Listen Live

How to Set Up Your BUTT

BUTT (Broadcast Using This Tool) is one of the most popular free audio encoder programs used to stream live audio into Second Life.

This guide will walk you through downloading, installing, and getting your first stream working.

What is BUTT?

BUTT (Broadcast Using This Tool) is a free audio encoder program that lets you send your voice and a music background to an Icecast, Shoutcast or WebRTC server. In Second Life, Shoutcast is the most commonly used stream type.

BUTT widely used in Second Life because it’s lightweight, reliable, and easy to get started with.

And yes…the name always gets a laugh.

Step 1: Download BUTT

Go to the official BUTT website:

https://danielnoethen.de/butt/

Download the version for your system (Windows or macOS).

Always download from the official site to ensure you are getting a safe and up-to-date version.

Step 2: Install BUTT

Run the BUTT installer you downloaded and follow the setup prompts.

You can safely accept the default settings during installation.

Once installed, launch BUTT.

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2-1: BUTT Main Window

Step 3: Configure BUTT for Streaming

Stream Settings

On the BUTT Main window (see 2.1), click the Settings button. A BUTT Settings window (see 3.1) will now appear. Select the Main tab.

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3.1: BUTT Settings Main Tab

In the Server Settings section on the Main tab (see 3.1), click the top ADD button. An Add Server window will now appear (see 3.2). 

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3.2: BUTT Add Server

Enter the stream details for the stream you want to use:

  • Name
  • Server Address
  • Port Number
  • Password

You also need to select the stream Type, which will most likely be Shoutcast. 

Once you’ve completed the required entries, click the ADD button again.

Audio Settings

Back in the BUTT Settings window, select the Audio tab (see 3.3).

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3.3: BUTT Settings Audio Tab

In the Main Audio Settings section, select Stereo for Channel mode and 44100Hz for Samplerate.

The next task is selecting the Audio Device, and this is where many people run into issues because it’s not always clear what choices are needed:

  1. On your computer, you have a microphone input device and a music playback device, and you want the BUTT player to send the input from both of these devices out onto the stream you are using. You need to select a Primary Audio Device for certain, and you probably need to select a Secondary Audio Device, too (see 3.3).
  2. In the list of devices for Primary Audio Device, find the name of your microphone, and this probably will be easy to find because the wording of that microphone device will likely be fairly clear.
  3. Selecting the Secondary Audio Device, though, may be more difficult. This one needs to be the device that carries your music playback, and whatever this might be called, it will possibly have the word loopback at the end of it. So look through this list for any devices ending with the word loopback, and test each one until you find one that works. It is possible, though, that the right device will not be a loopback device (see next Step).
  4. In Step 1, we said you probably need to select a Secondary Audio Device, but if you are using an audio mixer, then that mixer can combine your microphone input and your music playback into one signal and send it back to your computer for the BUTT player to use so that the only device in BUTT you need to select is the Primary Audio Device. If this is the case, find your mixer in the Primary Audio Device list and leave the Secondary Audio Device set to None.
  5. Finally, set the Codec to MP3 and the Bitrate to either 128 kbps or 192 kbps.

Step 4: Go Live

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4.1: BUTT Player Connected to Stream

Click the Play button in BUTT Main window to start streaming (see 4.1).

If everything is working:

• The timer will start

• Audio levels will move

• Your stream will show as LIVE

Step 5: Volume Levels

The next challenge awaiting you is getting your volume levels balanced:

• Microphone Volume

• Music Playback Volume

Ideally, you want your microphone volume to sit just above your music volume.

And you have more than one way to make adjustments in those volume levels.

  1. Your computer has a volume level of some type for your microphone, and you have a volume level for whatever software plays your music backgrounds. You can make adjustments in each of those as necessary.
  2. If you have your BUTT player configured for both a Primary Audio Device and a Secondary Audio Device, then you can use the Cross Fader slider on the BUTT Mixer (see 5.1) to make adjustments to the relative volume levels of the two devices. The BUTT Mixer can be accessed from the BUTT Main window (see 2.1).
butt_mixer
5.1: BUTT Audio Mixer
  1. If you are using an audio mixer, then that device likely has a volume, or gain, control for your microphone as well as one for your music volume. Make adjustments with those two controls as necessary.

How Can You Tell If Your Volume Levels Need Adjusting?

One way of course is to ask a friend to listen to the stream when you sing on it.

And a second way is to use BUTT player’s record function.

Here’s how you set that function:

  1. On the BUTT Main window (see 2.1), click the Settings button.
  2. On the BUTT Settings window (see 3.1) that now appears, click the Record tab.
  3. On the Record tab (see 5.2), click the checkbox for Start recording when connected and the checkbox for Stop recording when disconnected.
  4. Take note of the designated Record Directory. This is where BUTT will save any recordings it makes. This location can be changed to another folder on your system.
  5. Now when you sing a song on stream, your performance will automatically be recorded and you can find the recording in the designated Record Directory. Give it a listen for a feel of your relative volume levels.
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5.1: BUTT Audio Mixer

Step 6: Troubleshooting

Can’t connect:
Double-check server, port, and password. Close the BUTT player and reopen it.

No sound on stream:
Make sure the correct input device is selected and not muted.

Voice too quiet or music too loud:
Adjust your system or mixer levels.

Connected but no audio:
This usually means BUTT is not receiving any input signal.

Conclusion

Configuring a setup to sing on stream into Second Life is a process. You don’t need to get everything perfect right away and you probably won’t.

Start simple. Focus on getting your voice and music into the stream first. Once that works, you can refine your sound over time.

And while renting a stream is inexpennsive, you don’t have to have your own stream to sing in Second Life. At our venues, we provide the stream—you just need to configure your audio encoder program so you can connect to it.

If you’re unsure about something, ask. Most people in Second Life are more than willing to help.