Get started with Mcaster1AMP

From download to your first stream in about five minutes.

1. Download & install

Windows: download the signed .exe and run it. The NSIS installer registers the mc1amp:// protocol and is fully portable — no registry pollution. Windows SmartScreen trusts the signed build, so there are no warnings.

macOS: download the .pkg (or the .dmg and drag to Applications). The build is Apple Developer ID signed and notarized. Everything — Qt frameworks, codecs, ffmpeg, yt-dlp — is bundled, so there are no extra dependencies.

2. Tune in your first station

Open the CasterClub YP Directory tab, browse by genre or bitrate, and click a station to start playing. Or paste a stream URL directly. From the web, any mc1amp:// link launches the player and starts playback instantly:

# One-click play from a web page mc1amp://play?url=https://stream.example.com:8000/live&name=My+Station # Route an HTTP-only stream through the secure StreamProxy relay mc1amp://play?proxy_id=1294

3. Set up local AI (optional)

Mcaster1AMP's AI Song Ticker and Artist Intel run on your machine via Ollama. Install Ollama, then pull a model:

# Install a fast, laptop-friendly model ollama pull llama3 # …or mistral / gemma / phi

In Preferences → AI, choose the Ollama backend and pick your model and persona. Prefer the cloud? Add an Anthropic API key to use Claude instead. Either way, no data leaves your machine unless you choose the cloud backend.

4. Build your library & AutoDJ

Point the Library at your music folders. TagLib scans metadata and album art into a SQLite FTS5 database. Tag tracks into color categories (Music, Stingers, Station IDs, Jingles…), then enable AutoDJ for weighted rotation with artist separation and BPM flow.

5. Go live & shape your sound

Load deck A and deck B, ride the crossfader, and fire jingles from the cart wall. Open the DSP panel for the 10-band parametric EQ, 31-band graphic EQ, AGC, and Sonic Enhancer — the same chain that powers live stations. Watch the spectrum analyzer for a real-time view.

Want more depth? Read the documentation, or join the community forums for help and setups.