Broadcast to RadioHost Studio with BUTT

BUTT is the smallest thing that will put you on air. It is free, it runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, it does one job — take a microphone and a soundcard and push them to a server — and it does not try to be a mixer, a library or a scheduler. For a presenter who already has their audio sorted and just needs to reach the station, it is usually the right answer.

Studio treats BUTT the same way it treats every other source: as an Icecast client connecting to your station's harbor. Nothing needs installing at the Studio end.

What you need first

An External DJ credential. In Studio, open Live → External DJs, add a DJ, and copy the password on the spot — it is shown once and cannot be read back. The same screen shows the server address, port and mount point for your station.

Give every presenter their own credential rather than sharing one. Sessions are logged against the username, so one credential per person is the difference between "somebody was on air at 3am" and knowing who.

Settings

Open Settings → Main, click Add under Server, and fill in:

BUTT defaults the Icecast user to source. Change it. source is the server-wide account, not your credential, and leaving it there is the single most common reason a first connection is refused.

Then open Settings → Audio:

Bitrate is capped per plan — 128 on a trial, 192 on a station subscription. Connecting above the cap is refused rather than silently downgraded, so if the connection is rejected with correct credentials, check this first.

Going live

Pick your input device under Settings → Audio → Device, watch the meter move when you speak, and press Play. The button turns into a stop button and the timer starts counting.

Studio notices within a second or two. Automation ducks out, the live banner appears on the dashboard with your DJ name on it, and the session is recorded in the External DJs history.

Press stop when you are done. Automation resumes from whatever the schedule says should be playing at that moment — not from where it left off, which is the behaviour you want after a two-hour show.

When it does not work

"Connection refused" or "Authentication failed". Three causes, in order of likelihood: the Icecast user is still source; the password was retyped rather than pasted; the credential was deactivated in Studio. Passwords are shown once, so if you are not sure it is the right one, generate a new credential rather than guessing.

It connects, then drops every few minutes. Almost always upstream bandwidth. A 128 kbit/s stream needs about 160 kbit/s of real headroom to survive jitter, and a domestic upload that also has a video call on it does not have that. Enable Reconnect under Settings → Main so a drop is a gap rather than the end of the show.

Nobody can hear you but BUTT says you are live. Check the meter in BUTT itself. If it is not moving you are streaming silence, and the usual cause is that BUTT is listening to the wrong input — a laptop's built-in microphone rather than the interface your mixer is plugged into.

Automation does not come back. BUTT was closed without stopping the stream, so the server still holds the connection open. Use Kick on the External DJs page; the station returns to automation immediately.

Frequently asked questions

Is BUTT free to use with RadioHost Studio?

Yes. BUTT is open-source and free, and Studio does not charge per source. A station subscription includes five External DJ credentials, and any of them can be used with BUTT.

Can two presenters connect at the same time?

No. A station has one live input. The second connection is refused while the first is active, which is deliberate — the alternative is two people talking over each other on air. Hand over by having the first presenter stop before the second starts.

Does BUTT send track titles?

BUTT can send stream metadata, but for a live show it is usually the presenter's name rather than a track title, since BUTT does not know what is playing in your DJ software. If accurate now-playing data matters during live shows, send it from the software that owns the playlist instead.

What bitrate should I use?

128 kbit/s MP3 for speech-led shows, 192 if your plan allows it and the show is music-led. Going higher costs listening hours without a difference most listeners can hear on the devices they actually use.