting feature your station uses, music logs help to tell Futuri what the vote options should be (or to see what songs should be used for separation purposes).
- Instant Alerts - Users can sign up to receive alerts when their requests are about to play on your station. Futuri's system compares what your station is playing now with what's scheduled in the near future so that we can send these alerts ahead of when the request actually plays (so there's time for the user to turn on the radio).
Echo should generally be downloaded from here and you can obtain settings files (named station.xml and wideorbit.xml) from Futuri VIP Support. Do not run Echo.exe without first configuring the station.xml and wideorbit.xml files.
To install Echo (typically on the station’s CS, but not necessarily), create the folder C:\Echo\XXXX (where XXXX is the station’s call letters) and extract the contents of the downloaded Echo.zip (link above) to the same folder. If you are setting up multiple stations, each should have a folder in C:\Echo (with its own Echo files inside).
In the newly extracted folder, place the station.xml and wideorbit.xml files from Futuri VIP Support. These settings files must be saved in the same folder as Echo.exe.
When finished configuring, save wideorbit.xml and repeat steps as needed for other stations. Each station will need its own copy of Echo.