Rocket Broadcaster is a streaming encoder for Windows. It takes audio from a microphone or line-in device and broadcasts it to your online radio via a streaming server. In this article we’re going to explain how to configure Rocket Broadcaster with your own radio station.
First things first, you’ll need to download the software:
The free version will allow you to broadcast one audio input in 128Kbps. You’ll also be able to capture audio from other apps on your computer. For more features, you can purchase the full version for $49.
CONFIGURE YOUR AUDIO INPUT
Before you start broadcasting live on your radio station, you must configure your audio inputs. To do so, head over to Radio Broadcaster, under Options > Preferences in the menu bar at the top:
- Sample rate: make sure your sample rate is set to 44100
- Input device: select your microphone or audio interface
Note: If you’re planning on using any streaming services or applications to broadcast music from, go to Preferences > System Audio Capture and select System Default (as shown above). This will ensure that any music played on your computer is broadcast through Rocket Broadcaster.
You can check that your levels are coming through from you mic and other apps via the main screen.
CONFIGURE YOUR RADIO STREAM
Now that your input device has been configured, it’s time to set up your radio stream. To do this, head over to Broadcast > Streams and enter the following information:
- Name: Radio name
- Server Type: IceCast 2
- Hostname or IP: live.radioking.com
- Port: 80
- Mount: your mountpoint
- Username: your RadioKing username
- Password: your RadioKing password
Note: you’ll find all of your connection information under the Live Tab of your Radio Manager.
Click on ok to save your settings.
To ensure that your details have been entered correctly, you can click on the Test Stream button.
USING AN ADDITIONAL BROADCASTING SOFTWARE
As we explained, Rocket Broadcaster is an audio stream encoder. This means that you can use an additional broadcasting software (ex: Mixxx, Virtual DJ, Serato DJ…) in order to manage your music.
If you’re planning on doing so, you’ll need to configure your metadata display under Broadcast > Metadata Capture. Bear in mind that the process may vary depending on your chosen software, for more information we invite you to follow this link.
Note: you can also manually enter your metadata on the right-hand side of the Rocket Broadcaster home screen.
Once your configuration is finished, click on Start broadcast. If everything is configured correctly, you should see On air appear in Rocket Broadcaster! You will also see the live mention appear in your Radio Manager.
When your live broadcast is finished, disconnect Rocket Broadcaster by clicking on the Stop Broadcast button.
And there you have it! You now know how to broadcast live on your radio station with Rocket Broadcaster. We hope you found this article helpful, happy broadcasting to you all!
