SAM Broadcaster

[isaacl]

Just wanted to post here, to give my feedback on SAM 2013 (especially with all the SAM bashing that seems to go on here):

 

Firstly, a disclaimer - I'm now on the Spacial SVS team, but all that means is that I help out on their forums, as a volunteer. I don't get paid for that, and I sometimes get to help test software, but that's about it.

 

I've been running SAM since SAM 4.60, and started my Stream in early 2010.

 

I've upgraded SAM to the current versions over the years, as they were released.

Some versions have had issues, but anything big was normally fixed pretty quickly by the Spacial development team.

 

I've tweaked SAM more and more as I learned how to use it, and it's been able to handle pretty much anything I throw at it.

 

I run SAM as a service, using FireDaemon Pro, so that if it crashes for some reason, it will be restarted automatically (and so that it also starts automatically on startup).

 

I'm using MySQL 5.5 for my database system, and I normally update it when they release new versions.

I have my database replicated to my webserver, so that the site pages pull all the info from the replicated database on the server, and don't need to connect to my SAM computer.

 

The early SAM 2013 versions have had a few small bugs, but Spacial has really been on top of things, and the recent 2013.3 version has been one of the most stable versions for me.

 

In general, SAM was pretty stable, but I did have it crash once in a while.

 

With 2013.3, I haven't had any crashes over the past few months, and it's been very, very stable, and it only stops when I need to temporarily close it, to upgrade SAM or MySQL, or to reboot my computer for updates. (You can see the uptime in recent versions of SAM by going to Help -> About, and looking on the bottom, where it will tell you the uptime, database type, and build).

 

My Stream currently averages around 550 unique concurrent listeners on regular days, during peak hours, and the numbers are steadily increasing.

 

I've tried other programs over the years, and always ended up coming back to SAM.

It may just be because of what I'm used to, but I've learned that I can depend on SAM to keep my Stream up and running, and with the help of others over the years, mainly on the Spacial forum, I've really learned how to use SAM well, and how to add in the scripts and other tweaks that I've needed to use when doing more advanced things.

 

As a general rule, if you are running a current (4.98 or 2013.x), legal version of SAM, there are always people who are happy to help with any questions that you may have. There is a large user base on the Spacial forums, and the SVS team always tries to help out whenever possible, and I'm sure there are plenty people here too, who would try to help with what they can.

We may not be able to do all your work for you, but we can try to point you in the right direction, and give you the tips you need to figure out what you need to do on your own.

 

And as you probably can clearly see, my point here is not to bash or to put down other programs - that won't do anything beneficial for anyone.

 

Each person needs to find what works well for them, and which program they can get to do what they want to do and fits their needs best, and I found that SAM worked the best for me. Telling someone who is happy with a program that it isn't good, or has this and this problem or disadvantage, won't really convince them to try something that you like.

 

Each program has its drawbacks or areas where it can improve, but there are many good programs out there, and it's just a matter of mastering the one that you think will work best for you.

[Urban Hitz Radio]

No one is saying SAM Broadcaster is bad software. I am using SAM, and it is a great piece of software.

MOST OF US OLDer users, have been running SAM Broadcaster since the Version 2 days..well over 10 years. There was a time when SAM Broadcaster wasn't error prone with every release. And users actually looked forward to every release, because there was something DIFFERENT implemented.

The new owners didn't build the engine, so there is no credit to them there.

There used to be a time when there was dedicated people who knew what they were doing on the spacial forums..who provided GREAT assistance and resources, regardless of WHO was using the software... before the sell out. Instead of telling people to upgrade to the latest release. WTF is that? How about resolving the issue?

 

There used to be a time when the Spacial forum was active and like a family and EVERYONE was welcome and felt comfortable there.

 

Sam Broadcaster 2013, should have been more than just a patchwork job to fix holes, it should have been a major release with MAJOR updates. If corporate/programming is too busy concentrating on other projects, like working with FCC licensed stations, then they should not have purchsed SAM.

 

.PAL programming is great, but there are users who really need assistance whether they download sam from a torrent site or they pay for it. Word of mouth can really make or break a company, and I suggest the programming team get their behinds on that forum and stop letting other SVS members be their mouth pieces. There are plenty of silenced dedicated SAM users out there, that you don't hear from, that are fed UP and will NOT upgrade!

Just because you see an occasional user who happened to ahave downloaded SAM 4.2.2 from a torrent site, doesn't reflect the actual dedicated userbase.

 

There is something seriously wrong, if you have to pay $69.00 for version 2013 to fix issues that should have been fixed in 4.98 or 4.99. And you receive no more functionality than in the previous release that you already bought and paid for. We don't need SAM Vibe. Serious broadcasters don't want that. They want a SAM Broadcaster that has up to date enhancements without errors.

 

If other programs and their teams can pimp their software and participate in their own forums, than why can't spacial?

 

There were the OLDer dedicated SAM users that run top shoutcast stations that have since switched to software like RadioDJ and Station PlayList. Yes SAM broadcaster was the top of the market software. But when you have a team that clearly shows they aren't decdicated to the software, because the OLD spacial is no longer, then this is what it is!

 

Why I like SAM: Simple, easy, straight forward.

It's barrier breaker. It's constructed differently than what the "industry" says broadcasting software should be. NO one else has attempted to challenge that mold yet (in regards to scheduling, programming).

[djgary72]

Urban Hitz. You've hit the nail on the head I'm so glad you wrote that post. If I'd wrote that post I would have been shot down for SAM bashing.....

[djsoft]

there are users who really need assistance whether they download sam from a torrent site or they pay for it.

Support costs money. No one is obligated to support pirate users. You shouldn't blame a company because they refuse to give support for pirates.

[countrywesterndj]

I suggest the programming team get their behinds on that forum and stop letting other SVS members be their mouth pieces.

The programmers of SAM and technical staff members are on the forum answering questions (Jay, Clickbutt, justmatthew, superalternative, etc.). As far as being their mouthpieces, if we weren't answering the questions, then the posters would be risking getting either the wrong or no answer at all. So many people bash the SVS team, I'm amazed I've been a part of the team for 10 years. Sometimes I ask myself if all the abuse is worth it. You need to remember, we DON'T get paid for this !

[Urban Hitz Radio]

Support doesn't cost anything, because SVS would have demanded payment for their services from Spacial a long time ago.

Maybe at your company djsoft, because you actually are the one getting paid. or are you an RBVS too? As the developer of your program, are you active on your forum when users need support? Well so is the developer of RadioDJ and ProppFrexx. I may not use these programs directly, but if I did, I would feel comfortable knowing that I won't be looked down upon, based on what version I am using.

 

 

SVS, So that meansmost of your team will stop shunning users, regardless of where they get the program? Because if you don't get paid, it shouldn't matter.

Country, you used to be one of these best supporters on the forum.

Whose bank account does that $69.00 OR THE $299 get posted to when people pay?

And no one is bashing the SVS team. Since they don't pay you, stop apologizing for Triton.

The first question to any general post, is what version are you using? And then when the poster says 4.22, 4.36, it's nasty from that point. Like really? come on.

You don't know if they downloaded that program as a torrent.

It's not what you say, it's how you say it. Providing support and still being classy and professional holds weight. Maybe it's just me.

 

let me give you an example: Hey, jon. well, you do this like this, and so n so. BTW, that version you're using, is quite an old version. that's generally no longer supported. you might consider updating/upgrading to our current version to see if it might help.

Not: 4.22 IS A PIRATED VERSION THAT CONTAINS VIRUSES. You better get PAY UP and get version 2013 before we can proceed with support. I'm the king of these forums and i'm not helping you.

LMAO. It's called people skills.

 

 

WAT'S ALL THIS TALK ABOUT LEGAL VERSION? As if you're getting paid to defend the developers product?? ?? ??

 

The basic functionality of SAM is still as it was in 2002. And if you can't provide assistance to any "NEW" user based upon that, then. It is what it is.

 

One of the last things I'll ever say about SB, is it used to be a great community of enthusiats, users, and passionate broadcasters.

The best part of the forum is PAL. No one seems to have an issue with a 4.22 user asking a pal question. I find it amusing.

Aside from that.... Enjoy your weekend people!

[isaacl]

No one is saying SAM Broadcaster is bad software. I am using SAM, and it is a great piece of software.

MOST OF US OLDer users, have been running SAM Broadcaster since the Version 2 days..well over 10 years. There was a time when SAM Broadcaster wasn't error prone with every release. And users actually looked forward to every release, because there was something DIFFERENT implemented.

The new owners didn't build the engine, so there is no credit to them there.

There used to be a time when there was dedicated people who knew what they were doing on the spacial forums..who provided GREAT assistance and resources, regardless of WHO was using the software... before the sell out. Instead of telling people to upgrade to the latest release. WTF is that? How about resolving the issue?

 

There used to be a time when the Spacial forum was active and like a family and EVERYONE was welcome and felt comfortable there.

 

Sam Broadcaster 2013, should have been more than just a patchwork job to fix holes, it should have been a major release with MAJOR updates. If corporate/programming is too busy concentrating on other projects, like working with FCC licensed stations, then they should not have purchsed SAM.

 

.PAL programming is great, but there are users who really need assistance whether they download sam from a torrent site or they pay for it. Word of mouth can really make or break a company, and I suggest the programming team get their behinds on that forum and stop letting other SVS members be their mouth pieces. There are plenty of silenced dedicated SAM users out there, that you don't hear from, that are fed UP and will NOT upgrade!

Just because you see an occasional user who happened to ahave downloaded SAM 4.2.2 from a torrent site, doesn't reflect the actual dedicated userbase.

 

There is something seriously wrong, if you have to pay $69.00 for version 2013 to fix issues that should have been fixed in 4.98 or 4.99. And you receive no more functionality than in the previous release that you already bought and paid for. We don't need SAM Vibe. Serious broadcasters don't want that. They want a SAM Broadcaster that has up to date enhancements without errors.

 

If other programs and their teams can pimp their software and participate in their own forums, than why can't spacial?

 

There were the OLDer dedicated SAM users that run top shoutcast stations that have since switched to software like RadioDJ and Station PlayList. Yes SAM broadcaster was the top of the market software. But when you have a team that clearly shows they aren't decdicated to the software, because the OLD spacial is no longer, then this is what it is!

 

Why I like SAM: Simple, easy, straight forward.

It's barrier breaker. It's constructed differently than what the "industry" says broadcasting software should be. NO one else has attempted to challenge that mold yet (in regards to scheduling, programming).

 

In terms of the users using pirated versions -

Maybe it's just my feeling, but I paid for my software, and I don't really have any interest in helping someone who isn't using the software honestly. There are plenty of free programs out there, and if a user wants to use SAM, they should buy it. If they can't afford it, use something else. Simple and straight forward.

And there were so many fixes over the later 4.x versions, that anyone using 4.2.2 kinda deserves to have problems... ;)

Any legitimate 4.x license owner can upgrade to 4.98, which is pretty stable, and should be far better than 4.2.2...

 

If a user is having an issue that was very possibly resolved in the later 4.x versions, the first thing to do is to push them to update - there's no reason why they shouldn't be running the latest 4.x version...

 

It seems like most SAM users with issues get answers relatively quickly on the Spacial forums. It's very possible that many users aren't hanging around there at all, but that's fine too - as long as people know where to go when they have a problem. Spacial also has a support team, and while I'm not sure what they cover, they're available as well.

 

It seems like the Spacial team is pretty much in control of their own development. I've been in contact with Louis, and Jay, and I get the feeling that they are making nice progress on SAM, and have a general roadmap with what they want to add - it just takes time, and there are always bugs and issues that come up, that they want to take care of.

 

The earlier 2013 versions were basic improvements and Windows 8 compatibility, but it sounds like they're really starting to work on the new features now.

 

SAM Vibe integration seems like a very nice feature, especially for those who haven't been able to get the PHP/HTML pages up and running on their sites, because it will allow for users to just add the code to embed the SAM Vibe widgets on their sites, and they'll have the playlist and request features (once the request integration is complete).

 

Yes, the main functionality of SAM Vibe isn't for many advanced SAM Broadcaster users, but in truth, for SAM users who aren't running any PAL scripts or advanced features, and want to be able to control their music and clockwheels while not needing to keep SAM Broadcaster running, it seems like a much better solution. Again, it doesn't seem to be targeted at the typical SAM Broadcaster user, and I think Spacial isn't pushing it in that way.

 

I really am one of the relatively new SAM users out there (around 3 and a half years now), so I don't know much about what the community and userbase used to be, but it's also very possible that users have moved around, since there are now many more software options available.

 

At this point, I don't really have a reason to look around at the other software that's available. If I wanted to add another Stream to my system at a later point, I might make another evaluation, but I had tried a bunch of the available options before I initially started - SAM, Station Playlist, Zara Radio, etc, and settled on SAM. I did try SAM first, and had an easy time getting it up and running, and then had a hard time doing the same thing with the other programs that I tried, so I had no reason to go with anything else.

My main use is automation - I don't do any live shows at this point, and I don't have any plans to change anything big in the next while, so for me, and my current needs, SAM works well.

I couldn't get Station Playlist to automate easily, and I didn't like that Zara Radio didn't have built in encoders.

The best part about SAM for me, is that it is easy to get up and running initially, but there is so much that you can learn and do with it from a more advanced standpoint, and you can always innovate and add more as you go along.

And some people don't like that SAM uses a database system, but for me, having an industry standard database that I could manipulate outside of SAM was amazing, and it makes it so much easier to add other online functionality when you can have scripts pulling information from the database.

 

And out of curiosity, what do you mean by "It's constructed differently than what the "industry" says broadcasting software should be. NO one else has attempted to challenge that mold yet (in regards to scheduling, programming)"?

I haven't gotten used to many of the other broadcasting softwares out there, but maybe that's why - I have more of a technical/programming background, and really like the way SAM works, and would probably have a hard time using a software that's meant for users who are used to a more traditional broadcast/radio system/look.

 

Anyways, hope some of this makes sense (I tend to repeat myself and get into off-topic points on long posts), and if there's anything else I missed, or can try to help with, please let me know.

[djgary72]

It seems like the Spacial team is pretty much in control of their own development. I've been in contact with Louis, and Jay, and I get the feeling that they are making nice progress on SAM, and have a general roadmap with what they want to add - it just takes time, and there are always bugs and issues that come up, that they want to take care of.

 

They've had over 10 years to fix bugs and make the program 100% bug free but alas they haven't and just took peoples money without fixing anything. The same old bugs are still there in the 2013 version. They haven't even bothered with most of the features requested by users on the forums especially FLAC and other codecs.

 

It seems like most SAM users with issues get answers relatively quickly on the Spacial forums. It's very possible that many users aren't hanging around there at all, but that's fine too - as long as people know where to go when they have a problem. Spacial also has a support team, and while I'm not sure what they cover, they're available as well.

 

The developers Jay and Clickbutt only go on the SAM forums when it suits them they are never there when someone needs real help. You don't always get a straight answer to a problem on the forum most of the time you get talked down to by the SVS team and festerhead was the worst culprit for that.

 

Urban Hitz hit the nail on the head with most of his points. The way the whole of Spacial have handled SAM this past 10 years is a complete joke and it's only got worse since Triton took them over.

 

Having lots and lots of unhappy customers by the isn't a good thing. People generally tend to vote with their wallets. No customers would mean no SAM.

[James]

Can we not be putting down any software or users from other forums please? This topic is purely asking for a war on software (which is inevitable on here for some stupid reason). Everyone has their opinion on software.

 

SAM is the top selling radio automation software for a reason. Every piece of software or service gets its fair share of bugs and unhappy users. That does not mean the service is bad. Broadcasting World gets hate email every so often from users unable to register or just because they don't like the site. Doesn't mean we are the worst broadcasting forum though...

 

If you don't provide anything worthy to a conversation (as in, a user wants help with SAM Broadcaster and all he gets is posts telling him how bad it is and how they should switch to a different type of software) then don't say anything at all.

 

If you have any questions, please PM me directly.