How-To

How to Configure AutoDJ Automation for Non-Stop Broadcasting

This how-to guide shows station managers and engineers exactly how to configure AutoDJ on Shoutcast Net for seamless, 24/7 broadcasting with reliable live-to-cloud failover. Learn concrete encoder settings, scheduling rules, and monitoring tactics that reduce downtime and improve listener retention.

How-To: Configure AutoDJ Automation for Non-Stop Broadcasting on Shoutcast Net
  • Use AAC-LC 128 kbps, 44.1 kHz stereo for music; HE-AAC 64 kbps for talk
  • Schedule daypart playlists, set 3–5 sec crossfades, and enable live-to-AutoDJ failover
  • Track listener-hours, session length, and silence alerts to maintain uptime
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Plan Overview

AutoDJ on Shoutcast Net gives you server-side automation that keeps your stream live when presenters aren’t connected, and takes over instantly when a live source drops. The recommended architecture is simple: run live shows on a dedicated mount, assign AutoDJ to the primary public mount, and let the platform manage priority-based failover. That way, your audience hears consistent programming without hearing gaps, stutters, or sudden changes in loudness.

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Before you touch a single setting, define the content plan: music rotations, imaging, promos, and any hard time-based commitments (news, ads, IDs). For audio consistency, normalise your library to roughly -14 LUFS integrated, target peak at -1 dBTP, and transcode to 44.1 kHz stereo with constant bit rate. For mainstream music, AAC-LC at 128 kbps delivers modern efficiency and compatibility; for talk, HE-AAC v2 at 48–64 kbps is a strong low-bandwidth option. Keep a small emergency bed playlist (20–30 tracks) in AutoDJ to ensure continuity if your primary rotations are exhausted.

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Pricing signals worth planning around: Shoutcast Net plans typically scale by included listener-hours, concurrent listeners, and library storage. Starter-style tiers fit single-station setups with modest storage and a single AutoDJ mount, while Growth and Pro tiers increase storage (e.g., 50–200 GB), add multiple mounts/encoders, and unlock advanced analytics and SLAs; overages are often calculated per additional listener-hour and per extra GB of storage.

  • Baseline: AAC-LC 128 kbps, 44.1 kHz, stereo for music; HE-AAC 64 kbps for talk
  • Normalise library: -14 LUFS integrated, -1 dBTP peak, constant bit rate files
  • Failover plan: /live mount priority 1, AutoDJ mount priority 2

Stations that standardise library loudness and bit rates see up to 22% fewer tune-outs during transitions, per Shoutcast Net internal analysis.

Implementation Steps

Start by creating your station in the Shoutcast Net console and define mounts: set /auto as the AutoDJ mount and /live as your presenter mount, with /live at higher priority. Upload your audio library via the web uploader or S3-compatible API, and enable the ingest option to transcode anything off-spec to 44.1 kHz stereo and the target codec. For clean transitions, set crossfades to 3–5 seconds and enable smart cue points (trim leading/trailing silence and detect intro/outro markers).

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Configure playlists and scheduling: build an Always On fallback playlist covering 24 hours, then add daypart playlists (Morning Drive, Midday, Evening, Overnight) with rotation weights and category rules (e.g., 3 currents, 2 recurrents, 1 gold). Time-lock any top-of-hour imaging or news, and use shuffle-with-separation so no artist repeats within 45 minutes. If you run ads or sponsorship messages, reserve 2–4 slots per hour and add them to a short-break playlist triggered at scheduled minute offsets.

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Set your live encoder (e.g., BUTT, Mixxx, SAM Broadcaster, or OBS with an audio-only plugin) to connect to /live. Use AAC-LC 128 kbps, 44.1 kHz, stereo; reconnect delay 2–5 seconds; buffer 800–1200 ms; keep-alive enabled. Provide the host, port, mount, and source password from Shoutcast Net. Enable metadata updates (“Now Playing” title/artist) and silence detection so if input hits below -45 dB for 3 seconds, the live mount relinquishes and AutoDJ resumes. In the console, confirm failover priority: /live (1), /auto (2); set maximum source runtime if you want AutoDJ to reclaim automatically at a scheduled cutoff.

  • Mounts: /live (priority 1), /auto (priority 2)
  • Crossfade: 3–5 sec; smart cue trimming enabled
  • Live encoder: AAC-LC 128 kbps, 44.1 kHz, stereo; 800–1200 ms buffer
  • Silence threshold: -45 dB for 3 sec triggers AutoDJ takeover
  • Playlist rules: dayparts, artist separation 45 min, rotation weights

In tests, properly configured failover recovers audio in under 1.5 seconds for 95% of live disconnect events on Shoutcast Net.

Monitoring & Analytics

Once live, use the Shoutcast Net dashboard to watch real-time stream health: mount status, encoder bit rate, codec, buffer utilisation, and silence detection events. Add notifications (email, Slack, Webhook) for mount offline, bit rate mismatch, excessive reconnects, and library storage thresholds. Silence guard is your safety net—if AutoDJ detects silence beyond your threshold, it can automatically skip the current track, re-cue the next, or fail over to a backup playlist.

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Analytics should drive programming decisions: track listener-hours, average session length, tune-in/tune-out moments, and top track performance. Heatmaps of listening by hour help refine dayparts; region and device reports inform codec choices (HE-AAC for mobile-heavy audiences). Compare live vs AutoDJ engagement—if session length consistently dips during a particular rotation, adjust category weights or refresh that playlist’s library.

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For capacity planning, set soft and hard limits. Use alerts at 80% of included listener-hours and storage to avoid overage surprises; if a campaign spikes demand, temporarily enable autoscaling for concurrent listeners on your plan tier. For event coverage, schedule a pre-roll test window, watch reconnect counts, and lock in safe encoder buffers before showtime.

  • Metrics to watch: listener-hours, session length, tune-out points, device mix
  • Alerts: mount offline, silence events, bit rate mismatch, storage at 80%
  • Engagement: compare live vs AutoDJ to tune rotations and dayparts

Stations that enable silence alerts and health notifications reduce unplanned dead air by up to 72%, based on Shoutcast Net customer telemetry.

Business Impact

Non-stop automation is more than convenience—it preserves audience trust and stabilises revenue. With AutoDJ controlling continuity, you avoid dead air that causes instant churn, and you maintain predictable ad and sponsorship delivery, even when a presenter’s connection drops. Consistent loudness and seamless transitions reduce listener fatigue, which lifts average session length and total listener-hours.

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Operationally, AutoDJ cuts manual workload: fewer emergency logins, fewer last-minute uploads, and less schedule babysitting. Programmers can focus on improving rotations and imaging while the platform maintains uptime. For compliance, reliable logging and audio archives simplify auditing and rights reporting.

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From a cost perspective, plans that scale by listener-hours and storage help match spend to growth. Starter tiers are ideal for boutique stations; Growth and Pro tiers unlock multi-mount, advanced analytics, SLAs, and autoscaling for campaigns or live events. Add-ons such as extra storage, premium transcoding profiles, and expanded notification channels let you tailor capability without overcommitting.

  • Higher session length drives ad fill rate and sponsor value
  • Lower ops overhead with automated continuity and alerts
  • Flexible tiers: pay for listener-hours and storage you actually use

Stations adopting 24/7 AutoDJ continuity report 15–25% gains in average session length within the first quarter, per aggregated Shoutcast Net data.

Set Up AutoDJ for 24/7 Continuity on Shoutcast Net

Get hands-on with a guided setup that covers mounts, encoder tuning, playlist scheduling, and monitoring. Start your trial and keep your station live—even when the studio goes dark.

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