Show Control
- Bitfocus Companion Use an Elgato Streamdeck as a controller for switchers, playback software and broadcast equipment.
- LanScan LanScan is a simple and efficient IPv4 network scanner, with bonus features like vendor identification by MAC. Free, but $6 to unlock a few new features.
- CuePoints Marker-based timeline tool for preproduction timecode and show control planning. Generates timecode and exports to Unreal, QLab, Eos, Disguise, MA, and more.
- TheatreChat A chat app for backstage folks and stage managers. Runs on OSC, so the apps that run your show can chat too. By Kai Malcolm
- Stamp Collect events from consoles, media servers, and MIDI, then view them inline with your teams notes and recorded video.
- Vor Records a video file of your show with show control data overlaid on top. Watch back the video and know what cues were running at any point.
- Chataigne A central hub to control OSC, MIDI, DMX, Art-Net, PJLink, and more! Map inputs to outputs and set up playback sequences.
- CoolTerm Simple free serial port terminal application to exchange data with hardware connected to serial ports such as microcontrollers. AppleScriptable!
MIDI
- MIDI Monitor The classic open source app for viewing MIDI signals going in and out of a mac. Updated for Apple Silicon! By Snoize
- ShowMIDI Advanced MIDI monitoring dashboard. Sort messages by device or channel and generate live graphs.
- Protokol A powerful and simple console for troubleshooting OSC and MIDI. Includes filtering and debugging logs. By Hexler
- MIDI View A pretty app for monitoring MIDI. By Haute Technique
- MSCmonitor Always know what cue was last fired. By Audioström
OSC
- Protokol A powerful and simple console for troubleshooting OSC and MIDI. Includes filtering and debugging logs.
- ZoomOSCControl Zoom user interface functions, such as pin, spotlight, mute/unmute, video, on/off with OSC. Or rearrange the grid! Windows only.
- OSCRouter Simple UDP/TCP packet router for Mac and Windows, with optional OSC specific options. From ETCLabs on GitHub.
- OSCulator Route MIDI and OSC between devices and wireless controllers
- Open Stage Control Design complex custom OSC interfaces + serve them to browsers on the network
- ShowPlay App to play locally-stored video and sounds from an iOS device or Mac using remote OSC triggers.
- TouchOSC Build custom iPad interfaces for OSC and MIDI compatible apps $5
- atemOSC Bridge between OSC and Blackmagic Design ATEM switchers.
- Powerpoint OSC A Powerpoint add-in for basic control of powerpoint presentations with OSC by Ben Kuper
- The Wizard of OSC (TWO) Tool for recording, replaying, and creative manipulation of MIDI & OSC. Inspired by live electronic musicians.
- LanScan LanScan is a simple and efficient IPv4 network scanner, with bonus features like vendor identification by MAC. Free, but $6 to unlock a few new features.
Networking
- Wireshark The venerable go-to for debugging and deply investigating all network traffic including OSC, Art-Net, and sACN
- Packet Sender Packet Sender can send and receive custom network packets. It also has a built-in HTTP client for GET/POST requests, and you can even build simple macro button panels that send packets.
Timers
- OnTime Free open-source software for managing rundowns and event timers. Runs on the local network with apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux. OSC controllable.
- Stagetimer.io A web service for remotely controlled timer displays. Also includes talent messaging, to remind them to hold the mic closer. Free for limited devices. By Lukas Hermann
- OSC Timer iPad App that displays a countdown timer and is completely adjustable via OSC, with messages for adding time, sending text notes to the presenter, and changing the animation. Also includes simple OSC debugging tools! $4
Video
- ProjectorManager Mac App for control of any PJLink enabled video projector or display over network.
- BetterDisplay Utility for advanced troubleshooting and configuring of native displays on macOS.
- Hide Privacy indicators The official way to turn off the orange microphone light on macOS 14.4 or later. For earlier macOS versions, use Recording Indicator Utility.
- Pierre-Henry Pauly’s Audiovisual Database Incredible repository of high quality test pattern files for video engineers, plus additional notes like manuals and logins. By Pierre-Henry Pauly
- NDISyphon Free utility to send Syphon video streams (with alpha!) over a network using the NDI protocol from Newtek.
- NDIstuff All sorts of nifty tools for NDI playback and troubleshooting. A video router, logo player, false-color monitor, a simple mixer, and more! Windows only.
- Maskerator Tool for making mask images. Designed for QLab but works on all servers via NDI + Syphon.
- Cobalt.tools Safe, non-scammy web app for downloading and converting Youtube videos.
- Testpattern Generator Browser-based utility for generating highly customizable projector calibration images. By Vioso
- Handbrake Convert video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs.
- Tally Arbiter Send Tally data just about anywhere- to USB peripherals, phones, Arduinos, or even to the cloud.
- DicaffeineNDI player and NDI/RTMP streamer for Raspberry Pi OS and Ubuntu
- VDO Ninja Stream video from a remote device into OBS or a browser. Free, simple, browser-based setup with no user accounts or logins.
- ShowPlay App to play locally-stored video and sounds from an iOS device or Mac using remote OSC triggers.
- Vingester Open Source app for capturing websites (video players, websites, games) into NDI streams. Control pixel dimensions, frame rate, audio channels, and more.
Sound
- TheatreMix Manage DCA assignments and mutes for up to 48 channels separately from console scenes, for DCA-style theater mixing. Also monitors meters for dropouts and clipping.
- Open Sound Meter Free sound measurement application for tuning audio systems in real-time. Includes advanced features like coherence and group delays. No subscription. By Pavel Smokotnin
- ProdCom Transcribes audio inputs into a chat interface. Turn intercom chatter into text or see what you missed on a talkback channel.
- AES67 Stream Monitor Tool for monitoring AES67 (Dante, Livewire, Q-Lan, REVENNA) audio sources. Streams are found automatically or can be added manually.
- Patrick-Gilles Maillot’s X32 Tools Tons of research and hacking on the X32 console, including the incredible Unofficial X32/M32 OSC Remote Protocol document and many single-purpose utilities.
- OSC_VoIP Trigger calls and hangups on a VoIP phone via OSC.
- Remotely Possible Control a Yamaha CL or QL console from another CL or QL, even over the Internet. Monthly or Annual subscriptions.
Lights
- Q Light Controller+ The venerable swiss army knife of lighting control apps.
- sACNView Advanced tool for monitoring sACN data on the network, plus troubleshooting, logging, and output tools.
- luminosus Powerful MIDI and OSC controller for Eos, programmed by connecting virtual nodes.
- LightFinger iPad app to control moving lights as followspots using the touchscreen. By Colin Grenfell In-App Purchase
- ArtNetView Simple yet beautiful app to monitor Art-Net data on the network. By Haute Technique
- Multicaster Windows app for checking if sACN/multicast networks are well configured.
Docs
- osc-min The best (imo) OSC package for Node.js. Simple, lightweight, and up to date with OSC 1.1.
- OSCKit Swift port of F53OSC, a library for sending, receiving, and parsing OSC messages
- sendosc A simple command line tool for sending OSC packets.
IRL
- DeckRack Professional metal mounting hardware for Stream Decks. Up your Companion game.
- Triangle Mount Slick bracket for mounting shallow rack units (button panels, digital comm panels, monitors) at a comfortable angle on a desktop.
- MakerPipe Really slick system of connectors for rapid prototyping and framing using cheap EMT conduit.
- SendCutSend High quality and affordable CNC routing and laser cutting of a variety of materials. Friendly online ordering system includes bending, tapping, and powder coating services.
- MotionGen Online tool for prototyping complex 2D motion mechanisms using linkages, actuators, and motors.
- IKEA Racks IKEA furniture that happens to also be a different and weird way to mount 19” rack equipment. Also, IKEA BROR fits 19” equipment.
- Mosquito Curtains An affordable and durable alternative to theatrical scrims. Takes projection very well, paintable and washable.
- ThisToThat Find out what adhesive is best to attach anything to anything.
- Glossary of Pixel Protocols List of addressable LED protocols, including details like color resolution and max framerate.
- Penn Elcom MSB Clever system of modular mounting plates and enclosures to build custom black boxes and rack mount components.
- The Big LED Google Sheet Massive Google Sheet of crowdsourced resources for using LED pixel tape. DIY and Pro options for sourcing tape, drivers, software, and mounts.
- MakersLED Custom aluminum extrusion that’s perfect for building custom linear LED fixtures.
- r.Cup Reusable plastic cup vendor for live events, to reduce single-use plastics. Here’s some additional literature.
- Luxeon Star LEDs Cheap, customizable PCBs with the same LEDs that lighting manufacturers use. Integrate pro-grade color mixing into your own circuits.
- Snap-On Rack Panels Lightweight fabric “blanking panels” for tidying up racks and improving ventilation.