Install & first launch
macOS only (Windows planned)
The installer is macOS only (Apple Silicon + Intel universal). A Windows build is planned, once the cross-platform test pass is done; the engine and frontend already compile on Windows, just not shipped yet.
Try Stagewright free for 30 days. The Stage tier runs at 48 kHz; the Studio tier unlocks higher sample rates (88.2 / 96 / 192 kHz).
Download
Stagewright ships as a DMG for macOS 11 (Big Sur) and later, universal binary (Apple Silicon + Intel native). Grab the latest build from the product page.
macOS will ask for two things on first launch
Microphone access. Stagewright reads audio from your input devices, that's the entire point. macOS treats audio inputs (including USB audio interfaces) as private data and prompts on first use. Click Allow.
Possibly Screen & System Audio Recording if you wire a virtual loopback device (BlackHole, Loopback, Audio Hijack ACE) on macOS Sequoia or later. macOS routes system-audio capture through that permission separately from microphone.
If either of these is dismissed, Stagewright runs but your input channels will read silence. Re-grant in System Settings → Privacy & Security.
If you use an Aggregate Device, check Drift Correction
If you've combined multiple audio interfaces into a macOS Aggregate Device (the usual setup when you want a single device that spans a USB interface + virtual loopback, or two interfaces together), open Audio MIDI Setup, select the aggregate, and make sure Drift Correction is enabled for every sub-device except the one set as the Clock Source.
Without drift correction on the non-master sub-devices, the non-master device runs on its own clock and CoreAudio delivers samples to Stagewright at a slightly wrong rate. The result is intermittent crackle / clicks on channels from that interface while the master interface's channels stay clean. The fix is at the macOS level, not in Stagewright, the samples that arrive at the engine are already broken when drift correction is off. Every host on macOS has the same requirement, this is just the easiest configuration trap to miss.
Point Stagewright at your plugins
On first launch, Stagewright scans the standard macOS plugin locations:
/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components(AU)/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3(VST3)~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components(user AU)~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3(user VST3)
If your plugins live somewhere else (an external SSD, a brand- specific folder), add the directory in the plugin picker:
- Hit
+on the back canvas to open the plugin picker. - Expand Search paths at the bottom of the modal.
- Add search path → pick the directory.
- Re-scan.
Plugin scanning is out-of-process and cached by content hash, so a re-scan is fast on subsequent boots and a misbehaving plugin can't take the editor or audio engine down with it.
First rack
Stagewright creates a fresh rack on first launch with no plugins. The graph starts with the audio I/O and a default MIDI input card.
Right-click the canvas (or hit the + button) to open the plugin picker. Pick any plugin, the new card lands at the centre of your viewport, not in a fixed corner, and wire it up. Audio cables are distinct from MIDI cables; the canvas refuses cross-type connections.
When you're ready to perform, hit Front in the top toolbar. The front panel starts empty. Use the palette (with Edit mode on) to drop knobs / faders / toggles, then drag from each widget to a plugin parameter to bind it.
Save a project
Cmd-S writes a .swproj JSON file with the full rack, the performer layout, and the script. Drop it in iCloud / Dropbox / git, it's plain JSON and round-trips cleanly across machines. Open from the File menu or the recent-projects list.
Where to next
- Let Stagewright wire your rig from the live signal: Guided rig setup.
- Understand the model: Concepts.
- Wire your first rig: Back panel.
- Lay out your first front panel: Front panel.
- Automate it: Scripting.