By the way: In May 2005 "Ask Slashdot" featured the questions "Has anyone used Linux to run a radio station before? Can anyone suggest a F/OSS software package or solution?" And In May 2007 at the same place answers flocked in to the question "Migrating a Radio Station to Linux?"
linuxsound.at (Europe)
linuxsound.ymo.org (Japan)
sound.condorow.net (USA)
linuxsound.bright.net
(USA)
"Start FM" is using only Open Source software. The radio of the Vilnius University "Start FM" (VUR SFM) can now be called not only the independent music pioneers in Lithuania. After system testing and fine-tuning, that took all the summer period the station has become the first airwave radio in Lithuani using only Open Source software. The switch to Open Source/Free software was one of the main parts of the stations technological reforms. This allowed to enhance the functionality as well as the sound quality, system stability and the convenience of managing the broadcast. The radio station is now independent and is not locked up in the studio by any means. High quality radio broadcasts can now be made from any part of the world. We can now truly say that the station is open, innovative and free [...]. The new radio stations broadcasting control system is working on Linux and Unix OS environments and is using rivendell radio automation system. [...] The radio station of the Vilnius University is the first non-commercial and the only one that is playing only independent music. You can hear the station on 94.2MHz FM in Lithuania or online.
I'm working on a free radio automation solution for Windows named RadioDJ. Currently it's not complete, but i hope that soon will be ready for beta stage.Sounds promising! So you might take a look at it!
A few features of RadioDJ:
- Custom song and jingle rotations wich can be loaded and saved anytime
- AutoDJ function, based on category and subcategory rotation
- Manual or auto advance for the playlist tracks
- Unlimited categories and subcategories for your music, jingles, sweepers etc
- Unobstructive cue points for any track (start, intro, preview in, preview out, outro and end)
- Automatically overlap sweepers over intro
- Advanced scheduler for events (radio shows, advertisments etc)
The following table should give a first idea, where the holes are, concerning radio, if looked at the elements individually:
use | status | link |
---|---|---|
MP3 encoders | existing | List of these |
CD-ripper | existing | link |
DBMS | existing | mySQL |
audio recorder | existing | List of these |
audio editor | existing | List of these |
multitrack harddisk recorder and editor | kind of existing | List of
these Audacity, the GNU GPL multiplatform (linux, freebsd, windows, macos, osx) multitrack (unlimited tracks) harddiskeditor / -recorder |
scheduler | coming in | as a part of SongCue |
clock editor, setting the rules for the scheduler | inexistent | no link |
realtime mp3-mixer | existing | Emixer (not eXmixer) DBMix (Wow!!!) GDAM looks good as well! mixplayd is a daemon that can be told to play mp3/2 files using mpg123 and be controlled via telnet - looks very promising for the problem of crossfading between songs! |
frontend for on-air-studio(s) | coming | Exmixer (see below) and SongCue |
frontend for production studio(s) | coming | SongCue |
interface to multiline studio-mixer or a digital alternative |
great! it's almost there!!!! | Exmixer (not emixer) found via dbmix - see a little further up. Exmixer is an external Box with analog Faders to control the digital software-mixer DBMix. We are getting closer!!!! There are two pictures of Simon Werners exmixer. The outside, and the inside. |
logger | inexistent | - |
satellite interface | inexistent | - |
varia others that come close to our needs, but miss some basics for "real" radio | existent | Paloma rips,
manages and plays DigitalDJ is an SQL-based mp3-player frontend. This looks very nice! Mp3 Commander is a program for searching and playing mp3 collections. The GlobeCom Jukebox is the perfect tool to coordinate your music. rips, manages and plays etc. has Webinterface. Description sounds great! Has accounts. Jukebox is a nifty Jukebox-system based on mySQL, apache and perl with a Webinterface. Serves a lot of songs in a german internetcaffe at Regensburg, north of Munich. |