OpenFader

Getting started

OpenFader runs on a phone, tablet or computer and controls your mixer over the network. This page covers installing it and connecting for the first time.

Install

Downloads are on the GitHub releases page.

Platform File Notes
Windows, 64-bit OpenFader-<version>-windows-x64-setup.exe Installs into your user folder. No admin rights needed.
Windows, portable openfader-windows-x64.zip Unzip and run openfader.exe. Keep the other files in the folder next to it.
Android OpenFader-<version>-android.apk Not on the Play Store. Install the APK directly.

There are no iPhone, iPad, Mac or Linux downloads yet.

Before you install on Windows:

  • Quit OpenFader if it is running. Setup stops and asks you to quit it from the system tray first.
  • The installer is not code-signed.
  • If you want to record, install your audio interface’s ASIO driver. See Recording.

Connect to your mixer

Your device and the mixer must be on the same network. Discovery does not cross subnets, so a guest Wi-Fi or a separate VLAN will not see the mixer.

The app opens on the Connections screen and starts looking for mixers straight away.

The Connections screen with Discover mixers, Add manually and Work offline

  1. Tap Discover mixers. On Android, allow the Nearby Wi-Fi devices permission when asked (older Android versions ask for Location).
  2. Tap Connect next to your mixer.
  3. The mixer opens when the connection is ready. If it does not, tap Open mixer.

Add a mixer by IP address

If your mixer does not show up, add it by address. The mixer shows its IP address in its own network settings.

  1. Tap Add manually.
  2. Enter the IP address or hostname.
  3. Choose the Mixer type, or leave it on Automatic.
  4. Tap Add mixer.

The Add mixer manually dialog

A Mackie DL32S can take up to 90 seconds to load. Discover mixers can also miss a DL32S the first time, so adding it by IP address is the reliable way in.

The Mixer type list includes Behringer X32 and WING. Support for those is still being tested. See Supported mixers.

Connect through a server

A computer running OpenFader can host the mixer connection for other devices. In Tools, Recorder & takes, open Audio setup and expand Remote server. Set an optional server password, then enable access for app clients or browser clients.

  • In another OpenFader app, add a server using the computer’s IP address or hostname and its app port.
  • In a browser, open the browser address shown on the computer, such as http://192.168.1.20:8846.

The browser loads the same OpenFader app and connects to the server’s current mixer session. If the server has a password, enter it before connecting. With no password set, it connects directly. Keep the hosting computer running and both devices on the same network.

Run the same server in Docker

The Docker image bundles the same Flutter web app and uses the same server connection and optional password. Browser hosting is enabled when the container starts.

docker build -t openfader-serve .
docker run --rm -p 8080:8080 -p 8845:8845 -v openfader-data:/data openfader-serve

Open http://localhost:8080 on the host, or use the host’s address from another device. Native OpenFader clients connect to the host on port 8845. Both control the same server session. Use Connections in the browser to select a mixer reachable from the container. You can also append the server’s --driver and --addr flags to the run command.

  • Set OPENFADER_SERVER_PASSWORD in the container environment to require a password. It is saved in /data; leaving the variable unset on a later run keeps the saved password. Setting it to an empty string removes the saved password.
  • To change the browser port, set PORT=9090 and publish -p 9090:9090.
  • To change the native app port, set APP_PORT=9190 and publish -p 9190:9190.
  • Keep the /data volume to preserve takes, scenes and server settings.
  • Mixer discovery broadcasts may need host networking on Linux. Directed connections use the container’s route to the mixer.
  • Recording uses the container’s Linux audio devices. Give it access to the intended device and its host audio group if you want to record; the image cannot create an audio interface.

Next time

Mixers you connect to are saved and listed on the Connections screen. With Reconnect to the last mixer turned on, which is the default, the app reconnects at launch.

To skip the Connections screen entirely, go to Settings, Connections and set Start on to Last mixer.

If the connection drops, the app tries again three times, after 1, 2 and 5 seconds. If that fails, tap Reconnect mixer.

Tapping Disconnect stops the app from reconnecting to that mixer at the next launch.

Try it without a mixer

Tap Work offline at the bottom of the Connections screen. You get a simulated mixer with moving meters, so you can learn the app or plan a layout before the gig.

The toolbar shows Demo · simulated while you are offline. Nothing you change there reaches a real mixer.

To connect to a real mixer afterwards, tap Tools, then Connections.

If it cannot find your mixer

  • Check the mixer is switched on and on the same network and subnet as your device.
  • Check the mixer’s IP address has not changed, then add it by IP.
  • On Android, check that OpenFader has the Nearby Wi-Fi devices (or Location) permission.
  • “Still waiting for a supported mixer at … after 90 seconds” means nothing answered at that address. Check the address and the mixer type.
  • “Local network permission is required.” means the app was not allowed to scan. Allow the permission and try again.