Listening to your MP3s away from home

First Draft - please email clarifications/corrections!

These are simple instructions on how to set up an mp3 streaming server that keeps playing all your songs. It's like a personalised radio station, with no adverts or talking. For free.

Create a dyndns account. Use the Free Dynamic DNS option. http://www.dyndns.org

Use a program to keep this account updated. If you have a Netgear router, this can be configured in the web setup, otherwise use install Direct Update - http://www.directupdate.net. No need to register, since the nag screens only appear when using the admin module, which you don't need after initial configuration.

Configure your router to forward port 8000 to the machine that you will be playing the mp3s on.

Download and install the following:

Winamp 5 - http://www.winamp.com If you prefer v2 this will also work fine, but you cannot use v3
Icecast2 - http://www.icecast.org
Oddcast DSP Winamp plugin - http://www.oddsock.org/tools/oddcastv2_wa2
RaMP - http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ccaajcl/programs/ramp/ to keep your playlist running when unattended (you want to be able to listen to music!)

Run IceCast2, and choose Options > Edit Configuration.

Follow the text in the file to fill in the correct sections, which are authentication, hostname and single listener sections. Defaults for everything else is fine (most sections are commented out anyway)

Click Start server, tick Start Server on application startup and press Hide to Systray

In Winamp, go to preferences (ctrl-p) then plugins, DSP and highlight 'Oddcast DSP v2'. On the ODDCAST DSP window appears, press Config.

These are the settings that I use. Adjust depending on preferences and bandwidth.
General
Bitrate: Avg: 64, Min: 32, Max: 64 (I don't have much spare upload bandwidth)
Sample Rate: 44100
Channels: 1 (My palm only has mono output. You should probably increase the bitrate if you make this 2)
Encoder type: LAME
Defaults for other settings on this tab

Encode
Lame: VBR, vbr_abr, Quality 1

Server
Type: Icecast2
Server 127.0.0.1 (or local IP address)
Port 8000
Encoder Password (use the same as you used in the server!)
Mountpoint: /stream
Stream URL: http://localhost (or whatever)
Server Description: Put something that will show on connection and when no song title is being broadcast.

Click OK and press connect. If all is well, the light will turn green.

Now run RaMP. If this is the first run you will need to tell it where you keep your MP3s.

Get another computer or handheld. Winamp or Media Player 10 on Windows is fine, or Pocket Tunes Deluxe on Palm also works great.

Point it to http://youraccount.dyndns.org:8000/stream and listen away!

If it skips, you need to either lower the kbps of your stream (in Oddcast) or bandwidth restrict other networking programs.

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This article is (c) copyright James Clements, 2004. It may not be reproduced without permission, but linking is encouraged.
Last Update 16 September 2004