By Tantari Kim
The first place to go is How to DJ the DJ Tantari Way.
I have written this extensive guide on how to DJ from home using
nothing free software. While it specifically addresses the challenges
and opportunities of doing so in Second Life, these techniques can be adapted to many online games and services.
In my guide, How to DJ the DJ Tantari Way, I cover how to broadcast from the free and open source DJ software MIXXX to SHOUTcast. But what if you want to use a different piece of DJ software? Or you want to broadcast to something other than SHOUTcast? Read on!
While
MIXXX is great and runs on almost everything, I’ve personally moved on
to Virtual DJ 8. This is very powerful but expensive software ($300 for a
full license or $19 a month). There is a great alternative. Virtual DJ
offers a Home Free version. It allows you to do everything, including
recording your own mixes, but has two big limitations. First, you can’t
use any controllers with it, which is not a big deal for starting DJs.
Controllers are expensive and you probably don’t have one. Secondly, and
most importantly, you can’t broadcast to SHOUTcast. The same is true from the other two big commercial DJ software packages, Traktor and Serato. Don’t worry. We can fix this!
In this guide, we’ll cover how to broadcast from almost anything, specifically from Virtual DJ Home Free, to SHOUTcast. You
can even record audio from programs that don't allow you to record. And
we'll do it all with free software, so you don't have to pay anything.
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What You'll Need
This
guide is written with Windows in mind. Specifically, I use Windows 10,
so this guide addresses that operating system. With some research, you
can use this for other operating systems like older versions of Windows,
MacOS, and Linux. The specifics of your particular operating system are
up to you.
You'll also need:
- •DJ software - There are many choices available for this. If you're using MIXXX or something that supports SHOUTcast streaming directly, you don't need this guide. This is meant for software that doesn't stream like Traktor, Serato, etc. In particular, I am going to be using the Home Free version of Virtual DJ which is available here: https://www.virtualdj.com/download/
- •Virtual cable software - I use the VB-Audio Virtual Cable at https://www.vb-audio.com/Cable/ because it works for me and it is free to use (donationware). It should work for all modern versions of Windows. If you use a different operating system, you will have to find something that works for you.
- •BUTT - Broadcast Using This Tool. This software is free, open source, and works on Windows, MacOS, and Linux. You can get it at https://danielnoethen.de/ .
- •SHOUTcast server – You'll need a SHOUTcast server of some kind. If you already rent one online or you have permission to use one at a club, that will work. If you want to set one up on your personal computer for testing, directions are in How to DJ the DJ Tantari Way.
- •(Optional) Audacity - In this context, we will use it to record your live mix if your DJ software refuses to do it for you. You can also use it to trim your mix, encode it, and a million other things. It is free, open source, and works on Windows, MacOS, and Linux. If you don't already have it, you should get it here: http://www.audacityteam.org/ . More information about how to use it is in How to DJ the DJ Tantari Way.
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How It Works
SHOUTcast
consists of three main components, a Source (like MIXXX, Virtual DJ,
etc), a Server (the SHOUTcast DNAS), and your Listeners. If you want more information, check out the main article, How to DJ the DJ Tantari Way.
All of the components we'll be looking at in this article take place inside the Source, which is your DJing computer. Your DJ software expects to connect to a sound card. When you open the configuration panel, it looks through the Windows sound driver list and finds all the sound output devices.
The
virtual cable software installs two device drivers, one for a Windows
sound card speaker output and one for a Windows sound card microphone
input. Whatever is sent to the speaker output is copied byte for byte to
the microphone. While you can only have one program sending data to the
speaker output at a time, any number of programs can be listening to
the microphone input simultaneously.
The software in your DJing computer will be configured like this:
In your DJing software (like Virtual DJ), you will need to
set the output to be that virtual audio cable's speaker output. Then in
the broadcast software and (optional) recording software, you set their
input to the virtual audio cable's microphone input. The broadcast
software will send the audio to the Server (SHOUTcast DNAS) while the
recording software (Audacity) will dump your mix to a file.
Installation and Configuration
Install
the virtual cable software using the instructions provided with it. If
you are using VB-Audio Virtual Cable software, you can check to make
sure it is installed by opening the Device Manager and expanding the
“Audio inputs and outputs” section. You should see something like this.
You are looking for the “Cable Input (VB-Audio Virtual Cable” and “Cable
Output (VB-Audio Virtual Cable)” lines. If you see those, then you're
ready to go!
Install BUTT following instructions on the website. Click the Settings button to open the settings.
In the Server Settings, click Add. Enter a name, then choose ShoutCast.
Enter the data for your SHOUTcast server. When you're done, click Add.
In the future, you'll be able to select this Server from the pulldown
menu and click Edit. You can have as many as you want!
In the Stream Infos section, click Add. Enter a name, a description, and
a genre. You can fill out the other fields if you want. When you're
done, click Add. In the future, you'll be able to select this stream
from the pulldown menu and click Edit. You can have as many as you want!
At the top of the box, click the Audio tab. Here you will select your
Audio Device to get the audio data from, as well as the sample rate and
coding. Fill it out similarly to what I show below. You can also use
BUTT to record your audio mix. I won't get into that here. I prefer to
use a separate program to record because I generally like to record a
much smaller amount of time than the entire broadcast session.
To start the stream, hit the Connect to
Server button. It looks like a Play icon. To stop, hit the Disconnect
from Server button. It looks like a little Stop icon. Hit
the Play icon right now. When you're playing, you'll see the little UV
meters moving show the volume of sound being pushed into it and the
timer will count. It should look something like this below. For now, you
won't see any lights because you aren't putting any sound into the
cable just yet, but you will see the timer counting up.
Finally, open your DJ software. Every one will look a little different.
Consult your manual for details. In Virtual DJ, click the Options button
(it is on the top of your screen and looks like a little gear), then
click Audio on the left side. Configure it so the Headphones output goes
to your regular speakers and your Master goes to the VB-Audio Virtual
Cable. It should look something like this. Then hit Apply to save it.
Now load a track in your DJ software
and start playing it. If everything is configured properly, you should
see the UV meters in BUTT moving along with the music. Connect to the
SHOUTcast server with listening software like VLC. You should hear your
music, but delayed because of the streaming process. Congratulations!
You're streaming!
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Optionally, if you want to record your mix and your DJ software doesn't allow you, install Audacity. Use
the pulldown next to the microphone to select Cable Output (VB-Audio
Virtual Cable). Then you can click the Record button at any time to
record your mix. You'll need to trim and export the audio after you're
done. Consult How to DJ the DJ Tantari Way and the Audacity documentation ( http://www.audacityteam.org/help/documentation/ ) for more details.
Conclusion
Now you
can broadcast from virtually any DJ or music program directly to
SHOUTcast and record it. As long as you can configure the program to use
the virtual audio cable device, you're good to go.
While
I recommend starting with MIXXX for beginners, if you have outgrown it
and want to move on to another piece of software, this is an excellent
way to go. While I personally use Virtual DJ 8 and love it, Traktor and
Serato are also excellent programs. I recommend you download the free
trials of all of them and play with them to see which suits your
personal style best before laying down your hard-earned cash.
If
you use the free version of Virtual DJ for Home Users, this is a great
way to get started with some great software. If you want to add a single
controller, an excellent option for beginners is the Numark Mixtrack 3
for about $130, though I've seen it on sale for as low as $99. As of
right now, if you hook it up, the Virtual DJ for Home Users will give
you a free 30 day license to use your new controller. After that, the
license for this controller is $100. If you get serious about DJing and
want to make money at it, you should really buy the Pro Infinity for
$300. It includes streaming, so you can finally get rid of your virtual
audio cable and BUTT for good. I discourage you from using the Pro
Monthly license for $19/month. Those add up quickly and before you know
it, you already paid the $300 with nothing to show for it!
As
of now, Traktor and Serato don't support SHOUTcast streaming at all, so
using a virtual audio cable and BUTT is pretty much your only option.
I've
had a lot of fun as a DJ and hope you do too. I look forward to hearing
what you make! I’m a very busy person, but if you do start DJing and
post a recording, I’d love to check it out! Find me on Second Life as
Tantari Kim, Mixcloud at https://www.mixcloud.com/DJTantari or email me
at tantari.kim (at) gmail.com. If this guide helps you become a DJ, I'd
be thrilled to hear about it. Please let me know!
A great DJ plays the music you never knew you always loved.
--DJ Tantari
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