How to to stream your mac using Nicecast : Step by step instructions.
This is for using shoutcast as an external server!
After a month of playing around, searching chat forums ,asking nerdy little control freaks to spill the beans for a newbie who was just trying to get his station up, pulling my hair out and literally falling a hundred times, I managed to figure it out.
I promised myself if I learned how to do this, I would post step by step instructions on how to set this up without all the egotistical geeky just read! Read! Read! bullsh#t I've had to deal with for the last 6 weeks. And I promised that I would make it easy to understand for all of us slow people who don't have two hours a night to search corny, low content forms.
( Ok! some of the tips were sort of leading me in the right direction) IT JUST WOULD HAVE TAKEN ME ABOUT 10 YEARS TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER! THATS JUST READING EVERYTHING THE FIRST TIME!
ENOUGH! I'LL GET OFF MY SOAP BOX.....
NOTE: this is for Mac users only! The instructions for PC are everywhere.
Step 1.Don't read any instructions posted on any forums or chats! They will just confuse you. Follow all of these steps first...Then try other stuff.
Step 2. If you want to stream audio for your Mac you need (Nicecast) this is a streaming software and very simple to use.
Go here and download it : http://www.rogueamoeba.com/nicecast/
There is a trail version which is free. Currently this version is called: 1.8.2 released October 25th 2005. You will have about 20 minutes to see if this works before is will degrade your audio signal. If you run out of time that's ok! Just close out the nicecast and start over. You should at some point buy the Nicecast full version since this could interrupt your broadcast.
Download the free one first before you purchase the $40 dollar fully functional version. This way if it doesn't work you didn't waste your money like I did on (Scream software) I didn't need. Thanks Mac-forums!
Step 3. Once you have downloaded Nicecast , select the dish icon and open Nicecast. You will see the name in the upper right-hand corner of your mac screen.
next to the name you will see the following:
Nicecast Edit Control Window Help
Select (window) and open the ( show broadcast ) tittle.
A bluish box titled broadcast should pop up.
Next go back to the (window) and open the ( show server) tittle.
Another box should pop up in the upper left hand corner of this box is the name (server)
Step 4. Now separate these boxes so that they are not covering each other.
On your left hand side put the (broadcast) box on your right hand side put the (server) box. Now you should have two boxes clear as day.
Step 5. Go over to the left hand side first and you will see five buttons or drawers.
Source Info Quality Share Effects
You want to select (info):
A box should drop down and in that box is
Name:
Genre:
URL:
Track:
In the name box you can put the name of your show or your music.
In the Genre box you can put whatever you like
The important box is the URL box!
This box is for the website you will go to to stream.
This number will NOT! be a 192.168.1.100 number. The URL should be a website address! http://www.whatever.com
So find out what the URL is for what you are doing and put it there. Don't put www.whatever.com this is just an example!
Once you have put in the right URL address close the (info) box.
Step 6. Now go to the button or Drawer named (Quality)
open it and a box will drop. Follow my instructions here. most of this should be default but just in case I put the settings in.
Preset: This can be either high(DSL/Cable Modem) or whatever method you are using to connect to the internet. Like a phone cord AKA Dial up!
Bitrate: 128Kbps
Sample Rate: this should be 44.100Khz
Channels: Should be set to (Stereo)
CPU Usage/Quality: Don't worry about this!
Step 7. Now! That You have done that. Go to the (sever) box on your right hand side.
In the server box you should see:
Name: Should just populate with the name you did on the broadcast box! But if not this is just the name of your show!
Server type: !!! Pay attention. For external server ( this means if you are not using Nicecast and the primary server and you want to use something else like Icecast or Shoutcast. You have this option. I use Shoutcast so in this box I select Shoutcast as my external server type. So you should see shoutcast in the box after you have selected it.
Account: I left this blank
Password: changeme / I'm not sure if this matters! but try putting this in.
Changeme
address: The address should be 65.97.23.196 for shoutcast!
Port: This should be 8000 Not! 8001 or some other crap!
Ok! We are almost there!
Now!
Step 8. On the upper left and right hand sides of the (Sever) box you should see a little square or box. They kinda look like speaker icons! Select one and a box should pop out of the side of the Sever box.
See it? You should have the Built- in Sever with the little dish nicecast logo at the top. To stream from and external server (remember we were talking about that) you have to create an external server. To do this go to the little Plus or minus sign box and the bottom of this box. You see it? You want to add and external server.
Click it the plus sign! You can name it later but this will get you on the right track. Make sure you highlight this new server. Should be a little blue button with a dot in it once it's selected. It also is shaded red when highlighted.
Now! If you look back at the (Sever) box you will see three other drawers
Built-in Server Listeners Console
Don't sweat these or any of the info in them! Just ignore unless these setting cause a problem later. Your port box might even say 8100 don't sweat it. It shouldn't effect your broadcast.
Step 9. This is the important part.!!!!!
Most of the time you are not getting a connection because your mac has a firewall.
We need to change these settings.
So go down to the bottom of your mac page and select the white light switch with and apple logo on it!
This is your system preferences icon.
Go to internet & Networking row!
In that row you should see a blue folder with a yellow pedestrian sign called (sharing)
see it?
Select it! once you open it you want to go to the middle button called Firewall.
Select it! Now you should see
New
Edit
Delete
Select the New button
In it you should see
Port Name: CVS
TCP Port Numbers: In this box should be 8000 this will allow you to connect.
Once you have set these hit (OK)
Now it's time to test all of this! The first thing we want to do is to make sure you can connect.
Go back to the broadcast box ( on your left hand side)and select (Share) a box will drop and at the bottom you will see (Sever checker) Check Now!
If everything is correct then you will get
Nicecast Server Check: Successful! If you don't get this then go back through the steps there something your missing. Believe me! Its possible!
If you do get this message then you are ready to broadcast!
Pop a Cd and play your music from I-Tunes. This will be your source.
Once it's playing! Go to the (broadcast) box and press (Start Broadcast)
**important!!! Your stream will show an error message until you log in to your website (the one you put in for your URL!) Give it about 20 seconds and you will see the (on air) in red right next to the Start broadcast button