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- CONFIGURE NICECAST SERVER FOR MAC OS X
- CONFIGURE NICECAST SERVER INSTALL
- CONFIGURE NICECAST SERVER SOFTWARE
The first is to install the Shoutcast DNAS server on your Mac as outlined above and use the Windows platform for the broadcasting module. And there are a couple of approaches on the Mac platform. Let’s assume that your only reason for doing any of this is to impress your friends by playing some unique content on your cellphone "live." Nothing quite beats the iMan’s talk-radio broadcast if this is your goal.
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CONFIGURE NICECAST SERVER SOFTWARE
Be sure to review the configuration settings before you install the software and keep in mind that the Mac broadcast module cannot stream input from a sound card, only a playlist.
CONFIGURE NICECAST SERVER FOR MAC OS X
For the broadcaster component on Mac OS X, you can download the Shoutcast DSP Plugin for Mac OS X here. Be sure to carefully read the installation and configuration instructions which are included on Nullsoft’s web site. If you only want a system which can send a single song on demand or a system which will play a predefined playlist, then Nullsoft’s Shoutcast DNAS server for the Mac is a perfect fit, and you can download it here. As we mentioned in the first part of this article, this is complicated a bit by the fact that you also need a Broadcast Server in the Shoutcast environment. Assuming you’ve solved the bandwidth requirements, step two is actually choosing a Streaming Audio Server. And, to broadcast in stereo, means multiplying everything by two.Ĭhoosing A Streaming Server. Just keep in mind that the higher the stream rate, the more processing power is required to pump out the stream. If, on the other hand, you plan to play the stream from your home server at your beach house 500 miles away using an AudioTron with a three megabit cable modem connection to the Internet, then a 128 kbps stream in stereo may be more appropriate to improve the quality of the music at the receiving end. You did read our first installment, didn’t you? So, if you only will be supporting one stream (to you) and you plan to listen to your music on your cellphone, then a bit rate of 24 kbps in mono is probably about right unless you want the audio stream at the receiving end to die and restart regularly. We’re going to assume that you are the target audience for your stream to keep things on the up and up. Actually, the burning part is hyperbole, but you can almost count on a crash.Īnother factor to consider in planning the bitrate for your streaming server is the player hardware and download bandwidth of your target audience. What happens if you do the math wrong or cheat? Your server crashes and burns. For 8 simultaneous streams, the supported bitrate would be 32 kbps. For example, the maximum bitrate your 256 kbps connection could support with two streams is 128 kbps. To determine the maximum bitrate that your server can support, divide the number of simultaneous streams you wish to support by the upload bandwidth of your connection. Let’s assume your upload number is 256 kbps. What we’re interested in is the upload number. We don’t care so much about download performance for this project. The MegaPath Networks site usually works well. Instead, visit a site such as DSL Reports and run a Speed Test. How do you figure this out? Well, first you need to know how much upload bandwidth your Internet connection supports. The bottom line is that a streaming audio server can only stream as much data as your Internet upload connection will support. So the best place to begin the design of your streaming audio server is with a pencil and some math fundamentals. Put another way, you probably don’t want to be transmitting a 192K audio stream in stereo if you only have a broadband Internet connection with limited upload bandwidth.
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As we mentioned last week, streaming music is a processor and bandwidth intensive operation because your Mac not only has to decode a compressed music file stored on your local disk and broadcast it to the streaming server, but the streaming server also has to recompress it and manage the audio streams for each player that connects to your streaming server. So we’ll be putting in place your own server using a Mac mini to send your tunes to your streaming audio player, whatever it may be. We’ll assume that you already have chosen your favorite player or smartphone and that you’ve opted out of buying Apple’s just-announced Victrola (click inset) or Sony’s latest marvel, the NetJuke. Today, we want to finish building our streaming audio server by picking up where we left off in Part I.