TildeRadio in IRC

Carrier is the bridge between the live TildeRadio stream, the schedule, DJ profiles, IRC, and the website. It watches what the station is already doing, then turns each live broadcast into a numbered set with useful show context, listener interaction, a track log, and a permanent transmission entry on the site.

DJs do not start or stop Carrier manually. Go live normally and Carrier notices the stream transition. You can use it in #tilderadio, or invite it to another channel on a network where it is connected.

Carrier does not replace the stream or the website

Each part of TildeRadio has a different job. Carrier joins those pieces together instead of becoming another place where the same information has to be maintained by hand.

1. AzuraCast says what is live.Carrier watches the live DJ, current track, listener count, and track changes.
2. The schedule says who is next.That lets the next scheduled DJ prepare their show metadata before taking the stream.
3. The DJ profile says what the show is.The website profile supplies the recurring show title, timezone, and optional weekday-specific formats.
4. IRC adds what is unique tonight.!show can add an episode title, topic, mood, prompt, note, or link for this one set.
5. Carrier records what actually happened.Tracks and live-set activity are collected automatically while the DJ is on air.
6. The website gets the finished transmission.The same set appears in the transmission archive and on the DJ's profile without a second playlist or post-show form.

the useful everyday stuff

<alice> !np
<carrier> SIGNAL LOCKED | deepend | Apashe - Lord & Master | 12 listeners

<alice> !next
<carrier> NEXT | ffog | Wed Aug 19 23:00 UTC

who is actually hanging around

The couch is an opt-in roll call. Checking in can include your tilde community, which lets Carrier show which parts of the tildeverse are listening during a set.

!tunein
!tunein tilde.club
!tuneout
!couch
!rollcall
!tildes

Check-ins expire automatically if you disappear for long enough. Carrier may also notice when enough people from the same tilde are checked into one live set.

<alice> !tunein tilde.club
<carrier> COUCH | alice | tilde.club | 6 checked in

<bob> !tildes
<carrier> TILDEVERSE | tilde.club 3 | ctrl-c.club 2 | thunix.net 1

props, questions, reactions, and requests

Props

!props gives the current DJ one prop. Each IRC identity can do this once per set.

Questions

Ask something without making the DJ dig through IRC scrollback:

!ask how did you find this band?

The question goes into the live DJ's queue. The DJ can take or skip questions when there is a good point in the show.

Reactions

Quick reactions are intentionally quiet. Carrier collects them and summarizes the room instead of replying to every one.

!fire
!love
!bass
!lol
!wtf
!banger
!weird
!questionable

!react fire
!reactions
!vibe

Requests

Requests are for live DJs only. Carrier does not send requests to AutoDJ, and every live set starts with requests closed. The DJ decides when to open them.

!request Artist - Track
!dedicate Artist - Track | nick | optional message

<deepend> !requests on
<carrier> REQUEST LINE OPEN | !request <artist - track>

<alice> !request Massive Attack - Teardrop
<carrier> REQUEST LOCKED | #23 | for deepend

<deepend> !played 23
<carrier> REQUEST CLEARED | Massive Attack - Teardrop | requested by alice

your recurring show lives on the site; tonight's details live in Carrier

Carrier uses the DJ identity from the schedule, IRC account mappings, and the DJ profile's irc value to decide who may control a set. The recurring parts of a show belong in the website profile so they do not need to be typed into IRC every week.

Recurring show and format information

A DJ profile may define one overall show plus different recurring formats for different weekdays. Carrier resolves the format when the set actually begins, using show.timezone. If no timezone is supplied, it uses UTC.

"show": {
  "title": "~/deepend",
  "timezone": "America/Edmonton",
  "formats": [
    {
      "id": "pull",
      "days": ["tuesday"],
      "title": "~/pull",
      "tagline": "Interesting things that escaped the algorithm."
    },
    {
      "id": "dig",
      "days": ["saturday"],
      "title": "~/dig",
      "tagline": "One musical rabbit hole at a time."
    }
  ]
}

The website can display those formats on the DJ profile, and Carrier stores the resolved show and format with the transmission. A local Tuesday show therefore stays Tuesday even if UTC has already crossed midnight.

Before you go live

If nobody is live and you are the next scheduled DJ, !show works as a staging area. This is useful for naming the episode and setting tonight's context before you connect to the stream.

!show episode songs I found through IRC
!show topic accidental discoveries
!show mood late-night
!show prompt what track did the internet lead you to?
!show note requests after the first half hour
!show link https://example.com/notes
!show
!show clear mood

These queued values are attached automatically when your live set starts, then the queue is cleared. You do not need a separate !start command.

While you are live

!show displays the resolved recurring show/format and the metadata for the current set. The same fields can be changed while live. episode is the best place for the title of this particular broadcast.

!show
!show episode songs I found through IRC
!show topic accidental discoveries
!show mood questionable
!show prompt what song did you find by accident?
!show note requests later
!show link https://example.com/
!show clear mood

!questions
!qanswer 12
!qskip 13

!requests on
!requests list
!played 23
!reject 24
!requests off

!goal 10
!goal 15 if we hit this I play the terrible cover
!goal clear

Mastodon from the booth

!show mastodon tonight is mostly weird synths

This is intentionally separate from the archived episode fields. It sends one short station transmission to Mastodon during the live set rather than becoming permanent show metadata.

the archive builds itself while you broadcast

Carrier records track changes from AzuraCast during the live set and exports a public episode archive for the website. The DJ does not need to re-enter a playlist after the show.

https://tilderadio.org/djs/?dj=deepend

https://tilderadio.org/episodes/

https://tilderadio.org/api/episodes/

selected station activity can leave IRC

When Mastodon posting is enabled, Carrier can publish a few station events outside IRC. It does not post every command, reaction, track change, or listener change.

!show mastodon tonight is mostly weird synths

By default, a completed set is noteworthy if it runs for at least 90 minutes, peaks at 20 listeners, reaches 8 couch check-ins, 20 props, 5 requests, 5 represented tildes, or sets a new station record.

tell Carrier who is taking the stream next

Before leaving the stream, the outgoing DJ can name the expected replacement:

!handoff ffog

Carrier keeps the expected handoff through a short AutoDJ gap. When the next DJ appears, it can recognize the relay instead of treating it as an unrelated new show.

<deepend> !handoff ffog
<carrier> RELAY ARMED | deepend -> ffog

... AutoDJ briefly holds the stream ...

<carrier> RELAY INTACT | ffog has the stream | 11 listeners

polls, challenges, bingo, battles, and The Button

!poll start best editor? | vim | emacs | ed
!poll
!vote 3
!poll stop

!challenge name a song you secretly love
!answer Barbie Girl
!challenge results
!challenge random
!challenge stop

!bingo

!battle start tilde.club | ctrl-c.club
!battle
!battle stop

The Button

!button

The Button has a cooldown and chooses one of a small set of station actions. Carrier does not explain The Button.

commands that only exist for one show

A live DJ can add a simple command for show-specific information:

!setcmd lore https://example.com/show-lore
!setcmd rules no rules
!delcmd rules

Listeners can then use !lore like a normal command. Built-in Carrier commands cannot be replaced.

what happened after the stream moved on

Carrier numbers live broadcasts as sets and stores their history.

!last
!set 184
!djstats deepend
!stationstats
!records
!achievements
!randomdj

Set records include things Carrier actually observed, such as duration, track count, peak listeners, couch activity, props, questions, requests, reactions, handoffs, and other station activity. The richer public version, including the track log and resolved show/format, is available in the website transmission archive.

use TildeRadio commands in another IRC channel

On networks where Carrier is connected and invites are enabled, invite it the normal IRC way:

/invite carrier #yourchannel

Carrier joins and remembers invited channels across restarts. Commands work immediately, but automatic station announcements are off by default so inviting the bot does not suddenly flood a channel.

The person who invited Carrier, a channel operator, or a Carrier admin can manage those channel settings. Kicking Carrier from an invited channel also removes that channel from its saved invite list.

what you actually do during a normal broadcast

1. Before the show: check that Carrier knows you are next. Use !next or !schedule. If you want an episode title or prompt, stage it now with !show episode ... and the other !show fields.
2. Connect to the stream normally. Carrier notices AzuraCast switch from AutoDJ to your live streamer. It starts a numbered set, loads your DJ profile, resolves the weekday show format, applies anything you staged, and begins the track log.
3. Run !show once if you want to verify the context. You will see the recurring show/format plus the current episode details. Change any per-set field if tonight took a different direction.
4. Open only the interaction you want. Requests start closed. Open them with !requests on if appropriate; questions, props, reactions, polls, goals, and temporary commands are there when useful, not requirements for running a show.
5. During the music, Carrier mostly gets out of the way. It watches track metadata and listener changes automatically. Use !questions or !requests list when you have a moment rather than babysitting the bot.
6. If another DJ is taking over, arm the relay. !handoff nextdj tells Carrier who to expect. A short AutoDJ gap will not make the handoff look like unrelated station activity.
7. When your live stream ends, Carrier closes the set. The final stats and track list are exported automatically. The transmission appears under /episodes/ and among the recent transmissions on your DJ profile.

<deepend> !show episode songs I found through IRC
<carrier> episode saved for deepend's next set

... connect the live stream ...

<carrier> SIGNAL ACQUIRED | deepend | ~/pull
<deepend> !show
<deepend> !requests on

... do the radio show; Carrier logs tracks automatically ...

<deepend> !handoff ffog
... or simply end the live stream when nobody follows ...

you do not need to memorize this page

!help
!help dj
!help room
!help games
!help history

Carrier intentionally ignores unknown commands and keeps repetitive activity quiet. The point is to add some useful station context to IRC without becoming the loudest thing in the channel.

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