SAM Broadcaster is a 3rd-party Automation/Playout software that you can use to broadcast live to your Live365 station. There are many other similar programs. Some are free and some have associated costs. As long as the encoder can handle Icecast (Version2) streams, you will be able to use it to broadcast with Live365. SAM Broadcaster has a free trial, but for full functionality, you will need to purchase it.
Note: If you are having an issue with SAM Broadcaster after an outage or interruption, please see our article on how to recover your SAM relay stream.
First, make sure you are editing the station where you want to make these changes. Highlight and click the station name to select it. If you are unfamiliar with how to navigate this part of Live365, please see this help article which describes dashboard navigation.
Once you have selected the appropriate station, you will be taken to that Station's Menu page. From this page, you will be able to navigate and make changes and adjustments to your station.
Here are step-by-step instructions for setting up your SAM encoder to work with Live365
- Download a copy of SAM broadcaster.
- Open your Live365 Dashboard (Login Required).
- Select Sources → Live DJ from the left column Station Menu. Locate the Encoder Settings area as shown below:
Please leave the Encoder Settings window open as you will need to input this information into the SAM encoder interface. For accuracy, it is recommended that you Copy (ctrl c) and Paste (ctrl p) this information directly into the required fields. - In SAM Broadcaster, locate the Encoders window. This is typically located on Desktop B.
- Press the + button to add a new encoder.
- For optimal audio quality and streaming performance, we recommend configuring the AAC or MP3 codec to be close to the bitrate you've selected as output within the Live365 Dashboard.
- To adjust your Live365 station’s preferred output format and bitrate simply navigate to Station Settings → Output Encoding and then ensure your encoder aligns with those specifications. One requirement is that the sample rate must always be set to 44.1 kHz.
If you are uncertain about what encoding settings to use, please refer to the following blog article for additional information and guidance: Understanding Radio Streaming Formats & Bitrates
- Next, move on to the Server Details tab, and select IceCast for the Server Type. Do not select Live365 as this option currently does not work.
- Fill in the information provided in the Live365 Encoder Settings window.
Set the Server Type to Icecast2. Enter the Server Details from Live365: Server IP, Server Port, Username, Password, and Mount. Don't forget to add the "/" before entering the Mount Name. Click OK to save your changes.
- Press the Play button in the Encoders window to start the encoder and begin broadcasting.
When you enable the live broadcasting, you will immediately start to broadcast live. You will override any scheduled Events and AutoDJ currently playing in the Live365 Dashboard. The Live365 AutoDJ system may be used as a fallback, in the event your application crashes or goes offline.
Once your encoder is set, you can set up Statistics Relay in SAM Broadcaster. Follow this help article to learn more.
If you have problems connecting SAM Broadcaster or SAM Cloud after a planned or unplanned outage, it will need to be refreshed. SAM Broadcaster does not detect when the Icecast stream from our server comes back online. SAM Broadcaster PRO does reconnect automatically, the other versions do not.
Please remember that even when you are broadcasting live, your files must transmit the correct metadata for copyrighted content (Artist - Title). If you are part of the Ad Revenue Share Program , you need to also manually insert our ad trigger files.