Name: MixDesk X
Author: Adelvo

Virtual patch bay · macOS

Your Mac gets a patch bay: 8 virtual stereo devices, one installer

This is where MixDesk X really comes alive on the Mac. The free Adelvo audio drivers add up to 8 virtual stereo devices in one go — MixDeskEQ System, WebRTC and Mix 3 to 8 — usable as output and input by every app. Signed and notarized, built on the open-source BlackHole.

⬇ Adelvo audio drivers for macOS — free Uninstaller · GitHub

All system audio through MixDesk X

One click on “System audio via driver (auto-route)” sends everything your Mac plays through MixDesk X — EQ, limiter, PA processing — and nothing bypasses it.

Buses into other apps

Set a bus output to a MixDeskEQ device and choose that device as the microphone in Zoom, Teams, Discord, OBS or vMix: your processed mic or a mix-minus, cleanly separated.

Patch apps like cables

Every device is a stereo cable inside the computer: player → MixDesk X → streaming app → back into MixDesk X. In the installer you pick only the devices you need.

Windows and Linux

Windows: the free VB-Cable (more cables: VB-Cable A+B / C+D or VoiceMeeter). Linux: nothing to install — MixDesk X creates its virtual output itself via PulseAudio / PipeWire, with one click.

Tip: per-app volume. AppVol (free, macOS) gives every app on your Mac its own volume, so you can level it before it reaches the system input, without an extra channel strip. Windows has this built in (Volume Mixer). For videos of different loudness in the browser: the free Volume Balance extension for Chrome and Firefox.

Patch bay diagram: apps and sources (browser, music player, Zoom/Teams, microphones) go through loop devices 1+2 to 7+8 into MixDesk X and out to speakers/PA, headphones, stream/record and back into Zoom as a mix-minus microphone

New in 1.42.042 · Multichannel

Multichannel interfaces: every pair, in and out

On interfaces and devices with more than two channels, every channel strip picks its own input pair and every bus its own output pair — stereo or mono, up to all channels of the device.

Input pair per channel

Each channel strip gets a second menu: stereo pairs (1+2, 3+4 …) or single mono inputs, up to all channels of the device — tested with a 56-channel aggregate.

Output pair per bus

Each bus plays on its own output pair or a single mono output: PA on 1+2, headphones on 3+4, stream on 5+6 — all from one interface.

macOS aggregate devices

MixDesk X reads and plays all sub-devices of an aggregate from Audio MIDI Setup, not only the first. A sub-device at a different sample rate — say a Bluetooth speaker at 44.1 kHz — is converted with a high-quality resampler, and the bus's OS volume slider follows the sub-device that plays it.

IR export for guitarists · Pro

Measure a speaker with AUTO-EQ in the 31-band EQ and export the correction as an impulse response — 24-bit mono WAV, minimum phase, 44.1/48/96 kHz, 1024–8192 samples — for amp modelers and IR loaders. Optionally merged into your existing cab IR.

Pairs 1+2 stay free. From 3+4 upward, multichannel I/O is part of MixDesk X Pro — like network audio and the IR export ($19 one-time · 2 computers · 14-day free trial).

Windows: multichannel devices show all their channels — VB-Cable set to 7.1 in the Windows sound settings (playback “CABLE Input” and recording “CABLE Output”) appears as 4 stereo pairs. macOS: BlackHole 16ch = 8 pairs in one device; aggregate devices in Audio MIDI Setup combine several interfaces.

Effects

A real CLAP plugin host in every strip.

Every input and every bus has an insert chain for CLAP plugins — the modern open plugin standard. Stack as many as you like, open the plugin's native GUI, and your tuned chains come back with every preset.

🎛️ Effect Chains

Multiple slots per strip, each its own plugin instance. Native plugin GUIs or the built-in generic parameter editor. Plugin state is saved inside your presets.

🎁 ~400 Free Effects

No plugins installed? One click inside MixDesk X installs the free Airwindows Consolidated pack — EQs, compressors, tape, reverbs and more by Chris Johnson.

📊 Per-Strip Processing

Gain, constant-power pan, 2/3/11/31-band EQ, mute/solo, precision faders with VU metering — on every input. EQ, delay and safety limiter on every bus.

Airwindows Consolidated running on Bus 1 with its native GUI — one click installs the whole pack

31-band EQ with the live RTA spectrum behind the bands — one-click Auto-EQ measures the room through a mic and corrects it

Remote control

Hotkeys, HTTP and Stream Deck — control it without looking

Suggested on GitHub. Mute, louder and quieter for every input and output, from anywhere: global keyboard shortcuts, a local HTTP interface for scripts and Touch Portal, and a one-click export for Bitfocus Companion with live level meters on the keys. Everything sits behind the small ⌨ button left of + INPUT.

Global shortcuts

Your own combination per channel for mute, louder and quieter — like in OBS. Works while MixDesk X is in the background; hold for a smooth fade. No Accessibility permission on macOS.

HTTP control

Off by default and local only. Plain GET requests: /api/ch/System/mute, /api/ch/System/up, /api/bus/1/volume?db=-10. Optionally reachable from other devices on your network.

Stream Deck via Companion

A ready-made page for Stream Deck Mini, 15, XL, + and + XL. The keys show name, dB and level with peak hold and turn red when muted — like the vMix module. On the Stream Deck + every dial is a channel: turn for level, press to mute.

Names are the address

Click a channel name such as “CH 1” and rename it — “Mic”, “Spotify”, “System”. The HTTP interface and Companion use exactly that name. Rename first, then export.

Network audio · MixDesk X Pro

Send any bus to another computer — over your network

Send a bus over the network and pick it as an input on another MixDesk X computer — Mac, Windows and Linux, in any direction, also several computers in a chain. Everything sits behind the 🌐 button in the toolbar. Off by default: MixDesk X opens no network ports until you switch it on.

PRO $19 one-time · 2 computers · 14-day free trial Buy MixDesk X Pro

The trial starts only when you click “Try 14 days free” in the 🌐 dialog. Buy and activate right there — paste your MDXP key. The same license also covers multichannel I/O from pair 3+4 upward and the IR export; pairs 1+2 and everything else in MixDesk X stay free.

Send and receive

Switch SEND on in the 🌐 dialog to send a bus in addition to its sound card, or choose “🌐 Network only” as the bus output. Streams find each other automatically and appear in the input menu under “Network” — receivers follow a sender by name, even after a restart.

Direct or multicast

Direct (default): every receiver gets its own packets — robust over cable, Wi-Fi and mesh. Multicast (AES67 format): one stream for the whole network, only after a confirmation — on networks with simple switches it can slow down everything else.

Buffer and clock

Network buffer per input: 20 / 50 / 100 / 200 ms. New network inputs start at 200 ms (safe on Wi-Fi); 50 ms for wired networks and lip-sync work. Clock drift between computers is compensated — no clicks, no slowly growing delay.

Light on the network

About 2.3 Mbit/s per stereo stream (48 kHz, 24 bit). ☕ While network audio runs, MixDesk X keeps the computer and display from sleeping — on by default, can be switched off.

AES67 and Dante hardware

Multicast in AES67 format runs between MixDesk X computers. It has not been tested with AES67 or Dante hardware yet. Feedback or loan hardware welcome: hello@adelvo.io

Mac, Windows and Linux

Tested live between Mac, Windows and Linux in every direction — for example Linux receiving multicast from Windows and passing it on via Direct to the Mac. A cheap Linux mini PC with a USB sound card makes a fine receiver.

Use Cases

Built for real workflows. Runs 24/7.

MixDesk X is the app its developer runs around the clock on both platforms — float32 end to end, maximum-quality sample-rate conversion, automatic stream recovery when devices vanish or glitch.

🔊

EQ Your Whole System

Capture all system audio cable-free, EQ it, and play it to your speakers — laptop speakers suddenly sound like they should. Per-bus EQ tailors every output device separately.

🎧

Bluetooth + Wired in Sync

Per-bus delay (0–1000 ms) lines up a Bluetooth speaker with wired speakers playing the same source — multi-room sound without the echo.

🎙️

Studio Mic for Calls

EQ and compress your mic with CLAP effects, send the bus to a free virtual cable, and Discord, Zoom or OBS pick it up as a microphone.

🎬

Streaming Submixes

Game, music, voice — each on its own channel. Send a clean submix to the encoder while monitoring a different mix in your headphones.

🍸

Bars, Cafés & Clubs

One computer mixes at the bar, a cheap mini PC plays in the next room or on the terrace — over the network you already have (MixDesk X Pro). Every zone with its own EQ, level and delay, running 24/7.

🪶

Light by design

A 14 MB app with a native audio engine. In a full setup — 4 inputs incl. 3 network streams, 3 buses, LUFS meters and an effect — about 70 MB of RAM and a third of one CPU core on a Mac mini M4. Only what you switch on runs: EQ, effects, meters and network stay out of the signal path until you use them.

Download

Everything included. Actually free.

MixDesk X

macOS (Apple Silicon) · Windows 10/11 (x64 & ARM64) · Linux (amd64, beta)

Free no account · no ads · Pro only for network audio, multichannel from pair 3+4 & IR export

Cable-free system & per-app audio capture (both platforms)
Unlimited input channels → up to 16 stereo output buses
2/3/11/31-band EQ on every input & output
Live RTA spectrum behind the EQ + one-click Auto-EQ (pink noise + measurement mic)
CLAP effect chains with native plugin GUIs + free Airwindows pack
Per-bus delay 0–1000 ms (Bluetooth sync) & safety limiter
Gain, pan, faders, mute/solo, VU metering
Presets — the last one loads automatically at startup
48 kHz / float32 engine · buffer 128–2048 · auto stream recovery
Tray / menu bar app · 9 UI languages · in-app update check
Signed & notarized (macOS) · signed (Windows)

⬇ macOSApple Silicon ⬇ Windowsx64 Installer ⬇ WindowsARM64 Installer ⬇ Linux.deb amd64 · beta

Version – — hosted on GitHub · portable Windows EXEs on the release page

Linux (beta): .deb for amd64, built and tested on Zorin OS. It needs libwebkit2gtk-4.0, so it targets Ubuntu 22.04-based systems (Zorin OS 17, Linux Mint 21, Ubuntu 22.04). Install: sudo apt install ./mixdesk-x-1.42.042-amd64.deb

MixDesk X is free. If it helps you, you can leave a tip. ♥ Support MixDesk X on Ko-fi

Virtual audio devices

Cable-free app capture is the quick start. Loop devices are where the real routing starts: system audio through MixDesk X, buses into Zoom/Discord/OBS/vMix, apps patched like cables. On the Mac that is the free Adelvo audio drivers — up to 8 stereo loop devices in one installer (more ↑). Linux needs nothing extra.

macOS⬇ Adelvo audio drivers · Uninstaller · source & mirror on GitHub

Recommended — an installer built on the excellent open-source BlackHole (GPL-3.0) that sets up multiple stereo loopback devices in one go. Plain BlackHole gives you a single stereo device; multi-bus routing usually needs two or more. The built-in "System audio via driver" input option auto-routes your system output through it, one click. Free. Version 1.1.0 is signed with our Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so it installs without warnings; macOS asks for a restart afterwards so the new devices appear.

macOSBlackHole 2ch

The underlying loopback driver — fine if one stereo loop is all you need.

WindowsVB-Audio Virtual Cable

Free version = one cable (enough for mic → Discord). CABLE Input = MixDesk X output bus, CABLE Output = mic in Discord/OBS. The "System audio via VB-Cable (auto-route)" input option routes your Windows default output through it, one click.

WindowsVB-Cable A+B / C+D or VoiceMeeter

Need more loops (e.g. mic → Discord and a parking spot for the default output)? A+B/C+D are donationware add-on cables; VoiceMeeter (free) also adds multiple virtual devices. VB-Audio's license does not allow bundling, so these are separate installs.

🎚️ Mini how-to: routing audio between apps (Mac & Windows)

Grab app audio — no cable: MixDesk X captures the sound of one or more apps (or the whole system output) directly — macOS via ScreenCaptureKit, Windows via WASAPI Process Loopback — and turns each into its own channel. Per-app splitting is built in; no virtual device needed.

Avoiding double sound / echo: the captured audio still plays on the normal output too. Point the system output at an unused device — then only MixDesk X plays (processed) to your real speakers. (macOS can also route alert sounds to a separate output.)

Pro routing — this is where virtual devices come in: to pull individual outputs/buses separately into the mixer (e.g. vMix Master + Bus A/B/C) and build a whole rack — active crossover, effects per output or input, EQ, measuring the PA, back out to your interface — you need clean virtual audio devices:

macOS — free: virtual drivers run in userspace (just signed, not certified) → our own free multi-device drivers (BlackHole-based), several separate buses ready to go.
Windows — costs money: a virtual device is a kernel driver requiring paid Microsoft certification (WHQL/attestation + EV certificate). Yes, you could build one yourself — but that certification costs, which is exactly why the ready-made solution costs too.
- VB-Cable: a transparent cable, low latency — for 1–2 clean paths.
- Voicemeeter (donationware): several buses in one, cheap for many paths — but its engine adds a scoop of latency; use it purely as a pass-through router, do the processing in MixDesk X.

Both run internally in 32-bit float at a selectable sample rate (typically 48 kHz) — sonically transparent.

Coming from MDE — Mix Desk EQ? MixDesk X is its successor and does everything it did — plus per-app capture on both platforms, CLAP effects and a Windows version. MDE keeps working; its downloads remain in the changelog.

The mixing console for your computer's audio. Free.

System audio. Single apps. No virtual cable, no driver.

All System Audio cable-free

Single Apps cable-free

Any Device