Glossary

Rivendell Glossary of Terms

This page provides definitions of common terms used throughout the Rivendell radio automation system.

Core System Concepts

Rivendell

Open-source radio automation system for broadcast playout, logging, scheduling, and audio management.

RDAdmin

Administrative tool for configuring system-wide settings, users, groups, services, hosts, and permissions.

RDLibrary

Application for managing audio cuts, carts, metadata, trimming, normalization, and audio import/export.

RDAirPlay

Live assist playout interface used in on-air studios for manual or semi-automated playback.

RDAirPlay Deck

One of the individual playout decks inside RDAirPlay.

RDAirPlay Log

The playlist/log panel inside RDAirPlay showing scheduled events.

RDLogEdit

Log editor used to build, modify, and validate daily program logs.

RDLogManager

Tool for generating logs from templates and music/traffic services.

RDPanel

Hotkey-style instant playback panel for sound effects or quick-fire audio.

RDHPI

Rivendell’s audio driver layer for professional audio cards (e.g., AudioScience).

Audio Objects

Cart

A container object that holds one or more audio cuts. Identified by a cart number.

Cut

A single audio file inside a cart. Cuts can rotate, expire, or be scheduled.

Cart Type

Classification such as Audio, Macro, or Marker.

Macro Cart

A cart containing Rivendell macro commands instead of audio.

Marker

A non-audio cart used for timing, transitions, or log control.

Scheduling and Logs

Log

A sequence of events (audio, macros, markers) scheduled for playback.

Service

A logical grouping of logs (e.g., "Main Program", "HD2", "Production").

Clock

A template defining the structure of an hour (categories, transitions, events).

Grid

A weekly schedule mapping clocks to hours.

Event

An individual item in a log (cart, macro, marker, or command).

Transition Type

How playback flows: Play, Stop, Segue, Hard Start, etc.

Hard Start

A scheduled event that fires at an exact time, interrupting playback if needed.

Segue

A smooth transition between two audio elements.

Audio Processing and Import

Normalization

Adjusting audio to a target loudness level.

Trim In / Trim Out

Start and end points for playback within a cut.

Hook

A short excerpt used for promos or previews.

Import Filter

Rules applied when importing audio (naming, normalization, trimming).

System and Infrastructure

Host

A Rivendell workstation defined in RDAdmin.

Audio Device

Hardware interface used for playback/recording.

Audio Port

Logical channel on an audio device.

DropBox

Automated audio ingest directory watched by Rivendell.

CAED

Core Audio Engine Daemon; handles audio routing and playback.

RDService

Background service for log playout automation.

MySQL / MariaDB

Database backend storing all Rivendell metadata.

Macros and Automation

Macro

A scripted command executed by Rivendell (e.g., load deck, start cart, switch GPIO).

Macro Command

Individual instruction inside a macro cart (e.g., PLAY, STOP, LOAD, RML).

RML

Rivendell Macro Language; syntax for automation commands.

GPIO

General-purpose input/output used for hardware triggers (e.g., console buttons, closures).

Switch Event

A macro or command that changes audio routing or triggers external hardware.

Logging and Compliance

RDLog

The system’s log file format for playout.

RDLogEdit Validation

Ensures logs contain valid carts, transitions, and timing.

RDLogManager Reconciliation

Matching aired logs with scheduled logs for reporting.

RDReport

Tool for generating affidavits, usage reports, and compliance logs.

Troubleshooting and Maintenance

Audio Store

Directory where Rivendell stores cut audio.

Cut Fragmentation

When many edits cause inefficiency; fixed by re-encoding.

RDCheck

Utility for verifying database and audio store consistency.

DropBox Error

Issues with ingest (naming, permissions, unsupported formats).

HPI Errors

Audio driver issues related to hardware or configuration.