HotShot is a random access, instant audio playback package that is quick to learn and easy to use due to its intuitive software interface and its flexible control options.

HotShot can be used with a mouse, touchscreen or our custom designed HotShot button pad. HotShot has 8 banks of 84 buttons allowing for quick access to 672 assigned audio buttons. It features a full screen interface, so there’s no windowing or dialog boxes to get between you and the audio you need to play.

HotShot can be used with a mouse, touch screen or our custom designed HotShot Button Pad control surface. HotShot has 8 banks of 84 buttons allowing for quick access to 672 assigned audio buttons. It features a full screen interface, so there’s no windowing or dialog boxes to get between you and the audio you need to play.

The HotShot Button Pad is a USB device that is pre-labeled with color coded letters making it easy to correlate the desired audio clip on the screen with the physical button you need to press to play it.

HotShot is capable of playing as many as four streams from each of four outputs for a total of 16 audio files playing at the same time! Outputs are assignable by column and displayed on the screen. Sure, you might not need that kind of capacity every time, but with HotShot, you know you have the power and flexibility to do anything you’re asked!

HotShot supports dragging audio files directly from any folder of your PC: local drive, thumb drive, CD/DVD, portable hard drive or network drive. HotShot supports uncompressed PCM or MPEG2/MP3 compressed stereo and mono audio files, plus it can handle Wave Format Extensible interleaved multichannel audio files for Surround Sound applications.

HotShot provides robust and reliable audio functionality through its use of the core audio engine of ENCO’s flagship automation system, DAD. This manual refers to DAD in several places relating to specific configuration options. If more information is required about any DAD features or settings, please consult the Online Help feature included within the DAD application. This information is also available at http://www.enco.com/Help/mainindex.htm.

HotShot is delivered in an attractive and space efficient 1 rack unit enclosure with 500 GB of storage and includes a mouse and keyboard. Most users have specific requirements for video displays dictated by their environments so a monitor is not included in the basic package. HotShot supports anything with a minimum resolution of 1280x1024 so you may supply your own or select from a variety of monitor and touch screen options available from ENCO.

 

Overview of the HotShot 

To start HotShot, double click the “Start HotShot” icon on the Desktop.   

HotShot will start and will begin running in RUN mode. When in RUN mode, HotShot will be displayed full-screen.  

To change out of RUN mode, press ALT+X on your keyboard. This will change both the size of HotShot and its mode. The application will now be displayed in a smaller screen size which is also known as Program mode.  

Program mode allows you to drag and drop audio cuts onto buttons and change Audio Channel Assignments.

 

 

Item

Description and Use

A

The top of HotShot has several items. If a USB Drive has been plugged into the workstation, the drive will be automatically detected and made available via the USB button. Pressing this button will open that drive allowing one to assign audio cuts directly to buttons.

Also along the top are buttons for each of the eight Banks. Each Bank has 84 buttons. Users can change Banks by pressing the numbered button for that Bank.

The STOP button acts as a global Stop button, stopping all playing audio cuts.

If more than one control surface is attached, a square button for that unit ID will be displayed as HS1 (and HS2). Pressing HS1 will allow one to program the Bank assigned to HS1.  Pressing HS2 allows programming access to HS2 Bank.

 

B

As mentioned above, there are 84 buttons in a Bank. With eight Banks, users have 672 buttons at their fingertips. These buttons are arranged in columns. Each column can be assigned a specific audio output.

Users can Drag and Drop cuts directly to a button then press that button to play that cut. There are basic Copy / Paste functions in a Right Click menu along with the ability to Rename the button label, Trim the cues, Edit and Loop the cut.

 

C

The audio channel assignment is displayed along the bottom of each of the columns. Channel Assignments are assigned via the CONFIG button.

D

When in Program mode, HotShot will display a RUN!, CONFIG and a LOGS button. When in RUN mode, these buttons are not available.

·         To exit out of RUN mode, press ALT+X on your keyboard.

·         To enter RUN mode, press the RUN! Button or press ALT+X a second time

Pressing CONFIG will open the Configuration screen which is covered in the next section.

LOGS displays debugging information for the HotShot application.

The DAD Lib button in the center of the screen will open and display the DAD Library to allow drag and drop button assignments and library maintenance functions like titling and editing.

The “spinner” above the DAD LIB button indicates that the interface is operational.

Setup of HotShot

When in Program mode press the CONFIG button to open the HotShot Configuration screen.

Here one can define the Play Mode style, set audio channel assignments and edit the INI file for more options. 

 

 

Defining button Play style

Pressing the MODE button toggles through the three different interactions a button can have when pressed. These modes are described below. 

 

In Toggle Mode users can press and play multiple buttons in any Column or Row and have all cuts play simultaneously (up to a total of 4 per output)

 

All audio cuts will play for their full length unless stopped by pressing that same button or the all STOP button.

In Column Interrupt Mode, if a user plays a second audio cut within the same column while another audio cut is actively playing, the second cut will start and the first cut will be faded out over the Fade Length entered.

In the third mode; Column / Row Interrupt, if a user plays a second audio cut anywhere within the Bank, the second cut will start and the first audio cut will fade out and stop.

 

Defining Channel Assignments

In the Hotshot Configuration screen you can select an output for each Column. Users can select up to the maximum of four unique outputs provided that the audio card used has up to four unique physical outputs. 

To change a Column output, use the Up or Down arrows to toggle though Output 1, 2, 3 and 4.

 

NOTE:The output assignments in HotShot directly relate to the Quad Pages in DAD. 

HotShot Output 1 will use Quad Page 1 (Quad Slot 1, 2, 3 and 4) in DAD. 

HotShot Output 2 will use Quad Page 2 (Quad Slot 5, 6, 7 and 8) in DAD.

HotShot Output 3 will use Quad Page 3 (Quad Slot 9, 10, 11 and 12) in DAD.

HotShot Output 4 will use Quad Page 4 (Quad Slot 13, 14, 15 and 16) in DAD.

 

To verify and change the Quad Slot audio card output, go to SETUP in DAD and press CHANNEL ASSIGNMENTS. This will open the Channel Assignment screen. On the left side, scroll down in the Machine section until you reach the QUAD PLAYS.

You should verify that each of the Quad Play Slots on that Quad Page are assigned to the same Primary Audio Output.

If one of the Quad Play is assigned to a different output, then audio could play out of a different physical output when played from within HotShot. 

 

Other Definitions within the INI file

While in the Configuration screen one can open and edit the HotShot.INI file. 

Line Option

Values and Description

[General]

Start Mode=Run

Defines the mode HotShot will start in: RUN or CONFIG

Font Expansion=1.25  

This value changes the font size on the buttons when in RUN mode.

Button Expansion=0.75   

This value will adjust the size of the Bank buttons across the top of HotShot when in RUN mode.

DAD DATA=C:\DAD\Files

Path for the location of the DAD CUTS.DBF Library file.

LIBLOC=C:

Drive letter location for the HotShot Library defined below.

LIBNAME=HotShot 

The Library name that HotShot will automatically add a record to when one drags and drops audio cuts from an external source (USB drive, CD-ROM, Network directory, etc.) The record will be assigned the first available 5 digit cut number in the range defined by the Start Cut and End Cut parameters below.

Copy External Audio=True

If set to True, HotShot will copy the external audio to the local hard disk in the C:\HotShot directory with the file name <CUT#>.wav where the the CUT# is the 5 digit number assigned in the HotShot Library.

 

If set to False, the actual audio file will remain on the external source and a path to that source is entered into the HotShot Library database record. This requires the external source to remain connected for use.

Start Cut=00001

Starting Cut number range used when cuts are Drag and Dropped onto HotShot from an external source (e.g.USB drive).

End Cut=89999

Ending Cut number range used when cuts are Drag and Dropped onto HotShot from an external dource (e.g. USB drive).

Fade=1.0

The Fade value is used in conjunction with Column Interrupt or Column Row Interrupt modes. When a value in Seconds has been entered, the first audio cut will fade out over that length when a second audio cut is played.

Mode=Column Row Interrupt

Toggle – Toggle mode allows All audio cuts to play for their full length unless stopped by pressing that same button.

 

Column Interrupt - In this mode, if a user plays a second audio cut within the same column while another audio cut is actively playing, the first cut will be faded out for the Fade Length entered

 

Column Row Interrupt – When one plays a second audio cut anywhere within the Bank, the first audio cut will fade out and stop.

Minimum Move=100

The number of pixels a DRAG action must traverse before HotShot interprets the action as a MOVE. This is used to tune the selectivity of touch screen operation.

Bank=1

Remembers the last Bank selected

UDP Listen Port

Port used to respond to external control commands. Used by ENCO Interchange to support the WiFi based iShot control interface.

Instatrim Value=-35

The audio level in dB from “0” VU that the TRIM function uses to set the HEAD (start of audio) and TAIL (end of audio) cues.

Progress Bar=Clock

When a button is played, it changes from its base color to gray then the base color is filled back indicating the percentage progress of the playback.  

If set to Wipe, the color is filled horizontally from left to right.

 If set to Clock, the color fills with a clockwise sweep motion.

OLD ENCO96=False 

This should be kept at FALSE. This would ONLY be used with a first generation Button Pad controller.

[HS0], [HS1], [HS2]

 

[HS0] – Primary and default HotShot button pad.

[HS1] – Second HotShot button pad.

[HS2] – Third HotShot button pad.

NOTE: Each Button pad will have its own section and unique settings.

Keypad=True

Set to True when an 84 key control pad is in use. If there is no keypad in use as with touchscreen only operation, setting this to False will  suppress the letter labels on the buttons of the graphic interface which will provide better label visibility on the video monitor.

A1 DCL=  

A1 Text=  

B1 DCL=

B1 Text=

Users can add two DAD Command Language (DCL) Commands to HotShot. One can use the buttons A1 and B1 for DCLs that will in turn be executed by DAD. These buttons become fixed to ALL Banks, making them available on any Bank selected.

F11 QuadShot=True

When set to TRUE, HotShot will change the four buttons in the bottom right corner (Column 11 and 12 – Buttons F and G) into one single large button.

This single large button will then be displayed and fixed across ALL Banks making it available on any Bank selected.  

Those using a Button Pad can remove the key-caps and replace them with a single large button key-cap to represent this mode.

 

Column 1=Out 1

Through

Column 12=Out 4

The current Column Output Channel Assignments.

[BANK x]

 

[BANK 1] through [BANK 8] are for the Primary HotShot application and HS0 Button pad.

[BANK 9] is the assignment for HS1 (a second Button Pad)

[BANK 10] is the assignment for HS2 (a third Button Pad)

A_1 Cut=00007,C:,Cuts

A_1 Title=0dB 1000Hz Tone

A_1 Length=0:04.6

 

B_2 Cut=10001,C:,HotShot

B_2 Title=My Audio File

B_2 Length= 201.55

When an audio cut has been assigned to a button, information about that cut will be saved to the INI file.

 

This first line includes the CUT#, the LIBLOC letter and the LIBRARY NAME. The second line holds the Title that is displayed on the button and the third line contains the total length that the audio will play.

 

 

 

IMPORTANT:

  • If adding HotShot to an existing DAD system, you will need to make a few modifications to the DAD workstation’s “CFI” (ConFiguration Information) file. To do this, access the Setup screen of the DAD application and click the “CFI and Readme” button. Click the upper left button labeled X.CFI (where X is the name of the DAD workstation). Find the following [sections] of the file and set the parameters as indicated below:

For example:

[DEFAULTS]
CUT_LOCATION=HOTSHOT

[LIBRARY]
ONTOP_DISPLAY=TRUE

[QUADPLAY]
IGNORE_QUERY_USER=TRUE

[SYSTEM]
LOCKDOWN=3

If one is also using MultiLibrary with DAD, one will need to create a HotShot Library. HotShot will use this Library when one adds audio files from an external drive. 

 

The HotShot Button Pad

HotShot can be used with one or more Button Pads.

This Button Pad allows one to play the associated audio cut within the HotShot application, change Banks and Stop all cuts currently playing. 

The top of the Button Pad has a series of buttons with a LED that will illuminate when pressed, signifying the Bank selected.

On the top right side a single button labeled ‘S’ for Stop. This button acts as a ‘Stop All’ button for all cuts playing.

Pressing any one of the Lettered buttons will play that associated audio cut. 

 

 

Setup of the HotShot Button Pad

HotShot can be used with a custom Button Pad that allows direct access to both the Banks and buttons. This keypad control surface attaches to the HotShot workstation via a USB connection.

Up to three Button Pads can be used with each Pad having a unique Unit ID. To assign an ID, first plug the unit into a an available USB port then run the SetUnit.exe found in the C:\DAD\Progs\HotShot directory.

The Unit ID is saved to the physical unit allowing that unit to be moved to another workstation. The first Button Pad ID must be set to 0. If you are adding a second Button Pad to an existing system, the second Button Pad ID must be set to 1. If also using a third Pad, its ID would be set to 2.

 

Using Multiple Button Pads

When more than one Button Pad is used, the first device (Unit ID 0) will have full control of ALL Banks while the second and third devices (Unit ID 1 and 2) will be locked to Bank 1.

NOTE: If the Button Pad should become unplugged from the workstation or if the unit is not plugged in when HotShot starts, exit HotShot, plug the Button Pads into the USB ports and restart the HotShot application. 

 

Within the Config screen one can select and configure channel assignments for each HotShot Button pad.  

 

To use the additional Button pad, press the HS1 or HS2 button. This will change its color state and will display the buttons assigned to the single bank mapped to that pad. 

To return to the Primary button pad, simply press one of the eight Bank numbers. 

All programmed cut information assigned to HS1 will be saved in the INI file under [Bank 9] with HS2 being saved under [Bank 10]. 

Assigning Audio Cuts to HotShot

 

HotShot supports dragging audio files directly from any folder of your PC: local drive, thumb drive, CD/DVD, portable hard drive or network drive. HotShot supports uncompressed PCM or MPEG2/MP3 compressed stereo and mono audio files, plus Wave Format Extensible interleaved multichannel files for surround sound playback. Hotshot also has the ability to convert the file format and/or sample rate to match your existing library standard.  

One must be in PROGRAM mode to assign audio cuts. You may use any standard Windows features to browse to an audio resource and drag an audio file from that folder onto a HotShot button. By default this will copy the audio to the local hard disk so the audio will still be available for playback if the source is removed. It is also possible to set HotShot not to copy the files and to play the audio directly from the original source. In this case the source must be connected and available for these cuts to play. 

 
Loading audio from a USB drive is even easier. When a USB Drive is plugged into the workstation it will automatically be detected and HotShot  will display a USB Button in the upper left corner of the Program page. 

You can press this button to open the removable disk and navigate to the audio files it contains. Here you can drag and drop the files directly from the “Select an audio file…” screen to a HotShot button. Again the audio is copied to the local hard disk so it will be available even if the USB drive is removed. A record is also added to the HotShot Library which can be reused without needing the USB drive. When finished, press the Done button to properly exit and close the screen.

You may also drag and drop audio cuts directly from the DAD Library screen. There are also right click options within the Libray screen to copy and/or move cuts between the CUTS and HOTSHOT Libraries. These may be used to organize your material like keeping frequently used clips in the CUTS Library while using the HOTSHOT Library as a more temporary workspace. 

There is also a right click option within the Library to “Send To AudioCVT”. This allows one to perform format and/or sample rate conversion on the highlighted cut. This can be handy to keep your Library homogeneous while being able to ingest various formats and sample rates.  

Playing and Using HotShot

Once an audio cut as been assigned to a button, simply press that button to play the cut. 

As the cut plays you will see a pacer-bar move across the button from left to right to indicate the current play time as a percentage of the overall length of the file. You may alternatively set this progress indicator to resemble a clock sweep around the center of the button if desired.

Pressing a playing button a second time will cause the playback to stop.

Pressing a different non-playing button can cause the first audio to either stop cold, fade out over a defined interval or have no affect at all depending on configuration of the Play Style.

 

If one has the INI file option F11 QuadShot set to true, then the bottom four buttons (Column 11 and 12 – Buttons F and G) will be displayed as a single large button.  This single large button will then be displayed and fixed across ALL Banks making it available on any Bank selected.

You many drag any other button to this area via the mouse or touchsceen to have a copy of that audio file made as a ‘ready to go’ button. Dragging to any normal button will do a move, but dragging to the QuadShot button performs a copy while leaving the original file intact on its original button.

 

If you right-click on a HotShot playback button a menu will be displayed allowing several options:

  • Rename - you can change the label that appears on the button. If you rename a file, that name will be saved to the INI file and will apply just to that button. Any other button with the same cut assigned will not be affected.
  • Copy - you may Copy a button, Copy an entire Column or Copy and an entire Bank. One can then Paste this onto another button, into another Column or on another Bank.
  • Loop - setting this on will cause the cut to loop seamlessly and indefinitely when played until it is either stopped or loop mode is cleared.
  • Stack - for future development
  • Edit – opens an edit screen to allow cue adjustment and basic cut and paste editing.
  • Trim – instantly sets the HEAD and TAIL cues to the audio level defined by the Instatrim Level parameter in the Butten.ini file.
  • Info – provides CUT#; Library location, Library name and Title information. This can be used to locate a cut in the Library screen for maintenance or modification.

These right-click options are also available in RUN mode so operators can make last minute changes to button layout and audio cues without having to drop into Program mode.