Radio Automation: AutoDJ, Scheduling & Satellite Sources

What is Radio Automation?

Radio automation is the use of software to manage and play audio content on a radio station without continuous manual intervention. Instead of a live DJ physically queuing every song and managing every transition, automation software handles playlist playback, crossfading, scheduling, and source switching according to predefined rules and schedules.

StreamDev includes a full radio automation suite that supports AutoDJ with intelligent playback, weekly scheduling, satellite source integration, and compatibility with Shoutcast and Icecast streaming servers. Whether you are running a community radio station, a commercial music service, or background audio for a hospitality venue, radio automation keeps your station on the air 24/7.

AutoDJ: Automated Playback Engine

The AutoDJ is the core of StreamDev's radio automation. It automatically plays audio files from your library when no live DJ or satellite source is active, ensuring your station never goes silent.

Key AutoDJ features include:

• Crossfade: Configurable from 0 to 10 seconds. The crossfade smoothly blends the end of one track into the beginning of the next, eliminating dead air between songs. A 3-5 second crossfade is typical for music stations.
• Shuffle Modes: Choose between sequential playback (plays the playlist in order), random shuffle (picks tracks randomly), or weighted shuffle (tracks with higher priority play more often).
• Repeat and Loop: Configure whether the playlist repeats after reaching the end. Loop mode continuously cycles through the playlist, while single-pass mode stops after playing all tracks once.
• Priority Queue: Insert tracks into the priority queue to override the normal playlist order. Priority queue tracks play next, regardless of the current shuffle or schedule settings. This is useful for announcements, sponsored content, or breaking news jingles.

Supported Audio Formats

StreamDev's AutoDJ supports all major audio formats:

• MP3 — The most widely used lossy format. Recommended for general use due to universal compatibility.
• AAC — Better quality than MP3 at the same bitrate. Preferred for HLS audio streaming.
• OGG Vorbis — Open-source lossy format with excellent quality. Native format for Icecast servers.
• FLAC — Lossless compression. Ideal for archiving high-quality masters but uses more storage and bandwidth.
• WAV — Uncompressed audio. Maximum quality but very large file sizes. Best used as source material that gets transcoded for delivery.

For most radio stations, MP3 at 128-320 kbps provides the best balance of quality and efficiency. At 128 kbps, audio storage consumption is approximately 56 MB per hour, making it practical for large music libraries.

Playlist Management and Weekly Scheduling

StreamDev allows you to create multiple playlists and assign them to specific time slots throughout the week. This weekly scheduling system lets you program different content for different times of day and days of the week.

For example, you might schedule:

• Morning news playlist from 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM on weekdays
• Pop music playlist from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
• Jazz playlist for weekend afternoons
• Talk shows and podcasts for evening slots
• Overnight ambient music from midnight to 6:00 AM

Each playlist can have its own shuffle mode, crossfade settings, and playback rules. When a scheduled time slot begins, the AutoDJ seamlessly transitions to the new playlist. If no specific playlist is scheduled for a time slot, a default fallback playlist plays automatically.

Satellite Source Integration

StreamDev can pull audio from external satellite sources — remote audio feeds delivered over the internet. This allows your station to relay content from other stations, syndicated programming, or remote studios.

Supported satellite source protocols include:

• HTTP / HTTPS — Standard web streams and audio feeds.
• RTSP — Real-Time Streaming Protocol for low-latency audio/video feeds.
• RTMP — Flash-based streaming often used for live production tools.
• HLS — HTTP Live Streaming, the most common adaptive streaming format.
• Icecast feeds — Pull audio from any Icecast server using its mountpoint URL.
• Shoutcast feeds — Pull audio from any Shoutcast server using its stream URL.

When a satellite source is active, it takes priority over the AutoDJ. If the satellite source disconnects or becomes unavailable, the AutoDJ automatically kicks in as a fallback — ensuring your station stays on the air without interruption.

Shoutcast Server Setup

Shoutcast is one of the oldest and most widely supported internet radio streaming protocols. StreamDev lets you create independent Shoutcast stations, each with its own configuration.

Key Shoutcast configuration options:

• Configurable Ports: Each station can use a unique port in the range of 8000-8050. The default Shoutcast port is 8000.
• DJ Passwords: Each station has a DJ password that live DJs use to connect and broadcast. This is separate from the admin password.
• Bitrates: Configurable from 64 kbps to 320 kbps. Higher bitrates mean better audio quality but more bandwidth usage. 128 kbps is standard for most stations; 320 kbps is used for high-fidelity music.
• Independent Stations: Each Shoutcast station runs independently — its own port, password, bitrate, and listener count.

Listeners connect to Shoutcast streams using this URL format:

http://domain:PORT/stream

For example: http://radio.example.com:8000/stream

Icecast Server Setup

Icecast is an open-source streaming media server that supports multiple concurrent mountpoints and advanced features. StreamDev includes full Icecast integration.

Key Icecast configuration options:

• Multiple Ports: Configure Icecast to listen on one or more ports for maximum flexibility.
• Mountpoints: Each stream gets its own mountpoint (e.g., /live, /jazz, /news). Multiple stations can share the same Icecast server using different mountpoints.
• Source Password: The password used by DJs and automation tools to push audio to the server.
• Admin Password: Used for accessing the Icecast web administration interface.
• Max Clients: Default maximum of 100 concurrent listeners. This can be increased based on your server's bandwidth and resources.
• Max Sources: Default maximum of 10 concurrent sources (mountpoints). Each source represents one audio stream.

Listeners connect to Icecast streams using mountpoint URLs:

http://domain:PORT/mountpoint

For example: http://radio.example.com:8000/live

Connecting Source Clients

When a live DJ wants to broadcast, they connect to the Shoutcast or Icecast server using a source client application. Popular source clients include:

• BUTT (Broadcast Using This Tool) — Free, lightweight, cross-platform. Ideal for simple live broadcasts. Supports both Shoutcast and Icecast.
• Mixxx — Free, open-source DJ software with built-in streaming output. Supports Icecast and Shoutcast, includes beat matching, effects, and a full mixing interface.
• SAM Broadcaster — Professional radio automation and broadcasting software for Windows. Supports advanced scheduling, crossfading, and direct Shoutcast/Icecast output.

To connect a source client, you need the server address, port, mountpoint (for Icecast), and the source/DJ password. When the source client connects, it takes over from the AutoDJ. When the source client disconnects, the AutoDJ resumes playback automatically.

Storage Considerations

Planning your storage requirements depends on your audio quality settings and library size. Here is a quick reference for storage consumption at common bitrates:

• 64 kbps: ~28 MB per hour — suitable for talk radio and low-bandwidth applications.
• 128 kbps: ~56 MB per hour — the standard for most internet radio stations.
• 192 kbps: ~84 MB per hour — higher quality for music-focused stations.
• 320 kbps: ~140 MB per hour — maximum quality MP3 for audiophile listeners.

A typical music library of 5,000 songs at 128 kbps (averaging 4 minutes per song) would require approximately 18-19 GB of storage. Plan accordingly and monitor your disk usage through the StreamDev dashboard.