Free · macOS
Broadcast to RadioHost Studio with LadioCast
LadioCast is a free Mac mixer and Icecast encoder in one. Setting it up for a RadioHost Studio station, and where its four-input mixer earns its place.
LadioCast is a free Mac application that does two things at once: it mixes up to four audio inputs, and it streams the result to up to four Icecast servers. It looks dated, it has almost no documentation in English, and it is still one of the most useful pieces of software a Mac-based presenter can have.
The reason is the mixer. Most free encoders take one input. LadioCast takes a microphone, a music source, a call and a jingle player, gives each its own fader, and sends the sum — with no hardware mixer and no virtual routing tricks.
What you need first
An External DJ credential from Live → External DJs in Studio, plus the server, port and mount point from the same page.
Inputs
The left side of the window is four input strips. Each one has a device selector, a gain slider, and Main and Aux buttons that decide where it goes.
A typical setup:
- Input 1 — your microphone or audio interface. Main on.
- Input 2 — a virtual device (BlackHole) carrying music from another application. Main on.
- Input 3 — a second virtual device for a call or a jingle player, if you need one.
Anything routed to Main is in the stream. Aux is a separate bus, useful for monitoring, and it is the source of most confusion in LadioCast: a strip with only Aux lit is something you can hear and listeners cannot.
Output settings
The right side is four output strips. Configure one:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Server type | Icecast 2 |
| Host | the host on your External DJs page |
| Port | the port on your External DJs page |
| Mount | your station's mount, e.g. /dj/1234 |
| User | your DJ username |
| Password | the DJ password |
| Format | MP3 |
| Bitrate | 128 kbps, or up to 192 on a paid station |
LadioCast's user field is easy to miss; it sits with the password rather than with the server address, and the default is source.
Press Connect on that output strip. The label changes to show the connection is live.
Watch the meters, not the faders
LadioCast's meters are its most useful feature and its least obvious one. Each input has one, and so does the output.
Set input gains so the loudest thing on each strip peaks near the top of its meter without pinning, then check the output meter with everything running together — two sources that are each fine alone will clip when summed. Bring the individual gains down rather than the output; pulling the output down after the sum has already clipped fixes the number and not the sound.
Going live
Connect the output strip. Studio detects the source within a second or two, ducks automation and shows the live banner with your DJ name.
Disconnect at the end of the show and automation resumes from the current schedule position.
Frequently asked questions
Is LadioCast still maintained?
It is updated infrequently and it works on current macOS, including Apple silicon. If it stops working after a system update, BUTT is the free replacement — you lose the four-input mixer and keep the streaming.
Can it stream to more than one server?
Yes, up to four outputs at once from the same mix. Budget upload bandwidth for the sum of their bitrates, not the largest one.
Why can I hear a source that listeners cannot?
The strip is routed to Aux rather than Main. Aux is the monitoring bus; Main is the stream.
Does LadioCast record the show?
No, it only streams. If you want a file, run a recorder on the same virtual device, or use Audio Hijack, which does both.
See it for real
See where your encoder connects.
Presenter logins, live takeover from the browser, and what the station does the moment a show ends — the whole handover, walked through on a running station with no account needed.
- About 12 minutes
- No account, no credit card
- Real screens, not mockups