Product · Security
Your unreleased mix stays between your devices
Only phones you pair can listen, every stream is encrypted with TLS 1.3, and the audio never leaves your local network. There's no server, relay or account involved.
An unreleased mix is somebody's work, often under contract. When you stream it across a network, you should know who can hear it. MixOutpost's answer is simple: phones you've paired, and nobody else. This page explains how that's enforced and where the limits are.
Paired phones only
MixOutpost has no open-access mode. A phone on the same Wi-Fi can't find a source and start listening; it has to be paired with the Mac first. You start pairing yourself, from Pair phone… on the Mac, and the window stays open for 5 minutes.
Two ways to pair
QR code
Scan the code in the MixOutpost app, or with the iPhone Camera. The code carries what the phone needs to recognize your Mac, plus a one-time token, so the pairing completes without another step. Only someone who can see your screen during the pairing window can use it.
6-digit code
Type the code shown on the Mac into the phone. Both screens then show a short check number. If they match, click Approve on the Mac. If they don't, click Deny: a mismatch means the phone may be talking to a different computer.
The check number is there for a specific reason. Without it, another computer on the same network could try to answer the phone's search pretending to be your Mac. The numbers wouldn't match, and the person at the Mac would deny it.
One pairing covers the Mac
The phone pairs with your Mac, not with a single plugin instance. Once paired, it can listen to every MixOutpost instance in every DAW on that Mac, and to the Mac app. You don't re-pair per project or per session.
Removing a phone
If a phone is lost or someone shouldn't listen any more, use Forget in the Mac's pairing panel. Each phone has its own secret, so forgetting one doesn't affect the others.
Encrypted with TLS 1.3
Every connection between the Mac and a phone uses TLS 1.3, the current version of the protocol that secures web traffic. Audio isn't sent in the clear at any point, including on a network you trust.
Your Mac has no domain name and needs to work offline, so MixOutpost doesn't use a certificate authority. Instead, the phone records your Mac's certificate fingerprint when you pair, and checks it on every connection after that. The QR code or the matching check number is what makes that first step trustworthy. On a local network, this gives the protection you'd want without accounts or an internet connection.
On the phone, the pairing secret is kept in the iOS Keychain, restricted to that device. It doesn't sync to your other devices, and it's available with the screen locked so the phone can reconnect while it's in your pocket.
Your audio doesn't leave your network
MixOutpost streams directly from your Mac to your phones across your own local network, over Wi-Fi or Ethernet. The current version has no cloud server, no relay and no internet listening at all. There's nothing to sign up for, so there's no account that holds your email or your session names.
Remote listening over the internet is planned but on hold. If it's built, it will need its own design, and this page will say what changes.
Honest limits
- Anyone you pair can listen. Pairing is the permission. Only pair phones you mean to, and use Forget when someone leaves the project.
- What's on the phone is on the phone. If a listener records to their phone, that recording is theirs to keep. Pair accordingly.
Several people in the room
Up to 8 paired phones can listen at once, and the plugin shows you who's connected, so you can see exactly who's hearing the mix. See multiple listeners.
Questions
Is the audio encrypted on my own network?
Yes. Every connection uses TLS 1.3, including inside your studio. There's no plaintext or open-access mode to switch on by mistake.
Can someone on the same Wi-Fi listen in?
Not without pairing. A phone has to be paired with your Mac before it can connect, and pairing needs either the QR code on your screen or your approval on the Mac.
Does my audio go through a server?
No. The current version streams directly from your Mac to your phones over your local network. There's no cloud service, relay or account.
How do I remove a phone?
Use Forget in the Mac's pairing panel. That phone can no longer connect, and other paired phones aren't affected.
What happens if someone photographs the QR code?
The QR code is only offered while a pairing window is open on the Mac, and that window closes after 5 minutes. If a phone you don't recognize shows up, remove it with Forget.
Hear your mix on your phone
Free Mac plugin (AU, VST3) and iPhone app. Lossless, bit-exact and encrypted.