How To:DJ with Winamp
From Online DJ Wiki
Introduction
|
DJing with Winamp is a very popular and easy method to DJ online. It requires two pieces of software, Winamp and the Winamp Shoutcast DSP. While there are other plug-ins with Winamp that may be used to stream music, this method is the most comprehensive allowing the DJ to talk while playing music without the need of additional software or plug-ins. Please note that USB based headsets do not properly work with the SHOUTcast DSP plugin. Microphones that use the audio jacks of your system are preferred.
For a more comprehensive look at Winamp and its features, see the Winamp Media Player Description.
Step 1 – Install Winamp and The Shoudcast DSP
- Download Winamp from http://www.winamp.com
- Download the Shoutcast DSP Plugin from http://www.shoutcast.com/download/broadcast.phtml
- From the Menu click on Options then Preferences (or press CTRL+P)
- Under the Plug-ins section, select DSP/Effect
- While in DSP/Effect, select Nullsoft SHOUTcast Source DSP v1.9.0 [dsp_sc.dll]
- Click Close on the Winamp Preferences Window
At this point you should have a window that says SHOUTcast Source available. It may be hidden behind Winamp. You will need to bring the window to the front for the next steps
Step 2 – Configure the Shoutcast DSP
The Shoutcast DSP can be configured in two different ways, the first is the ability to crossfade your voice with a microphone the second is to just play music. To be able to crossfade your voice with music, follow these steps:
- In the SHOUTcast Source window click on the input tab
- In the “Input Device” menu, select “Soundcard Input” and ensure that Input Settings is selected at 44100Hz, Stereo
- Click on the Open Mixer button and two windows should appear on top of each other “Play Control” and “Recording Control”
- Click on the Recording Control window (either by using ALT+TAB or by click at the bottom of your screen)
- In the Recording Control window ensure that “what you hear” or “Stereo Mix” is selected. If this is not visible, follow these steps:
- In the Recording Control Window, click on the “Options” menu then select “Properties”.
- In the Properties Window, ensure that the “Recording” radio box is selected and ensure that “What you Hear” or “Stereo Mix” is selected in the “Show the following volume controls:” portion.
- Once selected, click “OK”
- Close the Recording Control window and select the Play Control window
- In Play Control, ensure the following controls are not muted by looking under them
- “Play Control”
- “Wave”
- “Microphone”
- Close the Play Control Window
To test the controls, in the “SHOUTcast Source” window, hold down the “Push to Talk” button to turn on your mic as you are speaking or click on “Lock” to turn the mic on, and unselect it to turn the mic off.
To adjust the volume levels of your mic, how quickly it fades in and out, the volume of the music both when the mic is on and off, move the sliders above the “Push to Talk” button. These settings vary from soundcard to soundcard. For most external soundcards the following settings are recommended:
Music Level: -1db BG Music Level: -14db Mic Level: -1db Fade Time: 500ms
For most internal soundcards, the following settings are recommended:
Music Level: -5db BG Music Level: -14db Mic Level: -1db Fade Time: 500ms
These settings vary on preference, soundcard, and system, no one setting fits all.
To be able to just play music, without any talking, you can use the technique above, or for greater control, in the “Input Device” select “Winamp (Recommended)”
Step 3 – Configure Server Settings
To connect to a shoutcast server you will need a sever address, port number, password, and listening address. Usually your shoutcast server provider will give you this information in the form of the following:
Server Address: shoutcast.example.com (Note: some server providers use an IP Address, an IP address may look like 192.168.1.1) Port: 8010 Password: Example Listening Address: http://shoutcast.example.com:8010 (or in the case of an IP address it will look like 192.168.1.1:8010)
NOTE: The information provided above is not a real SHOUTcast server, this is only an example of the information you may receive. Please check with your SHOUTcast Sever Provider on the proper information for your shoutcast server.
Now, with this information, we are going to configure the SHOUTcast Source to work with our server
- In the SHOUTcast Source, click on the Output tab
- Ensure “Output 1” is selected (you can add other shoutcast server addresses and configurations in Output 2 – 5)
- In the address field type in the sever address “shoutcast.example.com” (or in IP form “192.168.1.1”)
- In the port address, type in the port number 8010
- In the password field type in the password “Example”
- In the encoder field, select “1”
- Click on the “Yellow Pages” button and fill in the information accordingly. This information can be anything you would like.
- Next, click on the Encoder tab
Every shoutcast server is configured differently; usually your SHOUTcast provider will indicate what the capabilities of the server are. In this example the sever is a 128kbps server, which means we can configure it to any setting up to 128kbps 44.100kHz, Stereo. To ensure the encoder is selected properly follow these steps while in the encoder tab.
- Ensure the Encoder Type is set at MP3 Encoder (Note: This can be set to ACC+ Encoder, but MP3 is more uniform for listeners)
- In the Encoder Settings Pull down Menu ensure 128kbps, 44.100kHz, Stereo is selected.
At this point we have our encoder set properly to our server. If our server was a 64kbps server, in the Encoder Settings pull down menu we would select “64kbps, 22050kHz, Stereo” instead.
