Posts

Very Upset with Spacial Audio Technical Support

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The Spacial Audio support department strike again! I have been a Sam Broadcaster customer for over 15 years I have reinstalled a PC and when I wanted to activate my license it did not allow me I've been writing to Spacial technical support for two day and they won't give me a solution I have my radio station losing thousands of listeners. I don't know what to do anymore It appears the activation system is yet again causing users issues even if they've deactivated before reinstalling Things like this should NEVER happen with radio automation software. A radio DJ needs software to work so they can do their job or hobby It all stems from the fact SAM Broadcaster was pirated a LOT back in the days on 4.x.x versions. Spacial Audio introduced the activation requirement to cut down on the amount of pirated copies of SAM Broadcaster Pro there were out there. A former Spacial Audio employee posted this: I helped b...

Where Have All the Software Pirates Gone?

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Over the past few years I've seen posts on X offering cracked copies of SAM Broadcaster Pro I'm pretty sure the same thing has been going on on other social media websites. Recently the posts offering these cracks has calmed down. Not seen anyone offering pirated copies of SAM since late 2020. Not even seen anyone offering SAM Broadcaster v4.2.2 which was the most pirated version of SAM Broadcaster On the whole that has to be GOOD NEWS. I'm sure Spacial Audio will be thrilled. These software Pirates have obviously realised you DON'T NEED a Pirated version of SAM Broadcaster you just need RadioDJ Reasons to Use RadioDJ: Once installed it's stable and works for days/weeks without needing to keep an eye on it Great Music library support add as many categories & subcategories you require RadioDJ doesn't require online activations or registration keys Radio...

XML Files Cause SAM Broadcaster To Crash

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As the title of the blog post would suggest SAM Broadcaster crashes when .XML files get corrupted. It can be frustrating when SAM goes wrong for no apparent reason. Sounds like a broken SAMBC.core.xml file Try uninstalling and reinstalling SAM Broadcaster Although you will lose all of your program settings SAM Broadcaster Pro relies on .xml files for its operation it only takes one of those files to become corrupt and SAM does a disappearing act How the XML files become corrupt in SAM Broadcaster is anyones GUESS! RadioDJ also relies on .xml files for backend & plugin functions & I've NEVER had RadioDJ crash like SAM. Trying to get SAM Broadcaster to work but it crashes within 24 hours FACT: RadioDJ performs 100 times better than SAM Broadcaster Pro Soundcards and Disc drives were the main culprits wh...

Why Do I Only Promote FREE Radio Software?

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Q: Why do I only promote free radio software from this blog site? In my own experience when I've paid $$$ for software in the past I've ran into issues that stopped me in my tracks. Users like me paid hundreds $$$ for radio automation software & found the support sucked for those pieces of software Some software companies seem to plod on year after year not updating their software all the while still taking paying customers money. Spacial Audio are the biggest Cowboys when it comes to customer support You only have to search this blog to find that one out Lack of customer support is one huge reason I hate paying for software. Another is when Vendors/Authors of software suddenly disappear off the face of the Earth and then their software becomes obsolete. I find some FREE software can be absolutley Amazing sometimes. FREE SOFTWARE is my favourite sort of software because it comes to you...

SAM Broadcaster Pro How Good Is It?

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This was a question I saw askd by someone on a Forum. Q: SAM Broadcaster Pro: How good is it? A: IMHO It's not a very good piece of software & it's not worth the $299 & $699 pricetags SAM Broadcaster can be extremely tricky for a novice to setup it gets confusing having 5 different database options on first run. Firebird is the worst of the database options and is flaky and unstable. Firebird can only hold around 50,000 tracks in its database so no good if you have a large library (100K+) of songs I installed SAM Broadcaster with the help of a software engineer We used the included Firebird server That worked well for a few days then SAM wouldn't restart I'd have to start over again reinstalling from scratch SAM fails to the point where it crashes at least once a day Its taking ALL the fun out of this We often hear users reporting crashing/activation issues with SAM Broadcaster often taking stations off air for a few...

Why Can't I Use DSP Plugins With RadioDJ 2.x.x.x

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Regular users of RadioDJ will know that version 1.8.2 used to support plugins made by other users. One of those Plugins written by SnowHow supported the use of certain DSP plugins within RadioDJ. In RadioDJ version 2.x.x the plugin structure changed and OLD plugins weren't supported as they had been in version 1.8.2 HOWEVER If you really need a DSP (digital signal processor) plugin to enhance your sound you can do it from within Sound Empire Caster Sound Empire Caster supports the use of DSP plugins. You need to place the .dll and .xml files into the main SEC program folder and you should then have access to that DSP after a restart Highlight The DSP you want to use and use the arrows to move it into the right side panel. TIP: Click SAVE so it remembers the plugin all the time. Sound Empire Caster shouldn't have issues with the DSP of Stereotool I've only heard GOOD THINGS from users about Sound Empire Caster. ...

The Most Perfect Database Software?

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2024 will mark 10 years of me being a MariaDB user. I've used it alongside a lot of versions of RadioDJ. I'd seen someone mention in 2014 that they had found MariaDB so I went and installed it. Maria DB hasn't let me down. I can't even remember the last time I had to fire up HeidiSQL to do maintenance to my databases. MariaDB is being used by some large corporations across the world! I had MariaDB powering my old website before I had to cancel the VPS due to technical issues beyond my control. On my VPS servers MariaDB performed amazingly well compared to MySQL Community Server from Oracle. The author of RadioDJ did a few tests and it appears that MariaDB processes SQL queries fast than Oracle MySQL. I had nothing but headaches with Oracle MySQL community server I only ever do a bit of basic housework with MariaDB. I optimise my RadioDJ database every day by an event. Its been a LONG time ...

Budding InternetRadio DJ?

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Q: Are you a Budding Internet Radio DJ? Starting out doing Internetradio as a hobby can seem daunting at first but when you get used to streaming it can be a great hobby to have. If you're a Budding Radio DJ and are looking to get started then may I suggest a few pieces of software to use that won't cost you a penny. In order to start streaming on the internet you will need the following... Broadband connection with minimum of 2MB per second upload speed 1 Music collection with at least 2000 tracks, make sure you use properly ripped audio files at 320Kbps (CBR) mp3 or FLAC A decent computer with a decent processor and at least 2GB RAM. Plus an operating system LATER than Windows Vista. A decent radio automation program. We recommend RadioDJ FREE radio playout software for this. 1 You may encounter issues if other members of your household are streaming TV/Movies at the same time. Reasons to Use RadioDJ: ...

Beware Of Free Radio Automation Software?

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@Spacial Audio have written a blog post about choosing the right software for running a radio station with. When it came to free radio automation software they said this. Beware of Free Radio Automation Software Free software can often come at a higher cost in the long run with hidden fees and complex contracts that can be costly if you don't foresee them What planet are Spacial Audio living on? Because it sure isn't Earth   With RadioDJ there are NO CONTRACTS NO KEYS NO ACTIVATIONS Genuinely free software sometimes does not deliver on expectations from poor performance to a lack of support when things go wrong WRONG AGAIN! RadioDJ has GREAT Stability & Reliability One user had RadioDJ v1.8.2 running on a Laptop for 4 years RadioDJ has really great support via the Community Forums It's Spacial Audio Solutions who have the distinct LACK OF Customer Service @spacial The worst...

SAM Broadcaster Freezes While Adding Music?

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I first used SAM Broadcaster way back when v1.3 came out in 1999. One thing that bugged me about Streaming Audio Manager is that it always FROZE while adding music into the software. Adding files is a very time consuming process and SAM freezes for a while It won't transition to the next song until the folder scan is done Back in v1.3 If I tried adding a large folder of music to the software it would cause the program to crash. It was exactly the same with versions SAM Broadcaster 2/3/4 The reason SAM freezes is down to the fact that the software suffers from bad MEMORY LEAKS! Plus the software is well known for using lots of the computers resources & CPU. SADLY 20+ years later the same thing is still happening in Spacial Audio's SAM Broadcaster software. Saw this on Social media recently. I'm making headway adding music & jingles to SAM but it keeps freezing The Fact ...

Does Anyone Still Buy SAM Broadcaster Pro?

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I'm not noticing anywhere near the amount of gripes about SAM Broadcaster on social media that I used to see 5/6 years ago. The forums don't seem to be attracting as many complaints that they once did either. Although they've made the forums READ ONLY. Download figures for RadioDJ would suggest that not many people are paying Spacial Audio for software now. It was 2010 when I switched from SAM Broadcaster to RadioDJ I switched because I was sick of SAMBC not performing as it should & it crashed regularly and required reinstalling after every crash. I have NEVER had a major issue with RadioDJ Or any standalone encoders I've streamed with since 2010 RadioDJ handles everything I throw at it and is as Stable & Reliable and doesn't crash like SAM Broadcaster Pro If anything has taken RadioDJ off air it was computer hardware related. Disc Drives FAILING ...

RadioDJ Stream Title Settings

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In RadioDJ free radio automation software you have the ability to control what metadata the listener sees when a song, request or jingle plays. We regularly get people asking how they can hide the artist & title of a Jingle or track form showing in the stream. Look under Options>Options>Stream Titles: This is where the magic happens. You have various track types in RadioDJ Music = 0 Jingle = 1 Sweeper = 2 Voiceover = 3 Commercial = 4 InternetStream = 5 Other = 6 VDF = 7 Podcast = 8 Request = 9 News = 10 PlaylistEvent = 11 FileByDate = 12 NewestFromFolder = 13 Teaser = 14 You need to select the track type from stream titles and configure the information you want to display on your stream(s) These are some of the Variables you can find the full list of stream variables inside the Docs folder in RadioDJv2 by opening a .pdf file $track_id$ = Track's Database ID $artist$ = Track Artist $title$ = Track Title $album$ = Track Album $year$ = R...

Totally Free Radio DJ Music Automation Software

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This was a search that showed up in Google Analytics on my old WP website. Totally Free Radio DJ Music Automation Software So you want some totally FREE radio playout software? Well step this way The main piece of radio automation software I recommend is RadioDJ RadioDJ has been developed since 2009 and has been TOTALLY FREE since it was first released. Radio DJ is free is because the author wanted to help broadcasters get their station on air without spending $$$ on software. RadioDJ has since gone on to be used by professional (AM/FM) radio stations who use it for their stations music output. Despite what other radio automation software developers might say RadioDJ doesn't need marketing gimmicks the software speaks for itself One user reported an amazing uptime with RadioDJ they had v1.8.2 running for 4 years on a laptop. Radio DJ is easy enough to setup & Ideally you should be up and running in under an hour. ...

Create Your Own DIY Radio Station For FREE

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Have you ever fancied creating your own online DIY radio station? Its not as difficult as you might think and is really easy to setup. What do you actually need to create an online radio station? Broadband with a decent upload speed (Min 2MB second) A mixing desk and microphone Varied Music collection minimum of 2500 tracks Decent radio playout software You can pick microphones and mixing desks cheap on sites like eBay. When I was broadcasting I paid £90 for my mixer and around £50-60 on a microphone. You need to route the microphone through a mixing desk into the line-in usually the (blue socket) on your soundcard input. Use software such as Voicemeeter to route your voice through to the stand alone encoding software. Next you'll be wanting some radio automation software to spin your tunes with, for this we recommend RadioDJ RadioDJ runs on .NET (At least 3.5 & 4.6.1) and a MYSQL server & is tested working on Windows (7/8/10) ...

Setting Up Shoutcast DNAS 2.x.x On Windows

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How to setup Shoutcast 2 on Windows. 1) Download Shoutcast V2 pick the right download for your computer. 64-bit Download 32-bit Download  2) Run the exe and install to C:\Shoutcast 3) Go into the Shoutcast folder on the C:\ drive. You need to be in the examples folder. Open sc_serv_basic.conf with Notepad or Word Pad. 4) Edit the basic settings. Choose your passwords and Port (Port 8000 is the Default port) 5) Save the sc_serv_basic.conf file as sc_serv.conf and save it to the main Shoutcast folder on the C:\ drive. 6) Now start the Shoutcast server by running sc_serv.exe If a warning pops up about allowing a program through the Firewall allow it through. Tip: Also unblock the port you wish to stream from on your Broadband Router. Port forwarding uses ports 8000 and 8001. If all goes to plan you should now have running shoutcast server. People should be able to listen to your stream if ...

I Don't Have To Lift A Finger (RadioDJ FREE Radio Playout)

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One of the GREAT things about RadioDJ is once you have your automation setup you may just find you don't have to touch things. I can switch RadioDJ onto Auto DJ press play and rotations and events do the rest. You can have Jingles & Playlists loading by event, You can also load different rotations at different times of day also via an event. RadioDJ will make your radio station more streamlined and because its better programmed you won't need to keep an eye on things. One user had an uptime of 4 years with RadioDJ 1.8.2 Sadly I could never get this sort of stabilty from other well known radio automation software. I was lucky to get a few hours uptime let alone days with other radio playout software. One of the pieces of software would crash and take the database with it. Some of the credit needs to go to MariaDB without it I wouldn't have a stable database. ...

MySQL 8 Problems (RadioDJ)

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Over the past year or so I've seen LOTS of people having issues with MySQL 8 and RadioDJ. Which has now lead Marius to post about using RadioDJ with MySQL 8 Marius carried out out some tests and its quite clear that MySQL 8 takes longer to process queries compared to MariaDB. Query Duration MySQL8: 1.7712764 seconds Query Duration MariaDB: 0.0081946 seconds As you can see the difference is huge on MySQL8 it takes almost 2 seconds just to run a single query. I found MySQL to be bloated when it came to installing it to test it There were far too many options to setup MySQL8 Whereas MariaDB is simpler to install and not so bloated I've used MariaDB since June 2014 and it performs 100% better than Oracle MySQL ever did. I've NOT had to rebuild my RadioDJ database since 2014. I take daily backups so I don't lose my hard work. Its rare for MariaDB databases to crash (IF EVER) I've not had to run a repair in a w...