Something is not working. Before you spend an hour changing settings at random, work through the diagnostic steps in this guide. Most PlayoutONE streaming problems fall into a small number of categories, and each category has a logical troubleshooting path that leads to the fix quickly.
At the end of this guide is the complete pre-launch checklist — the set of verifications you should run through before you officially announce your station to listeners. It is better to find these problems in testing than to discover them when someone else is listening.
This guide is part of the Complete Guide to Building a 24/7 Internet Radio Station with PlayoutONE.
Problem: No Audio on the Stream
Listeners can connect to your stream URL but hear silence.
Step 1: Confirm audio is playing in PlayoutONE
Open PlayoutONE and verify a track is actively playing — not paused, not in automation mode that has run out of content, not stopped. The track timer should be counting up.
Step 2: Check the virtual cable routing
Open Windows Sound → Recording tab → find CABLE Output. Watch the level meter while PlayoutONE plays. If the meter is moving, audio is reaching the virtual cable. If it is not moving, PlayoutONE’s broadcast output is not set to CABLE Input.
Step 3: Check LiveStream’s input
Confirm LiveStream’s audio input is set to CABLE Output (not your microphone, not your speakers). Watch LiveStream’s own input level meters — they should be moving when PlayoutONE plays.
Step 4: Check the LiveStream connection
Confirm LiveStream is connected to your streaming server. A red or disconnected status means audio is not reaching the server even if your local routing is correct. Check your credentials and server address.
Step 5: Check your firewall
Windows Firewall or a third-party firewall may be blocking LiveStream’s outbound connection to your streaming server. Check Windows Defender Firewall → Allow an app through firewall → confirm LiveStream is allowed for private and public networks.
Problem: Metadata Not Updating
Your stream plays audio but the now-playing information shows the wrong song, stays static, or shows nothing.
Check the metadata source configuration
In LiveStream, confirm that metadata is set to receive from PlayoutONE (not from a static text field or disabled entirely). The specific setting name varies by version — look for “now playing source” or “metadata source.”
Check the metadata format string in PlayoutONE
In PlayoutONE’s settings, verify the metadata format string is correctly set — typically %artist% - %title%. An empty format string or one with invalid variables sends nothing.
Check your library metadata
If metadata updates but shows incorrect or missing information (like “Unknown Artist”), the problem is in your PlayoutONE library. Open the track in the library editor and correct the artist and title fields.
Check permissions
Some streaming server configurations require authentication to accept metadata updates. Verify your LiveStream metadata credentials match what your streaming server expects.
Problem: Songs Repeating Too Frequently
The same songs or artists are appearing multiple times within a short period.
Check artist and title separation settings
Open your Music category settings in PlayoutONE and review the Artist Separation and Title Separation values. If they are set to zero or a very low value, separation rules are not being enforced.
Check your library size
If your music library in a given category has fewer tracks than the rotation can accommodate without repeating — PlayoutONE will relax separation rules to avoid silence. The solution is more music. Add tracks to the affected category and the repetition problem resolves.
Check rotation category balance
If you have a small Power rotation category and a large Library category, your clock may be pulling too heavily from the small Power category. Review the distribution of songs across rotation categories.
Problem: Audio Distortion on the Stream
The stream sounds clipped, distorted, or harsh — particularly on loud sections.
Check output levels in PlayoutONE
Your PlayoutONE output level may be set too high, causing the virtual cable to receive a clipping signal. Reduce the output level until peaks are comfortably below 0 dBFS.
Check audio processing settings
If you are using Stereo Tool or another audio processor, over-aggressive limiting or clipping settings can create distortion. Reduce the processing intensity and re-test.
Check sample rate consistency
Mismatched sample rates between PlayoutONE, VB-Audio Virtual Cable, and LiveStream cause digital distortion. Confirm all three are set to the same sample rate (44100 Hz or 48000 Hz).
Check individual track levels
A specific track may have been mastered or normalised at a higher level than your other content. Check the track in an audio editor and normalise it to match your library standard before re-importing.
Problem: Stream Keeps Dropping
Your connection to the streaming server disconnects regularly.
Test your internet connection stability
Open a command prompt and run a sustained ping to your streaming server:
ping -n 100 your-streaming-server.com
Look for packet loss or high variance in ping times. Either indicates an unstable connection between your PC and the server.
Check your router and ISP
Some ISPs throttle or limit streaming connections on residential plans. Run a speed test and confirm your upload speed consistently exceeds your stream bitrate (a 128 kbps stream needs a reliable 200+ kbps upload to account for overhead).
Check LiveStream auto-reconnect settings
Confirm LiveStream is configured to automatically reconnect when the connection drops. Without this, each dropout requires manual intervention. See the LiveStream Configuration guide for reconnection settings.
Check your streaming server
Log into your streaming provider’s control panel and check their status page. If their server is experiencing issues, the problem is on their end.
Problem: PlayoutONE Crashes Repeatedly
PlayoutONE closes unexpectedly on a regular basis.
- Check Windows Event Viewer for crash logs — look under Windows Logs → Application for entries around the time of each crash
- Verify your PC meets the minimum hardware requirements — underpowered machines struggle with continuous audio playback
- Check whether the crashes correlate with a specific action (importing, generating logs, loading a specific track) — if so, the problem is reproducible and easier to diagnose
- Contact Aiir support with the crash logs if the problem persists — they can identify patterns from the logs
- Ensure Monitor is configured to restart PlayoutONE automatically as an immediate mitigation while you investigate the root cause
The Complete Pre-Launch Checklist
Before you officially announce your station and invite listeners, run through every item on this list. These are the verifications that separate a station that launches cleanly from one that discovers embarrassing problems during its first live hour.
Technical Verification
- Stream connects successfully from an external network (not your local Wi-Fi)
- Audio is clean, at a consistent level, with no distortion
- Metadata updates correctly on every track change
- Now-playing widget on your website updates in real time
- Automation runs without dead air between tracks
- Artist and title separation rules are functioning (no repeats)
- Imaging and station IDs play at the correct positions in the clock
- LiveStream auto-reconnects after a test disconnection
System Reliability Verification
- Windows sleep mode confirmed disabled
- Windows system sounds confirmed disabled
- Automatic login configured and tested (reboot and confirm auto-login)
- Monitor launches all applications correctly after a reboot
- Monitor restarts PlayoutONE and LiveStream when manually closed (test this)
- Antivirus exclusions in place
- Backup system confirmed working — restore a test file to verify
- UPS connected and tested
Stability Test
This is the most important part of the checklist and the most commonly skipped.
- Run continuously for 24 hours. Monitor for: dead air, crashes, audio glitches, metadata dropouts, stream disconnections.
- Then run for 48 hours. Problems that do not appear at 24 hours often appear at 48.
- Then run for 1 week. Memory leaks, log file growth, and accumulating separation rule conflicts typically only manifest after several days of continuous operation.
Fix everything you find in testing before you go public. Fixing it in testing takes minutes. Fixing it while listeners are tuned in takes significantly more.
You Are Ready
If your station passes the stability test and everything on the checklist is confirmed, you are ready to launch. You have built something that sounds professional, runs reliably, and can carry your content to listeners around the world.
The technical foundation is in place. Everything that comes next — audience building, content development, voice tracking, website growth, aggregator listings — builds on top of that foundation.
Go live. Make great radio.