Static Mount Points

Overview

Mcaster1DNAS supports four mount-type values for mount points. Understanding the difference is critical for correctly configuring your streaming setup:

Live Mounts

The classic streaming mode. A source encoder connects to the server and pushes audio in real time. All connected listeners receive the same stream simultaneously.

mounts:
  - mount-name: "/live"
    mount-type: "live"
    max-listeners: 500
    public: 1
    stream-name: "My Live Radio"
    stream-description: "Live electronic music"
    genre: "Electronic"
    bitrate: "128"
    icy-dj-handle: "@djname"
    icy-show-title: "The Evening Show"
    icy-requests-enabled: true
    icy-requests-url: "https://myradio.com/request"

Source encoder connection:

icecast://source:password@server:9330/live

Listener connection:

http://server:9330/live

Podcast Mounts

A podcast mount serves pre-recorded episode files to listeners on demand. Each listener gets their own independent playback position (not synchronized). The server reads from a configured directory or file list.

mounts:
  - mount-name: "/podcast"
    mount-type: "podcast"
    max-listeners: 200
    public: 1
    stream-name: "The Weekly Podcast"
    stream-description: "In-depth conversations about technology"
    genre: "Talk / Tech"
    bitrate: "96"
    icy-podcast-host: "Alex Rivera"
    icy-podcast-rss: "https://mypodcast.com/feed.rss"
    icy-podcast-episode: 42
    icy-podcast-season: 3
    icy-language: "en-US"
    icy-requests-enabled: false

Metadata Push for Podcast Episodes

When a new episode starts playing (or when you want to update the "now playing" display), push metadata via the admin API:

curl -sk -u admin:changeme \
  "https://localhost:9443/admin/metadata?mount=/podcast&mode=updinfo" \
  --data-urlencode "song=Ep 42 - AI and the Future" \
  --data-urlencode "icy-podcast-episode=42" \
  --data-urlencode "icy-podcast-host=Alex Rivera"

Socialcast Mounts

A socialcast is an automated, continuous stream driven by a playlist or scheduler — the server manages playback without a live encoder. Use this for:

• 24/7 automated radio stations
• Scheduled program blocks
• DJ mix relay streams
• Background music for websites or events

mounts:
  - mount-name: "/socialcast"
    mount-type: "socialcast"
    max-listeners: 300
    public: 1
    stream-name: "Mcaster1 Lounge"
    stream-description: "24/7 automated electronic music"
    genre: "Electronic / Ambient"
    bitrate: "128"
    icy-dj-handle: "AutoDJ"
    icy-show-title: "The Lounge"
    icy-social-twitter: "@mcaster1radio"
    icy-hashtags: "#electronic #ambient #24/7"

Metadata on Socialcast Streams

The server auto-updates the icy-title / StreamTitle metadata when it advances to the next track in the playlist. You can also push manual overrides:

curl -sk -u admin:changeme \
  "https://localhost:9443/admin/metadata?mount=/socialcast&mode=updinfo&song=Artist+-+Track+Name"

On-Demand Mounts

An on-demand mount delivers a specific audio file (or short playlist) to each listener independently — similar to a podcast but typically for single tracks or albums rather than episodic content.

mounts:
  - mount-name: "/ondemand"
    mount-type: "ondemand"
    max-listeners: 100
    public: 1
    stream-name: "On Demand — Full Albums"
    stream-description: "Listen to full album streams"
    genre: "Various"
    bitrate: "256"
    icy-requests-enabled: false

Use cases: album stream pages on a music website, preview streams for releases, podcast episode direct links with embedded player.

Differences at a Glance

Song History on All Mount Types

All mount types feed the song history ring buffer (/mcaster1songdata) when a track change is detected. Podcast episodes, socialcast track advances, and on-demand plays all appear in the public track history pages alongside live stream data.

ICY2 Headers on Static Mounts

For non-live mounts, set ICY2 metadata headers in the mount config. The server sends these to listeners as part of the HTTP response headers when they connect, and exposes them in the stats XML:

mounts:
  - mount-name: "/podcast"
    mount-type: "podcast"
    # ... core config ...

    # ICY2 fields — sent to all listeners on this mount
    icy-dj-handle: "Podcast Host Name"
    icy-station-id: "mypodcast-weekly"
    icy-show-title: "The Weekly Tech Podcast"
    icy-podcast-host: "Alex Rivera"
    icy-podcast-rss: "https://mypodcast.com/feed.rss"
    icy-language: "en-US"
    icy-content-rating: "clean"
    icy-social-twitter: "@mypodcast"
    icy-requests-enabled: false

Listener Engagement — Requests

For live and socialcast mounts where listener requests are meaningful, enable the requests URL and chat URL:

mounts:
  - mount-name: "/live"
    mount-type: "live"
    icy-requests-enabled: true
    icy-requests-url: "https://myradio.com/request"
    icy-chat-url: "https://discord.gg/myradio"
    icy-donate-url: "https://ko-fi.com/myradio"

Listeners using ICY2-aware players will see clickable request / chat / donate buttons in their player UI.