Broadcaster Software (icecast and darkice)

Summary

User: grace Hostname: portal.local Password: emergence Running icecast (port 80) and darkice with Namecheap Dynamic DNS for external access. See icecast-darkice.md for setup instructions.

Bill of Materials

Raspberry pi 4b (1 gig ram) - https://www.sparkfun.com/raspberry-pi-4-model-b-1gb.html
3 x USB to XLR sound card cable - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089WFYZ5R?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
3 x XLR microphones -
Raspberry pi 4 Power supply - https://www.waveshare.com/pi-psu-us-w.htm
ethernet cable - https://hosatech.com/products/data/network-cable/cat-500/
micro hdmi to regular hdmi cable- https://www.waveshare.com/pi-official-micro-hdmi-cable-1m.htm

Hardware setup

Plug the mic into the the usb cable
Plug the usb cable into the pi
Plug the pi into the wall

Pre work

install raspian lite 64 for raspi model 4b
configure user and wifi and turn on ssh services when you install
boot
find the ip address of the pi and ssh to it

Setup instructions

Creature comforts

sudo apt update && install git vim zsh
sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

Icecast2 and Darkice installation

Loosely following this tutorial: https://dev.to/shilleh/stream-audio-from-raspberry-pi-to-local-computer-1a1c

Install icecast2

sudo apt install icecast2
It will ask you for three passwords. Set them all as emergence.

Install darkice

sudo apt install darkice
sudo vim /etc/darkice.cfg

[general]
duration = 0 # Stream indefinitely
bufferSecs = 5 # Buffer for the input, in seconds
reconnect = yes # Reconnect to the server if disconnected

[input]
device = plughw:1,0 # Your audio capture device
sampleRate = 44100
bitsPerSample = 16 # Bits per sample
channel = 1 # 2 = stereo, 1 = mono

[icecast2-0]
bitrateMode = cbr # Constant bit rate
format = mp3 # Audio format
bitrate = 128 # Bitrate in kbps
server = localhost # Server name or IP
port = 80 # Port number
password=emergence # Your Icecast password
mountPoint = portal # Mount point to stream to
name = Black Portal # Name of the stream
description = Black Portal Project # Description of the stream
url = http://blackportaldetroit.com # URL related to the stream
genre = politics # Genre of the stream
public = no # Do not list on public lists

Daemonize darkice

sudo vim /lib/systemd/system/darkice.service

[Unit]
Description=Darkice Service
[Service]
User=root
Type=simple
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5
WorkingDirectory=/home/grace
ExecStart=/usr/bin/darkice -c /etc/darkice.cfg
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable icecast2
sudo systemctl enable darkice

Dynamic DNS Configuration (Automated)

The install script automatically configures Namecheap Dynamic DNS to make the stream accessible at blackportaldetroit.com without requiring a static IP address.

What gets installed:

ddclient - Updates your domain's IP address automatically
Configuration file - Pre-configured for Namecheap at /etc/ddclient.conf
Systemd service - Runs ddclient as a background service
Icecast on port 80 - Eliminates need for router port forwarding

Manual steps required after installation:

In Namecheap account: Enable Dynamic DNS for blackportaldetroit.com
Add DNS record: Create an "A + Dynamic DNS" record for "@" (root domain)
Get password: Note the Dynamic DNS password from Namecheap
Update config: Edit /etc/ddclient.conf and replace REPLACE_WITH_NAMECHEAP_DDNS_PASSWORD
Start service: Run sudo systemctl start ddclient
No router setup needed - icecast runs directly on port 80

Verify Dynamic DNS is working:

# Check ddclient status
sudo systemctl status ddclient

# View ddclient logs
sudo journalctl -u ddclient -f

# Test DNS resolution
nslookup blackportaldetroit.com

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