Broadcast to RadioHost Studio with OBS Studio

OBS Studio has no Icecast output. Every list of its streaming targets is a list of RTMP services, and Icecast does not speak RTMP — which is why most guides end at "use a virtual audio cable and BUTT instead".

You do not have to. OBS ships with FFmpeg inside it, and FFmpeg has spoken Icecast for years. The Custom Output (FFmpeg) recording mode exposes that directly, and it will push an audio-only MP3 stream to a Studio station with nothing else installed.

This is the route worth knowing if OBS is already the centre of your setup — a video show whose audio also goes to radio, a multi-source production with scenes and transitions, or a studio where OBS is doing the mixing.

What you need first

An External DJ credential from Live → External DJs in Studio, plus the server, port and mount point shown on the same page.

Settings

Go to Settings → Output, set Output Mode to *Advanced*, open the Recording tab, and set Type to *Custom Output (FFmpeg)*.

Substitute your own username, password, host, port and mount. Untick Encode Video — you are sending an audio stream, and leaving video on produces a container Icecast will not accept.

If your password contains characters that are not URL-safe, percent-encode them, or generate a new credential until you get a clean one. It is the shortest path.

Going live

Press Start Recording. The name is wrong for what it is doing, but the button is the one that opens the connection.

Studio sees the source within a second or two, ducks automation, and shows the live banner. Stop Recording ends the session and hands the station back to automation at the current schedule position.

There is no reconnect logic on this path. FFmpeg is being asked to write to a URL, and if the write fails it stops. For a scheduled show where a drop would be expensive, run BUTT alongside OBS on a virtual audio device instead and accept the extra moving part.

Getting audio into OBS correctly

The thing that catches people out is not the connection, it is what OBS decides to send.

OBS mixes every audio source that is not muted in the Audio Mixer, and it applies the per-source monitoring settings you may have set for your own headphones. A source set to *Monitor Only* is not in the stream. A source set to *Monitor and Output* is. Check every row before the show rather than after it.

The desktop audio capture also picks up notification sounds, browser tabs and anything else the machine makes. On a video stream that is a minor annoyance. On radio it is your entire output.

When it does not work

Recording stops instantly. Almost always the URL. Check the mount has a leading slash, the port is the source port from the External DJs page rather than the listening port, and that video is unticked.

Connected, but silent. Every audio source is muted or monitor-only. OBS will happily stream digital silence and report success.

"Could not open the output file". OBS's generic failure text for any FFmpeg URL error, including authentication. Regenerate the DJ credential and paste it fresh.

Frequently asked questions

Can I stream to Twitch or YouTube and my radio station at once?

Yes. The RTMP stream uses Start Streaming and the Icecast output uses Start Recording, so they are separate outputs that run in parallel from the same mix. This is the main reason to use the FFmpeg path instead of a virtual cable.

Do I still get a local recording?

Not from this output — the recording slot is now the stream. If you need a file as well, use the Replay Buffer, or record inside your audio interface's software.

Does this work on macOS and Linux?

Yes. The Custom Output (FFmpeg) mode and the bundled FFmpeg are the same on all three platforms; only the audio capture sources differ.

Is OBS a sensible way to run a whole station?

No. It is a good way to produce a show. Unattended hours, rotation and scheduling belong in station automation, which does not need a computer in your house to stay awake and does not lose the station when someone closes a laptop lid.