Run your live show radio show from one screen with all the essential controls - microphone, audio players, live cart wall, voice tracking & segue editor - and remove the need to download any heavy software.
NB: This guide is for broadcasters who don't use Radio.co. If you're a Radio.co customer, check out this Playout guide.
What's Playout.co?
Playout.co, also known as 'Playout by Radio.co', is a live-assist streaming tool for creating professional radio shows from your web browser and streaming them live to your online station.
The tool brings together essential live tools - including audio play-out, a cart wall, segue editor and mic fader - into one place. Playout.co lets broadcasters play music, fire jingles, talk on mic, and stream a live show, all from one screen and to any radio hosting platform.
Standalone Plans & Pricing
Playout.co Standalone is available without a Radio.co station hosting plan:
Standard Plan – $19.95/month: Core browser-based live broadcasting, custom stream output, cart wall, and local audio management.
Pro Plan – $29.95/month: Advanced live assist features including voice tracking inside the segue editor, show-recording and the option to invite co-hosts and live-callers.
What You Need To Use Playout
A Mac or Windows computer.
Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge (desktop browsers only).
Your stream server credentials (host, port, and password/mount point from your streaming server or radio hosting provider).
A connected USB microphone or XLR microphone connected through an audio interface (for live talk segments).
At a Glance: Features & Capabilities
Feature / Area | What You Can Do ✅ | Standalone Specifications & Limitations ❌ |
Broadcasting & Output | Stream live audio directly to external audio servers (Icecast, Shoutcast, or custom RTMP/HTTP endpoints). | Streams to one external broadcast endpoint at a time. To syndicate your show, see our guide on relays. |
Track & Library Access | Upload audio files directly into Playout.co from your local computer. | Playout can only use files uploaded or recorded within the app itself. Local files are managed directly within your browser workspace. |
Media Categorisation | Organise uploaded audio by assigning specific tags: Song, Jingle, or SFX. | Tag options are dedicated to Song, Jingle, and SFX rather than custom station tags. |
Playlist & Queue | Drag and drop to reorder tracks, build queues, and auto-save active broadcast sessions. | Clock-mode sequence building is not available. Sequences and queues are built manually or using basic queue autofill. |
Voice Tracking (Pro Plan) | Pre-record your voice directly over transition points within the segue editor. | Voice tracking within Playout is only avaliable within the segue editor; |
Crossfades & Segues | Use Auto-On for intelligent transitions or manually fine-tune crossfade points. | Edits apply to your active live session. Intelligent transitions are the default, and can only be changed through manually adjusting individual transitions in the segue editor. |
Cart Wall | Load sound effects, idents, and station jingles onto a 20-tile customisable cart wall. | Audio routes through your master live stream feed. |
Microphone & Talkover | Connect any USB mic or audio interface for an XLR mic; use Auto Duck to automatically lower music levels while speaking. | Browser audio latency is prevented by disabling real-time local monitoring. |
Play Logs & Reports | Track playback history live and export session play logs to CSV. | Play logs capture active browser Playout sessions only. |
Step-by-Step Setup Guide
1. Account Setup & Stream Configuration
Open Playout.co in Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.
Sign in to your Playout.co Standalone account.
Open Settings (gear icon) in the top navigation bar and select Station Settings.
Enter your stream connection settings (these can be copied & pasted from your radio hosting platform dashboard)
For Protocol, select your Server Type (either Icecast or Shoutcast)
Server Host
Port
Mount Point (if required)
Username (if required)
Password
Click Save and close the settings window. Playout.co is now ready to route audio to your server.
2. Configure Your Microphone
Click the Settings cog next to the Microphone section.
Select your connected USB microphone or audio interface.
Speak into your mic and monitor the level using the VU meter to ensure input levels sit in the green/yellow zone without clipping into the red.
Set your preferred Talkover Ducking level to define how much music drops when you toggle the mic on.
3. Add Media & Categorise Tags
Click Add Media in the library panel and upload your tracks and audio assets from your computer.
Assign each file to its corresponding category:
Song: For general music tracks.
Jingle: For sweepers, station IDs, and intros.
SFX: For sound effects, drops, and beds.
Build your queue by dragging files from your uploaded Media library into the Playlist tab.
⚡️ Pro Tip: Audio files under 90 seconds are automatically given the Jingle tag. To change this, find the file in your media library and click the Pencil icon. This opens up the Edit Track window, where you can change the track Type to either SFX or Song.
4. Set Up the Cart Wall
Open the Cart Wall panel.
Drag uploaded Jingle or SFX audio onto any of the 20 available tiles.
Right-click any tile to customise button colour, playback rules (Loop, Fire & Forget, Stutter), or rename the tile.
Optional: Enable Auto Duck on the cart wall to automatically reduce music volume when triggering a sound effect or ident.
5. Broadcast Live
Review your queue and hit Play on your initial track.
Click Go Live to connect your browser output to your streaming server.
When the indicator displays On Air, your broadcast is transmitting live.
To finish, click Disconnect / End Stream.
Frequently Asked Questions
What media tags can I use?
To keep Playout categorisation clean and straightforward, media items in Standalone can be tagged as Song, Jingle, or SFX.
Can I build clock-mode templates in Standalone?
No. Clock-mode sequence building (generating formatted hours from rotation clocks) is reserved for the Radio.co platform integration. Standalone queues are populated manually or via duration fills.
How does voice tracking work on Standalone?
On the Pro Plan ($29.95/month), you can open the segue editor between any two queued tracks and record voice tracks directly over the song outro and intro before taking the transition live.
Will my carts and settings reset when I close the browser?
No. Your audio configurations, cart wall tiles, and broadcast connection details are automatically saved in your browser storage for your next session.
For further assistance, contact the support team at help@radio.co.