Pristel Computing SELF DG User Manual

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Pristel Computing LLC

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Page 2: Chapter I Introduction
Chapter I Introduction Welcome • Portability, Reliability, Boutique Sound • Simplicity Meets High Technology Self-DJ • Hardware • Software • The Sound • Less Is More • Your Audience...
Page 3: Other Features
Chapter II Self-DJ™ Features Extreme Reliability • Dual Redundant Computers • Hard Drives Last Longer • No Fans To Fail • Waterproof Screen • Genuine Intel® Motherboards and Processors Audiophile Quality Sound • ANT™ (Automatic Normalization Technology) • Automatic Equalization by Genre •...
Page 4: Sound Check
Chapter III Installation & Setup Connecting Your System • Powering Up Power Up Sequence 1. Rack Power ON 2. Computer ON 3. Speakers ON Sound Check • Checking Microphone Volume Levels • Checking Music Volume Levels Power Down Sequence 1. Speakers OFF 2.
Page 5: Getting Started
Chapter IV Configuring Self-DJ™ Getting Started • Passwords • When To Use The Self-DJ Password (default is TJ) • When To Use The Setup Password (default is SETUP) Choose Operating Mode • Automatic • Manual • Requests Pre-Flight Check • Get Ready To Rock...
Page 6: Basic Operation
Chapter V Using Self-DJ™ Basic Operation • Getting Started • Playing • Karaoke • Browsing • Sorting • Searching Using Self-DJ Controls • Self-DJ Controls • Playlist Maintenance Using Manual Controls • Manual Controls • Fading-Out Songs Manually • Tagging Songs as Holiday and Explicit •...
Page 7: Main Options
Chapter VI Setup • Starting Self-DJ Automatically • Password Notification Main Options • Skip This Screen • Operating Mode • Jukebox/Karaoke • Send Requests • Show • Holiday Music • Explicit Music • Playlist Button • Album Art Show • Volume Limiter •...
Page 8 Files & Folders • Album Art Folder • Requests Folder • Media Library • Use This Skin • Start Sound • Finish Sound Custom • Name • Phone • Web Site • Banner 1 • Banner 2 • Ad 1 •...
Page 9 Appendix Concrete Tools™ • Concrete MediaMerge™ • Concrete Recorder • Concrete Ripper • Concrete Editor • Concrete Video • Concrete Minii Organizing Your Files & Folders • How Do I Name My Files? • What Are File Tags? • How Do I Edit File Tags? •...
Page 10 Chapter I Introduction elcome Thank you for choosing Self-DJ™. SDJ is a portable, extremely dependable solution for mobile music applications with outstanding sound quality. Music helps people be happy. SDJ makes it easy for people to enjoy their music again and be happy. It lets everyone be the DJ. You will find SDJ very intuitive and easy to use.
Page 11 Portability, Reliability, Boutique Sound SDJ portable design gives you the fastest setup times in the business. The ATA (Airline Transportation Authority) approved case weighs only 49 lbs with touch screen, two computers, and power rack. This three piece system rocks the house, yet takes less than 10 minutes to set up with powered speakers.
Page 12 your performance, while making the system much more fun to use. SDJ lets anyone perform just like a professional DJ would, only with a lot less effort. Audiences love the “do it yourself”, and “party all night long” benefits. SDJ lets you enjoy your music again, and even do karaoke.
Page 13 anything else on the market. SDJ has many high technology features, never before available, with any software, so your music sounds better than you've ever heard it. This manual will acquaint you with all the great features in an easy-to-follow format.
Page 14 elf-DJ™ Hardware SDJ systems are very energy efficient and come with two genuine Intel® rack mount computers featuring Intel® HD sound, 19” LCD touch screen, and built-in power rack in a lightweight, waterproof slant top case. Sleek, 1-space rack mount computers sport bright LEDs, 2 front USB ports, extra long life hard drives (1,000,000 MTBF hrs), low latency RAM memory, 2 line out jacks, 1 high-speed eSATA data port, and an X10 wireless transceiver.
Page 15 Software New SDJ systems come with Windows 7® . However, the minimum requirement to run SDJ software is Windows 2000 with a 80GB hard drive, 1GB RAM memory, and at least 1024 x 768 resolution. SDJ software supports dual-screen operation. The SDJ Professional Edition comes with full-featured touch screen jukebox and karaoke software, and a suite of integrated software tools on Windows 7®.
Page 16 The Sound Why do SDJ systems sound so good? Microsoft Media Foundation (MF), first available with Windows Vista, is the intended replacement for all Microsoft multimedia applications. New SDJ systems use Windows 7 which expands upon Vista's MF capabilities, and has full support for Intel®...
Page 17 Your Audience Even though you've probably played Brown-Eyed Girl, and songs like it, a thousand times, it is songs like this that get people dancing and having fun. People can related to them. They instantly feel good and get happy. SDJ is popular for rentals because the audience always gets what they want.
Page 18 Chapter II Self-DJ™ Features xtreme Reliability For mobile music applications, reliability is at the top of the list. SDJ systems are extremely reliable. They use specially matched components featuring genuine Intel® motherboards, Intel® processors, Kingston memory, and Western Digital hard drives designed specifically for mobile music applications.
Page 19 In the very, very, very rare event your SDJ computer should ever fail during an event, just move connections to the backup computer and push the ON button. The show must go on. With SDJ it always does. If, after the event, you can't fix the problem, simply remove the four rack screws, slide out the computer, and send it back to us in the included shipping box.
Page 20 Waterproof Screen The high resolution 19” LCD touch screen is not only gorgeous, it is also waterproof. Its aluminum bezel also protects the insides of your SDJ rack case. When someone accidentally spills on it, just wipe it off. Genuine Intel® Motherboards And Processors After building PC's since they were invented, we've found it just makes sense to get both motherboards and processors from one manufacturer.
Page 21 automatically with ANT™ real-time signal processing and automatic equalization. ANT™ (Automatic Normalization Technology) Most media software relies on volume normalization. Normalization is a slow process where an average volume is computed ahead of time for each song so that it can be set when a song starts to play. If you've got a lot of songs, it can take many hours, even days to complete.
Page 22 Automatic Equalization by Genre Tired of dealing with overly complex software, but still want control? SDJ is a breath of fresh air. When a new song starts, SDJ automatically loads the EQ curve for that song's genre. Boy, is that sweet! If you want to do some tweaking, run SDJ in Manual Mode.
Page 23 curve. Make changes, or just watch EQ sliders move by themselves. Lock levels when you want. Pad or cut levels as needed manually. One touch moves all EQ sliders at once, or adjust frequencies separately. Intel® High Definition (HD) Audio SDJ computers use genuine Intel®...
Page 24 Freedom From Hum For the best sound and freedom from hum, your SDJ system is designed to have your everything plugged into its rear mounted power strip, with a single plug in the wall outlet. When used in this way you will experience freedom from hum.
Page 25 ortability, Durability, Quick Setup If you plan on doing a lot of events, especially if you are an SDJ Affiliate owner doing multiple unattended SDJ's at once, then portability,...
Page 26 durability, and fast setup and tear-down times will be very important to you. Your SDJ system is designed to be the fastest system there is to setup and tear-down. The simplest, fastest, and safest configuration uses a standard 8' table and no speaker stands.
Page 27 Lightweight ATA Approved Rack Case The 19” LCD touch screen, two SDJ computers, and rear-mounted power strip are all protected within the high strength, lightweight, polyethylene ATA rack case. The ATA approval certifies the case is approved for shipping on an airline. However, if you do send your SDJ system flying, we still recommend putting the case and speakers in the original shipping boxes for added security, and to keep them looking new.
Page 28 watts each) series speakers with built-in 2-channel mixers. These speakers have excellent bass as is, but there are also matching powered subwoofers. Use them on speaker stands, stacked, or even daisy-chained together with other speakers and powered subwoofers for big events. Amplified speakers connect to the SDJ rack case with the included 3.5 mm to dual XLR-Male adapter cable.
Page 29 X10® Wireless Control With Self-DJ Ultimate -- boom, boom, turn out the lights. If you are not using DMX lighting, rather than wire your lights and effects back to a central switch panel so you can turn them on or off individually, wireless X10®...
Page 30 Support For Dual Displays SDJ Standard Edition computers have only one video output. For normal use, dual displays is not needed. SDJ Professional and Ultimate Edition computers have two video ports, and other features. Dual display support is automatically enabled when a second display is detected. You can use a second display to show album art, what songs are coming up, and karaoke lyrics.
Page 31 Comparing Editions Standard Professional Ultimate ™ Self-DJ Features Standard and Professional Editions run in semi-automatic mode with manual controls visible at all times. These editions are designed for attended operation by a single person or DJ. Semi-automatic operation keeps the music playing like a jukebox if you step away from the controls, so you can focus on your audience, not your computer.
Page 32 all your music. Plays all popular audio file formats: MP3, WAV, wma*, OGG Vorbis, MP4, AAC, M4A, AC3, FLAC, WavPack, ALAC, W64, AU, PAF, SVX, NIST, VOC, IRCAM, PVF, pcm, raw, mod, CAF. Includes Concrete Tools™ software for sound editing, recording, remixing, playing videos, ripping high quality sound files from audio CD, and a stand-alone Minii player, great for creating playlists.
Page 33 Customize ANT™ parameters and make other advanced configuration settings in setup. Includes Concrete MediaMerge™ Professional Edition. MediaMerge Pro also merges and reorganizes multiple collections into one so you can combine multiple music collections on external hard drives, or portable players such as iPOD®, without iTunes®...
Page 34: Chapter Iii Installation & Setup
Chapter III Installation & Setup onnecting Your System 1. Y-adapter mini plug to SDJ computer GREEN jack 2. XLR cables between Y-adapter and LEFT/RIGHT speakers (MIC LINE 1) 3. XLR cables from microphones to LEFT/RIGHT speakers (MIC/LINE 2)
Page 35 Mixer shown unplugged with everything OFF MAKE SURE POWER AND SETTINGS ARE OFF Powering Up 4. Connect power cord from rack case to nearest outlet. 5. Connect speaker power cords to nearest outlets, or to power strip in rack case. Use a 12-gauge extension cord or larger if needed. TIP: If a hum is detected, turn off speakers, and reconnect speaker power cords to SDJ rack power.
Page 36 ower Up Sequence Following these steps in order helps prevent damage to equipment, and won't frighten customers with a sudden sonic blast. LEVEL 1 and LEVEL 2 controls must be OFF • Rack Power ON (1=ON) - touch screen will flash •...
Page 37 View of built-in mixer on back of amplified speaker While mixer labeling may be slightly different, the power up and power down sequences are the same for any powered speakers. Traditional sound system setups using separate mixer, amplifier, and speakers, are handled in a similar way.
Page 38 ound Check A sound check makes sure everything is working properly, and sets maximum volume levels for how loud the system will be allowed to get. Microphone and music volume levels are adjusted independently. NEVER POINT MICROPHONES AT SPEAKERS Checking Microphone Volume Levels Make sure microphones are NOT positioned in front of the speakers to avoid feedback.
Page 39 Checking Music Volume Levels While the music is playing, slowly slide the volume level on the touch screen to the maximum position. If it is too loud, STOP! Fine-tune the MIC/LINE 1 settings, and repeat until desired maximum volume level is achieved.
Page 40 ower Down Sequence The power down sequence is the reverse of the power up sequence. Following these steps in order to prevent damage to equipment. • Speakers OFF • Computer OFF • Rack Power OFF UNPLUG POWER CORDS FROM OUTLETS...
Page 41 dding Music SDJ requires at least 10 songs to operate. If you already have sound files on your hard drive, click Add Items in Setup to run MediaMerge Browse to drives or folders with music and touch Start. If you don't, see Ripping Audio CD's, and Downloading Sound Files, and get some.
Page 42 With SDJ Standard Edition, Concrete MediaMerge (MM) is used only to load music into your media library. With SDJ Professional Edition or higher, MM is also a powerful stand-alone utility. MM Professional makes it easy to copy sound files to your SDJ hard drive from USB memory sticks, iPods, and external hard drives, and helps you organize your media file collection.
Page 43 information, speed, and efficiency. The library can hold up to 10,000,000 songs. Without the overhead to support database features you don't need, you've got more memory and processing power available for enhanced music reproduction. Ripping Audio CD's While more work than downloading, ripping your own sound files from audio CD's ensures the highest quality sound and accurate tag information.
Page 44 The Ripper is very easy to use. It has special features to eliminate manual editing to correct common problems you will encounter with many CD's. For example, title and artist are often combined within title on CD's with various artists. Use the Fix button to correct this, and many other similar problems, to rip sound files with perfect tags.
Page 45 CD with tracks from various artists after being “Fixed” It is important to have some patience when ripping your CD's. It can be a long, long job. You will learn that having good tags makes everything work better later. Plus the Ripper creates files with higher sound quality and smaller file sizes.
Page 46 button in Setup mode and browse to C:\My Music Ripped\, and then the new folder. When the process is completed, SDJ will restart with the new songs. If you accidentally add the same folder more than once, they will not be duplicated in your media library no matter how many times you try.
Page 47 MP3 File Size versus Quality Ripper can create digital sound files using either a constant bit rate (CBR), or variable bit rate (VBR). VBR is more efficient than CBR. File Sizes Using CBR: 1 minute sound file takes: .75 MB at 128Kbps 1 MB at 196Kbps 1.5 MB at 256Kbps File Sizes Using VBR...
Page 48 ripping to a lower quality later. Beyond the Extreme setting, it is very difficult to tell the difference in sound quality. Assuming that the average song is 4 minutes long, here is a formula you can use to estimate the number of GB free disc space needed: # Songs x 4 min x Size in MB/min x 1 GB/1000 MB Here is an example to see how much disc space you will need to store 10,000 songs ripped using VBR at the Extreme quality (1.4 MB per...
Page 49 Avoid downloading music from “free” sites unless you know what you are doing. Remember, nothing is free. Many of these sites install spyware on your computer, and sound files themselves are often infected. At a minimum, use a different computer (not your production SDJ system) for downloads.
Page 50 The media files on your SDJ system should be a subset of the master collection, kind of like a “Greatest Hits” collection of your best music. That way, it is easier for users to pick great songs. Backing Up Your Music Collection Backups are very important.
Page 51 nstalling & Activating Software If SDJ is already installed, configured, and activated, skip to the next chapter. If not, insert the installation CD, or download and run setupSelf-DJ.exe. Just follow the prompts. Installing Self-DJ™ It is strongly recommended that you: •...
Page 52 It is strongly recommended that you: • Accept default folders. All utilities installs to C:\Concrete Tools\. • Check “Associate Files”. This links Concrete Tools utilities to media files by file type for editing and playback outside of SDJ. Running Self-DJ™ For The First Time Once installed you will be prompted to activate SDJ to avoid the evaluation period time-out.
Page 53 While you can do it all with the touch screen by using the Windows on- screen keyboard, in Accessibility options, you might want to attach a regular mouse and keyboard at times to the rear panel of your SDJ computer. Using the two front USB ports on the SDJ rack case is even easier since you can attach them when the computer is already running.
Page 54 To activate SDJ on-line you will need: • Active Internet connection • Valid e-mail address • SDJ Edition you are activating; Standard, Professional, Ultimate • Activation code If you don't have an activation code, you can request one at http://www.concreteDJ.com. After the product has been activated, or if you bypass prompts and skip activation, SDJ will start in Setup mode so you can add music to the media library and make other changes.
Page 55 ile & Folder Locations These are the main files and folders used by SDJ. Self-DJ.exe is the main program. The default installation folder is C:\Self-DJ\. Subfolders of \Self-DJ\ include: \Logs\ – log files \Skins\ – default skin graphics files \Sounds\ – sound effects \System\ –...
Page 56: Etting Started
Chapter IV Configuring Self-DJ™ etting Started Setup screen You'll need your Setup password to configure SDJ. The default password is “SETUP”.
Page 57 Passwords SDJ uses a Self-DJ and a Setup password The Setup password is for the SDJ owner to configure the system. The default Self-DJ password is “TJ”. The Self-DJ password is for those in charge at an unattended event to do basic control functions like adjusting the volume, rejecting a song, or reordering the playlist.
Page 58 Touch this button for a password prompt If you are operating SDJ in Manual mode, the button above is not available. That space is used for the SDJ manual controls. You can get the same effect by touching the large button at the top of the screen. It works the same way.
Page 59 When To Use The Self-DJ Password (default is TJ) Use the Self-DJ password to change volume, pause and reject songs, load playlists, and perform other functions. Give this password to the person you are renting to, or whomever they want to be in charge (the Self-DJ). Don't give out this password freely, or the SDJ event will be compromised and the performance will suffer.
Page 60 hoose Operating Mode SDJ works 3 different ways (operating modes): Automatic jukebox player with karaoke* (Self-DJ mode) Semi-automatic jukebox player with karaoke (Manual mode) Jukebox only sending requests to Concrete DJ (Requests mode) *Karaoke is available with SDJ Professional and higher editions. Automatic •...
Page 61 In this mode, the volume, 7-band EQ, song monitor, and other controls are available all the time. This mode is intended for events where one person that wants to be “the DJ”. Requests • Remote control operation If you have Concrete DJ (http://www.concreteDJ.com), a more advanced mixing program, you can use SDJ as a simple jukebox front- end, to send pop-up requests to Concrete DJ, either running on the same PC, or across a network.
Page 62 re-Flight Check Get Ready To Rock To start Self-DJ'ing: 1. You need at least 10 songs in your jukebox (see Adding Music). 2. You'll want automatic program start-up • Check “Skip This Screen” in Setup. • Paste SDJ short-cut in Windows Startup folder (see Starting Self-DJ Automatically for details).
Page 63: Asic Operation
Chapter V Using Self-DJ asic Operation Using SDJ is easy. Automatic mode is the most common, because then SDJ works like a computer appliance. It runs unattended, until a password is entered. If left alone, SDJ serves up a random mix. The music never stops.
Page 64 Playing Choose songs by touching items in the media library (left-side list). Wait for a prompt, or drag-and-drop them onto the playlist (right-side list). Karaoke Works the same as when playing songs. However, unlike the jukebox, you must manually put songs on the playlist. Unlike the jukebox, SDJ does not automatically add songs in karaoke mode.
Page 65 Searching Touch the on-screen keyboard to find songs by letter. To search by artist, the list must be sorted by artist. To search for songs by title, the list must be sorted by title. To search for songs by year, just click the year button and the list will be sorted for you automatically.
Page 66 sing Self-DJ Controls Self-DJ mode with volume and control buttons visible During normal operations, users just search for songs and get them on the playlist. They play in order, like a regular jukebox. At some point...
Page 67 you will want to adjust the volume, pause the music to make announcements, sing karaoke, or maybe reorder the playlist. That is what the SDJ controls are used for by the Self-DJ(s). Self-DJ Controls • Adjust the volume slider up or down as needed but be careful. Volume changes take effect when you take your finger off the screen.
Page 68 Playlist Maintenance Drag-and-drop items to reorder the playlist, or “Drop Here To Delete” • Remove unwanted items with drag-and-drop. • Reorder the playlist using drag-and-drop. Just drag songs you don't want to play to “Drop Here To Delete” and let go.
Page 69 The easiest way to have a song play next is to drag-and-drop it directly on the column header just above the top song. That way it will appear, and play after the song currently playing. Note: The only exception is that you cannot remove or reorder the top- most item, if it is already playing.
Page 70 Self-DJ in Manual Mode In Manual mode, SDJ is still extremely easy to use but this mode is not designed for unattended events. However, the Manual mode touch screen interface with SDJ is perfectly suited to events where one person wants to be the DJ, especially if that person is a professional DJ.
Page 71: Manual Controls
Manual Controls Manual controls are great! Toggle the regular SDJ controls on and off, use the 7-band EQ, preview songs in your headphones independently of the main mix, and more. Manual control buttons • Push the Fade-Out button to cross-fade to the next song. This works like the Reject button but without any prompts.
Page 72 transceiver to dim lights and control appliances, wirelessly. Press Keyboard to show the keys again. Support for X10's new CM15A Firecracker with USB interface is in the works. • Push the Controls button to toggle the regular Self-DJ buttons visible and invisible.
Page 73 they will start playing on the monitor. Use controls as needed. It is that easy. • Push the Setup/Cancel button to prompt, or cancel a prompt in progress. By default, the 7-band EQ, is visible in Manual Mode. If you have used other DJ software, you'll revel in SDJ's simplicity and be able to interact with your audience again.
Page 74: Using The Equalizer
Removing Media File Items Select the item you wish to remove from your media library and touch Remove. The next time you start SDJ, the removed items will no longer be available. You can also delete items from your hard drive too. This is handy if you stumble upon a sound file you don't want, or one that doesn't work right.
Page 75 group, by themselves. It is cool to watch. You can manually choose a different EQ curve from the drop-down list, change the individual sliders to tailor the sound to your liking, or simply watch ANT working, as EQ sliders move up and down on their own. You can change the default EQ preset, or settings for a preset, and make whatever changes you want;...
Page 76 All the EQ sliders move up or down together as a group when you touch Pad or Cut. You can do this to fine tune your sound, and hit the sweet spot, or just to have something to do. The bright green LED to the right displays a summed Left/Right input signal.
Page 77 Prerequisites To send requests from SDJ you need to: 1. Be in Requests Mode 2. Define where requests will be sent in Setup 3. Have CDJ installed and running The easiest way to use SDJ to send requests to CDJ is if both programs are running on the same system with two display monitors.
Page 78 • Start CDJ. • Start SDJ. • From the SDJ system, browse to the \Requests\ folder on the CDJ system and select it. By default this is C:\Concrete DJ\Requests\. One configuration is to connect the CDJ, and one or more SDJ systems, on a network.
Page 79 Chapter VI Setup The first time SDJ is run, you will enter Setup automatically. Setup is where you change how SDJ works. Go ahead. Customize it your way. SDJ comes with some cool color presets and skins. If you are renting SDJ systems, this is also where you can advertise your services.
Page 80 Setup options are organized by tabs. Depending on the edition of SDJ activated, some may not be available. Starting Self-DJ Automatically SDJ systems for rentals are configured to start SDJ automatically. That way, they start playing music, whenever the SDJ computer is started. This is done in Windows by copying a short-cut to Self-DJ.exe, and pasting it in the Programs Startup folder.
Page 81 Password Notification So you don't forget, SDJ notifies of both the Self-DJ and Setup passwords. This occurs whenever “Skip This Screen” is NOT checked. You enter Setup mode automatically when you first start using SDJ after a timed notification of the Self-DJ and Setup passwords. With SDJ, you need a password to make configuration changes.
Page 82 ain Options The main Setup screen is organized by function using tabs. Main Setup screen...
Page 83: Operating Mode
Skip This Screen Checking this box avoids entering Setup every time SDJ is started. NOTE: Once SDJ is configured, and there is plenty of music loaded, you will want to check “Skip This Screen” in Setup. That way SDJ will start without going into Setup each time the program starts.
Page 84 You must also define the folder where requests are sent in Files & Folders. This might be C:\ConcreteDJ\Requests\, or the \Requests folder mapped to a drive letter on a networked PC running Concrete DJ. Either way, Concrete DJ automatically scans its Requests folder for requests from SDJ and lists them automatically.
Page 85: Media Library
Volume Limiter This feature makes it look to the Self-DJ that SDJ is at maximum volume, even when it is not. This helps prevent damage to equipment or simply prevents music from being played too loud. Set a maximum for both Main system and Wave volume levels (0-100). The Wave level level applies only to Windows 2000 and XP systems.
Page 86 • Reset – start over fresh with an empty media library. You can change the location of the media library in Files & Folders. The media library consists of three files: media.dat, media.ndx, and mediaX.ndx. The main library is found in the \System folder. It can be copied manually to different folders so you can have media files with different content for different purposes.
Page 87 Other Main Options Show Full Screen (Display 1 or 2) View SDJ full-screen on your primary monitor (select Display 1) or your secondary monitor (select Display 2). SDJ runs in a 1024 x 768 window when unchecked for use when running other programs. NOTE: Touching or clicking the upper or lower title bar on the secondary screen will also switch displays between monitors.
Page 88 Search Delay The search delay affects how quickly SDJ responds to users' touching the letters on the SDJ virtual keyboard. The default of 1 second allows up to 3 letters, if you are quick about it. A search delay of 0 will result in an instantaneous search but you will only be able to enter a single letter.
Page 89 iles & Folders This setup screen allows you to choose different media libraries, skins, and change other file & folder related settings. Files & Folders setup screen...
Page 90 Album Art Folder Defines the location of album art, the default is C:\My Album Art\ . Art files are named so you can enjoy them, and organized into folders by size; small, medium and large. Requests Folder Defines where requests from SDJ will be sent for use with Concrete DJ, a more advanced mixing program.
Page 91 There are a number of different skin files with SDJ. We prefer concrete, because it is so solid, and lasts so long, like SDJ, but you can use any graphic, including your album art files. Start Sound Check this box to start your events off with a special sound file. It might be a vocal drop advertising your service.
Page 92 ustom These options define the custom text and graphics used to advertise your service. Be sure your screen is set higher than 1024 x 768 to view it all. Custom setup screen...
Page 93 Name The name of your service. It is displayed at various times during an event. Phone The telephone number for booking events with your service. Like Name above, it is also displayed at various times during an event. Web Site The URL for your web site, like http://www.self-DJ.com, goes here.
Page 94 Ad 1 Ad 1 is a .jpg file you create and customize in a paint program like Adobe PhotoShop. It is displayed at the lower right-hand corner of the screen, whenever there is no album art for the song touched, and at other times.
Page 95 X10® is a cool wireless technology that enables you to control devices using existing electrical wiring, very simply, and at a very low cost. X10 setup screen...
Page 96 In SDJ, X10's CM17A interface communicates using your serial port with a small transceiver. You can use either Com1 or Com2. The default is Com1. Future versions of SDJ will also include support for the CM15A version which uses USB. The modules are the same for both versions. Devices you want to control are plugged into X10 modules.
Page 97 SDJ supports the CM17A transceiver that plugs into the serial port. The CM17A transceiver is sold in a kit at http://www.X10.com for $49 called the Firecracker. The Firecracker comes with a receiver/appliance module, lamp module, and a remote control. Note: There is also a CM15A which uses USB.
Page 98 (Automatic Normalization Technology) is exciting new technology. It is unique to SDJ. It is kind of like Smart Sound®, only smarter. setup screen...
Page 99 is designed to run your computer sound like a DJ does, slowly, adjusting the volume as needed. But ANT does much more. Sure, simply adjusting the volume makes things louder or quieter, like with Smart Sound, or volume normalization, but it does nothing to improve sound quality.
Page 100: Input Lock
you can skip normalizing your music collection forever. Phew! Unlike legacy volume normalization, which uses a average volume level to use whenever the song is played, ANT continually monitors the input level, and adjusts the gain, up or down, using the parameters contained here.
Page 101 walk-through below. When a song starts playing, ANT™ monitors it. When the signal is out of range, either too quiet, or too loud, compared to an ideal setting, it makes up to 7 adjustments, with the goal of reaching the ideal input level (default is 16,000 (0 – 32767). ANT™...
Page 102 Debug Bugs are a fact of life, or at least computers. One of the reasons SDJ runs so well on Windows versions from 2000 and up, even the new Windows 7 64-bit edition, is the powerful debugging feature. This feature lists any problems the system might be having and logs them to a file for analysis by our engineers.
Page 103 Appendix In today's specialized world, you need the right tool for the job. SDJ comes with a suite of tools for working with multimedia files. All the tools in the suite can be run independently, from the Tools menu, or automatically by file association when double-clicking files.
Page 104 Concrete MediaMerge™ ConcreteMerge.exe is used to add items to your media library. Filtering options enable you to selectively add only items that meet your criteria, such as having complete tag information (cherry pick). The Professional Edition has more capabilities and comes with SDJ and Concrete DJ Professional Edition or higher.
Page 105 Concrete Recorder ConcreteRecorder.exe is the Sound recorder. Handy utility which can automatically skip silence and create separate sound files. Very handy when recording a stream of music, such as when playing an entire playlist on-line from a source such as www.lala.com. Note: LaLa is no longer operated.
Page 106 Concrete Ripper ConcreteRipper.exe is the CD ripper. Creates high quality MP3's, and digital sound files in al popular formats. Downloads track information with an active Internet connection. Ripped files are stored in folders by artist and album title in C:\My Music Ripped\. Ripper includes tag editing and automatic correction options, such as being able to separate Title and Artist when both are combined together in the Title field on CD's with the artist “Various Artists”.
Page 107 Concrete Editor ConcreteEditor.exe is the sound editor for remixing and MP3 tag editing. It is used to trim silence from a sound file, correct missing or incorrect tag information, or add special effects. This is a remarkable utility for advanced users that wish to create their own sound loops, edit their own recordings, or just be creative.
Page 108 Concrete Video ConcreteVideo.exe is the single or dual-display video player This is a simple video player that makes it very easy to play a video full- screen on single or dual display monitors.
Page 109 Concrete Minii ConcreteMinii.exe is a tiny but mighty audio player; a very fast and efficient alternative to Windows Media Player. You can also drag-and- drop entire folders on Minii to play everything in a folder. While very small and compact, Minii is actually quite powerful. Right- click Minii for menus, and to change views.
Page 110 rganizing Your Files & Folders People's music collections have grown from a few albums in the old days, to a few hundred CD's, to thousands of media files today. It is not uncommon today for collections to be huge. It is important to get organize your files the right way.
Page 111 What Are File Tags? What you can't see is especially important here. The most popular sound file formats, like MP3, contain tags; artist, title, year, album name, track, genre, and other information. Since tags are used by all media players, it is very important that they are correct. How Do I Edit File Tags? What you can't see is especially important here.
Page 112 My Documents folder which is the default for most media players, Windows security, and lengthy file names make it challenging to find and share files, even with users of the same PC. We recommend storing your media files at the root of the hard drive, or better yet, on external hard drive(s), to avoid problems and make finding and sharing easier.
Page 113 Maybe you are ripping a collection of music by various artists. Most rippers title tracks as they are listed on the actual CD, using “Various” as the artist, then combining the actual artist, and name of the song, together in the title tag. This makes it hard to search for songs later. Some rippers give you the option to edit this information manually before individual files are ripped.
Page 114 separately. It is located in C:\Self-DJ\. Adding Ripped Songs If you do not have any sound files on your hard drive, you can use the Ripper in Concrete Tools to create MP3 and other types of digital sound files from audio CD's. The default MP3 format is recommended. Newly created sound files are stored in the folder C:\My Music Ripped\ by artist and album.
Page 115 ore Details For Those Who Are Ready To Rock You will be spoiled forever when you hear the state-of-the-art 192K sound. After EQ'ing songs by genre (using file tags) with the built-in 7- band equalizer, ANT™ monitors and adjusts the input signal as needed, optimizing the signal-to-noise ratio for max headroom.
Page 116 In Manual mode you can manually cross-fade by clicking the Fade-Out button, or simply by letting the system play from song to song. Move the EQ sliders to fine-tune settings for each genre to your liking. Pause the music when you need to. Mark items as Explicit or Holiday as needed for automatic filtering.
Page 117: Performance Tuning
Alternatively, you can enter the Administrator password (default is “SETUP”) and touch the End button to stop the program RIGHT NOW. Please note -- Manual mode is NOT intended for use with rentals, or events where multiple people have access to the Self-DJ system. It is an alternative for a single user that is tired of using complicated, hard-to- use software with features you don't need, just to listen to music.
Page 118: Heat Considerations
your media library, and how well your system is tuned. With a properly tuned system, even with Windows 7, 2 GB is usually fine for most users. 32-bit versions of Windows support up to 4 GB RAM. With 64-bit versions, the sky's the limit, or almost anyway. Windows 7 Home Premium supports up to 16 GB RAM.
Page 119: Power Considerations
Power Considerations SDJ is designed to run on a standard 15-amp circuit with everything plugged into the SDJ rack case. If you are using amplified speakers greater than 600 watts each, you may need to use a 20-amp circuit. If so, plug the speakers directly in to the wall outlet.
Page 120 More Information For more information on SDJ, or to find out about Concrete DJ and other products and services, please visit: http://www.Self-DJ.com http://www.Concrete DJ.com Or contact us at our Corporate office in Wisconsin during normal business hours, 8AM – 5PM, Monday through Friday, at 715-582-0728.