Broadcast live with RadioBOSS

RadioBOSS is radio automation software for Windows from DJSoft.net. It plays your music, jingles and schedules on your own computer, and it has a built-in encoder that sends the result to Icecast servers. This guide covers adding an Icecast encoder with the Configuration Wizard and going live.

Before you start. Before you start. RadioBOSS plays from your computer, so keep the computer on and connected while you broadcast. RadioBOSS is made by DJSoft.net and also has a separate cloud service called RadioBOSS Cloud. This guide is for the software you install on your own computer. Check djsoft.net for the current trial and licence options.

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.

Steps

1. Go to djsoft.net, open the RadioBOSS page and download the Windows installer. Run it and follow the wizard.
2. Open RadioBOSS and add your music and playlists. You will play these through the program.
3. 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.
4. In RadioBOSS, choose Settings then Options from the top menu bar.
5. In the Settings window, select Broadcast, then Metadata. Enter your station name, description, website and genre. Every encoder uses these details unless you override them.
6. Select Broadcast on the left. Tick Broadcasting enabled at the top.
7. Press the + button to add an encoder. The encoder window opens.
8. Click the Configuration Wizard, choose Icecast and click Next.
9. Enter your server address and your Port from How to connect.
10. Enter the username (login) and the password from How to connect. If you do not use separate DJ accounts, use the source password from How to connect.
11. Click Finish. Back in the encoder window, check the server details and choose your format and quality. If you are unsure, the default of 44100 Hz, MP3, 128 kbps, stereo is a safe choice. Choose a bitrate within your plan.
12. If the encoder window shows a mount point field, enter your mount point exactly as shown in How to connect, including the leading slash.
13. Press OK. The encoder appears in the list. Make sure its box is ticked and that Broadcasting enabled is ticked, then press OK in the Settings window.
14. Look at the report line at the bottom left of the RadioBOSS window. A message such as Connected to server means you are live. Your broadcast now interrupts your AutoDJ.
15. To finish, open Settings then Options and untick Broadcasting enabled, or close RadioBOSS. Your AutoDJ resumes automatically.

Settings at a glance

Showing the track title

On the Metadata tab of an encoder you choose how track names are sent to the server, so listeners see what is playing. The Station Info tab lets one encoder use a different name or description from your global details.

Listener statistics

The Statistics tab sets how RadioBOSS reads your listener count. This is optional, and not needed to broadcast.

Error messages

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 encoder shows an error. Match it against the error table above, then open the encoder with Edit in the Settings window to correct it.
• 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.

When you turn broadcasting off, your AutoDJ continues the programme.

Next guide: Broadcast live with StationPlaylist Studio