Tutorials

The technology behind your radio

Each SoundFlux radio runs on a Shoutcast (DNAS) or Icecast server, the same kind of server used by thousands of web radios. The server receives audio from a source and streams it to your listeners. You manage everything in Sonic Panel, a control panel built for radio stations, reached over HTTPS.

Two ways to broadcast

• AutoDJ: the server plays your music and playlists by itself, 24 hours a day, even with your computer switched off.
• Live: you connect broadcasting software (an encoder) to the server and talk or play music in real time. The panel lets you manage DJ accounts and switch between live and AutoDJ.

Secure stream (HTTPS)

The stream is served over HTTPS, with a certificate that we manage and renew before it expires, so your website and listeners' apps show no warnings. If your website uses HTTPS, the stream must too: otherwise the browser blocks the audio (mixed content).

Quality and data use

Each plan sets the maximum bitrate (128, 192 or 320 kbps) and the number of simultaneous listeners. One listener at 128 kbps uses about 58 MB per hour; at 192 kbps, about 86 MB; at 320 kbps, about 144 MB. A higher bitrate sounds better but uses more data for people listening on mobile. Monthly bandwidth for the radio is unlimited on all plans.

Players for your website

The panel includes ready-made players for your website (full page and simple player) and a DJ status indicator.

Web radio or streaming platforms?

Audio creators today have many ways to reach an audience: YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify and other platforms, with live and on-demand content. A web radio does not replace these platforms; it is a complement with different characteristics that are worth understanding before you decide.

What a web radio offers

• Control: the channel has your address, your schedule and your identity, without depending on recommendation algorithms or third-party monetisation rules.
• Continuous broadcast: a linear stream 24 hours a day, with AutoDJ, that keeps playing when you are not live.
• Compatibility: the same stream address works on websites, apps and internet radio players, needs no video and uses little data.

What it does not offer

• Discovery: the big platforms bring their own audience. With a web radio you have to bring listeners to your channel (website, social media, community, radio directories).
• Metrics and retention: the statistics are simpler than those of the big platforms.
• Third-party music: you must hold the rights and licences that apply to the music you broadcast.

Shoutcast or Icecast? The differences

Shoutcast and Icecast are the two most widely used radio streaming servers on the internet. They do the same job: receive audio from a source and deliver it to many listeners over HTTP. For listeners the difference is practically invisible; for broadcasters there are differences in origin, formats and organisation.

Which to choose

• Shoutcast: the simple, universal choice. It suits most stations: one MP3 or AAC stream, easy to connect from any broadcasting software.
• Icecast: makes sense if you want open formats such as Opus or Ogg Vorbis, or several streams (for example several bitrates) on the same server.

Bitrate: what it is and is a higher plan worth it?

Bitrate is the amount of data the stream sends per second, measured in kbps (kilobits per second). More bitrate generally means more detail in the sound, but also more data for each listener and more demand on the broadcaster. Moving to a higher plan only pays off when the benefits are noticeable in your case.

What affects the quality listeners hear

• The quality of the source files: a 320 kbps stream made from 128 kbps files does not sound better than 128 kbps. Always start from the best-quality files you have.
• The format: AAC is more efficient than MP3, so at low bitrates (64 to 96 kbps) it sounds better. MP3 is the most compatible.
• The type of content: speech needs less bitrate than complex music such as orchestras or electronic.
• Audio processing: well-tuned compression and equalisation often matter more than an extra 64 kbps.
• The listener's equipment and surroundings: on a phone or in a noisy car, the difference between 128 and 320 kbps is barely noticeable.
• The listener's connection: a high bitrate needs a stable connection. On weak mobile networks there can be dropouts and buffering pauses.

Advantages and disadvantages of a higher bitrate

How the plans compare

How to decide whether it is worth it

1. Ask yourself who listens and how: phone, car, computer with speakers or headphones.
2. Check your files' quality: without files of at least 192 kbps (or lossless), raising the stream bitrate brings no improvement.
3. Run a test: listen to the same track at 128 and 192 kbps with headphones and see whether you notice the difference. If you do not, your listeners probably will not either.
4. Consider data use: listeners on mobile data appreciate lower bitrates.
5. If you are torn between more bitrate and more listeners, choose according to your bottleneck: sound quality or audience size.

In short: 128 kbps is enough for most stations. Move up to 192 or 320 kbps when music is your product, your listeners have equipment that can show the difference and your files are good enough.

Getting started: from order to on air

1. After payment you receive an e-mail with the panel address, your username and the broadcast details.
2. Sign in to the panel over HTTPS and check the station name, genre and language.
3. Upload music: drag MP3 files into the panel's library, or use FTP (port 21) with a client such as FileZilla.
4. Create a playlist with that music and enable it in AutoDJ.
5. Start AutoDJ and open the stream address in a player (for example VLC) to confirm there is sound.
6. Copy the player code from the panel into your website and share the link with listeners.

AutoDJ: your radio playing by itself

AutoDJ is the station's automatic scheduler: it plays music, jingles and idents following the rules you set, with nobody connected.

Music library

• Organise music in folders (albums, genres or shows) so you can find it quickly.
• Keep ID3 tags correct: artist and title appear in listeners' players and in the statistics. The panel lets you edit them.
• Use MP3 files between 128 and 320 kbps at 44.1 kHz. Converting a low-bitrate file to a higher bitrate does not improve its quality.

Current limitation: MP3s uploaded through the playlist settings

Recommended procedure:

1. In the playlist management window, create the playlist without uploading files there.
2. Open the Music Library and create an internal folder.
3. Upload your MP3s to that folder.
4. Drag and drop the files from the folder into the playlist created in the first step.

If AutoDJ is already playing tracks you deleted, ask support for help.

Playlists and scheduling

You can create several playlists (for example morning, afternoon, night and weekend) and schedule them by day and time. Scheduling handles time zones, which helps if you have listeners in other countries. Reorder playlists by drag and drop, and change them while they are on air.

Intervals, jingles and transitions

• Set which jingles, idents or messages play every N songs or at time intervals. Jingles play without dropping listeners.
• Apply a fade between tracks for smooth transitions.

Voice over AutoDJ

The panel has text-to-speech: type a sentence and it is converted to audio with professional voices (available voices depend on the language), useful for time checks, announcements and introductions. You can also use a microphone to talk over the music.

Broadcasting live

To broadcast live, connect broadcasting software (an encoder) to the server. Each radio's connection details are in the welcome e-mail and in the panel.

Connection details

• Server type: Shoutcast (v2) or Icecast, depending on your radio.
• Address and broadcast port: shown in the panel and in the e-mail.
• Password: the broadcast password (or the DJ account's).
• Format: MP3 (works with every player) or AAC.
• Bitrate: equal to or lower than your plan's.
• Sample rate and channels: 44,100 Hz, stereo.

How to broadcast

Install one of the programs in the software section, enter the details above, start broadcasting and check in the panel that the status shows “live”. The tutorials tab on the home page has the steps for BUTT and RadioBOSS.

Streaming to YouTube and Facebook

The Advanced and Professional plans include connecting your radio to YouTube Live and Facebook Live, done from the panel itself. The radio appears on your channel or page as a live broadcast, with a still image over the audio. It works with Shoutcast and Icecast radios.

Before you start

• YouTube: an account with live streaming enabled. YouTube can take about 24 hours to activate it (activation is at youtube.com/livestreaming).
• Facebook: an account with live streaming enabled (facebook.com/live/create).
• Image: a file at 1280x720 pixels, used as the video background.
• Stream key: each platform gives you one. Treat it like a password: anyone who has it can broadcast on your channel. SoundFlux never asks you for this key.

Connecting to YouTube

1. Enable live streaming at youtube.com/livestreaming and wait for activation.
2. In the radio panel, open the Youtube Live Stream link in the left menu.
3. Enter your YouTube stream key and upload the 1280x720 image.
4. Click Start to begin streaming the radio to YouTube Live.

Connecting to Facebook

1. Enable live streaming at facebook.com/live/create.
2. In the radio panel, open the Facebook Live Stream link in the left menu.
3. Enter your Facebook stream key and upload the 1280x720 image.
4. Click Start to begin streaming the radio to Facebook Live.

Copyright: please read carefully

These steps follow the panel manufacturer’s documentation; menu names may change with updates.

Statistics and reports

The panel shows listeners in real time and keeps the history.

• Simultaneous listeners and peaks by day and hour.
• World map showing where listeners are.
• History so you can see which time slots and shows draw the most listeners.
• Reports you can export as TXT, PDF and Excel, useful for declaring the music played.

Connecting SoundFlux to a traditional radio studio

If you already have a studio (mixing desk, microphones and an automation computer), SoundFlux is an additional output: the audio that goes to your transmitter or main broadcast also goes to the internet.

Scenario A: automation and encoder on the same computer

The simplest case. You use automation software with a built-in encoder (for example RadioBOSS or mAirList). Microphones come in through the desk and the audio interface, or directly in the program.

Scenario B: mixing desk with a dedicated internet output

One desk output (group, aux or record) goes to the line input of an audio interface on the broadcast computer, where an encoder such as BUTT sends the audio to the server. What goes to the internet is exactly what leaves the desk, including microphones, phone and music.

Scenario C: two computers

One computer runs the automation and another runs only the encoder. It isolates failures: if the automation freezes, the encoder stays connected.

Levels and processing

• Feed the encoder a stereo signal at 44.1 kHz, with peaks below about −1 dBFS.
• If you use an audio processor (hardware or software), place it before the encoder. Presets designed for FM often sound excessive on a 128 kbps stream: tune them for streaming.

Bandwidth and reliability

• Make sure you have a stable, free upload of at least twice the bitrate (400 kbps for 192 kbps).
• Broadcast over a network cable, not Wi-Fi.
• If the broadcast is critical, consider a backup 4G/5G connection.
• The stream lags traditional radio by several seconds. Do not use it to give the exact time live and, for listener call-ins, always monitor from the studio.

Backup and metadata

• Always keep a backup AutoDJ playlist in the panel, so you can go back to it when the live show ends.
• Many automation programs send the current artist and title to the server. Turn that option on so they appear in the player and in the statistics.

Copyright

Playing music on the internet may require copyright and related-rights licences (in Portugal, check with the relevant collecting societies, such as SPA, GDA or Audiogest). SoundFlux provides the infrastructure; the content is the station owner's responsibility. This is not legal advice.

Automation software and encoders

Any program that can send audio to a Shoutcast server works with SoundFlux. There are two roles: automation decides what plays, and the encoder carries the audio to the server. Some programs do both.

Which combination to choose

• One program: automation with a built-in encoder (RadioBOSS, mAirList). The simplest.
• Automation plus BUTT: when the automation has no encoder. Use a virtual audio cable (for example VB-Audio Cable on Windows) to pass the sound from one program to the other.
• Mixing desk plus BUTT: for studios with a physical desk and an audio interface.

BUTT in five steps

1. Open BUTT and go to Settings › Main.
2. Under Server click ADD and name the connection.
3. Under Type choose Shoutcast; enter the address, port and broadcast password.
4. Under Audio choose the input device and, for the format, MP3 at your plan's bitrate.
5. Save and press the play button to go live.

Troubleshooting

If you cannot fix it, open a support request with the station name, the time of the problem, the program and version you use and, if possible, a screenshot of the error.