Possible audio issues with Nicecast

Often when I click broadcast and then Skype is hijacked, I have no sound, in other words, I can hear the tone that Skype has started but when I talk, my meter in Nicecast does not move and I do not have an echo. I am not broadcasting. I now know to check first that the audio device is selected. Even if it was selected, it appears that when Skype launches (is hijacked) Nicecast looses the audio device that you have carefully chosen when you first opened it.

I've been thinking that it's a conflict and trash the skype preference in the library of the root user but then the whole computer needs to be restarted. Worse yet, sometimes that seems to not resolve the problem. Well, now I realize that it is not even the problem - just make sure that your audio device is still selected! Thank you Lee!

Simulcast with Eluminate on a Mac with Nicecast

During the WEBheads in Action Convergence I was able to simulcast Barbara Ganley who was presenting in Eluminate. I made my way to Eluminate and logged in. Then I opened Nicecast and set it to the correct server at WB. Then in Nicecast, for Source I selected Application, found Eluminate LIVE, then went to ADVANCED and selected system output, instead of default, that means that I am streaming the regular system output, not speakers, no mic etc.

Then jump over to the editor, select from the desktop the java. For me it was called meeting-jnlp, when I clicked on that it came up as Java cache viewer. Then I started the broadcast, saw that it was ON AIR, then went back to editor and hijacked. The strange thing is that the number counter doesn't move. Well, I think that is because it is not recording anywhere,  just streaming.

All for now.

May 18, 2007

Cheryl Oakes 

Streaming on two channels with NiceCast

After going through the Simplecast screencast and learning how to stream on both Sandbox A and B at different levels, I returned to NiceCast and was baffled how to do it on Mac. I wrote to Rogue Amoeba Software Support on Lee's suggestion. Here is my question and their answer:

Question: In Simplecast or SAM on my XP machine, I can broadcast using on two channels, one for people with higher bandwidth and one for people with lower bandwidth. In Nicecast, I can set up the different channels as different servers, but I don't see how to broadcast on two at once and how to do it with different quality settings????

Answer: Unfortunately, Nicecast does not support simultaneous broadcast of two streams as of yet. Maybe in the future.

The dreaded echo in Nicecast!

The dreaded echo! While streaming and using Nicecast and Skype, I would experience an echo chamber and I would have to delay my speaking. I checked my system preferences, the microphone was selected. I checked SKYPE and the microphone was selected. I checked Nicecast and the microphone was selected! However, I still had the echo. Then just by chance I checked effects in Nicecast, then editor, then advanced and viola, the hijack had mysteriously taken over and hijacked  all audio streams instead of one audio stream. As soon as I checked that back to select one audio stream, I've been good!

At the end of a 75 min. show, I begin to hear a little echo, but I believe that is just my intel imac and skype dualing.

Good luck.

Cheryl Oakes

PS  The audio stream for the most part still is usable.