LadioCast is a free app for Mac that mixes several audio sources and sends the result to your station. It has four inputs and four outputs, so you can combine a microphone, a mixing desk and other sources. This guide covers installing it, connecting it and going live.
Before you start. LadioCast is for Mac only. Check on its App Store page that it supports your version of macOS before you download it. Windows users should use BUTT, Mixxx or Winamp.
A simple way to broadcast from your Mac, with a microphone mix-in. Mac App Store.
Where to find your connection details
Every program on this page needs the same five details to reach your station: a server address, a port, a username, a password and a mount point. You copy them from your control panel. It takes about a minute, and you only need to do it once for each program.
1. Log in to your control panel
Use the control panel link and the username and password from your welcome email.
2. Go to the dashboard and click How to connect
After you sign in you arrive at the main dashboard. Next to the preview player you will see a blue link called How to connect. Click it.
3. Copy your five details
A window opens with your connection details. Keep it open while you set up your software.
| The window shows | What it is, and what your software may call it |
|---|---|
| Server IP | Where your station lives. In your software this may be called Address, Host, Hostname, Server or Server URL. Enter the address only, with no http://. |
| Server Port | The port number. Your software calls it Port. |
| Username | Called Username, User, Login or Encoder username. It is often source, but use the one shown on your dashboard. |
| Password | Your source password for broadcasting. Your software may call it Password or Encoder password. It is not the password you use to log in to the control panel. |
| Mount Point | The stream path. Your software may call it Mount, Mountpoint or Stream path. Copy it exactly, including the slash at the start, for example /stream. |
- The window says Icecast2 or Shoutcast v1.x. Always choose Icecast (or Icecast 2) as the type in your software.
- It also says Start AutoDJ to use DJ Manager login. That only matters if you use separate DJ accounts. Your station’s AutoDJ must be running for those logins to work.
- Copy and paste each value instead of typing it, and keep your password private.
- When you connect, your live broadcast interrupts your AutoDJ programming. When you disconnect, the AutoDJ resumes by itself.
Steps
- Open the link above, or search for LadioCast in the Mac App Store, and download the app.
- When it has installed, open LadioCast from your Applications folder. If macOS asks for permission to use the microphone, allow it.
- Log in to your control panel. On the dashboard, click the How to connect link next to the preview player and keep that page open. You will copy five details from it: the server IP, port, username, password and mount point. The pictures at the top of this page show where to look.
- In the menu bar at the top of the screen, choose Streamer, then Streamer 1, then IceCast.
- On the Connection tab, enter your Host, which is your server IP, and your Port.
- Enter your Mount exactly as shown, including the leading slash, then your User and your Password.
- Enter your Stream name and your Web URL, which can be your radio page address. You can also add a genre and description.
- Open the Encoding tab. Set the format to MP3, the sample rate to 44100, the channels to Stereo and the bitrate mode to Constant. Choose a bitrate within your plan.
- Open the Metadata tab, type the name of your show, and click Update. Listeners will see it as the current title.
- In the main mixer window, choose your microphone under Input 1. If you have no microphone, you can pick the Mac’s built-in one. Use headphones as your output so your broadcast does not feed back into the microphone.
- Speak and check that the green level bar moves. The other inputs can carry other sound sources.
- In the Streamer window, click Connect. After a few seconds you are live, and your AutoDJ is interrupted.
- To finish, click Disconnect in the Streamer window or quit LadioCast. Your AutoDJ resumes automatically.
Settings at a glance
| Setting | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Streamer type | IceCast |
| Host | Your server IP from How to connect |
| Port | Your port |
| Mount | Your mount point, starting with a slash |
| User / Password | Your username and source password |
| Format | MP3, 44100 Hz, Stereo |
| Bitrate mode | Constant |
| Bitrate | Up to your plan: 128, 256 or 320 kbps |
Broadcasting music from your Mac
LadioCast takes audio from the input devices that macOS offers. To broadcast music from another app, route that app’s sound through a virtual audio device such as BlackHole, then choose it as one of LadioCast’s inputs. Use a second input for your microphone, and balance the two in the mixer.
Check that it is working
Open your radio page, or press play on the preview player on your dashboard, and listen. Expect a delay of a few seconds between what you do and what you hear, because every internet stream has some. For the most honest test, listen on a phone over mobile data. If you can hear your show, you are live, and your AutoDJ is paused until you disconnect.
Troubleshooting
- The level bar does not move. Pick a different input device and check macOS has allowed LadioCast to use the microphone in System Settings, under Privacy and Security.
- I hear an echo. Wear headphones and send LadioCast’s output to them, not your speakers.
- It will not connect. Open How to connect again and compare every field character by character, or copy and paste each one. The server must be entered as an address or IP only, with no
http://, and a mount point must begin with a slash. - It says the password is wrong. Use the source password shown in How to connect, not your control panel login password.
- It connects but listeners hear nothing. The program is sending silence. Check that the right input is selected, that the level meters move, and that nothing is muted.
- The audio stutters or drops. Your upload connection is the usual cause. Close video calls, cloud backups and other uploads, use a cable instead of Wi-Fi, and try a lower bitrate.
- The audio sounds too fast, slow or distorted. Make the sample rate the same everywhere (44100 Hz is the safe choice) and keep your levels out of the red.
- My AutoDJ did not come back. Make sure the program has fully disconnected, then wait a short while. If the station is still silent, email support@citrus3.zendesk.com.
- If macOS asks for permission to use the microphone, allow it.
- Use headphones so your broadcast does not feed back into the microphone.
Every time you disconnect, your AutoDJ takes over again.
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