Official Documentation

Introduction

Welcome to your new broadcasting dashboard! This manual is written simply and clearly, explaining every single button and page inside your YonaCast Lite account. Think of this as your complete guide to running a professional internet radio station.

1. The Dashboard (Radio)

This is the first page you see when you log in. It is your main control room.

The Top Analytics Bar

At the very top of your screen, you will constantly see 5 vital statistics:

• Listeners: Exactly how many people are listening right now.
• Status: Tells you if your Radio Engine is turned ON ("Live") or OFF ("Offline").
• Source: Shows what is feeding audio right now (e.g., Live DJ, Relay, Stream).
• Uptime: How long your station has been broadcasting without shutting down (e.g., 12:30:45).
• Server Time: Your local station time. This is very important to keep an eye on when you have scheduled DJs!

How to Broadcast (3 Methods)

You have three simple ways to get your station playing:

1. Live DJ: Use this if you want to broadcast from your computer using software like BUTT, Mixxx, or OBS. You will see your server IP, Port, and Password here. Just copy them into your software.
2. Relay: If you already have another radio stream (like an Icecast link), paste it here. It will perfectly copy that stream to your listeners.
3. Stream: If you have an HLS video/audio link (.m3u8), paste it here to automatically extract the audio for your radio station.

💡 The "GO LIVE" and "STOP" Buttons Explained:

You do not actually need to click the big "GO LIVE" button! If you start broadcasting from your DJ software, or if you connect a Relay link, YonaCast is smart enough to automatically switch the engine on for you!

When the engine is running, the button turns into a red STOP button. WARNING: Do not click "STOP" just to pause the music. Clicking "STOP" completely turns off your server. Only click it if you want your radio station to go off the air.

Listen Links

At the bottom, you will find direct links you can share with your listeners, plus Embed Codes (5 different styles) that you can copy and paste into your own website to show a beautiful radio player.

2. In-Browser Web DJ

Broadcast directly from your browser without downloading any software!

YonaCast Lite gives you a virtual mixer. Depending on your license tier or how your administrator configured your station, you will be in either Simple DJ or Pro DJ mode. Both modes use a single-playlist system designed so you don't have to worry about complicated two-deck beatmatching.

Which mode are you in?

• Simple DJ Mode: Designed for automated playback and simple voiceovers.
• Pro DJ Mode: Gives you complete control over sound effects, 3-Band EQ, auto-ducking, master crossfading, and recording.

🔥 Pro DJ Mode

The Mixer (Left Side)

This controls all the audio feeding into the broadcast:

• Microphone: Click to talk. You can use the Mute/Live button to instantly silence yourself.
  • Volume: Normal speaking volume.
  • Boost: If your mic is very quiet, turn it up to amplify your voice (up to 4x louder).
• System Audio: Allows you to capture sound playing on your computer (like a YouTube video).
• Files / Playlist: Upload MP3 files from your computer to build your music queue.
• Master Section:
  • 3-Band EQ: Adjust Low (Bass), Mid, and High (Treble) frequencies.
  • Crossfader: Slide this left to only hear your mic, or right to only hear the music.
  • Auto Duck: Turn this ON! When it's on, music will automatically lower its volume the exact moment you start speaking into the microphone, making you sound like a pro.
  • Rec (Record): Click to record your entire broadcast to an MP3 file that downloads to your computer.

Playback & Cart Machine (Right Side)

• The Queue (Playlist): Songs you upload play in order from top to bottom.
  • Auto-Advance: Skips to the next song automatically.
  • Auto-Crossfade: Smoothly blends the last 3 seconds of a song into the next song so you never have "dead air".
• Cart Machine (Soundboards): Contains 12 massive buttons for playing quick drops.
  • Buttons 1-8: Pre-loaded system sound effects. Press them instantly!
  • Buttons 9-12 (User Slots): Drag and drop your own MP3 files into these 4 boxes to save them permanently for your show.

🟢 Simple DJ Mode

If you are in Simple Mode, your screen will be highly streamlined.

• Microphone: A simple On/Off toggle. No boost or EQ settings to worry about.
• System Audio: A toggle to quickly share your computer sound.
• Music Queue: Upload your MP3s and they play one by one. You still get the magic of Auto-Advance and Auto-Crossfade to keep the music flowing perfectly!
• There is no Cart Machine or recording features in this view to keep it completely fool-proof.

3. Reports & Analytics

Find out exactly who is listening to your station and get data for music licensing.

• Overview: See total unique listeners, total hours they've listened, and average session times.
• Top Songs: Tracks your most popular songs based on plays and peak listeners (Last 7, 30, or 90 days).
• Licensing Report: Extremely important if you pay royalties (ASCAP/BMI/PRS). It tracks exact listener-hours for every specific song and artist. Hit Export CSV to download a spreadsheet to send to licensing bodies. Note: For privacy, listener IPs are securely hashed.
• Listener Analytics: Shows a map identifying exact countries your listeners are tuning from, and what software they are using (like Chrome or iTunes).

4. DJ Management

Give other people access to broadcast without giving them your main admin password.

1. Click + Add DJ.
2. Give them a username and a password.
3. Time Restrictions: You can set it so DJ Mark can only connect on Saturdays between 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM. YonaCast blocks them outside these hours!
4. Connection Log: See a live history showing exact connection times, and if anyone was "DENIED" for trying to break time rules.

5. Geoblocking

Restrict listeners from certain domains or block attackers.

1. Choose Enable Geoblocking.
2. Choose your Mode:
   • 🚫 Block Countries: Specifically block the countries you select. Everyone else can listen.
   • ✅ Allow Countries Only: ONLY the countries you select can listen. The rest of the world is blocked.
3. Click the countries in the grid to add them, or type a 2-letter country code.
4. Hit Save.

6. Distribution Options

Get your radio station featured on worldwide directories and smart speakers.

• Station Details: Enter the public Display Name, Genre, Language, and Description.
• 🔊 Alexa Voice Command: Type the words listeners will say to smart speakers (e.g., "Tamil FM"). YonaCast checks availability. If available, listeners can say: "Alexa, ask YonaFM to play Tamil FM!"
• Platforms: Select where you want your station to appear: YonaFM Web, Android App, iOS App, Alexa/Google Home, or Samsung TVs.
• Hit Publish to YonaFM. Your listing will go into "Pending" status and change to "Published" when live.

7. Feature Management

Turn specific power-features on or off for your radio station.

If a feature is marked as Locked, your hosting provider requires you to contact them to have it enabled.

• Listener Limit: See the absolute maximum number of simultaneous listeners allowed.
• Broadcasting: Toggle the ability to use Live DJ software, Relays, or M3U8 extraction.
• Web DJ: Choose which version of the Web DJ is active (Simple vs Pro).
• Management: Toggle Geoblocking, Statistics, and DJ Management screens ON or OFF.

8. Settings

• Timezone & Clock: Set your local timezone. This ensures your Top Bar clock is correct, and guarantees your Time-Restricted DJs connect at the right time.
• Station Branding: Upload a high-quality Station Logo (PNG/JPG). This pushes your logo to public players automatically.
• DJ Connection (Master Password): Change the main broadcast password. Your main broadcast username is always exactly source.
• Account Security: Change your dashboard login username and password here.

⚠️ CRITICAL: Whenever you change a major setting (like Timezone or Master Password), you must click the Restart Services button to safely enforce rules.