After your order your server is ready within minutes. You receive an email with your Centova Cast login details plus your stream address. Below you walk to a working broadcast in six steps.
What you need
- Your Centova Cast login details from the welcome email
- Broadcast software on your computer, for example BUTT or Mixxx, both free
- A few music files to test with
The steps
- 1Log in to Centova Cast using the link in your welcome email.
- 2Click Start at the top to power up the server. The status flips to Running.
- 3Go to Settings and note your server address, port and broadcast password.
- 4Open BUTT or Mixxx and enter those three details in the server settings.
- 5Hit connect. Centova Cast now shows Source connected.
- 6Open your stream link in a browser or VLC and listen for yourself.
Hearing nothing but the source shows connected? Check that your broadcast software has the right microphone or sound card selected.
Working? Then enable AutoDJ so your station keeps running when you are not live. The AutoDJ article explains how.
If it does not work straight away
| What you see | What is going on | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Source disconnected stays on | Wrong password or port | Copy the broadcast password from Settings again. Watch the capitals. |
| Connected but no sound | Wrong audio source selected | Pick your microphone or mixer explicitly, not Default device. |
| Stream stutters every few seconds | Bitrate higher than your plan allows | Set the bitrate to match your plan: 128, 192 or 320. |
| Works locally, not for others | You are sharing the internal address | Share the https address from Centova Cast, not the one with a port number. |
Checklist before you really go live
- Test your stream on your phone over mobile data, not your own wifi
- Have someone else listen in on a different network
- Check that your station name and genre are correct in Centova Cast
- Turn on AutoDJ with at least two hours of music as a safety net
- Note your server address, port and password somewhere safe
All good? Then submit your stream to directories like TuneIn and Radio Garden. It costs nothing and often brings the first listeners you did not invite yourself.