Voice tracking
Voice tracking is a method used by radio stations to pre-produce speech contributions.
General
With voice tracking, the spoken contributions are recorded before the broadcast and then played back either manually or automatically via a computer along with the music during the broadcast. This makes it possible for moderators to prepare several programs at a time with a time delay. There are different methods of voice tracking.
Methods
Automated
With automated voice tracking, the pre-produced announcements are mixed together by a computer using previously defined cue lists. With older systems it can happen that there are gaps between the music and the introduction.
Manually
The pre-produced contributions are imported manually by a technician. This way the music can be better addressed. With the development of computer programs, this is no longer necessary today.
Internet voice tracking, remote voice tracking
The moderation contributions are made available to the broadcaster by e-mail or via the server for download and there are entered into the broadcast schedule by a technician. With some radio software programs (e.g. RCS Master Control), however, it is also possible to enter the voice tracks into the broadcast schedule of the radio station directly from any internet-enabled computer, in such a way that the producing moderator can read the elements before and after the moderation can hear. This creates a quasi-live situation, as the voice tracks can be produced very quickly. This was first practiced in Germany by the company RADIOTRAX for the radio station 106.0 Antenne in Freiburg.