The most effective approach is to create a combination of track groups based on your content types and operational needs. Start by setting up separate track groups for each major content category to ensure proper organisation and control over your programming.

Create content-based track groups:

Begin with Filtered Track Groups for your main content categories. Go to Manage > Track Groups and create filtered groups based on the Type field. The available track types in PlayIt Live are:

• Song - Your music content
• Station ID - Station identification jingles and IDs
• Promo - Promotional content and announcements
• Commercial - Advertisement content
• News - News bulletins and updates
• Bed - Background music beds for talking over
• Station ID + Bed - Station IDs with background music
• Inferred - Content where the type is automatically determined based on artist, title, tags and duration

Set up colour coding and icons:

For each track group, tick the Colour checkbox and assign distinctive colours - for example, blue for Station IDs, green for Songs, red for Commercials, yellow for Promos, and orange for News. You can also assign custom icons to make different content types instantly recognisable on your playout log. This visual coding makes it much easier to identify content types at a glance during live broadcasts.

Consider additional groupings:

Create more specific track groups for different music categories if needed, such as "Current Hits", "Gold Tracks", "Christmas Music", or genre-specific groups. You can also set up presenter-specific groups or daypart-specific content groups (like "Breakfast Promos" or "Drive Time Beds").

Use priority settings:

If tracks appear in multiple groups, set Priority levels to determine which group's colour and icon take precedence on the playout log display.

Apply to scheduling:

Once your track groups are established, use them in your Clocks (Manage > Clocks) and Playout Pattern (Manage > Playout Pattern) to create structured programming. For example, you might set up a pattern of Song > Station ID > Song > Commercial that automatically selects content from the appropriate track groups.