# Vinyl Streamer

A lightweight, local-network streaming service that captures analog audio from a turntable and broadcasts it over the network using Icecast. Listen to your vinyl records in real-time from any device in your home.

## 🎛️ Hardware Prerequisites

To build this streaming node, you will need the following physical components:

*   **Raspberry Pi:** A Raspberry Pi 3B, 4, or Zero 2 W is recommended, along with a reliable power supply and MicroSD card.
*   **USB Audio Interface (ADC):** A device to convert the analog audio to a digital signal for the Pi.
I had best restults with the [Behringer UCA202](https://www.amazon.ca/-/fr/Behringer-UCA222-Interface-audio-rouge/dp/B0023BYDHK/)

<img src="img/UCA202.jpg"  width="200">

*   **Turntable:** Your vinyl record player with analog output like the [Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT-BK](https://www.amazon.ca/-/fr/dp/B07N3RFXRL)

<img src="img/turntable_front.jpg"  width="200" ><img src="img/turntable_back.jpg"  width="200" >

*   **[3.5mm to RCA Cables]((https://www.amazon.ca/VCE-adaptateurs-st%C3%A9r%C3%A9o-femelle-Plaqu%C3%A9/dp/B06XCR898P)):** To connect the turntable/preamp to the audio interface.

<img src="img/35mm_to_rca.jpg"  width="200" >

*   **[3.5 mm Splitters](https://www.amazon.ca/-/fr/R%C3%A9partiteur-femelle-dextension-Adaptateur-Compatible/dp/B0CN8WRSNG):** To keep the connection available to your Home Theater or Speakers

<img src="img/35mmsplit.jpg"  width="200" >

## 💻 Software Prerequisites

The streamer relies on two core pieces of software: a capture/encoding client and a broadcast server.

*   **Linux OS:** A headless Linux distribution like Raspberry Pi OS Lite or Dietpi if you want fast bootup. 
*   **ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture):** Standard Linux sound drivers to detect and manage the USB audio interface (`alsa-utils`).
*   **Darkice:** The streaming client. It captures the live audio from the ALSA device, encodes it (to MP3, Ogg Vorbis, etc.), and sends it to the server. *(Note: **Liquidsoap** is a powerful alternative to Darkice if you want to implement advanced scripting, like silence detection).*
*   **Icecast2:** The streaming media server. It receives the encoded stream from Darkice and serves it to network clients (browsers, media players, smart speakers) via a local HTTP URL.
*   **Docker or podman**: The virtualization software if you dont want to install on bare metal

---

## 🚀 Installation & Setup

### Hardware Flow
```mermaid
flowchart TD
    A[Turntable] --> |3.5mm|B[3.5mm Splitter]
    B --> |3.5mm|C[3.5mm to RCA converter]
    B --> |3.5mm|D[Home Theater]
    C --> |RCA|E[Behringer UCA202]
    E --> |USB|F[Raspberry Pi3]
```

### Option A: Bare-Metal Package Installation

1. Update your system and install the required packages:
   ```bash
   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install alsa-utils darkice icecast2
   ```
2. Configure Icecast by following the prompts to set your broadcast passwords.
3. Identify your USB audio device using `arecord -l` to find the correct ALSA card number.
you should see something similar to 
  ```
  **** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
  card 1: Codec [USB Audio Codec], device 0: USB Audio [USB Audio]
    Subdevices: 1/1
    Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
  ```
4. Edit the `/etc/darkice.cfg` file to link your hardware capture device to the Icecast server.
  ```
  [input]
  device          = hw:1,0  # OSS DSP soundcard device for the audio input
  sampleRate      = 44100   # sample rate in Hz. try 11025, 22050 or 44100
  bitsPerSample   = 16      # bits per sample. try 16
  channel         = 2       # channels. 1 = mono, 2 = stereo
  ```
5. Icecast streams: continue to edit the '/etc/darkice.cfg' file and add the configuration nof your choice, or both
MP3 is compatible with more devices but Opus has usually greater quality
  ```
    # ==========================================
    # Stream 1: High Compatibility (MP3)
    # URL: http://<RASPBERRY_PI_IP>:8000/vinyl.mp3
    # ==========================================
    [icecast2-0]
    bitrateMode     = cbr       # Constant bitrate for maximum MP3 compatibility
    format          = mp3
    bitrate         = 320       # High quality MP3
    server          = localhost # Or the IP of your Icecast container
    port            = 8000
    password        = hackme    # Must match ICECAST_SOURCE_PASSWORD
    mountPoint      = vinyl.mp3
    name            = Vinyl Stream (MP3)
    description     = Turntable broadcast in MP3 format

    # ==========================================
    # Stream 2: High Efficiency / Quality (Opus)
    # URL: http://<RASPBERRY_PI_IP>:8000/vinyl.opus
    # ==========================================
    [icecast2-1]
    bitrateMode     = vbr       # Variable bitrate is ideal for Opus
    format          = opus
    bitrate         = 128       # Opus sounds incredibly transparent at 128kbps
    server          = localhost # Or the IP of your Icecast container
    port            = 8000
    password        = hackme    # Must match ICECAST_SOURCE_PASSWORD
    mountPoint      = vinyl.opus
    name            = Vinyl Stream (Opus)
    description     = Turntable broadcast in Opus format
  ```
### Option B: Docker Compose Deployment

If you prefer a containerized homelab setup, you can deploy the stack using Docker Compose. 

**`docker-compose.yml`**
run 
```
docker compose up -d
```
*(Ensure your ALSA device is mapped correctly and your `darkice.cfg` points to the `icecast` container hostname).*

## 🎧 Listening to the Stream

Once the services are running and a record is spinning, you can access the stream from any device on your local network by pointing your browser or a network media player to:

`http://<RASPBERRY_PI_IP>:8000/vinyl`
 
 You can use a service like [Music Assistant](https://www.music-assistant.io/) to add that stream as an internet radio and cast to your Cast devices (google cast / Snap / Sonos/ etc)