What Is a Fallback Stream?

A fallback stream is an automatic backup that kicks in when your live stream disconnects or fails to connect. Instead of silence or a broken connection, your listeners continue to hear music or audio — seamlessly.

Fallback streams act as your safety net, ensuring your station never goes silent, even if your live encoder crashes, your internet goes down, or you forget to connect on time.

📈 Why It's So Important

In radio streaming, dead air = lost listeners. A fallback stream:

  • Keeps your station sounding professional at all times

  • Maintains continuous audio without interruption

  • Gives you peace of mind when broadcasting live

  • Ensures reliability for automation, shows, and syndication

Even the most experienced broadcasters can suffer from:

  • Local network outages

  • Encoder misconfigurations

  • Software crashes

  • Human error (yes, it happens 😅)

A fallback stream means your listeners never know there was an issue — and that’s what matters.

⚙️ How It Works

Here’s the basic logic:

  1. Your live encoder sends audio to your main mount point (e.g., /live).

  2. If the encoder disconnects, your server automatically switches to a predefined fallback source (e.g., AutoDJ on /autodj).

  3. The listener hears the fallback stream instantly, without needing to reconnect.

It’s all handled by your streaming server — once configured, it’s automatic.

🔧 How to Set It Up (via Your Control Panel)

You can configure a fallback stream directly from your panel of control.

✅ Steps:

  1. Log into your panel and go to your mount points.

  2. Select your main live mount point (e.g., /live).

  3. Look for the “Fallback Mount”.

  4. Enter the name of your backup mount (e.g., /autodj).

  5. Save changes and test the behavior by stopping your encoder temporarily.

💡 Make sure your fallback mount is active and has audio — otherwise it won’t work.

🧠 Best Practices

🗂️ Use AutoDJ as Your Fallback

AutoDJ is perfect as a fallback stream:

  • It runs 24/7 in the background

  • Plays music or scheduled content when you're not live

  • Ensures your fallback audio is always available

🎵 Choose the Right Format and Bitrate

Ensure your fallback stream:

  • Uses the same codec and format as your live stream (AAC+ or MP3)

  • Has a similar bitrate to avoid sudden changes in audio quality

  • Is stable and encoded properly (test it!)

🛠️ Test Before You Need It

  • Simulate a disconnection from your encoder

  • Listen as a user and verify that the fallback kicks in

  • Then reconnect the encoder to see the live stream take over again

👂 If you hear a small gap or glitch, check your buffer settings — or contact support for help optimizing the switch.

🛡️ Final Tip: You Deserve to Sound Reliable

Whether you're broadcasting music, news, or talk shows, one of the best things you can do is eliminate silence from your station. A fallback stream ensures your brand always sounds alive — even when you're not there.

And remember: fallback doesn’t mean second-best. It’s your invisible safety net, and your audience will thank you for using it.