Radio Automation
Liquidsoap: The Swiss Army Knife of Radio Streaming Automation
Discover how Liquidsoap transforms radio automation with its powerful scripting language, seamless live-to-fallback transitions, and rock-solid reliability for Shoutcast and Icecast streaming.
- Powerful scripting language for complex automation workflows
- Seamless failover between live sources and playlists
- Professional audio processing with built-in DSP
What is Liquidsoap?
Liquidsoap is an open-source streaming toolkit that has become the backbone of countless professional radio stations worldwide. Unlike simple playlist rotators, Liquidsoap is a full-featured streaming language that lets you script complex automation workflows, handle multiple audio sources with priorities, apply real-time audio processing, and stream to Shoutcast, Icecast, or any RTMP-compatible platform.
Developed by Savonet team and maintained at liquidsoap.info, this Swiss Army knife of radio automation runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows (via WSL). It handles everything from simple AutoDJ setups to sophisticated multi-channel broadcasting with live source prioritization, scheduled programming, and intelligent fallback mechanisms.
Why Radio Engineers Love Liquidsoap
Liquidsoap's scripting approach means you're not locked into a GUI's limitations. Need to fade between three different sources based on time of day? Apply compression only during live shows? Switch encoders based on listener count? Write it in the script, and Liquidsoap handles it reliably 24/7.
Community stations, college radio, commercial broadcasters, and even podcast networks use Liquidsoap because it scales from simple setups to complex multi-station networks without breaking a sweat.
- Scriptable automation with a powerful functional programming language
- Priority-based source switching (live DJ → scheduled playlist → emergency fallback)
- Built-in audio processing: normalization, compression, EQ, crossfades
- Supports Shoutcast, Icecast, RTMP, HLS, and more streaming protocols
- Harbor server for accepting live DJ connections via Icecast protocol
Core Features and Capabilities
Scripting Language
Liquidsoap uses a functional programming language that feels familiar to Python or OCaml users. Scripts define your entire broadcast flow: sources, transitions, effects, outputs. Version control your configuration, test changes in staging, and deploy with confidence.
Source Management
Handle multiple audio sources with intelligent prioritization. Live DJ connects? Liquidsoap automatically switches from playlist to live feed. DJ disconnects? Seamless fallback to AutoDJ. No dead air, no manual intervention required.
Audio Processing
Built-in DSP includes normalization, compression, limiting, EQ, and more. Apply different processing chains to different sources (heavier compression on phone-ins, gentle limiting on music). Smart crossfading respects cue points and silence detection.
Scheduling System
Time-based switching lets you schedule different playlists or sources by day/hour. Morning shows, afternoon rotations, overnight automation—all defined in your script with precise timing control and smooth transitions.
The harbor component deserves special mention: it's a built-in Icecast-compatible server that accepts connections from live encoders like BUTT, Mixxx, or OBS. This means you don't need a separate Icecast relay—Liquidsoap receives live feeds directly, applies your configured priority rules, and streams the result to your final destination (Shoutcast Net, Icecast server, or any streaming CDN).
Perfect for Shoutcast Net Integration
Run Liquidsoap on your own VPS or local server as the automation engine, then stream the processed output to Shoutcast Net servers. This hybrid approach gives you Liquidsoap's flexibility with Shoutcast Net's reliability, global CDN, and listener analytics. Configure Liquidsoap's output.shoutcast or output.icecast to connect to your Shoutcast Net mount point.
Common Use Cases
Community Radio Station
Run volunteer DJ shows with live connect/disconnect automation, overnight playlists, scheduled news feeds, and PSA insertion. Liquidsoap handles source prioritization so presenters don't need technical knowledge—connect, broadcast, disconnect. AutoDJ takes over instantly.
Multi-Channel Network
One Liquidsoap instance can manage multiple independent streams with shared music libraries. Genre-specific channels (Rock, Jazz, Electronic) each get their own playlist rotation while sharing common jingles and imaging. Central management, distributed delivery.
Podcast Network Automation
Schedule pre-recorded shows with precise timing, insert dynamic ads based on time-of-day, apply show-specific processing profiles. Liquidsoap handles the playout schedule while your team focuses on content creation.
Event Broadcasting
Temporary streams for conferences, festivals, or sports events. Liquidsoap accepts multiple live feeds, switches between stages or fields, adds commentary overlays, and handles complex audio mixing in real-time with low latency.
Performance and Reliability
Liquidsoap is built for 24/7 operation. Written in OCaml, it's memory-efficient and exceptionally stable. Stations report months or years of continuous uptime with zero manual intervention. The functional programming foundation means fewer side effects, more predictable behavior, and easier debugging.
CPU usage is minimal for typical radio automation (2-5% on modern hardware for a single stream). Audio processing happens in real-time with configurable latency—balance processing quality against buffer size based on your needs. For internet radio, 1-2 second latency is imperceptible to listeners and provides enough buffer to handle network jitter.
Typical uptime for properly configured instances
Memory footprint for standard radio automation
Typical latency for live-to-playlist failover
Learning Curve Consideration
Liquidsoap's power comes with complexity. Unlike drag-and-drop AutoDJ interfaces, you're writing code. For non-technical users, the initial setup can be challenging. However, the Liquidsoap community is active and helpful, with excellent documentation and numerous example scripts. Once your script is running, it's rock-solid. For teams wanting automation without the scripting, consider Shoutcast Net's built-in AutoDJ or pair Liquidsoap with a web-based control panel.
Technical Requirements
Running Liquidsoap requires a Linux server (Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS recommended), macOS, or Windows with WSL. A modest VPS with 1GB RAM and 1 CPU core handles single-stream automation easily. For multiple streams or heavy processing, scale to 2GB+ RAM and multi-core CPU.
Minimum Specs (Single Stream)
- 1 CPU core (2.0 GHz+)
- 1GB RAM
- 10GB storage for music library
- Linux, macOS, or Windows+WSL
- Stable internet (1 Mbps upload minimum)
Recommended Specs (Production)
- 2+ CPU cores (2.4 GHz+)
- 2-4GB RAM
- 50-100GB storage
- Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS or Debian 12
- Redundant network connection
Dependencies include OPAM (OCaml package manager), various audio libraries (lame, fdkaac, ffmpeg), and your chosen streaming output libs. Installation is straightforward via package managers on major Linux distributions, or build from source for the latest features.
Cost Considerations
Liquidsoap itself is completely free and open-source (GPL license). Your costs are server hosting and bandwidth. A $5-10/month VPS from DigitalOcean, Linode, or Vultr handles basic automation. Scale up as needed for more streams or higher concurrency.
Hybrid Cost Model
Many broadcasters run Liquidsoap on a cheap VPS ($5-15/month) for automation and failover logic, then stream the output to Shoutcast Net for global delivery, CDN, and listener analytics. This splits your costs:
- Liquidsoap VPS: $10/month (fixed)
- Shoutcast Net: Pay for listener-hours used (scales with audience)
- Total: Predictable base + variable growth costs
Compared to commercial automation software (€500-2000+ licenses), Liquidsoap saves thousands annually while offering more flexibility. The tradeoff is learning curve and self-support, but the active community and excellent docs mitigate this significantly.
Getting Started Checklist
Ready to Power Your Station with Liquidsoap?
Combine Liquidsoap's automation flexibility with Shoutcast Net's global streaming infrastructure. Get detailed technical setup instructions in our companion How-To guide.
Need help with your Liquidsoap setup?
Shoutcast Net customers get priority support for streaming integration. Contact us for configuration assistance.