To simulcast an internet radio station to YouTube, keep classic BUTT pointed at its Shoutcast or Icecast destination and use a separate YouTube-compatible encoder, such as OBS, for the YouTube broadcast. Classic BUTT’s documentation describes live audio sent to radio servers; it does not document a direct YouTube workflow.
That distinction matters because YouTube’s encoder setup uses a server URL and stream key, and a live broadcast needs a video stream as well as audio. You can route the station audio into an encoder, pair it with a suitable visual, and send that composed programme to YouTube while retaining your existing radio stream if you need it.
Check that your channel can go live
Before changing the station’s audio routing, check live-stream access in YouTube Studio. YouTube says the channel must be verified and live streaming enabled. Its help guidance also says that enabling a channel’s first live stream may take at least 24 hours after the initial request, so do this ahead of a planned launch rather than discovering the delay on the day.
Create or schedule a live stream in Studio and review the current encoder instructions there. You will need the stream server URL and a stream key. The exact controls can change, so follow the current interface rather than a screenshot or old tutorial. YouTube’s encoder setup guidance explains the server URL and key workflow.
Keep the key private. Treat it like a password that grants access to the stream: do not include it in a public screenshot, a shared configuration file, or a post asking for troubleshooting help. If you think it has been exposed, replace it in Studio and update the encoder that uses it.
Check the account and content requirements that apply to your channel before proceeding. A successful encoder connection is not a guarantee that every live stream or visual will meet YouTube’s current rules. Review the current official help pages and the notices in Studio for your own account.
What classic BUTT sends
BUTT is short for Broadcast Using This Tool. Its project manual describes its main purpose as sending live audio from a computer’s microphone or line input to a Shoutcast or Icecast server. In practice, it is useful when you have a live audio source on the computer and want that source delivered to a conventional internet radio server.
This is different from a station playout system that takes a playlist and runs it unattended. BUTT is an encoder for a live input; it is not, on the basis of the project documentation, a substitute for the software that schedules songs, jingles or programmes. If you already have a radio host or playout application, identify where its audio enters BUTT before planning the YouTube route.
The key question is not simply, “Which encoder do I use?” It is, “Where does the programme audio exist, and which applications can capture it?” It might be playing through the computer’s audio system, arriving on a selected input device, or coming from an external mixer. The answer determines how you make the same station sound available to YouTube’s encoder.
The BUTT project manual is the right reference for its documented role and supported radio-server workflow. Do not infer from the fact that an application can send audio over a network that it can also create the video-bearing stream YouTube expects.
Why radio-server output is not YouTube ingest
A Shoutcast or Icecast destination and YouTube Live ingest are different endpoints with different workflows. In the radio-server setup, BUTT sends an audio stream to a radio server. In YouTube’s encoder workflow, an encoder connects to the server URL and stream key provided for a YouTube live event. You should not paste a YouTube key into BUTT and assume that this is a supported configuration: the reviewed BUTT documentation does not describe that direct YouTube RTMP workflow.
There is a second difference: YouTube Live is a video broadcast. Audio is essential for a radio simulcast, but an audio-only feed is not enough to produce the intended YouTube programme. The encoder needs a visual source alongside the audio, even if your visual is a simple station identity image. YouTube’s current stream preview and health indicators are where you can check what is actually arriving.
You may see instructions for sending a BUTT stream to more than one radio server. The developer’s multiple-server how-to describes separate BUTT instances with separate configuration files for that kind of radio-server arrangement. That solves a radio-server destination problem; it does not add a YouTube-compatible video output to classic BUTT.
Thinking of this as two outputs prevents a common setup mistake. Your radio listener path can remain BUTT to its established radio server. The YouTube path is station audio captured by another encoder, composed with a visual, then sent to the YouTube ingest details in Studio.
Keep the radio-server feed if you still need it
If listeners already tune in through your Shoutcast or Icecast station, there is no need to remove that output merely to add YouTube. Leave BUTT’s existing configuration in place while you build and test the separate YouTube route. This lets you preserve the familiar radio endpoint and diagnose the new video route without changing two parts of the system at once.
If you need to reach several traditional radio servers, use the BUTT documentation for that specific case. It describes starting multiple instances with different configuration files, one for each server. It is a separate concern from YouTube, and running multiple instances will not make a YouTube stream by itself.
Write down the current signal path before you change anything: the source application, selected input, radio server destination and the machine on which each part runs. If the station already has an audio mixer or playout computer, this small inventory can save time when choosing a capture source. Avoid replacing a known-working radio output while you are still testing a new route.
The trade-off is that a separate encoder means another configuration to check and another programme path to monitor. In return, it keeps the radio-server setup distinct and lets the YouTube encoder provide a visual and use YouTube’s own ingest settings. For a single small station, that separation is often clearer than trying to force one application into a role its documentation does not cover.
Route station audio into a YouTube-compatible encoder
OBS is one practical option because it can combine audio and image sources in a scene and encode that scene for a live destination. The right audio source depends on where your station programme is available. The OBS audio sources guide covers device and system-audio capture options, including platform-specific sources.
If the playout application is running on the same computer as OBS, capture its application or system audio where the operating system and OBS setup allow it. If the station is delivered through a physical mixer or another device, you may need to select the relevant audio input. A line input or audio interface is only a possible part of that path when the programme physically comes from an external source; it is not a required purchase for every station.
In OBS, add the audio capture source that corresponds to the station feed and watch its meter while the station is playing. Listen to the OBS monitor or make a short recording, if appropriate, before connecting the stream. If the meter stays still, the source is wrong or the signal is not reaching the selected device. If you hear echo, check whether the same device is being captured once as a global source and again within the scene. OBS warns against duplicating a device capture in this way.
For a more detailed walkthrough of one common software route, see how to capture application audio in OBS. It is useful when the station output is an application on the same computer, but it cannot tell you which source is correct for every operating system or external mixer. Use the source meter and an actual listening check to confirm your own routing.
Some radio systems make their programme audio available only on another computer or as a network stream. In that case, determine how that audio can be delivered to OBS in a format and route your setup supports; do not assume that BUTT’s radio-server connection automatically becomes an OBS capture source. You may need to use the original programme output or an audio device connection, depending on the station’s arrangement.
Configure the YouTube URL and stream key
Once audio is reaching OBS, configure the YouTube destination using the current details from YouTube Studio. Choose the encoder option that lets you enter the server URL and stream key, then copy those values carefully. The stream key belongs in the encoder’s private settings, not in a public article, shared image or radio station’s listener-facing page.
The YouTube interface may offer a stream setup tied to a scheduled event or a reusable stream, depending on the available controls. Follow the instructions shown in your account and make sure the encoder is connected to the event you intend to use. If Studio reports that no signal has arrived, check that OBS is sending to the correct destination and that the key and URL match the selected stream.
Do not change several settings at once when troubleshooting. First confirm the destination details, then confirm that the encoder is sending, and finally inspect the incoming preview and health notices in Studio. This sequence helps distinguish an ingest problem from a silent audio source or an issue with the scene itself.
YouTube’s simulstreaming guidance discusses the importance of upload capacity when sending streams to multiple platforms. Its example uses a combined target of 10 Mbps and suggests 15–20 Mbps of upload headroom on a shared connection. That is an example in YouTube’s advice, not a bitrate prescription for an internet radio stream. Measure your actual connection under realistic conditions and pay attention to Studio’s stream health rather than treating the example as a universal minimum.
If you are comparing a local encoder with a service that keeps a broadcast running without your computer, consider what you need to control and monitor. OBS gives you direct control over scenes and local capture, but the computer and connection remain part of the operating path. For a file-based, always-on YouTube channel where keeping a home computer awake is the specific problem, StreamNeo removes that machine from the nightly broadcast routine by running the uploaded video as a YouTube live stream.
Test the audio and the visual before relying on it
Set up a scene with a visual that identifies the station and is suitable for the material you have permission to use. OBS supports image sources, so a station logo or other permitted still can be a straightforward starting point. Do not assume that any particular still-image presentation satisfies every current YouTube policy or account condition; check the current requirements and assess the preview for your stream.
Before going live for listeners, follow the OBS quick-start guide to check the basic output settings and make a short test. Confirm that the audio meter responds to the station, that the sound is audible and not doubled, and that the scene displays the intended image. Listen for changes between programme segments, adverts or silence, as a route that works for one source may not capture every part of the station feed.
Then check YouTube Studio’s incoming preview and stream health. Confirm that the picture is present, the audio is arriving and the connection is not reporting a problem. A local OBS meter alone only tells you that audio reached the encoder; it does not establish that YouTube received a healthy stream. Similarly, a visible preview does not prove that the station audio is at a useful level.
Test the whole chain under the conditions in which you plan to operate it. If you will run the encoder on the same computer as the playout application, test with both active. If the connection is shared with other users or services, test during a representative busy period. YouTube advises estimating combined target bitrates and measuring upload capacity in realistic conditions; keep an eye on stream health rather than relying on a speed test taken in isolation.
If something fails, isolate one layer at a time. A blank YouTube preview points you towards the scene, encoder or ingest connection; a moving audio meter with silence at YouTube points you towards monitoring, track selection or output settings; missing meter movement points you back to the source selection. A black-screen troubleshooting guide may help if the picture is absent, although an audio station has different source-routing questions from an uploaded video file.
Choose the operating arrangement that fits the station
There are two separate decisions: whether to retain a traditional radio-server output and how to create the YouTube output. Keeping the existing BUTT path preserves that radio destination. Adding OBS means you operate a local video encoder and need to keep its computer, capture path and internet connection ready. A cloud-based file stream instead suits a different use case: a prepared video that should keep playing as a YouTube live broadcast without relying on a desktop left on.
| Requirement | Practical route | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Keep listeners on a Shoutcast or Icecast station | Continue using BUTT for that radio-server destination | It remains a distinct output to monitor |
| Send live station audio with a visual to YouTube | Capture the station audio in OBS or another compatible encoder, add a visual, and use Studio’s URL and key | The local computer and its audio routing stay in the operating path |
| Send to multiple traditional radio servers | Follow the BUTT developer’s separate-instance configuration guidance | Multiple instances address radio servers, not YouTube ingest |
| Keep a prepared video live on YouTube without the home computer running | Use a workflow designed to turn an uploaded video into a YouTube live stream | This is not the same as capturing a changing live audio input |
If you are deciding between general-purpose local encoders, OBS versus FFmpeg for a 24/7 YouTube channel explains a different channel scenario but can help frame the control-versus-configuration trade-off. For a radio simulcast, the critical question is still whether your station audio reaches the encoder and whether the encoder produces a video-bearing YouTube stream.
A station with live presenters, a mixer and changing content has a different operating need from a channel looping a finished programme file. Choose for the source you actually have, not a promise that one tool can do everything. Keep the radio feed intact until the YouTube test has passed, document the settings without exposing the key, and check the official YouTube guidance again when you configure the live event.
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FAQ
Can I use classic BUTT to stream directly to YouTube?
The classic BUTT manual documents sending live audio from a microphone or line input to a Shoutcast or Icecast server. It does not document a direct YouTube RTMP workflow. Use a separate compatible encoder for YouTube and provide that encoder with the station audio, a visual source, and the current URL and key from Studio.
Can I keep my radio-server stream running at the same time?
Yes, you can retain the existing BUTT-to-radio-server output while setting up a separate YouTube encoder path. The paths are distinct, so confirm that the station audio is available to both as needed and test each destination. Multiple BUTT instances described by the project documentation concern multiple radio servers, not YouTube.
Do I need an audio interface to send station audio into OBS?
Not necessarily. If the programme audio is already available as computer or application audio, an appropriate software capture source may be enough. A physical input or interface may be relevant when the station’s signal comes from external equipment, but the right connection depends on your actual signal path.
Is a still image enough for a YouTube radio stream?
A still image can be added as an OBS image source, but the broadcast still needs a correctly configured encoder and audio path. Check the live preview and stream health in Studio, and review YouTube’s current account and content requirements. A working preview does not guarantee that every stream meets every applicable policy.