Many of the internet stations you listen to have no one in the room most of the day. Automation is what keeps them going. Understanding how it works helps you build a station that sounds planned rather than mechanical.
What an AutoDJ is
An AutoDJ is software on your host’s server that plays audio from a library you upload. It picks tracks, joins them one after another, and sends the result to your listeners as a continuous stream. You decide the rules; it follows them every hour of every day.
Playlists and categories
The simplest setup is one big playlist on shuffle. It works, but it sounds like one. A better approach is to group your music into categories and tell the system when to use each: calmer tracks in the morning, upbeat ones at drive time, something slower late at night. Our guide to setting up AutoDJ shows the steps.
Scheduling shows around the clock
A calendar-style scheduler lets you place a playlist, a pre-recorded show or a live slot at exact times. Repeat a weekly pattern and listeners learn when their favourite programme is on. Citrus3’s advanced scheduling lets you drag events onto a calendar exactly where you want them. See the feature overview, or follow the scheduling tutorial.
Jingles, news and station IDs at intervals
This is where a station starts to sound like radio. Short items such as station identifiers, news bulletins, sponsor messages and promos can be inserted at set intervals: on a given minute, every hour, or after a number of tracks have played. Choose the rhythm that suits your format. A station ID every few songs reminds new arrivals who they are listening to, while a news bulletin on the hour gives people a reason to tune in at a certain time. Learn how in adding jingles and ads.
Keeping it from sounding repetitive
- Avoid repeats. Set a minimum gap before the same track or artist can play again.
- Mix the tempo. Categories help you keep an even energy without all-fast or all-slow runs.
- Rotate your jingles. Five different station IDs in rotation sound more alive than one on a loop.
- Refresh the library. Add new tracks regularly so regulars hear something new.
Mixing live and automated
You do not have to choose. Many stations run on AutoDJ most of the time and have presenters connect live for a show. When a live DJ connects, the stream switches to them; when they disconnect, the AutoDJ takes over again, so there is no dead air between shows. Your presenters can each have their own access, which we explain in the DJ access guide.
Keep your own copy of the music
Whatever platform you use, hold on to your own originals. Treat the library on the server as a working copy and keep your master files somewhere you control, such as an external drive or a cloud folder.
When to go fully live
Automation is a foundation, not a replacement for personality. The best-loved small stations add live voices where it matters most: a weekly show, a Friday request hour, a monthly interview. Automate the routine so you have the energy for those.
Next: Stream quality explained: bitrate, formats and data use