How to manage the live studio broadcasting / airtime and analog line input - Airtime Support Discussions on Sourcefabric Forum

Francesco Papaleo

Hi everybody,

I just installed airtime in my radio (radiokairos.it | 105.85 FM in Bologna, Italy) but I can't understand how I can manage the live from the studio.

Reading some posts on this forum I understood that actually airtime cannot broadcast directly from the analog line input, did anyone found some workaround to do this?

Actually my chain:

Airtime server > streaming

> FM (through the analog output)

I want to modify that:

Studio Mixer > Airtime server > streaming

> FM (through the analog output)

Any help would be really appreciated, we stopped live broadcasting for the moment because we can't find a good solution.

Thanks everybody,

Francesco

Voisses Tech

Have you had the time to look at this post

How to broadcast live in Airtime by Lucile Neden

and

Open source digital DJ: Integrating Airtime and Mixxx by Daniel James

Both article are found in the blogs section

https://blog.sourcefabric.org/en/news/blog/

Just use a stream client like Edcast reborn,Nicecast,butt,winamp dsp or whatever you want instead of MIXXX

there used to be some wonderful screencast they are all gone but check VIMEO

or my tutorial here

https://forum.sourcefabric.org/discussion/15713/basics-for-connecting-your-streaming-tools-buttmixxxetc-for-dummies-like-me/p1

or just type BUTT in the search field

One other the things I always say is that IMHO Airtime is like a streamhosting its not really meant to be the desktop application so unless you know how to configure soundcards in Linux,you will have problem putting a direct input into airtime.

In the mean time here is a write up I did here
http://forum.sourcefabric.org/discussion/15904/input-mic-and-mixer-using-alsa-something-that-will-work-using-airtime-script-modified

and here

https://forum.sourcefabric.org/discussion/15915/record-output-to-a-file-every-xx-time-from-airtime-output-or-input-alsamicand-icecast-how-to

they have one disadvantage when I wrote them in that they bypass the airtime straight to icecast,
I will revisit it and give you soon the solution I am using

VOISSES

Francesco Papaleo

Thank you so much VOISSES! I'll read everything and I'll post the results. Thanks!

Francesco Papaleo

I followed the Butt Tutorial and I did the configuration explained in the attached image. That's not my initial project, but, for now, it's working...

What I really don't like is to use 2 different computers for few tasks that could be merged in just one (we bought a new server for airtime and we're upgrading that with more disks, ram etc... but we can't afford multiple machines maintenance).

I'll study around your script to find out if could be possibile to write some kind of plugin for airtime which may enable a live studio broadcasting. If anyone already worked around that please post your results! Thank you!

Quentin Divay

I agree with you, we need a real Line-In integration to liquidsoap, similiar to Voisses script.
In this configuration, even on the same machine, you will have a shift due to encoder buffer.

Voisses Tech

Francesco Papaleo wrote;

I'll study around your script to find out if could be possibile to write some kind of plugin for airtime which may enable a live studio broadcasting. If anyone already worked around that please post your results! Thank you!

Trust Me There is little advantage of trying to directly put a live input to Airtime.In fact you may have more headache.

If you search around you will see Underruns and overruns being dealt with a lot in this forum.

Now your task will be

Getting the right quality sound card to work with Linux.Forget if you are not going to spend $1500 - $2000 for a soundcard that is dedicated to linux like this one found here
Then you have to decide whether you want a desktop or server.Servers are not really design to put line in so you will have to ensure all dependencies are met
Then if you do not have a sound card that runs on its own clock,then look for some real hiccups with liquidsoap.In fact ALSA is the only sound application that I found Liquidsoap works on "stress less"
Airtime have different ways it runs schedule program from how it goes to silence.You will find many script i wrote to ovecome that.but basically you might find your line in not work on schedule program
You are really setting an environment,you have to monitor consistently
What if your server was in the Cloud? This would not be practical.So go for a futurist implementation than experimental.
BUTT is Mature to be use =)) no pun intended.

Have a look at Internet DJ Console

http://www.penguinproducer.com/2011/09/streamcasting-with-the-internet-dj-console-part-1/ and http://www.penguinproducer.com/Blog/2011/09/streamcasting-with-the-internet-dj-console-pt-2/

As an alternative

with all that said and done ,I do use a line in to airtime but it make little sense because since it is the streamer,I cannot listen unless I had a mixer like yours with sub-group to assign it to and then make that group pre-fade.

Try the line out from Airtime and you might get even your stream lock up or just sound crappy.

Use two airtime if possible on two machine one in to the mixer,you will be happier

VOISSES

Francesco Papaleo · Post edited by Francesco Papaleo at 2014-10-23 00:48:42

ok... so, I leave the line-in option on the side, at least since Sourcefabric will implement something for live broadcast...

At this point maybe the solution with Butt is the simplest I can chose, but it's already giving me headache (big latency, drops, freeze, etc...), maybe I'll try Internet DJ Console though it looks to me too complicated for the "normal broadcaster" who needs to sit in the control room and start its program.

Voisses Tech wrote:

Try the line out from Airtime and you might get even your stream lock up or just sound crappy.

Use two airtime if possible on two machine one in to the mixer,you will be happier.

Could you please explain more?
Actually I'm using the line out of airtime to get the scheduled content in to the mixer... it sounds correct to me. Am I missing something?
Moreover, I thought a lot about using two airtime on two different machines, but I can't figure out how could I work around the absence of an analog audio input and what could be better...

James Dunn

Both of the radio stations I work for use Airtime for playout of pre-recorded content, but then route the hardware audio output through a broadcast desk and use a separate streaming client. One radio station uses Nicecast, the other uses darkice. We find this allows us the flexibility and reliability to manage our stream effectively.

Voisses Tech

@James Dunn

your suggestion for me has been the recommended method approach

Method 1

Playout===>Stream Client ===>Airtime====> Transmitter/Stream Server

Yes the Airtime Output Works seemlessly but when You put input to it then as I said there is a lot of things to note as I said before.

Remember your playout can be anything(Hardware like mixer/broadcast console and or standalone Applications like Mixxx,Amarok,Itunes etc.)

If you use Hardware or Any Applications (itunes or Your Favourite Media players) that does not come with its own built in stream client (Virtual Dj,Tracktor,Mixxx etc) You have to use a streaming client like nicecast,darkice,butt or liquidsoap)

I mention here Liquidsoap because this is why people wants to use this type of configuration

Method 2

Input ==> Liquidsoap/Airtime ==>Transmitter/Internet

Key things to note,I have read the liquidsoap is not built to run realtime,it uses buffers to overcomes Latency.

Also make sure you can compensate for many clock variances, my test systems will run for days then out of the blues it complains about buffer problem.

and thirdly sound is still a suspect in linux for me its still not "full baked but can be eaten"

Method 1 for full Production process Method 2 for small production and test systems

VOISSES

Voisses Tech

Francesco Papaleo WROTES:

Could you please explain more?
Actually I'm using the line out of airtime to get the scheduled content in to the mixer... it sounds correct to me. Am I missing something?
Moreover, I thought a lot about using two airtime on two different machines, but I can't figure out how could I work around the absence of an analog audio input and what could be better.

Its fine to use Output or Inputs separately or alone .Once you start trying both you will see the difference
Search for Butt and Mixxx on How to use Analog Inputs

And Yes you will have latency issues.If you even listen keenly to your headphone you will or take two radio or device in separate room and listen with doors ajar you will hear timing differences.

The Real thing is that with streams you have at least 30sec latency at the endpoint of the stream,in fact look at your icecast.xml and you will see things like burst to compensate for buffers and latency.

You can only get a true picture of the inputs if you listen at the Playout stages not at the transmitter or output stream stage

Best of Luck

VOISSES

Francesco Papaleo · Post edited by Francesco Papaleo at 2014-10-28 04:23:25

Yes, the main issue is latency and for that reason the PFL has to be used only for listening the studio output before getting into Butt and then Airtime.

The other solution with Airtime only as "recorded-content-player" is what we did before with another software (Soma Suite), It could be a setup, but you'll always need another machine with darkice/nicecast. I tried and I had a lot of audio issues with darkice.

Moreover I really like to have only one server 24 / 7 and a single "graphic" control panel for scheduling / streaming / users etc... Explain how it works and show the basics procedures is a lot simpler (we're around 40 people and no one with strong computer skills).

Other softwares I've seen do not have all the features I need and I found in Airtime,

Anyway, for the moment I'll see how it goes with Butt...

Thank you so much for patience and help!

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

Poll

Top Posters