Yes! MegaSeg 5.8 is fully compatible with the OS X Lion and Mountain Lion system upgrades, and is a free update for MegaSeg 5 users. (Select “Check For Updates” in MegaSeg’s menu to get the update.) Version 4.5.1 and older does not support Lion 10.7. Please upgrade to MegaSeg 5 for compatibility. The Version History page lists many other improvements and new features in MegaSeg 5.
If you use any 3rd-party products such as MIDI controllers or FireWire audio devices, you may need to download updated drivers for Lion compatibility. As with any major system upgrade, it is wise to proceed with caution if you are using your system in a “mission critical” situation. For example, you may want to install Mountain Lion on an external drive to test it out before upgrading your system’s internal drive.
MegaSeg runs great on any stock Mac that Apple sells today, including the MacBook Air and Mac Mini. The oldest Macs currently supported require Mac OS X 10.4.11 “Tiger” or better with an Intel or PowerPC processor. Of course we recommend newer Intel-based Macs for the best performance, especially if you intend to use MegaSeg for video playback, and the best support going forward.
Yes there is a complete user’s guide available in the Help menu while MegaSeg is running.
Absolutely. After purchase besides the instant download, you’ll receive an email receipt with your download link and serial for safekeeping. Even if you lose that, just contact us with your information, and we’ll get you back up and running.
No problem! Simply contact us with your information and we'll look up your serial number.
Updates are free (version 5.0 to 5.1 for example). Major version upgrades (x.0 or x.5) will be a fraction of the full price. See our order page for current pricing.
Yes you can upgrade to MegaSeg Pro from both our direct and Mac App Store versions of MegaSeg DJ. Click the “Upgrades” tab at the top of our order form and select the “Upgrade DJ to Pro” option.
MegaSeg is only available online via our site (the DJ edition is also available via the Mac App Store, if you prefer.) You can backup the download file to a CD-ROM or flash drive. If you ever lose your copy of MegaSeg, just contact us for a replacement download.
What’s that? You really, really need a physical copy (as a gift for example)? Hmm, OK well let us know and we’ll fix something up nice up for you!
We’ve had wonderful success with the stability of MegaSeg and Mac OS X. Thousands of DJ’s and radio stations use MegaSeg worldwide without fail. But it’s always a good idea to have a safety net, and keep a backup drive or iPod with your music handy. (You can even install OS X and MegaSeg on your backup drive and boot from it directly.)
Sorry, no. MegaSeg’s stability and reliability builds off of Mac OS X (and its solid UNIX foundation). Since Apple makes both the hardware and OS, everything runs smoothly... which is a difficult task on Windows (due to the magnitude of hardware combinations out there). This means fewer tech support distractions, allowing us to make better software for you.
Also consider that today’s Macs can also boot Windows (XP/Visa/7/8) if needed. So when you get a Mac, you’ll have the best of both worlds. You can boot into OS X to run MegaSeg, and boot into Windows to run older software. (With Parallels or VMware Fusion, you can even run both at the same time!)
Macs are also replaced less often, staying in operation years longer than most PCs. Fewer tech issues and longer use — that’s money saved.
Check out the Mac Mini which runs MegaSeg perfectly for just $599. You can even connect it to your existing PC monitor and keyboard, or run it as a virtual server via VNC “screen sharing”. Plus it doubles as a cute little coffee cup warmer.
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MegaSeg.comYes. MegaSeg handles the automation and scheduling for your online station and then you encode its audio output for streaming on the same Mac using any of several encoder options (including SHOUTcast and Icecast compatible ones) such as:
Soundflower, is a free audio routing app that allows you to send MegaSeg’s audio directly to the encoder of your choice. Once you install Soundflower, restart MegaSeg and open its Settings > Outputs tab, and select “Soundflower (2ch)” as the Playlist Output device. Then in the encoder of your choice, also select “Soundflower (2ch)” as the input device. You now have a direct digital connection from MegaSeg to the encoder.
Alternatively if you have an external mixing board, you can route MegaSeg’s audio to the mixer and then take the mixer’s master output back into the Mac’s audio input into the encoder. This gives you more flexibility with controlling multiple sources, such as multiple mics in relation to MegaSeg’s audio levels. (Although MegaSeg Pro does have a handy audio input / Mic Play-Thru feature built-in.)
Also note that the Nicecast encoder offers an option to select MegaSeg as the audio source directly, bypassing the need for Soundflower, however some prefer using Soundflower or the external mixer methods regardless for additional flexibility.
Absolutely. MegaSeg incorporates powerful Scheduler and Events features. You can create schedules (playlist “Hot Clocks” based on categories/genre) and then use the Events feature to start them at specific times, or insert promos/IDs/jingles/sweepers at certain intervals (every 3 segues, every 15 minutes, 59 past the hour, Tuesdays at 10:30 PM, etc). Please read the built-in User’s Guide in MegaSeg’s Help menu for more detailed information.
Yes MegaSeg includes a built-in Scheduler and Events system to automate playlists for music rotations, ad “stopsets”, promos, station IDs, etc. The category scheduling system is based on pre-shuffled “rotations” of tracks, so it allows for even rotations. That said, you can control when tracks in each category stack are reshuffled. The default is “Every 1 Rotation”, meaning all tracks play once before reshuffling. This is set in Settings > Scheduler > Category Settings.
Note that when Rules (Artist, Track & Album Separation, etc.) are enabled and set to Automatic you need to select the categories MegaSeg should ignore to prevent issues with scheduling non-music tracks (Ads, IDs, Promos, Voice-tracks, etc.) This is set in the Rules tab on the bottom right “Ignore Categories” box.
MegaSeg’s Events tab also includes the ability to Insert Playlists or Playlist “Schedules” into other Playlists or Schedules. This is how you can insert a commercial break, or tracks from a group of categories, to be scheduled into a more general music-based schedule or playlist.
For example, using the Scheduler, you could build a short 2-minute ad “stopset“ using categories in a specific order like so:
Bumpers <--e.g. “We’ll be right back after these messages”
Ads60
Ads30
Ads30
Station Promos
Jingle
...All these categories contain various production elements in them. This Schedule can then be saved as a file named “Stopset A” for example. Then in the Events list you would simply insert this into the main music playlist or schedule via a single event that triggers every hour at a certain time:
:23 past the hour Insert Playlist: Stopset A
(Of course there are many more trigger types available.)
Once this Event triggers, tracks from Stopset A’s categories will be inserted into the active playlist queue. Once the last inserted track ends, it continues with the original playlist.
Above is just a simple example. You can of course use many more categories to control the rotation speed of your ads. For instance, with two categories such as “Ads60-Fast” and “Ads60-Slow”, depending on how many ads you put in each category, and how often you schedule said categories, you can control how often each ad plays.
Also note you can generate a report of every time a particular ad played using the File > Show History menu command. Then even print this report with File > Print (Command-P) and save as a PDF.
Yes, there are two primary methods to use a satellite receiver with MegaSeg and respond to contact closures for commercials:
The play-thru control option is the simplest if all you need to do is cut the satellite audio, play commercials, and return. This works by routing the receiver’s audio into the Mac’s audio input (or a 3rd party USB/Firewire audio device) and set MegaSeg’s “Mic Input” to that device. Then in MegaSeg’s Events tab, setup a trigger to turn the “Mic play-thru” off in combo with an event to start the commercials.
For example, here’s an Event List to play a commercial break at :20 past every hour, then return to satellite:
| :20 past the hour | Mic Play-Thru: Off and Stop Playlist |
| :20 past the hour | Open Playlist: Stopset A |
| When playlist ends | Mic Play-Thru: On and Stop Playlist |
The “Stopset A” playlist can actually be a Playlist Schedule which includes category rotations of spots, or just a single track. For example, in the Scheduler tab, you can setup “Stopset A” to have this structure:
| Bumper IDs |
| Spots-60 |
| Spots-30 |
| Bumper Promos |
| break |
The “Bumper IDs” and “Bumper Promos” categories can contain a variety of IDs and Promos that rotate each time the stopset plays.
Note the “Break” track at the end is important to allow the last item to play entirely before the “When playlist ends” event triggers to turn the audio play-thru back on.
MegaSeg can interface with various I/O devices using a special event called “Insert Break (serial trigger)” which can be configured to send and/or wait for any serial command string. Using a USB-to-RS232 serial cable, MegaSeg can communicate with any RS-232 compatible device.
If your satellite receiver has a built-in RS-232 port, it may be possible to directly control it instead of using a relay box by configuring the text strings MegaSeg sends or receives. Otherwise, we have configured the default settings to work with the SRC-2 from Broadcast Tools, a two relay and contact closer box for about $150. (Scroll to the middle of the list.)
Here’s an Events List example:
| When playlist ends | Insert Break Serial | Interrupt Checked |
| When playlist ends | Open Playlist: Stopset A |
In the Insert Break Serial event dialog, there will be options to set the serial port baud, bits, etc, as well as a “Send on Break” text string (the data it sends to the RS-232 device to trigger a relay). The last block is what is it listens for to continue (the data it receives from the SRC-2 on closure, and then advances past the “break track”). Note we have it set by default to pulse the relay, and wait for a closure to continue. Also note in this example, you need to include a “Break Track” at the end of the “Stopset A” schedule or playlist.
MegaSeg is also compatible with a HID device called the USB Trigger from Sensorium. This is listed on our Controller’s page (scroll near the middle). This is an input-only device (no relays), but when used in combination with USB Overdrive can be configured to trigger any of MegaSeg’s menu commands or keyboard shortcuts.
As far as music licensing goes, MegaSeg is simply a playback tool, similar to a CD player and mixer. Using iTunes you can transfer your CD’s to your computer and then import and play them in MegaSeg. Transferring your own CD’s to your hard drive is like making a backup copy of a software program. If you get rid of your original CD, you are required to delete the backup copy too.
Another example is when you make a mix CD of your favorite songs from your own CD’s to play in the car. It’s for your own use, and just the same, the sound files extracted from your CD’s are personal copies of the music you already own.
However, when it comes to public performance rights, each individual venue or station you perform at should be ASCAP and BMI licensed, which would cover the music you play from their catalogs. Some streaming providers also handle licensing via an “umbrella” plan, meaning all broadcasters that use the service are automatically licensed as long as you follow their streaming rules.
There are a few options available. You can use MegaSeg with any stream video encoder you wish by interfacing it with MegaSeg’s video and audio outputs. This can be done using either a 2nd computer for the encoder, or on the same Mac running MegaSeg.
The first option involves using a second video capture card or device. For example, MacBooks have a video output which can act as a second “desktop” display which MegaSeg uses to output full screen video. Then you can hook this video output to a video input on a video capture device or card, optionally connected to a second Mac or PC running streaming video encoding software.
The second option is to run the encoding software on the same Mac running MegaSeg and use a free 3rd party app called CamTwist which captures MegaSeg’s video window and sends it to the encoding software as a virtual video device.
Some popular free live video encoders include Adobe’s Flash Media Live Encoder and Apple's QuickTime Broadcaster. Here’s specific instructions on how to setup CamTwist to work with Flash Media Live Encoder:
First decide what quality you want the video to be. This example uses fixed size 640x480. In MegaSeg’s Video menu, choose Fixed Size 640x480. Play a video and move the video window to a corner of the screen you won’t obstruct.
Open CamTwist:
Step 1: Select Desktop
Step 2: none
Step 3: Select Desktop
CamTwist Settings:
Select Screen: This screen
Click Resizable Selection.
Place box around MegaSeg’s window. If you want a 16:9 feed, select the letterbox area within the 640x480 video window size.
Optional: Use Full Screen video with the Mac’s video resolution set to a lower setting you wish to capture at. For example 1280x720. Set CamTwist to capture the entire screen, or a letterbox portion. If you wish to use MegaSeg at the same time, you will need two monitors (two “desktops”). MegaSeg can be set to output video on the 2nd desktop, and CamTwist can be set to only capture that 2nd desktop.
Download and install Soundflower (free) to route MegaSeg’s Audio to Flash Media Encoder. In MegaSeg’s Devices tab select Playlist Output > SoundFlower 16ch. Next open Flash Media Encoder and select File > Open Profile > Open XML profile to configure FME for the stream. Then select Device In > CamTwist. And finally Audio In > SoundFlower 16ch.
There are many options available. Please see the answer under Audio Output / Recording.
MegaSeg includes many presets already setup for various popular controllers.
But in general, If it’s MIDI, it can interface with MegaSeg. Virtually any MIDI device can be setup with a custom preset using the built-in “MIDI Learn Mode”. Simply make a new preset, select each relevant function in the list and press the button or knob on the controller to connect it. Then just toggle out of the Learn Mode to test it. If you have a great preset already setup, or need help just let us know.
Yes, there are both RF (radio) and IR (infra‐red) based remotes available. MegaSeg works with the Apple Remote that comes with some Macs and the Apple TV (or available separately). More remote options are listed on our Controllers page.
The Apple Remote’s center button segues into the next track; Play/Pause pauses the track with an optional spin-down effect. Holding Play/Pause down for one second will stop the current track and playlist. The + and - buttons adjusts the volume. The FF/REW buttons adjusts the Cue Position so you can repeat or skip tracks in your playlist queue. Holding down FF/REW buttons fast forwards or rewinds the current track. The Menu button toggles AutoSeg mode for continuous playback.
Note you must launch iTunes before MegaSeg in order for the remote to function correctly with MegaSeg (you can quit iTunes once you’ve launched MegaSeg).
Summary:
Center button = Segue to next song
Play/Pause = Pause with optional “spin down” effect (option in the General tab)
Play Held Down = Stop Track and Playlist
Left/Right = Playlist Cue Position
Left/Right Held Down = FF/REW current track
Up/Down = Volume
Menu = AutoSeg toggle on/off
Note: Launch iTunes prior to MegaSeg for a proper ‘lock’ on remote.
For MegaSeg to gain an “exclusive lock” on the remote, iTunes must be open prior to launching MegaSeg. Apple changed something along the way that causes the request for exclusive mode to not be respected unless iTunes is already open. Once iTunes and MegaSeg are launched in that order, you can quit iTunes, and it won’t auto-launch again while using the remote with MegaSeg.
Yes! There are several options available for remote access of MegaSeg and your Mac. Some popular options include:
Yes all newly purchased iTunes music videos will play in MegaSeg. However while MegaSeg has always been able to play older DRM copy-protected audio files, some older iTunes videos purchased prior to 2009 may not play. Apple has since removed all DRM copy‐protection from audio and music video content in 2009.
If you have previously purchased a protected DRM music video, Apple gives you two possible ways to upgrade it to iTunes Plus (DRM‐free). First using the new iCloud service in iTunes, you can see all previously purchased tracks and re-download a fresh copy of any track. This may render a new DRM-free copy at no cost (but not always). The other option is via the iTunes Match service which for a low flat rate will upgrade everything in your library to new DRM-free copies, including any tracks you may ripped yourself from CD at a lower quality (up to 25,000 tracks).
Again, while it is not necessary to upgrade any of your older audio DRM tracks since they will continue to play in MegaSeg fine as is, the iTunes Plus format does double the bit rate to 256 kbps.
There are several programs to convert DVD music videos for playback in MegaSeg. A free program called Handbrake does both DVD extraction and encoding into MPEG‐4 (mp4) format. Another free program called MPEG StreamClip can convert extracted VOB files from DVD into either an MPEG‐4 or a QuickTime movie. However, to use MPEG StreamClip, you will need to buy Apple’s MPEG‐2 Playback Plug‐in for QuickTime ($20 from the Apple Store). MPEG Stream Clip + Apple MPEG Plugin duo allows you to choose from more export options, but requires more steps.
There are also some commercial apps for both extracting and converting DVDs with more options. These include RipIt, Cinematize and DVDxDV. With Cinematize it’s possible to extract the raw MPEG‐2 DVD video and encapsulate it into a QuickTime movie file (.mov) that will play in MegaSeg. This bypasses the conversion step to MP4 (MPEG‐4 codec) that Handbrake does, allowing you to play the video in its native MPEG‐2 format without re-compression (no loss of quality). However you will find that Handbrake’s video looks nearly identical to the original DVD quality at a much smaller file size. If you wish to use the MPEG‐2 method, it also requires the MPEG‐2 Playback Plug‐in from Apple (see link above). Once that is installed, here are settings for Cinematize:
Cinematize Settings for Native MPEG‐2 QuickTime Output
First select the DVD disc, and then the Video Title Set, then click Select VTS. In the Segment tab select the appropriate Title (containing the chapters for individual music videos; not necessarily Title 1). Then select the chapter (video track) you want to import...
Video tab
- Video Stream: Main Video Stream
- Decoding: MPEG‐2 Program Stream
Audio tab
Default settings are fine
Output tab
- Save Chapters: Together As One Segment (will combine multiple chapters into one file)
- Save QuickTime As: Self‐Contained, Files With All Data
- Output Format: QuickTime File
Note, unless you have Apple’s MPEG‐2 Plug‐in installed, the QuickTime output options will be grayed out. You can then only export to MPEG‐4 (.mp4) format, same as using Handbrake.
You can also create a native MPEG‐2 QuickTime file using MPEG Stream Clip, but it requires many more steps. Once you get the video in MPEG Stream Clip, export using the Demux video and audio to AIFF option. You then end up with two files (both should have the same name, but different extensions). QuickTime then syncs the audio and video files together when you open the video file. You can then use QuickTime Player to save them together as a Self Contained Movie, and delete the two source files.
Yes, just open System Preferences, click on Displays, and then turn off the option called Mirroring. This will give you two discrete desktops, the main desktop with the menu bar on your main computer’s screen, and another secondary desktop that can be used for MegaSeg’s video playback. When you select the Video > Full Screen menu options, MegaSeg will automatically detect if you have a 2nd display connected and show the video full screen on that display (or video output). Otherwise you can set MegaSeg’s Video window to Normal Size, and drag the video window to the 2nd display (desktop), and then select the Full Screen video option again. Note, you can also turn the Mirroring option on and off from the menu bar if you enable the “Show Displays in Menu Bar” option in the System Preferences > Displays settings.
There is a patch available that modifies the firmware of certain older iBooks and iMacs so they support “Desktop Spanning” (note all newer Mac’s already support this). By allowing multiple desktops (aka Mirroring Off mode) it allows you to play videos on the 2nd output while your main screen shows MegaSeg. You can download the patch and test it out. The list of supported systems is on their site.
Yes! In OS X Mountain Lion there’s a new “AirPlay” output device you can select in MegaSeg’s Device settings for preview or main playlist output. For Mac’s running OS X 10.7 or older, you can use a program called AirFoil from Rogue Amoeba, to send MegaSeg’s audio to any AirPlay compatible device, such as the Airport Express.
You’ll need to pick up an “1/8 inch stereo to RCA audio cable” from your local stereo store. If you experience a hum or buzz in the audio, Radio Shack sells an audio cable “ground loop isolator” which help eliminate the hum caused by pesky ground loops. You should only need this if you hear a hum or buzz using a standard cable.
Also check out this Apple tech note on how to solve ground loop problems.
You’ll need to use a second sound output, such as the inexpensive Griffin USB audio adaptor. MegaSeg has two ways of using the second output for cue and preview...
Read more about Audio Outputs...
To record MegaSeg’s audio mix, one option is to use a free utility called Soundflower, which installs a virtual “Sound Card” that can be used to allow MegaSeg to send audio into any recording program, such as Apple’s free GarageBand or QuickTime Player apps. The newly added Soundflower virtual output/input device will appear in MegaSeg’s Settings > Devices > Playlist Output list, as well as the input device list on the recording app. Select Soundflower in both apps and it creates a direct digital connection between the two.
Another option is to record MegaSeg’s audio using special recording apps that are designed to capture the audio directly to a file. Some example programs are:
These apps have options to record directly from any app into many audio formats, and some such as Audio Hijack also supports built-in effects and plugins (dynamic compression and EQ processing for example.) These apps even support recording the entire system’s audio rather than individual apps such as MegaSeg.
One way is to use an external USB or FireWire hard drive, and use the new Time Machine backup feature included with your Mac (if you have Mac OS X 10.5 or later). Just plug in the drive and select it in the Time Machine settings in your System Preferences. After Time Machine has finished the initial backup, it only needs to copy new or modified files each time you connect the drive.
If you are using an older version of Mac OS X, there’s other good software that can backup in a similar way to Time Machine. ChronoSync and Synk Backup for example can select exactly which folders you want to keep backed up. This can be useful if you’re tight on external drive space, or want to keep a “mirror copy” of your main drive rather than a Time Machine style backup. Synk and ChronoSync can be set to backup the entire system, just your home folder, or a set of specific folders, with the ability to only copy new or modified files.

The Western Digital
4TB My Book USB external hard drive
is a great backup drive option with excellent speed and plenty of room for either incremental Time Machine backups and synced mirror copies. If you have a huge library or need to store music videos as well, you might consider the
6TB My Book Studio II
which can also run in a 3 TB mirrored mode for additional safety when used as your primary library drive.
Finally, if you have two or more Macs you want to keep in sync for a “hot backup”, you can use the Synk or ChronoSync apps described above to handle the syncing of files between them directly. You can connect any two Macs together using a FireWire cable (for fastest speed), and restart one of the systems. When you hear the startup chime, hold down the “T” key which will enable Target Disk Mode. This allows the Mac’s internal drive to be used as a virtual external FireWire drive for the other Mac it’s connected to. You will then see the drive appear on the desktop as an external FireWire drive. Then just use your sync app to update the entire volume, or specific music folders as described above.
Yes! MegaSeg has the ability to play all songs and music videos purchased via Apple’s iTunes Store (including older DRM copy-protected audio tracks!) The iTunes Store uses a format called “AAC” (Advanced Audio Coding) which is a standard audio compression (codec) for MPEG‐4 (the files with an .mp4, .m4p, and .m4a extension). Learn more about the
iTunes Music Store,
and how to buy your music online, ready for MegaSeg mixing.
Yes, MegaSeg supports all popular formats natively including MP3, MP4 (MPEG-4), AIFF, WAV, and anything QuickTime can play. Plus you can add many additional audio and video codecs with free plug‐ins. First up is Perian, which adds support for various codecs including DivX, 3ivX, FLV1, FSV1, VP6, VP3, HuffYUV, ffvhuff, MPEG‐2, FRAPS, Windows Media Audio v1 & v2, Flash ADPCM, Xiph Vorbis, libavformat, AVI, FLV, MKV, and AC3 audio. (Note while Perian is no longer actively being developed, it still works great!) Next is XiphQT which adds support for Vorbis and FLAC audio (Perian supports Vorbis as well). There’s also Flip4Mac for Windows Media compatibility. And finally, Apple’s own MPEG‐2 Playback Plug‐in ($20 from the Apple Store) for playback of various MPEG2 format files.
Make sure you are viewing all songs you want to update in the Library view (selecting “All Categories” will display all songs imported), then go to File > Library Tools > Import ID3/AAC Tags. Then select the fields you wish to update and click Process. This will take several minutes depending on the size of your library. (Note the ‘time’ field takes the longest to process, as is unchecked by default.)
Yes. MegaSeg allows you to customize your categories. You can even put a song into multiple categories. This is available by clicking the Set button next to the Category field in the Edit Media dialog (or File > Edit Media menu).
MegaSeg Pro includes a Mic On/Off button which automatically attenuates the master music volume, and enables software play‐thru from any audio input to the audio output device you select in MegaSeg’s preferences. For example, you could use the built‐in microphone and have MegaSeg send the audio to an external USB audio output, or the built‐in speakers.
Yes! MegaSeg has many beat mixing features, including a wave viewer for visual mixing and syncing beats, support for multiple sound outputs for preview and cue, multi-touch trackpad control, as well as full MIDI controller support. In MegaSeg DJ the Mixer is always visible, but in MegaSeg Pro you can optionally hide the Mixer view — Click the Mixer button to the right of the Playlist to toggle the full mixing controls. Read more about output options, as well as examples of MIDI controllers.
There’s no set limit to the library size. MegaSeg will try to handle as many files you throw at it, although there are practical limits depending on your available RAM and drive space.
Yes, with MegaSeg you can import files directly from any external or network drive.
Note, we normally recommend full‐size external drives instead of compact “pocket size” drives, as many smaller drives are not typically designed for heavy multimedia use (such as constant playback and mixing), and may overheat easily.
Yes. Audio uses a very small amount of bandwidth and 5400 RPM drives work fine. External USB 2.0+ and FireWire hard drives also work well.
Note, we normally recommend full‐size external drives instead of compact “pocket size” drives, as many smaller drives are not typically designed for heavy multimedia use (such as constant playback and mixing), and may overheat easily.
The Fade-Out Time is global and defaults to 3 seconds. Each song does have its own custom segue time (or end time), and allows you to override the fade‐out with the “Fade‐out Override” checkbox. You can also use the Voice-Over checkbox (which automatically enables Fade-Out Override) to make a voice track play over the intro of the next song in the playlist (and backtime into the vocal if required).
Yes, MegaSeg keeps track of the files using a special tracking FileID. This means you can move or rename a file on the same drive and MegaSeg will be able to relocate it automatically. MegaSeg also keeps track of the audio files in the database by path and filename. It will check this first, so you can swap out a file easily. If for some reason it can’t locate a file, then MegaSeg will give a missing file error, and allow you to manually find or remove the file.
Intro Time is used to display a count down timer to the start of the song’s vocal. It’s useful if you talk over the intro of a song (radio style) and keep track of how much time is left before the singing starts.
Yes. Set the End Time (aka Segue Time) at the exact time of the cold ending. MegaSeg will start the next song at this exact time. MegaSeg’s fade-out of the previous song always starts after the next song starts, so it won’t cut off the cold ending song. (Settings a custom End Time also disables the AutoSeg Trim mode for that track.)
Yes, MegaSeg has a Print command in the File menu that allows you to print either the currently selected Library, Playlist, Logs, or Play History windows. Just click to select the list and then choose Print from the File menu (or Command-P) and check the fields you want included in the list.
Alternatively, all saved Playlists are text files stored in the Playlists folder. You can print them using a text editor or spreadsheet like Excel or Apple’s Numbers and reformat as necessary. The Library can also be exported as a text file by using the ‘Export Library as Text’ menu command. The tabbed text file can open in a spreadsheet program, such as Numbers or Excel.
The database is conveniently exported as a text file located in the MegaSeg data folder inside your Music folder. This makes it easy to “power edit” using a standard text editor if necessary. You can also export and import the Library as a tab delimited text file to edit using a spreadsheet such as Numbers or Excel using the File > Library Tools menu.
No, MegaSeg is completely self-contained and utilizes built-in OS X libraries and APIs such as Core Audio and QuickTime. In fact, the only files MegaSeg saves is for its Library, Playlists, Logs, etc. (within ~/Music/MegaSeg/).
You can turn on File Sharing in the System Preferences, and copy files over the network (using an Ethernet cable if available is faster than WiFi). Another option is to use an external hard drive to transfer files, but this method requires you to copy files twice (to and from the transfer drive).
A 3rd possible option (and the fastest) is connecting two Macs together via a FireWire cable (not all Macs have a FireWire port however). Once connected, simply restart one of the computers and hold down the “T” key until you see the FireWire symbol. This enables “FireWire Target Disk Mode” — A fancy way of saying that it turns the Mac into an external hard drive. You notice the Mac’s drive will mount as an external drive on your other computer, and you can copy your music and applications very quickly using this method.
To assist in the actual copying of files, you can use Apple’s “Migration Assistant” application to handle everything automatically. The Migration Assistant is located in the Applications folder inside the Utilities folder.
If you use the Migration Assistant, it will copy your home folder, including the Music folder (where MegaSeg stores its database, playlists, logs, and events), as well as your Applications, Documents, user accounts, settings, and other info such as emails.
If you decided to do things manually, you can just copy your music files and then copy the MegaSeg data folder found in the Music folder.
When you’re done, MegaSeg will start up with the same info. It should be able play everything without missing files as long as the media is in relatively the same location as it was on the old system (inside the Music folder for example). If that’s not the case, you may need to use MegaSeg’s Remove Folders command in the File menu to remove all the tracks and re‐import fresh. This should not cause the categories or segue times to reset, as all the metadata is stored in both the library and the files as a backup, specifically for a situation where you need to re‐import everything.
When you upgrade iTunes, you may need to deauthorize your computer and then re-authorize it using the commands found under the Store menu inside iTunes. Another thing to watch out for is having two or more accounts for some of your iTunes music. For example if you used a different iTunes account years ago to purchase some tracks, you may need to authorize that specific account too. You can check the exact account name used to purchase a track by selecting it in iTunes and then choose the “Get Info” command in the File menu (Command-I), and the account name will appear under the Summary tab. (Your Mac can be authorized for multiple accounts simultaneously, but each account can only authorize 5 computers at a time.)
Note that the iTunes Store no longer sells DRM copy‐protected tracks, and also uses a higher quality bit rate (known as “iTunes Plus” format). It’s possible to upgrade your older purchased music to DRM-free iTunes Plus format two ways. Using the new iCloud feature in iTunes you can see all your previous purchases and download fresh copies, which has been shown to render DRM-free versions as no cost. Or for a small yearly fee using the new iTunes Match service, Apple will replace your entire library with fresh DRM-free copies of everything in your library, including tracks you may have ripped from CD at lower quality (up to 25,000 tracks).
MegaSeg keeps track of files using Mac OS Alias technology. This means that even if a file is renamed or moved on the drive, MegaSeg will still be able to find and play it. However if you swap hard drives, or transfer your files to an external drive, it’s rare but possible for it to get confused and cross‐link to random files. It is simple to solve this however by reimporting the files fresh. Note all your database info will remain intact, since MegaSeg tags each file with “metadata”.
Here’s how to clear out your library and re‐import:
You should now have a fresh re‐linked library. This will solve the problem of cross‐linked files or “Play Error -1”.
MegaSeg’s “AutoSeg Trim” feature will subtract time from the end of a track that has not had a custom end time (aka “Segue Time”) set. The default Trim time is 7 seconds, which can be adjusted in the Playback tab in the preferences. The AutoSeg Trim feature is good to “catch” songs that have not been set to a specific (i.e. perfect) segue time. When a track has a Segue Time that is different (less than) the default length of the sound file, MegaSeg knows the track has a custom set end time and disables the AutoSeg Trim feature for the track.
Note, MegaSeg 3 and higher does not enable the AutoSeg Trim feature for tracks under 95 seconds in duration (for example commercials and jingles) to prevent cutting off those elements by default. Manually trim these tracks as needed using the End Time setting.
This is most likely an issue with how your audio output device is configured for surround sound channels. By default if you are using a sound output device that supports multiple channels, it may send mono tracks to the 3rd output connection it assumes is used for a 5.1 surround sound “center speaker”. This is very easy to change using Apple’s Audio MIDI Setup app, which allows you to define the speaker arrangement for any sound output device...
Some VBR-encoded MP3 files over 5 minutes in length may have an audio pause at a consistent interval due to a bug in QuickTime, however MegaSeg has a patch to fix the problem. Only certain non-iTunes encoded MP3s are affected. The issue also does not affect any other audio formats. If you only have problems with a few MP3 files, instead of enabling the MP3 Patch, you can use iTunes’ Advance menu to re‐encode the file into a fresh MP3 or AAC file to solve the problem.
This restart message is known as a “Kernel Panic”, and generally means something went wrong deep within the OS or hardware. One common cause is a bad or failing RAM chip. If you installed additional RAM recently, it could be that it does not conform to Apple’s specs, or just a flaky module. Some brands may be temperamental in your model of Mac. If you have two RAM slots filled, try removing one and running for a while to see if the problem goes away. If not, swap the RAM chips and try using only the other one for a while to help narrow the problem down.
Another likely cause is the Mac OS X system file becoming corrupt on disk. This can be solved by reinstalling the OS from a Recovery Boot, the original discs, or sometimes just doing a system update (using Software Update in your Apple menu).
Finally a there could be a driver conflict for some 3rd party hardware you have added. If you’ve installed a piece of hardware that requires a driver of some sort, try uninstalling or downloading a newer version.
You can also try some of the troubleshooting options in our larger overall checklist, for example running Disk Utility’ Repair Permissions, Resetting the PRAM, and booting via Safe Boot.
Yes, below is our checklist. There are a number of things that could affect performance or cause system issues, for example excessive swap file fragmentation, disk corruption, software and hardware conflicts, or “run‐a‐way” processes. The good news is Macs rarely suffer from these issues. However if a problem does arise, here’s a list of things to troubleshoot:
There are special maintenance tasks which Mac OS X runs nightly at 4:30 am to improve performance, but if your computer is not awake at that time, the maintenance tasks do not run. However you can force these tasks to run manually via the Mac OS X Terminal utility (found in your Applications folder inside the Utilities sub‐folder).
When you run it and get a command prompt, enter the command:
sudo periodic daily weekly monthly
It will then ask you for your administration password once you enter the command. Then it will take several minutes for it to finish (possibly up to a half‐hour). There is no progress bar displayed when using Terminal, so you’ll just have to wait for the command prompt to appear again to know it’s done.
Open your System Preferences, and click on the Energy Saver icon, and try unchecking the “Put the hard disk(s) to sleep when possible” option. Note in contrast we recommend you disable the “Keep All Drives Spinning” option under the General tab of MegaSeg’s preferences unless you use an external hard drive.
On some Macs there is a pop‐up menu called “Optimization” which you can try setting to “Better Performance”. On older systems under the Options tab, there is a preferences for “Processor Performance”, which you can try setting to “Highest”. (Note on laptops, using these settings will run down the battery faster.)
If your system does not have an “Optimization” or “Processor Performance” setting in the Energy Saver settings, you may still be able to change it using the command line (Terminal application). To do so, open Terminal (found in the Utilities folder), and enter “sudo pmset dps 0” at the prompt. It will ask for your administration password. When set it will simply show another prompt. You can now Quit Terminal.
~/Library/Preferences/com.fidelitymedia.MegaSeg.plist
~/Library/Preferences/com.fidelitymedia.MegaSegDJ.plist
~/Library/Preferences/MegaSeg Prefs (*older versions only)
~ = your home folder (i.e. Macintosh HD/Users/...your username.../)
Note: If you have OS X Lion 10.7+, your Library folder is hidden, but you can get to it by holding down the Option key while selecting the “Go” menu in the Finder.
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