MuSE
LiveIce, as robust as it is, is still an antiquated method of streaming audio files. It was a standard component of icecast version 1.3.0 and later releases, but LiveIce has since been eclipsed by more dynamic programs. It may continue to serve a purpose for smaller, less robust systems as it is mostly command-line driven. However, there are more current tools that exhibit many of the same features as LiveIce.
If you are uncomfortable using the command line for configuring a streaming utility, there are always GUI tools. One of the easiest tools for streaming static file and live audio feeds is MuSE, an acronym for "Multiple Streaming Engine." Installation is simple; download the latest source code to a standard location, unpack, compile, and install:
# gunzip -c MuSE-0.9.1.tar.gz | tar xvf - # cd MuSE-0.9.1/ # ./configure && make && make install |
MuSE does not require root access to run. Any user can initiate a session from within an X Window environment. MuSE also comes with an ncurses display if a console-style appearance within a terminal window or regular console display is preferred. There is also a rudimentary CLI interface. Additional variables for using MuSE in the command line are available by typing muse --help.
MuSE's Main Interface
The MuSE GUI is the preferred interface for beginning users. There are three distinct options or interfaces available for streaming audio using MuSE. The primary interface, as shown in Figure 6-3, allows users to select from a collection of individual MP3 files or a .pl playlist, or stream a live audio feed, or capture encoded audio to a static file.
When selecting the first option, users create an audio playlist from local sound files using the following command:
# find </example/mp3/directory> -name *.mp3 -print > playlist.pl |
This command is the same as that used by the LiveIce Configuration Generator script shown earlier in this chapter.
Right-click within the field on the main interface and select Add File... Choose the new playlist.pl file or select individual files. This option is useful for inserting small buffer files between each audio file or when creating a selection of works for listening. Figure 6-3 demonstrates a sample playlist I created for my sons of Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf."
A sample static audio playlist using MuSE.
Begin streaming by connecting to the running icecast server and editing the fields that appear alongside the streaming button. The first of the three tabbed windows defines the IP address, port, description, login type, and password to the icecast server. The second tabbed window specifies the bitrate, frequency, channels, quality, and other variables for improving the sound performance. Save the configuration after creating a useable profile.
The same setup also applies to live audio streaming. On the main interface, click the uppermost left icon. This takes the incoming raw audio feed, encodes it to MP3 format according to your definitions, and pipes it to the network via the icecast server. To record an outgoing encoded audio feed, select the final tab on the secondary display and pipe the audio to a static file. One advantage MuSE has over other streaming applications is that you can run multiple channels and force different stream types at varying bitrates. This allows you to offer highand low-bandwidth options.