MinecraftOnline Radio

Broadcasting in progress by

MinecraftOnline Radio, or MCOR for short, is an experimental internet radio station run by the staff of MinecraftOnline, primarily for the benefit of players in-game.

Links

Stream url: http://radio.minecraftonline.com:8000/stream
Web player url(currently not working): http://minecraftonline.com/radio

Technology

The radio station is a ShoutCast stream, hosted on our alternate server Borealis in order to ensure the bandwidth usage does not interfere with quality of play on the main minecraft server.

An experimental web interface has been created, allowing streaming through a browser-based flash player, making access easier for those without a dedicated shoutcast player.

It is possible to query the IRC bot for what is currently playing with the !radio command in IRC, and to use the /radio command in-game.

Regular DJs

"Riot's music is like a robot f*cking your skull." - Enjoku

SlowRiot - Chiptune, VGM, minimal techno, psytrance, industrial, EBM. No requests.
FlyingJellyfish - If it's good for dancing to, Jelly will be playing it (and dancing to it). Recently she has been addicted to chiptune. Usually takes requests.
nodoka_miyazaki - House, progressive, Old-school jazz, Always eager to take requests.
bubba_basti - Drum & bass, electronica, indie rock, hard rock, funk, requests
Palindrome7 - The kitchen sink approach to music, usually more on the relaxing side. Some requests taken.
The_Jackal_249 - Requests and whatever is in my files.
Kingcammy150 - Punk, Pop-Punk, Post Punk and Punk Rock.
14mRh4X0r - Usually everything from my library on random, requests.
Drmx94 - Secretly just 14mRh4X0r (they share the same IP)
Liastrae - Accepts requests, generally fills dead air with all sorts, from Daft Punk to Cephalic Carnage, with the occasional classical piece and classic 80's works.
GeekyCreeper - A newer DJ. Plays a variety from his library, but usually sticks with Minecraft Music, EDM, and Today's Hits. Is on when he gets around to it, and when there's no school. Will take requests, but they'll have to be added to his library, so they won't be able to be used until the next broadcast.

Not-So-Regular DJs

TBSliver - Metal, mixed genres, requests
Drathus42 - Anything except rap and (new) country, a truly random mix. And requests of course.
fmxstick - Electronic, Rock, Metal and House Techno-Metal
ModernMyth7 - Alternative & mixed music.
shypixel - A smooth blend of the Red and Yellow light spectrums.
Machines_Are_Us - Music that people who wear a lot of black listen to, requests if he has the song.
dashmercatp - Plays everything from "oh, I love this song" to "oh god what is that noise make it stop!" Mixes live and occasionally takes requests.
captbunzo - Mixed rock, folk including a bit of irish, and bit of pop. Requests welcome!
imaMIN0R - Indie rock, folk, songs that make ya wanna dance with a broom, and requests
Pettie - Classic prog, hair metal, nu-rock, requests.
zfleming1 - Video game remixes, metal
xanderstrike - Weird shit.
reaxion - Contemporary, prog rock, and just about anything else.
Chromaryu - Chiptune(Module) Streamer, using WinAmp.

Arecibo Radio

When no MCOR DJ is streaming, the stream relays Arecibo Radio's stream, in official coordination with Arecibo. This mostly consists of 8Bit Chiptunes, VGM, VGIM, Bitpop, ElectroChip and NeoSynth.

When an MCOR DJ connects, all newly connecting listeners will hear their stream, although existing listeners will not have the Arecibo stream interrupted unless they disconnect and reconnect.

Getting involved

For a full tutorial on how to use MinecraftOnline Radio, go here: MCORadio

Winamp configuration for MCOR

Mixxx configuration for MCOR

"Any requests?" - ModernMyth7 "Anything but this :p" - grimshawish

We are always interested in introducing more broadcasters, especially from genres not already featured by existing DJs. Currently the system is in testing, and there is no formal application process - just talk to the staff about it on IRC or TeamSpeak.

What you need

Some sort of ShoutCast source is required; it can be as simple as the Winamp plugin, or as powerful as Mixxx or any other DJ software that supports shoutcast broadcasting.

How to stream

Set your broadcast system to "Shoutcast 1" mode.
If using Mixxx, make sure broadcasting mode is set to mp3 rather than ogg vorbis.
Connect to radio.minecraftonline.com:8000.
There is no username, only a stream password - ask another DJ on IRC for it once you've arranged your slot.
More than one person can connect at once; in which case, clients will be directed to the oldest stream currently running. When that one disconnects, clients are switched over to the second, etc.

Tips

If listeners complain of the stream breaking up, it's likely due to the connection between the broadcaster's computer and the server. As the broadcaster, try to make sure nothing else is using your network bandwidth; stop any downloads you have going, Steam or any peer to peer content upload systems, and consider closing your browser(s).

Normally a bitrate of 128kbit works fine; if not, reducing this should improve connection quality, but at the expense of quality. Anything below about 60kbit starts to sound as if it's under water.
If using mixxx, reduce the sample rate from 48kHz to 44.1kHz.
- This will otherwise make a slight mess of swapping hosts. This setting is under Sound Hardware.
Consider switching to mono mode to save bandwidth.
If you can't get your microphone working with winamp (or you're running on speakers), but want to talk between tracks, one neat way to do it is to pre-record yourself speaking (using windows sound recorder or similar) during the track, and add the recording to your playlist between tracks.

Resources

MCOR has several user-created intertitles that you are encouraged to occasionally insert between tracks on your stream, or as an introduction when you're about to speak. DJs are also encouraged to create their own, and share them with the community!

http://ge.tt/6Gr7xrI2 - Station IDs v1.2 (221 files, 8MB!!) - Collection of MinecraftOnline Radio station ID messages by several of the MCOR regular DJs; sprinkle these amongst your tracks to remind the listeners what they're listening to!

Future

There are plans for an automated slot-based time system, with DJ slots advertised in advance, and the possibility to apply for a regular slot, or take a free slot if one becomes available at the last minute.

An automated request system is also planned, which will keep track of requests and dedications automatically for broadcasters.

There are also plans to have McObot announce song titles as they are played.