The Live DJ page of a CloudRadio One station has a browser studio: with a microphone and a browser, you go on air without installing encoder software and without copying a password. To play tracks from your Media Library and fire jingles as well, use Cloud Booth. To broadcast from software such as BUTT or Mixxx instead, see Broadcasting Live.
Before you start
- A current version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari on a computer.
- A microphone. A USB microphone or a headset is enough.
- Headphones, if you want to listen to your station while you talk. Speakers next to an open microphone cause echo, and what you hear from the station is about 20 seconds behind you.
- Access to the Live DJ page. You go live on the Guest DJ Input, which has priority over the Studio Input: a studio encoder that stays connected to the Studio Input keeps running, and listeners hear you instead until you end. See Input priority.
DJs booked for scheduled shows go live from Cloud Booth or with encoder software. See Going Live as a DJ.
Set up your microphone
- Open your station in Studio and go to Live DJ in the sidebar.
- In the Go live from your browser card, under Microphone only, click Set up microphone.
- Your browser asks for permission to use the microphone. Click Allow.
The card now shows the controls. Nothing is on air yet: the status reads Ready when you are. Nothing is on air yet.
- Microphone: pick the microphone to use if you have more than one. The choice is remembered on this computer.
- Sound: choose Voice to reduce background noise and even out your level. Choose Music or mixer when the sound comes from a mixer or an audio interface: it is sent untouched, in stereo.
Check your level
Say a few words and watch the meter under the controls. The line below it tells you what to do:
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| Good level. | Nothing. You are ready. |
| Too quiet. Move closer or raise the input level. | Move closer to the microphone, or drag Input level to the right. |
| Too loud. Lower the input level or back off a little. | Drag Input level to the left, or move back from the microphone. |
| No sound from this microphone. Check that it is plugged in and not muted. | Check the cable and the mute switch on the microphone, or pick another one under Microphone. |
Aim for the green part of the meter, with the loudest words reaching into the orange part. A limiter keeps a sudden loud sound from distorting, but a level that stays in the red part still sounds harsh.
Go live
- Optional: type a Show title. Listeners see it as what is playing. Leave it empty to show Live Stream.
- Click Go live.
- The card turns red and shows On air with a timer. You are on air from this moment: start talking.
- Listeners hear you about 20 seconds after you speak: your station holds live audio about 12 seconds, and their player adds the rest. AutoDJ's music carries on for those first seconds, and nothing you say is lost. The Guest DJ Input under Encoder software shows Connected, as it does for an encoder.
If your station's dashboard shows New version available, it holds live audio about 20 seconds until you update.
During the show
- Change the title: type a new Show title and press Enter.
- Mute: click Mute to silence your microphone, and Unmute to come back. Listeners hear silence while you are muted. After 60 seconds of silence, AutoDJ takes over until your sound returns. See When a live input goes silent.
- Run a poll: open the Polls tab. The card shrinks to a bar that keeps showing On air, and the broadcast continues.
- Keep the tab open. Closing the tab, or leaving the Live DJ page, ends the broadcast. Your browser asks you to confirm first. You can switch to another tab or another program: the broadcast continues in the background.
End the broadcast
Click End broadcast. Listeners hear the last seconds you sent, about 10, then AutoDJ resumes with a crossfade.
If the connection drops
If your internet connection cuts out, the card reads Connection lost. Reconnecting… and reconnects on its own for up to two minutes. Listeners keep hearing the last seconds you sent. After a reconnection they may hear a short silence before your sound returns. If the connection does not come back, AutoDJ takes over, and the card asks you to go live again.
The message Your internet connection is struggling to keep up. means your upload is too slow at the moment. Close other programs that use the connection, or move closer to your Wi-Fi router.
Limits
- One presenter per input. If an encoder or another browser tab is already connected to your input, the card reads In use and Go live is unavailable until it disconnects. Co-hosts in different places cannot join the same browser broadcast.
- Phones and tablets. The card works in a mobile browser, but the broadcast stops when the browser goes to the background or the screen locks. Keep the tab open and the screen on, or use an encoder app.
- Microphone only. This card sends your microphone and nothing else. To play tracks from your Media Library and fire jingles from the browser, use Cloud Booth. For a second sound source, use a mixer with Music or mixer, or encoder software.
Troubleshooting
The browser blocks the microphone
The card reads Your browser is blocking the microphone for this page. Click the icon at the left of the address bar, set Microphone to Allow, and click Set up microphone again.
Another app is using this microphone
Close the other program that uses the microphone, such as a video call, then click Set up microphone again.
The station refused the connection
The input is in use, or a station manager just took it off air. Wait a minute and click Go live again. If it keeps happening, ask your station manager whether someone else is connected.
Could not reach the station
The station may be restarting or updating. Wait a moment and click Go live again.