The software developed by Playlist Software Solutions is very efficient in utilizing computer resources1. On modern computers, we are surprised by the low CPU usage. The minimum configuration to use the software is met by standard market equipment. Older equipment, especially those over 3 years old, show a higher rate of hardware problems, both due to usage and technological obsolescence, which greatly compromises the broadcaster’s programming.
We recommend prioritizing the quality of the equipment to be used with the software developed by Playlist. Today, by specification, any standard computer on the market will be able to run any of our software without problems. Computers with a real power supply have promoted reliability in their use in on-air studios. We have only noticed a small number of problems with equipment running Playlist Digital and using on-board video cards, but this does not constitute a technical recommendation for this software to use off-board video cards. Regarding on-board sound cards, they offer acceptable audio quality only for pre-listening (CUE) use, and we do not recommend them for broadcasting a radio station’s programming.
Processor:
Playlist software is designed to work with any PC processor, the most common being Intel and AMD. Generally, the most used are Intel, which also owes to the ease of purchase as they hold 80% of the PC processor market worldwide. In our Playlist software testing and maintenance bases, we always use Intel, so we recommend using Intel i3 or higher (i5, i7, and i9) 11th generation processors. A good cost-benefit today is the 11th generation Intel Core i5.
Memory:
In any computer configuration, the minimum required is 4GB of RAM or according to the minimum specifications of the operating system used, but we recommend using computers with 8GB or more
Hard Disk:
Remember that the more disk space, the more audio will be stored, both music and recordings available for programming. Always buy the disk with the largest capacity available on the market, always observing the cost-benefit ratio. The disks installed in current equipment have sufficient performance for the software to function. We currently advise SSD units, which have offered excellent cost-benefit. Additionally, using 7200 RPM hard drives has been recommended, as they also ensure lower latency and have reasonably accessible prices. However, in tests conducted with SSD units, the performance obtained impressed us. If you want high-performance equipment, you can install a 480 GB SSD as the main unit and a 2 TB or higher 7200 RPM hard drive as the secondary unit for content storage.
Sound Board:
The Playlist Digital and Logger 2.0 will run in any audio board with WDM support. We recommend that in the main studio and for recording, soundboards with excellent audio quality, such as SoundBlaster, Digigram, Yamaha, M-audio, AudioScience, etc. To use the software Commercial and Maker, you will not need a good quality soundboard, and the on-board devices will be enough.
Radio stations that look after audio quality and require more input/output can use external soundboards which offer lots of resources and robustness. To this case, we recommend: M-Audio EIGHT; Preasonus AudioBox 1818VSL; Tascam US-4×4 and/or similar.
Sound Cards:
Playlist Digital and Logger 2.0 software work with any audio card with WDM support2. However, for use in the main and recording studio, audio cards with excellent audio quality, such as Sound Blaster, Digigram, Yamaha, M-audio, and AudioScience cards, are recommended. For using Commercial and Maker software, a good quality sound card is not necessary; on-board cards meet the demands well. Stations that prioritize audio quality and also want to use Aires Studio, which requires multiple input/output channels, can resort to audio interfaces that offer various features and robustness. For this case, we recommend: Behringer UMC1820, Presonus 1824c, Tascam US20x20, and similar, all with ASIO support. Consult the Help Center.
Operating System:
Automation Suite products work with any Windows from Windows 8 onwards. For Aires Studio, Windows 10 is recommended. It is always advisable to stay updated with the operating system you use, especially if you have newer equipment and require stability in information processing.
In tests conducted, we achieved greater success with Windows 10 distributions. We recommend, in order of preference: Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2019. For all the operating systems mentioned above, they must be updated with the update packages provided by Microsoft. For more information, contact Playlist Support. Playlist Digital, Maker, Logger 2.0, Audie, Smart Manager, Commercial, and Logger Manager software are not available for Linux and IOS environments3.
Aires Studio is also available for MAC OS4. For more information, consult the Aires Studio Help Center in the MAC OS topic.
NOTE: Although Playlist software does not present problems when operated on the Windows XP and Windows 7 operating system platform, we no longer recommend its use because there are no more conditions for technological evolution with Windows XP and 7, as Microsoft itself has discontinued their evolutions and ended any type of support.