Radio Pulze, the campus intranet student radio station accessed from NUScast, was launched on Valentine's Day this year. The launch event at the Forum was graced by NUS President Professor Shih Choon Fong. Students, staff and alumni alike were treated to lively music and dance performances which ushered in a new era of student-run radio in NUS.

To support the day-to-day operations of Radio Pulze, the Centre for Instructional Technology (CIT) set up a Mac Hub (see the Mac Hub diagram below) at the CIT Studio at the Central Library Annexe. This robust and versatile Apple Macintosh system caters for Radio Pulze's complex workflow as there are stringent licensing arrangements which demand a systematization of the workflow, particularly with regard to transferring music to server.

The Mac Hub | Click to view diagram

The Mac Hub is primarily based on an Apple Xserve G5 server coupled with an Apple Xserve RAID for robust archiving and retrieval. There are four workstations for Broadcast, Production, Library, and Systems Support respectively. The Hub is also served by an Apple AirPort Extreme wireless base station, so that entry of other portable stations is possible in the future. Radio DJs edit audio, create playlists and maintain databases using iTunes, MegaSeg, Logic Pro and QuickTime Pro among others.

Radio Pulze DJs are organized into three teams - Broadcast, Production and Library - which fit into a systematic workflow (see Radio Pulze Workflow diagram below) that enable them to work collaboratively while ensuring that playlists are routed in the correct manner through authorized account holders.

Radio Pulze Workflow | Click to view diagram

Radio Pulze broadcasts daily (Mondays to Fridays) between noon and 2 pm. Listeners on campus can expect a mix of talk shows, music requests, and campus news breaks.

Mr Victor Pang
Mac Hub Consultant
Centre for Instructional Technology