Live Stream to IceCast2 & AirTime Question
  • Vote Up0Vote Down D. PageD. Page
    Posts: 2Member
    I am very impressed with the AirTime software.  My university in the U.S. is planning on using AirTime to develop a college radio station next semester.

    We recently tried to broadcast a live concert in our auditorium, but did not have any success.  The equipment we used in this scenario was a MacBook Pro and an M-Audio usb device that connected to the auditorium soundboard.  I downloaded Mixxx as stated on the website and we were able to wirelessly connect to the Ubuntu server in another building under "live.ogg," but there was no audio output to AirTime.  Meaning, no waves appeared on the screen.

    We have AirTime version 1.9.5 installed on the server.

    We would like to conduct a live broadcast in the future and we would appreciate any help with this matter.
  • 11 Comments sorted by
  • Vote Up0Vote Down Martin KonecnyMartin Konecny
    Posts: 1,860Member
    I'm not exactly sure how you were trying to use Airtime in that setup. If you remove all that extra stuff, does Airtime go on-air?
    Airtime Pro Hosting: http://airtime.pro
  • Vote Up0Vote Down D. PageD. Page
    Posts: 2Member
    Yes, AirTime has been on air and when we upload a music file and schedule it to be broadcast, it works perfectly.

    My question is regarding how to record a live show and broadcast live to AirTime.  I scheduled a live show to be recorded, but we did not have success using Mixxx.


    So, how can we record live using AirTime and the equipment listed above?

  • Vote Up0Vote Down Daniel JamesDaniel James
    Posts: 844Member, Sourcefabric Team
    Hi D, in the method shown in the stream handover chapter of the manual, the live stream from your auditorium does not go via Airtime. Instead, both Airtime and Mixxx take turns to mount sources on an Icecast server. The Icecast server may be installed on the same machine as Airtime, or it may be on a separate server.

    The live show recording feature in Airtime 1.9.5 only works for line-in recordings, direct to the server soundcard, not remote streams from Mixxx. In a future version of Airtime there will be a feature which can record and rebroadcast incoming streams in this way.

    For now, to use the live show recorder with an incoming stream, you would need to have a client program connect to the stream (as a listener) and feed that audio to the line-in port of the soundcard on the server. Probably the simplest way to do that is to hook up a second PC, next to the server, to act as a live stream client. This set-up would make the recording but not re-broadcast the stream live, so you would still have to mount the Mixxx source on the Icecast server.

    Does your auditorium have a socket for the campus network, perhaps in the sound booth? If so, I would recommend using the LAN rather than the wireless network for the stream from Mixxx to Icecast. You might also consider moving the Airtime server to the auditorium sound booth, if you have one, so that you can use the line-in recording of live shows for later broadcast.

    If you need more help, please let us know.

    Cheers!

    Daniel
  • Vote Up0Vote Down Per Runar KrogsæterPer Runar Krogsæter
    Posts: 3Member
    Please delete this comment...
    Post edited by Per Runar Krogsæter at 2014-03-05 20:04:13
  • Vote Up0Vote Down Per Runar KrogsæterPer Runar Krogsæter
    Posts: 3Member

    "For now, to use the live show recorder with an incoming stream, you would need to have a client program connect to the stream (as a listener) and feed that audio to the line-in port of the soundcard on the server. Probably the simplest way to do that is to hook up a second PC, next to the server, to act as a live stream client. This set-up would make the recording but not re-broadcast the stream live, so you would still have to mount the Mixxx source on the Icecast server."

    Does this mean that when connecting an analog mixer to the line-in port of the soundcard, it's only possible to record the live show for future re-broadcast, but NOT stream directly to the listeners via Airtime at the same time? 

    I did a test on this, and it seems like when selecting record from line input, I'm getting no stream. While scheduling mp3-files to a show directly in Airtime, I hear the sound from the stream without any problems.

    We're at the moment using mAirList on a PC, which has support for Icecast/Shoutcast. But as we are using mAirlist only for playing mp3-files (songs, jingles, etc), we won't get the sound from the radio talents mic onto that stream. Obviously, because the talents microphone is connected to a our Allen&Heath XB-14 broadcast mixer, and NOT to the computer/PC.

    Any suggested workarounds?

    (I guess something went wrong when I was trying to quote my comment...)

    Post edited by Per Runar Krogsæter at 2014-03-05 20:13:11
  • Vote Up0Vote Down John ChewterJohn Chewter
    Posts: 899Member
    Hm.
    The basic architecture of Airtime does indeed seem flawed. I have thought it for some time. Airtime is a large collection of open source projects stuck together with chewing gum (check the copyright notices in the files). Most of the bugs we see are these projects not talking to each other very well. Example: God knows how many clock/timeZone systems were out of step until 2.51, alas. Albert S and his team are making it a lot better - by the week. I would not like to have inherited his job. :/
    No longer using Airtime or Libretime.
  • Vote Up0Vote Down Voisses TechVoisses Tech
    Posts: 1,423Member
    Here are the work around:-

    From a Liquidsoap perspective
    http://forum.sourcefabric.org/discussion/15915/record-output-to-a-file-every-hour-from-input-alsamicand-icecast

    http://forum.sourcefabric.org/discussion/15027/simple-way-for-recording-streams/p1

    And I show you how to configure alsa here

    http://forum.sourcefabric.org/discussion/comment/26423

    From Other software and Command line here
    @Micz Flor wrote some good articles here

    http://www.sourcefabric.org/en/community/blog/2076/Schedule-stream-recordings-from-the-command-line-Part-1.htm

    http://www.sourcefabric.org/en/community/blog/2077/Schedule-stream-recordings-from-the-command-line-Part-2.htm

    I use the Podcast downloader from Micz Flor but I use this method http://forum.sourcefabric.org/discussion/16372/scheduled-recording-of-web-streams to do recording and gzip to compress for storage

    Post edited by Voisses Tech at 2014-03-06 07:38:13
    Anyone reading this a find it funny about my grammar , I make no apology ,Go get a translator.
    "The Problem with education today is that it takes a university degree to switch on a light bulb"
    "You learn from your mistakes but wise people learn from others mistakes avoid Making mistakes there is not sufficient rooms to make them"
    "Innuendo","If's","Assumptions" and "Fear" are for politician.Who,What,where,When and How are for those seeking knowledge and care about Humanity.
    "I might be in Mud but that does not Make me a Wild Hog(pig)"
    “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”
    "The only thing that remains constant is change itself"
    May the force be with you,until our path or destiny bring us in tandem.
  • Vote Up0Vote Down Voisses TechVoisses Tech
    Posts: 1,423Member
    Bear this in Mind IMHO
    Airtime was designed to be place on a webserver/webfarm away from your desk,and access by any browser,anywhere in the world and gives you the ability to schedule.

    It was not designed as a main play-out.
    It was not designed to replace your

    Dj Station                                         - MIXXX,Virtual Dj etc.
    Broadcast Desk                               - SAMs,RadioDj,DRS2006 etc.Rivendell,Mixers/Broadcast Board
    Client Software and Soundcards - M3w,butt,Samcast,Nicecast,Darkice,Virtual Soundcards /Hardware
    Streamers                                          - Airtime,Icecast,Shoutcast,WHCMS

    But to Complement these

    Now just to give you the typical senario of stations (Simplest)

    Broadcast Board /Mixer===>Virtual Soundcards/Hardware Soundcards===>Transmitter/Streamers

    Most people who uses windoze expects that all of the above will included in Airtime, and that's the challenge Airtime will face either to develope all-in-one solution or stick to a server/client software.

    I do not feel the architecture of Airtime is flawed,I think it has the same challenges of any linux software.

    f.e. You will not find Adobe and All it features on any linux box,but you will find many Movies made from Linus Applications.

    You Greatest advantage you will find most time  in Linux is Stability and ability to create what you want.

    I use Airtime and Rivendell you have to chose what you want,Some people use Sams and Airtime,some Radio Dj and Airtime

    If you want inputs from a mixer try M3w,butt,Nicecast,winamp Dsp,Liquidsoap etc

    look through the hacks and the screencast

    God Luck 






    Post edited by Voisses Tech at 2014-03-06 08:12:24
    Anyone reading this a find it funny about my grammar , I make no apology ,Go get a translator.
    "The Problem with education today is that it takes a university degree to switch on a light bulb"
    "You learn from your mistakes but wise people learn from others mistakes avoid Making mistakes there is not sufficient rooms to make them"
    "Innuendo","If's","Assumptions" and "Fear" are for politician.Who,What,where,When and How are for those seeking knowledge and care about Humanity.
    "I might be in Mud but that does not Make me a Wild Hog(pig)"
    “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”
    "The only thing that remains constant is change itself"
    May the force be with you,until our path or destiny bring us in tandem.
  • Vote Up0Vote Down hoerichhoerich
    Posts: 627Member, Airtime Moderator
    Per Runar Krogsæter said:

    Does this mean that when connecting an analog mixer to the line-in port of the soundcard, it's only possible to record the live show for future re-broadcast, but NOT stream directly to the listeners via Airtime at the same time?

    indeed, it is like this. hopefully this will change soon!
    we stream with a hardware-icecast-client connected to broadcast-studio-mixer to Airtime via internal LAN and the record is done manually.
    Official Airtime Forum Manager
    --------------------------
    Most of the time an issue is located between keyboard and chair.
  • Vote Up0Vote Down Per Runar KrogsæterPer Runar Krogsæter
    Posts: 3Member


    I guess my needs are 2 different things.

    1. I sometimes need to record what's broadcasted when my students are making live-shows, so I afterwards can play examples when I'm giving them an assessment. I guess I for now could keep on doing this manually, like we have done up until now.

    2. I want to use Airtime both for:

    a) scheduling and thereby have control over when there's a broadcast going on. This way, my students might play around and do all the practicing they want, without any of it going on air.

    b) making a stream out of the actual broadcast, so the server which control the infoscreens (with sound capabilities) placed several places in our building can pick up the stream and publish it to the infoscreens.

    As I mentioned in my last comment, mAirList have icecastpossibillities. I found out that I can choose the audio input source for this stream. By sending the final mix from our analog audio mixer thru the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 external soundcard, which is connected via USB to the PC with mAirlist installed, I can choose the sound from my external mixer to feed the icecast feed. This feed should then be used as the streamsource scheduled in a show in Airtime.

    I haven't got this to function yet, as I can't get the mAirlist icecast stream to connect to Airtime. I guess there could some firewall issues which I have to get our computer guys to solve.

    Any thoughts around this setup?

    Post edited by Per Runar Krogsæter at 2014-03-12 18:07:17
  • Vote Up0Vote Down Voisses TechVoisses Tech
    Posts: 1,423Member
    I sometimes need to record what's broadcasted when my students are making live-shows, so I afterwards can play examples when I'm giving them an assessment. I guess I for now could keep on doing this manually, like we have done up until now.

    Just wish I could guide you through this http://forum.sourcefabric.org/discussion/16372/scheduled-recording-of-web-streams where I wrote an easy way to cover all you said.

    Then you can either place them in a folder where ever you want even on a shares.you can make a watch folder and the recordings appear so you can schedule them anytime and you can use python /php to delete any one authomatically.

    You could even use cron to stop and start the sciprt and you can have it makes new file  any time frame ,1,2,3,4.....10,16....60 minutes  saving equipment time etc.

    I have download the demo of MAirlist  to look at it
    Good luck though
    Anyone reading this a find it funny about my grammar , I make no apology ,Go get a translator.
    "The Problem with education today is that it takes a university degree to switch on a light bulb"
    "You learn from your mistakes but wise people learn from others mistakes avoid Making mistakes there is not sufficient rooms to make them"
    "Innuendo","If's","Assumptions" and "Fear" are for politician.Who,What,where,When and How are for those seeking knowledge and care about Humanity.
    "I might be in Mud but that does not Make me a Wild Hog(pig)"
    “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”
    "The only thing that remains constant is change itself"
    May the force be with you,until our path or destiny bring us in tandem.
Add a Comment