Multiroom Playback & AirPlay 2

Integrated with OwnTone

Now that you have Icecast and DarkIce capturing your vinyl audio stream, let’s take it further by integrating OwnTone. OwnTone will let you stream your vinyl directly to your Apple HomePods using AirPlay 2, enabling seamless multiroom playback throughout your home.

What is OwnTone?

OwnTone (formerly forked-daapd) is an open-source media server that allows you to stream audio to AirPlay 2-compatible speakers like Apple HomePods. It integrates easily with Icecast streams and provides centralized management of your audio sources.

Installing OwnTone

Step 1: Install Dependencies

On your Raspberry Pi, run:

sudo apt-get install -y \
  build-essential git autoconf automake libtool \
  libasound2-dev libavahi-client-dev libconfuse-dev \
  libsqlite3-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev libmxml-dev \
  libavformat-dev libavcodec-dev libavutil-dev libswresample-dev \
  libplist-dev libsodium-dev libssl-dev \
  libgcrypt20-dev libevent-dev libjson-c-dev \
  libprotobuf-c-dev protobuf-c-compiler \
  libwebsockets-dev libspdlog-dev \
  libunwind-dev libsystemd-dev libnatpmp-dev \
  libinotifytools0-dev libunistring-dev \
  gettext libiconv-hook-dev autopoint libtool-bin \
  gperf flex bison libxml2-dev libavfilter-dev \
  cmake pkg-config libasound2-dev \
  libssl-dev libdbus-1-dev \
  libpulse-dev libavahi-client-dev \
  libudev-dev git gcc build-essential \
  llvm-dev libclang-dev clang curl

echo 'export LIBCLANG_PATH=/usr/lib/llvm-14/lib' >> ~/.profile
source ~/.profile

Step 2: Install Rust and Build Librespot

Use default options when asked.

curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh
source $HOME/.cargo/env
git clone https://github.com/librespot-org/librespot.git
cd librespot
cargo build --release

Step 3: Clone and Compile OwnTone

Clone the OwnTone repository:

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/owntone/owntone-server.git
cd owntone-server

autoreconf -i

./configure \
  --enable-websockets \
  --with-alsa \
  --enable-mpd \
  --enable-spotify \
  --enable-airplay-2

make -j$(nproc)

Step 4: Create OwnTone User and Directories

Create the required user and directories:

sudo useradd -r owntone
sudo usermod -aG audio owntone
sudo mkdir -p /srv/music
sudo chown owntone:audio /srv/music
sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/var/cache/owntone
sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/var/log/owntone
sudo chown -R owntone:audio /usr/local/var/cache/owntone /usr/local/var/log/owntone
sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/owntone /var/log/owntone
sudo chown -R owntone:audio /var/lib/owntone /var/log/owntone

Configure OwnTone

Edit the OwnTone configuration file:

sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/etc/owntone
sudo cp owntone.conf /usr/local/etc/owntone/
sudo nano /usr/local/etc/owntone/owntone.conf

Adjust the following configurations:

general {
  uid = "owntone"
  logfile = "/var/log/owntone.log"
  db_path = "/var/lib/owntone/songs3.db"
}

library {
  directories = { "/srv/music" }
}

audio {
  nickname = "VinylStreamer"
  output_device = "alsa"
  mixer_device = "default"
}

airplay {
  enabled = true
}

Set Up OwnTone as a Service

Create a systemd service file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/owntone.service

Add:

[Unit]
Description=DAAP/DACP (iTunes), RSP and MPD server, supports AirPlay and Remote
Requires=network.target local-fs.target avahi-daemon.socket
After=network-online.target sound.target remote-fs.target pulseaudio.service

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/local/sbin/owntone -f
MemoryMax=256M
MemorySwapMax=32M

Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5
StartLimitBurst=10
StartLimitInterval=600

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl start owntone
sudo systemctl enable owntone

Connect Your Vinyl Stream to OwnTone

To integrate your Icecast vinyl stream with OwnTone:

• Open OwnTone web interface at http://raspberrypi.local:3689.
• Add your Icecast stream URL (http://127.0.0.1:8000/vinyl.mp3) as a new internet stream.
• Select Apple HomePods or other AirPlay 2 devices as output speakers.

Enjoy Multiroom Vinyl Playback

Now, vinyl playback to your Apple HomePods should be seamless. Easily control playback from your devices or through OwnTone’s web interface.

Troubleshooting Tips

• Confirm OwnTone and Icecast are both running.
• Check OwnTone logs (/var/log/owntone.log) for detailed debugging.
• Verify AirPlay 2 speakers are on the same network.
• Owntone defaults to Airplay 1 to setup speakers to use Airplay 2 you will have to configure them in owntone.conf

What’s Next?

With your OwnTone server operational, the core of your vinyl streaming setup is complete. Next, we’ll focus on security and best practices to protect your Raspberry Pi system.

Next post: April 11, 2024, Securing and Hardening your Raspberry Pi.