Streaming from Mixcloud or SoundCloud via Roon

[Josh_H (Josh)]

Here is my workaround;

http://www.streamwhatyouhear.com/getting-started/

This is a pretty lightweight and small tool for Windows that can output an MP3 stream of what you’re playing on your PC out on your local network.

You can specify the output MP3 bitrate (320 max), the capture rate will depend on your soundcard hardware. Not sure what the stream quality out from Mixcloud is?

You can add the MP3 stream URL to Roon as a My Live Radio manual station

Viola;

Notes:

• You need to be playing something on the stream to add it to Roon
• You’ll want to set a static port in SWYH, and ideally a static IP for your PC, so the stream URL doesn’t change.
• Restarting SWYH will stop the Radio stream in Roon and you’ll need to restart it.
• There is a delay in the stream of a few seconds.

I’m running this on a VM on my network and using remote desktop to the VM to choose which Mixcloud tracks to listen to.

This is good enough for me!

[goat (J. V.)]

wow

thats actually kinda cool

[Nostro]

@Josh_H

You can add the MP3 stream URL to Roon as a My Live Radio manual station

Very clever - I’ve had that app for a long time, haven’t used it in ages. However there are some things I’d like to stream via roon from time to time where I’ve just not bothered.

@Josh_H

This is good enough for me!

Yup, for the odd thing here & there - for sure! Thank you.

[Dan_Mason]

Very cool!

[j_a_m_i_e]

I normally just use AirPlay (on my endpoints) to get round the lack of Mixcloud support in Roon.

But that’s really neat little app esp. if you want to send the stream to grouped zones in Roon and/or don’t want to switch from Roon as your playback source.

Unfortunately no Mac version, but I just realised the Roon EntryPoint Extension is an Icecast server under the hood. So if you’re already running that extension somewhere on your network you can use Audio Hijack to send the audio from any app on your Mac to the EntryPoint Extension’s Icecast server. A bit (…ok very) convoluted, but seems to work and might be a useful route to Mac users who don’t have an AirPlay supporting endpoint.

Would really love to see Mixcloud support built natively into Roon (it’s one of the things I miss most coming from Sonos). I’m guessing the Sonos agreement was a one off, but having different apps for different (kinds of audio) services feels like needing to have multiple TV sets to watch Netflix vs Broadcast TV.

In a perfect world I’d love to be listening to a Carla Dal Forno album in Roon, then notice she also had a show on NTS on Mixcloud, then be able to click though to a track in that mix (either via a track listing or some kind of auto-discovery) to discover another new album in Roon by another artist and then rinse and repeat. All my music and music discovery under one hood/app.

[Tecko71]

pity I can not use it if you have macOS

[Joshua_Nelson]

@j_a_m_i_e

I normally just use AirPlay (on my endpoints) to get round the lack of Mixcloud support in Roon.

@j_a_m_i_e would you be so kind to elaborate on the above for a layperson before I get involved in @Josh_H’s workaround?

1. "Where would I be playing the Mixcloud UI, to “use AP on my endpoints”?; then what do I do with my “endpoints”?

2. I’m using the Roon UI on my WIN10 laptop and am looking for the most seamless way to bring Mix and Soundcloud into that UX.

Thanks so much!

[j_a_m_i_e]

My endpoints (mainly Rasberry Pi’s running Ropieee XL or HiFiBerryOS) support both Roon (RAAT) and Airplay.

So for Mixcloud, I simply bypass Roon completely and send the audio directly to the endpoint using Airplay on my phone or laptop.

If your amp or DAC has a spare input and you just want to add AirPlay support you could connect an old/used AirPort Express (which can now be picked up very cheaply) to it via an analog (3.5mm to stereo RCA) or digital (3.5mm Mini TosLink to TosLink/SPDIF cable) connection.

Nether route has anything to do with Roon, but both let you playback MixCloud to your stereo.

Obviously that doesn’t work if you want to group speakers or apply DSP in Roon. You also need to careful of volume levels when switching between the two protocols.

My other suggestion was that you /could/ use the Roon Entrypoint extension to route the MixCloud audio into Roon using AudioHijack. But although that works in theory (and practice), it’s a really clunky approach due to all the software components involved and delays they introduce, not to mention it not being very easy to use if all you want to do is play a stream on MixCloud. It’s not an approach I’d recommend.

[Joshua_Nelson]

@j_a_m_i_e thanks so much! Other than you don’t use Roon to bring Mix/Sound cloud into your system, the rest of the tech stack is beyond my configuration abilities.

I’ll just pump Mix/Sound cloud into my Sonos system via its S2 app. and forgo it being in Roon, as it seems that bringing Mix/Sound cloud into Roon is a definitive no-go.

[j_a_m_i_e]

@Joshua_Nelson

I’ll just pump Mix/Sound cloud into my Sonos system via its S2 app. and forgo it being in Roon, as it seems that bringing Mix/Sound cloud into Roon is a definitive no-go

In short that’s pretty much what I do.

Sonos also supports AirPlay so you could use the native MixCloud app over AirPlay if using an iPhone.

[Joshua_Nelson]

Good point on Native MC/AirPlay/Sonos Arc; probably easier too.

Hey, totally vectoring/bifurcating this thread’s subject, but you seem very technically inclined and kind.

In the below/attached snip. Is there any audio quality difference between:

1. “Other network devices” vs. “Roon tested”, vs “Roon ready” (which isn’t showing up in my Audio settings); “signal path”
2. “via AirPlay…” and “via Sonos streaming”

My core is simply my Lenovo laptop’s hardrive.

[j_a_m_i_e]

@Joshua_Nelson

In the below/attached snip. Is there any audio quality difference between:

1. “Other network devices” vs. “Roon tested”, vs “Roon ready” (which isn’t showing up in my Audio settings); “signal path”
2. “via AirPlay…” and “via Sonos streaming”

This post problay answers your question…

Sonos Streaming or Airplay?

Michael for me I prefer using the Sonos protocol, but you might prefer Airplay and the good thing here is you have both options so you can choose either or both (in some strange world). I never heard any real difference in sound quality it’s nice to have the choice Mike

[Joshua_Nelson]

INT: (Sheepishly, Josh shrugs his upper torso, realizing he had been lazy…)

Indeed, it does answer #2. I’ll search on #1

Thanks, jamie; you’re a mensch!

[RobOK]

MixCloud seems most similar to Internet Radio. Roon carries a directory of Internet Radio stations, could Mixcloud streams be added here?

[Joshua_Nelson]

@j_a_m_i_e

Unfortunately no Mac version, but I just realised the Roon EntryPoint Extension is an Icecast server under the hood. So if you’re already running that extension somewhere on your network you can use Audio Hijack to send the audio from any app on your Mac to the EntryPoint Extension’s Icecast server. A bit (…ok very) convoluted, but seems to work and might be a useful route to Mac users who don’t have an AirPlay supporting endpoint.

• I have Airplay and get Mixcloud mixes/songs, from my Mac or iPhone, into my Sonos endpoints that way.
• Will the above allow me to add Mixcloud songs to Roon playlists in the Roon UI?
• What I really want is to get the downloaded mixes from Mixcloud, in my iPhone’s storage, and transfer them to my Roon local library. Is this possible?
• Does this app look legit: Import playlist from Mixcloud to Roon | MusConv

EDIT: Trustpilot gave musconv good ratings, but macOS can’t verify the developer so I couldn’t install it without hacking beyond my ability.

Thanks!

[Josh_H (Josh)]

I’m going to guess no, I think it just passes the artist and title to Roon to try and find in your connected libraries (I’m guessing this based on the CSV method of import that they talk about)

Mixcloud (backed by SoundCloud I think) doesn’t want you downloading tracks, so I’d be surprised if that was what the software was doing, and then you wouldn’t get matches for Mixes in Roon either.

There are other tools that will let you download Mixcloud files, but it would all be pretty manual.

Mixcloud Downloader - Download from Mixcloud

[Joshua_Nelson]

@Josh_H

Mixcloud (backed by SoundCloud I think) doesn’t want you downloading tracks

• With Mixcloud Premium, you can download tracks for “offline listening”. I have done this with Sash and Digweed’s Northern Exposure, for example.

• Since I can listen to this DJ mix, when disconnected from the internet, I’m concluding it is on my iPhone as an audio file. Would that be incorrect?

• If so, how would I go about locating it on the phone’s storage drive, and…

• Then, transfer it to my Roon local library folder?

• If I could find a digital file to purchase for this Mix, I"d happily do so.

I’ll check out the item you link, now. Thanks, @Josh_H (just a pair of Josh’s, Joshing around, lol)

[Joshua_Nelson]

@Josh_H

https://www.dlmixcloud.com/

Oh, whoah. If what I’m down’ing now is playable after it processes etc, this will be great. I don’t mind the manual process, at all. I spend an hour googling around yesterday and this utility did not come up. Thanks @Josh_H!

EDIT: Workes great! Wow, perfect!

[Joshua_Nelson]

Ok, got it into my library and core, had to covert it to audio only from the downloaded video file format. Wow! This is great @Josh_H. I see what you mean, however, it is labor-intensive and only a track-by-track solution. Good for now.

Perhaps someday Roon can get through the technical and licensing issues with Mix/Sound cloud to include them in the Qobuz/TIDAL streaming offer?

[Josh_H (Josh)]

I don’t use the app, so interesting to hear you can download there with premium. Usually similar music apps let you download for offline listening, but it’s in a “secure” format or location, so your phone won’t see it as a regular music file you could copy or move around.

Glad you were able to get it sorted though with the downloader! Sometimes you just gotta have that one mix!