Essential software for Radio Stations

Looking to get your own radio station up and running? In this article we’re going to show you essential software for radio stations: from setting up your stream, to controlling your sound levels. Let’s dive right in!

1/ The Radio Manager
2/ Live broadcasting
3/ Audio recording
4/ Taking live calls
5/ Normalisation
6/ Bonus!

1/ The Radio Manager

Ok so this may not technically be a software for radio, but to start your station you’ll need to find a hosting platform. At RadioKing, we have 4 Radio Offers that provide you with access to the Radio Manager. This online platform allows you to create and manage your internet radio station! It includes all the features needed to organise your content, share it, and measure your results:

• An intelligent media library to upload your content and create your own playlists & programs. You can also tag your songs (genre, year, duration, BPM etc…) to better organise your MP3 files.
• A simple planning tool to schedule your content to broadcast automatically (and up to 6 months in advance).
• Detailed statistics regarding your listeners (location, session duration, listening device…)
• Customisable widgets to help you share your radio station (including a radio page and radio player).
• Live broadcasting compatible with various software (IceCast).
• A team area that allows you to add admins to help run your radio station.
• And many other features such as: geo-protection, normalization, a dedicated page on the RadioKing listening platform…

2/ Live broadcasting software for radio stations

Another essential piece of software for radio is a live broadcasting software. This will allow you to go live and speak directly to your listeners in real time. There are many different software solutions available, some that are more complex than others. The broadcasting software you choose will depend on your needs, as well as your equipment.

MIXXX

One of the most popular DJ-ing software for internet radio stations! It includes 4 decks for mixing music, as well as a number of audio processing features. You can look at this software solution as a kind of mini radio studio in your very own computer.

Available to download on Mac OS, Windows & Linux

BUTT

A simple encoder that will allow you to broadcast live and record your sessions. It’s an extremely popular software, and probably the easiest to use!

Available to download on Mac OS, Windows & Linux

VIRTUAL DJ

Another highly used software for radio DJs, it includes many features, such as advanced mixers, equalization, powerful track management with smart folders and more.

Available on Mac OS and Windows

For more a detailed list on various live broadcasting software for radio stations, we invite you to take a look at this article.

3/ Audio recording software for radio stations

When running a radio station, there may be times when you want to pre-record your radio shows and broadcast them at a later time. It’s also a great way to turn your radio shows into podcasts, and make them available on your radio app or website!

In order to record your shows, you’ll need to use an audio recording software. Our top 3 selection of free recording software for radio shows are:

• Audacity: Whether it’s for creating jingles, editing your radio shows or simply for recording, Audacity is perfect for all your audio creations. Plus, it’s free to download!
• GarageBand: A popular software for musiciens, it can also be used to easily record your shows. Plus, you can add effects to your voice and easily drag and drop your jingles on a second audio track.
• Reaper: This software is the most complex of the 3, and is extremely customisable. It has many features that will allow you to edit your show after recording.

These software solutions are also great for creating your own jingles or advertisements! Discover how to create your own jingle in this article!

4/ Communication and live call-ins

If you’re planning on broadcasting your listeners live on air, then you may also want to download a communication software. These solutions will allow you to launch a call with 1 or multiple people (in different locations) and broadcast the audio to your online stream via a live broadcasting software.

• Microsoft Teams
• Google Meet
• Discord

Take a look at our tutorial on how to take live calls on your radio station.

5/ Normalisation

The last essentiel software for radio stations that we’re going to talk about is MP3Gain. This software allows you to normalise your MP3 files so that they are all at the same volume level.

As you know, not all songs are recorded at the same volume. This can result in an unpleasant listening experience for the audience of your radio. By using MP3Gain, you ensure that your listeners won’t have to manually adjust the volume on their device in between tracks.

Note: The Radio Manager incorporates simple standardization, which can smooth out small differences, or advanced standardization (European standard EBU R 128), for Radio Business customers.

6/ Bonus tools

To finish off, here are some bonus tools that aren’t directly linked to the broadcasting of your station or creation of audio content. These solutions can be incredibly useful when it comes to organising your station!

• Notion: Create a shared workspace with your team to organize everything from show schedules, to guests and scripts, etc… It’s a great solution for teams who work remotely, plus you can fully customize the interface. 
• Canva: A great tool for creating promo graphics, posts for your social networks, logo design, etc… It’s beginner-friendly and the Pro Version includes a wide variety of templates that you can customize.
• Buffer: A practical tool that allows you to schedule social media content in advance!

Frequently Asked Questions