CastBridge can process your stream so it sounds consistent and radio-ready: quiet songs and loud songs play at the same level, DJs and shows match each other, and the sound holds up on phones, earbuds and car speakers. The easiest way to set this up is a recipe.
Pick a recipe
- On the Streams page, click Edit on your stream.
- Under Quick start: pick a recipe, click a recipe. A bar at the bottom lists what it changed.
- Click Save & apply to hear it, or Undo to go back.
The line above the recipes shows which recipe your saved settings match (Active now), or Custom settings if you've changed things yourself. A recipe only changes the sound settings; your source and outputs stay as they are.
Which recipe for which station?
| Your station | Free recipes | Stereo Tool recipes |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed music, not sure | Broadcast processor, all-round | Music radio, all-round |
| Pop, CHR, dance | Broadcast processor, loud; Loud music with master_me | Pop / CHR / Dance, loud and punchy; Stereo Tool · HardBass |
| Hip-hop, R&B, EDM | Hip-hop / R&B / EDM with master_me | Hip-hop / Urban / bass-heavy |
| Rock, live music | Rock / live music with master_me | Music radio, all-round |
| Classical, jazz, acoustic | Classical / jazz / acoustic with master_me | Classical / Jazz / Acoustic, gentle |
| Talk, news, sports, live DJs | Talk radio / live DJ with master_me; Talk / podcast with master_me only | Talk / news / sports |
| Low-bitrate output (64k and below) | Low-bitrate stream with master_me | Any, with the HD - Low bitrate output stage |
| Very uneven levels between shows | Autogain + limiter | Autogain into Stereo Tool; Hybrid: master_me leveler into Stereo Tool |
| Just level-match, no colour | Transparent loudness match only | – |
The Sound guide in the panel menu lists every recipe with a short description.
The processors
- Broadcast processor (free): a radio-style chain with a loudness AGC, a 5-band compressor and a look-ahead limiter. Lightest on resources, no licence and no voice-over. Choose a Style (Gentle, Balanced or Loud) and adjust Extra loudness, Bass weight and Presence to taste.
- master_me (free): a clean, modern automatic mastering chain. Very good for spoken word, podcasts and music that should keep its dynamics.
- Autogain (free): rides the level towards a loudness target without compressing the sound, so the music keeps its punch.
- Stereo Tool: a full FM-style broadcast processor with de-clipping, repair and adaptive bass. It sounds the most "radio", but needs a licence key; see Using Stereo Tool: Licence Keys, Presets and Live Tuning.
Use one main processor: the Broadcast processor, master_me in Full mode, or Stereo Tool. Stacking them makes the sound pump and go flat. The recipes already follow this rule.
The free processors and Stereo Tool are included on plans that list them. If a section is missing from your stream's settings, your plan doesn't include it.
Compare before and after (A/B listen)
Once a stream is saved, the A/B listen bar at the top of its settings plays your original and the processed stream at the same time, so you can switch instantly:
- Click Play, then A · Original or B · Processed. On the keyboard, press A or B, or Space to flip.
- Keep Level-match on. Processed audio is louder, and louder always sounds "better" at first; level-matching lets you judge the sound itself.
- The processed side runs a few seconds behind, so you may hear a slightly different moment of the same song.
After saving new settings, press Play again once the stream has restarted.
- Start from the best source you have: 192 to 320k MP3, or AAC 128k and up.
- About -14 to -10 LUFS sounds competitive on internet radio. Louder mostly adds distortion and listener fatigue, and apps such as Alexa and TuneIn turn very loud streams down anyway.
- Listen on a phone speaker, earbuds and in a car before you decide.
To adjust individual settings, see Sound Processing Settings Explained.
