Build Your Own Damn Internet Radio Station

Spin records, interview celebrities, the sky is the limit. Here’s how ARTxFM did it.

The Overview

• You will probably want something to play music on. For example a record player or CD player or iPod.
• You will probably want a microphone so you can expound on the many virtues of German prog-rock to your adoring fans. You may want an additonal microphone so that you can interview guest celebs.
• You will need some headphones so that when you are using the microphone you do not generate feedback.
• Since you will have several audio sources, you will need some sort of mixer. The mixer will allow you to select which source is going out to the interwebs (formally known as “the air”).
• You will need a computer which will run special software that sends the audio to the interwebs.
• You will need an internet connection!
• You will need to pay a monthly subscription to make a music stream available on the internet.

Schematic

 MIC   RECORD_PLAYER  CD_PLAYER
  |          |           |
  \          |          /
    \        |        /
      \      |       /
       +-----+------+     +----------+
       |    MIXER   |---->| SPEAKERS |
       +-----+------+     +----------+
             |
             |
             |
       +-----+------+                    +-------------------+
       |  COMPUTER  |----->(internet)--->| STREAMING SERVICE |
       +------------+                    +-------------------+
                                           |         |      
                                           |         |       
                                           \/        \/    
                                        listener  listener ...

The Details

1. Obtain some record players, a cd player, iPod, laptop with Spotify subscription, or what have you.

2. Note if you are using record players you will need phono pre-amps for them. Something simple like the PylePro PP999 will work.

3. Get a mic. A traditional vocal might migh be an RE20, at ARTxFM we use an MD421. Note that an SM58 will work great.

4. You will probably want a nice mic holder. Something like the Rode PSA1.

5. Get some sort of mixer. We have a fancy pants AIR-1 Radio Console. The benefit of getting a radio specific mixer like the AIR-1 is that the features you need are all there. You can get something simpler/cheaper, but you will need to do more messing about. Check out mixers from Mackie, Allen & Heath, and Behringer. Just make sure you have enough stereo inputs for the signals you are trying to route. For example, if you have two record players, a CD player, and an iPod then you need 4 stereo inputs. The Mackie 1202vlz4 has 4 line-level stereo inputs, for example.

6. You will want some speakers so that you can kick out the jams in your control room. You can just use headphones if you like. If you are connecting to a mixer, you will need powered spearkers (or find an unused amplifier or reciever).

7. Don’t forget headphones. Most mixers just have one headphone output. If you want your interviewees to be able to hear themselves, then you need to get a headphone distribution amplifer. And some additional headphones.

8. Get a computer. We use a Mac Mini, but you can use any damn computer you want. However, the rest of this tutorial will assume a mac.

9. Sign up for a shoutcast streaming plan at Via Streaming.

10. Install Nicecast on the mac you will use to broadcast.

11. Connect everything together. All audio sources go into the mixer. Mixer main, stereo out needs to get into the mac. You will need some adapter cables since the mac input is a mini phone jack.

12. Configure Nicecast to talk to your Via Streaming account, cue the King Crimson…

13. Start a revolution!

– http://artxfm.github.io/diy