DRS 2006 Version 4 already has built in features which let you setup your online ready station on the fly. But before you start streaming on the Internet, you will need a special streaming server. There are few different types of streaming servers, but the most common ones are SHOUTcast™ and Windows Media™ streaming servers. SHOUTcast™ servers are used to stream mp3 or aac encoded streams and Windows Media™ servers are used to stream in Windows Media™ format.

If you do not have any streaming server yet, you might want to take a look our DRS 2006 Radio Streamer at www.radiostreamer.com. We offer special Starter Packages which start at $5 per month and you can also test our SHOUTcast servers absolutely free of charge before you order. Also all our DRS 2006 software packages include one month of free streaming. All you need to do is to contact our DRS 2006 Help Desk and we will get your radio station online in no time.

Although we recommend our DRS 2006 Radio Streamer for the DRS 2006 radio automation software, you can of course use any other streaming provider which offers SHOUTcast, SHOUTcast 2, Windows Media V9 or ICEcast.

After your streaming server is setup and you have received the necessary login data, you can begin to setup the "Streaming settings" in the DRS 2006 radio automation software. To do this you click on "Settings" in the "Common" ribbon and select "Streaming Settings" in the left box.

Below the banner to our DRS 2006 Radio Streamer you will find the controls to setup the streaming encoder instances. You can setup one or even several encoders at the same time so you can stream parallel in different formats or bitrates. But lets begin to setup a simple SHOUTcast connection:

1. Select "SHOUTcast" from the down box

2. Press on "+" to create a new server connection of the selected type

Now you have created a new SHOUTcast server connection and it should look like this:

The bold settings are required and the other settiings are optional. First we recommend to change the name from "New Options (1)" to a name that makes sense like "mp3 128 kbits".

Now fill in the required settings you got from your streaming provider:

1. Server Address: This is usually an IP or subdomain. At the DRS 2006 Radio Streamer it could for example be rs1.radiostreamer.com or 212.48.125.67
2. Server Port: This is the port where the server is running. For example 14900

3. Password: This is the password your streaming provider gave to you or that you have set in the server configuration interface of your provider
4. Encoder: Choose the encoder you want to use. For example "MP3 - LAME". DRS 2006 itself does not include its own encoders. However it will help you to download and install different encoders.
5. Bitrate: Now select the bitrate you have ordered. Higher bitrates deliver a better quality. However be sure it is the same as the bitrate you have ordered. Here we are using 128 kbps

 

This is basically every thing you need. However there are also more optional settings:

1. Radio Genre: This is the Genre of your radio station. For example "80s". This will help listeners to find your station easier in public listings
2. Radio URL: This is the internet address of your radio station. For example "www.radioautomation.com"
3. Station Name: This is the name of your radio station. For example "DRS 2006 Radio Network"
4. ICQ Number: If you want your ICQ number to be displayed
5. AOL messenger name: If you want your AIM number to be displayed
6. Efnet Channel (IRC): If you want your IRC number to be displayed
7. The checkbox "Public Directory" will automatically list your radio station at www.shoutcast.com. This is a public radio listing with thousands of online radio stations.

So now your "Streaming Settings" should look like this:

Now be sure the "Active" check box on top is checked. This checkbox is normally checked by default as soon as you choose an "Encoder". However you can deactivate any server connection if you temporarily do not want to use it.

 

That's it! Click "Ok" and the "Settings" window will close. To establish the connection to your streaming server you need to click on "Connect to Server" in the "Common Ribbon". If your settings are ok, you should see that you are connected on the lower left side of the main window. Here you will also see how long you are already connected.



To check your stream, you can simply listen to it by entering this URL in Winamp (for our example)
http://rs1.radiostreamer.com:14900/listen.pls

If you want to disconnect your server simply press on "Connect to Server" once more.

If there is something wrong with your connection (for example wrong password or IP), you will get a "Server Error" error message. In this case simply disconnect and check your settings.

As already mentioned you can add several server connections in the "Streaming Settings". Most radio stations for example use this to add 2 different streams with different qualities like one low quality stream with 56 kbps and one high quality stream with 128 kbps. Some radio stations also offer several different formats like wma, aac and mp3. You can configure the "Streaming Settings" just as you need them.

Basically all encoder types work similar. You have a few required settings like the "Server Address", "Port" or "Password". You usually get these required settings from your streaming provider or maybe you can set/change them yourself in a Server Control Panel (like with our DRS 2006 Radio Streamer). You usually also have optional settings which contain more information about your stream/radio station like the URL or Name.

We have a lot of additional information about setting up your radio station in our "Get started" section at www.radiostreamer.com.

If you have any problem with settings up your streaming encoders, please contact our Customer Help Desk.
We are there for you 24/7.

Back to "Get Started"