The Broadcast plugin is the very first real-time streamer on the Macintosh, broadcasting audio from a computer with an internet connection. The Broadcast plugin will let you quickly setup your own Internet radio station, which listeners can tune into from all over the world! The audio is broadcasted to a compatible server at a user-programmable bitrate, which may be switched. The Broadcast plugin will then re-encode the audio as it plays, so listeners will hear your music at a continuous bitrate.
The Broadcast plugin works with AMP Radio(http://www.subband.com/ampr/), as a simple plugin. It sends your stream to a server online, which broadcasts it to all the listeners connected to your station. With just a few clicks, you will have your station up and broadcasting. Just keep reading.
What servers are compatible with the Broadcast plugin?
Compatible servers with the Broadcast plugin currently include Shoutcast, Icecast, and Flycast. If you don't know what this means, don't worry. Just read on.
How do I setup The Broadcast plugin?
The first thing you need is a server for the Broadcast plugin to stream to. We recommend using Flycast, Live 365's server. Below are the steps for setting up a free Flycast server. The process is really very simple, and shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. After you set it up, you can broadcast anytime within seconds.
1) Go to http://www.live365.com
2) Click the 'Sign Up" link on the top left side of the page.
3) Fill out the form, and be sure you give your e-mail address. Click I Accept to submit your information. This will take you to the confirmation page.
4) Be sure to write down your member name and password.
5) Once you receive your confirmation e-mail, click the link and login.
6) Click the "sign up now." link on the Broadcaster Controls page that appears after you login.
7) Choose the Broadcast Live option and click "Next".
8) Click Other Tools on the page that loads.
9) Write down the IP address and port that is given to you on the page that loads up. Bookmark this page, as you will need to use it when the server requires resetting.
10) Open AMP Radio. Press Command-; or choose Preferences from the "Edit" menu. Now click the Output tab, and use the pulldown menu to access "Broadcast".
11) Once you have accessed the Broadcast plugin, enter the IP number in the first field of the "Address" line. Enter the port in the second field.
12) Enter your password for your Live365 account in the Password line.
13) Enter your station's name in the Name line. The name should be concise and descriptive, and may include methods for users to contact you to make requests or to visit your webpage, etc. Keep the name below 20 words.
14) Enter whatever you like in the Genre field. Separate different genres with commas, so that it will appear in each of those genres. For example, "Alternative, Rock".
15) Choose a bitrate. See the chart below to help you out.
If you're using a...
28.8 modem you should create a stream of 16kbps
33.6 modem you should create a stream of 24kbps or lower
56k modem you should create a stream of 32kbps or lower
64k (single-channel) ISDN you should create a stream of 56kbps or lower
128k (dual-channel) ISDN you should create a stream of 96kbps or lower
Cable Modem you should create a stream of 128kbps or lower
256k DSL you should create a stream of 128kbps or lower
T1, T3, higher you should create a stream of 256kbps or lower
When choosing your bitrate, also keep in mind what else your computer will be doing. If you will not be using it, setting it to a higher bitrate will not be a problem. But if you plan to work while broadcasting, the constant re-encoding at these high bitrates will slow down your machine significantly. Finally, think about your listeners. While you may have a high-speed connection, many users do not. A stream at 24 kbit/22 khz/ mono sounds very good, and can be picked up by almost any modem.
16) Click "Enable". You should receive a message telling you the Relay Server is ready. Close the Preferences. Your broadcast will begin as soon as you play audio through AMP Radio. That's it!
How Do I Broadcast Again After I've Set Up My Server?
After you've set up your server with Live365, it will take just seconds to restart your broadcast. Read on:
1) Open AMP Radio.
2) Press Command-; or choose Preferences from the "Edit" menu. Now click the Output tab, and use the pulldown menu to access "The Broadcast plugin".
3) Click "Enable" and wait for Relay Server to respond.
4) Close Preferences and start playing tracks!
Tips & Tricks
-To speak over your broadcast while no track is playing, use the "Live Input" plugin, under the Input tab in Preferences. Make sure your microphone is set as your input device.
-To speak over your broadcast while a track is playing, use the "Voiceover" plugin, under the DSP tab in Preferences. Make sure your microphone is set as your input device. To best use Voiceover, click "Enable" while the crossover slider is at "Full source". Slowly slide it to about two ticks below "Full voice". Speak, to announce the title of the song coming up, station announcements, etc. Now slowly move the slider back to "Full source", and uncheck the "Enable" box. This works best between songs, when one song has a long outro or a long intro, which can be spoken over without interrupting the music's flow. The Voiceover plugin can give your radio station that professional DJ sound.
-Because the Preferences must be open to access Live Input, Voiceover, we recommend you use the AMP Radio CSM, AMP Radio Strip to control AMP Radio while using these features.
-Mono stations generally sound better than Stereo, because Stereo requires more compression, causing lower quality at the same bitrate.
-If you do not receive any popup after clicking the Enable checkbox, restart your Live365 connection. To do this, login to your Live365 account and click Broadcaster Controls. Then click Restart Server. Now try clicking Enable again. Bookmark this page, you may need to restart fairly often.
-Any DSP affects the output you broadcast. This includes the Equalizer, the bass and treble controls and more.
-You can broadcast ANY audio AMP Radio can play. If you have a CD in the drive, drag the audio file onto AMP Radio's playlist and double-click it. AMP Radio will play and broadcast it.
-If you will be doing other work on your computer while broadcasting, it is advised that Virtual Memory(VM) be off. If you will be using the computer solely for broadcasting, leave VM on.
-AMP Radio requires more RAM to broadcast. Make sure to give it at least 6000k before you begin broadcasting.
Subband Software would like to thank the authors of LAME. The full LAME sources are available at the following address: http://www.sulaco.org/mp3/ .
AMP Radio, the Broadcast plugin are copyrighted by Subband Software, Inc. 2000.
