Timing Types

Timing types control when items start in a sequence. Each item has a timing type that determines its relationship to surrounding items and the hour boundaries.

Overview

Type	Behavior	Interrupts Previous
Normal	Starts after previous item ends	No
Hard Fixed	Starts at exact time	Yes
Soft Fixed	Starts at target time, waits for previous	Conditional
Backtimed	Ends exactly when next fixed item starts	No

Hour Boundaries

Each sequence contains two boundary markers:

• Hour Start: Defines how the hour begins
• Hour End: Defines how the hour ends

These markers use timing types to control transitions between hours. For example, setting Hour End to Hard Fixed ensures the next hour starts exactly on time. Setting it to Soft Fixed allows the current song to finish before transitioning.

Normal

The default timing type. Items start when the previous item completes.

Behavior:

• Waits for the previous item to finish
• Respects cue points (Start-Next or Fade-Out markers) on the previous item
• No time guarantee

Example:

Time	Item	Duration
00:00	Song A	3:30
03:30	Song B (Normal)	4:00
07:30	Song C (Normal)	3:15

Each song starts immediately after the previous one ends.

Hard Fixed

Items start at an exact time, interrupting any currently playing content.

Behavior:

• Starts precisely at the configured time
• Cuts off the previous item immediately if still playing
• Guarantees the scheduled start time

Use cases:

• News at the top of the hour
• Scheduled ad breaks
• Time-critical announcements

Configuration:

Parameter	Description
Fixed Time	Start time within the hour (MM:SS)

Example:

Time	Item	Note
11:57:00	Song (4:00)	Would normally end at 12:01:00
12:00:00	News (Hard Fixed)	Song interrupted at 12:00:00

The song plays for 3 minutes instead of 4. At exactly 12:00:00, the news starts regardless of the song's remaining duration.

Soft Fixed

Items target a specific time but wait for the previous item to complete. A time window limits how late the item can start.

Behavior:

• Aims to start at the configured time
• Waits for the previous item to finish
• If the time window expires, the previous item is interrupted

Configuration:

Parameter	Description
Fixed Time	Target start time (MM:SS)
Time Window	Maximum allowed delay beyond the fixed time

Without Time Window

The item waits indefinitely for the previous item to finish.

Time	Item	Note
11:58:00	Song (5:00)	Ends at 12:03:00
12:00:00	News (Soft Fixed, no window)	Waits for song
12:03:00	News starts	3 minutes late

With Time Window

The time window defines the maximum delay. When the window expires, the previous item is interrupted.

Example:

Planned	Item	Configuration
11:58:45	Song (4:00)	Would end at 12:02:45
12:00:00	News	Soft Fixed, 60s window

Result:

Time	Event
11:58:45	Song starts
12:00:00	News target time reached, song still playing
12:01:00	Window expires, song interrupted
12:01:00	News starts

The song plays for 2:15 instead of 4:00. The news starts at 12:01:00 (maximum 60 seconds late) rather than waiting until 12:02:45.

Backtimed

Items are calculated backwards to end exactly when the next fixed-time item starts.

Behavior:

• Start time calculated from the next Hard Fixed or Soft Fixed item
• Duration adjusts to fill the available time exactly
• Multiple consecutive backtimed items form a chain

Use cases:

• Jingles before news
• Music that must end at a specific time
• Filling gaps before fixed content

Single Backtimed Item

Example:

Item	Configuration	Duration
Jingle	Backtimed	0:15
News	Hard Fixed at 00:00	5:00

The jingle starts at 59:45 and ends exactly at 00:00 when the news begins.

Backtimed Chain

When multiple backtimed items appear in sequence, they form a chain. The system calculates start times backwards from the next fixed item.

Example:

Item	Original Duration	Configuration
Song A	3:00	Backtimed
Song B	4:00	Backtimed
News	5:00	Hard Fixed at 12:00:00

Calculation:

1. News starts at 12:00:00
2. Song B must end at 12:00:00, starts at 11:56:00
3. Song A must end at 11:56:00, starts at 11:53:00

Time	Item
11:53:00	Song A starts
11:56:00	Song A ends, Song B starts
12:00:00	Song B ends, News starts

Both songs play in full because there is enough time. If previous content runs long, backtimed items may be shortened proportionally.

Complete Hour Example

This example shows a typical hour with mixed timing types.

Sequence configuration:

Position	Item	Timing	Fixed Time
1	Hour Start	Hard Fixed	00:00
2	Music Block	Normal	-
3	News	Hard Fixed	30:00
4	Music Block	Normal	-
5	Hour End	Soft Fixed	00:00

Resulting playback:

Time	Event
00:00:00	Hour starts, music begins
00:00:00–00:28:00	Songs play sequentially (Normal timing)
00:28:00	Song starts, would end at 00:32:00
00:30:00	News starts (Hard Fixed), song interrupted
00:35:00	News ends, music resumes
00:35:00–00:59:00	Songs play sequentially
00:59:00	Final song starts
01:00:00+	Hour End (Soft Fixed) waits for song to finish
01:02:30	Song ends, next hour begins

The Hard Fixed news interrupts music at exactly 30:00. The Soft Fixed hour end allows the final song to complete before transitioning.

Timing Indicators

The system displays timing conflicts in the rotation view:

Indicator	Meaning
Will be interrupted	A Hard Fixed item will cut off this item
Will be skipped	Timing rules make this item impossible to play
Overplanned	Item extends past the hour boundary

Setting Timing Types

In the Sequence Editor

1. Open Station > Sequences
2. Select a sequence
3. Click the timing icon on an entry
4. Select the timing type
5. Configure Fixed Time and Time Window if applicable
6. Save the sequence

In the Rotation View

1. Open the rotation
2. Click the timing icon on an item
3. Select the new timing type
4. Enter parameters as needed

Changes to rotation items affect only that rotation instance.

Related Topics

• Sequences - Create templates with timing rules
• Rotations - View calculated start times
• Week Planner - Assign sequences to time blocks