Professional DMX lighting control for macOS — Apple Silicon and Intel
DMXDesktop is professional DMX lighting control software for macOS that runs natively on Apple Silicon (M1 and newer) and Intel Macs.
Built for DJs, small venues, bands, and lighting enthusiasts, DMXDesktop turns your Mac into a complete DMX control surface — no expensive console required. Automatic, audio-synced light shows via DJ Mode, plus full manual control when you need it.
Works with standard USB DMX interfaces, Art-Net, and sACN, so you can use the DMX hardware you already own.
DMXDesktop works with USB DMX interfaces, Art-Net, and sACN over standard Ethernet.
FTDI-based Enttec Open Cable chipsets and similar widely-available USB DMX adapters work natively on macOS. Entry-level interfaces start around $15.
Industry-standard network DMX protocol. Works with any Art-Net node, switch, or compatible fixture on your local network.
Modern streaming ACN protocol used by professional lighting consoles and stage hardware. Multi-universe over a single Ethernet connection.
You can broadcast the same universe over multiple protocols simultaneously — useful if part of your rig is USB and part is Art-Net.
Automatic audio-synced light shows. Integrates with VirtualDJ, Traktor Pro 3/4, the built-in music player, or any audio source.
Save bundles of movement, colour, beam, and strobe effects across multiple fixture groups, and recall them in sync at any time.
Up to unlimited universes on the Pro plan. Broadcast to USB DMX, Art-Net, and sACN simultaneously from the same Mac.
Direct Audio Detection analyses incoming audio in real time to drive beat-responsive light shows automatically.
Thousands of pre-built fixture profiles for moving heads, pars, bars, and strobes — searchable from inside the app.
Real-time 3D preview of your rig. See beam colours, gobos, and movement patterns before going live (available from v1.0.49).
To sync lights with audio playing on your Mac, install BlackHole — a free virtual audio driver.
BlackHole is available at existential.audio/blackhole, or via Homebrew with brew install blackhole-2ch.
Once installed, create an aggregate device in Audio MIDI Setup (Applications → Utilities) combining BlackHole with your normal output. Select that device as the input in DMXDesktop's Audio Settings, and Direct Audio Detection will analyse anything playing on your Mac in real time.
Grab the Apple Silicon or Intel installer from the download page.
Plug in your USB DMX adapter, or connect to an Art-Net / sACN node on your local network.
Pick fixtures from the Profile Library, set DMX start addresses, and group them in the Arrangement tab.
Hit play on a pre-built Effect Cue, or enable DJ Mode and play music. Lights respond automatically.
DMXDesktop has three plans: Free, Standard, and Pro — each available on monthly subscription, annual subscription (discounted), or Version Lifetime one-time purchase.
For current prices in your local currency, visit our pricing page.
Yes — DMXDesktop runs natively on Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4 and newer) as well as Intel Macs. Apple Silicon offers the best performance: in our testing, an M2 MacBook Pro ran 100 universes at under 10% CPU.
macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later is required. Earlier macOS versions are not supported.
DMXDesktop works with widely-available USB DMX interfaces, including FTDI-based Enttec Open Cable chipsets. Most generic USB DMX adapters costing from around $15 are supported. Art-Net and sACN over Ethernet are also fully supported.
Yes — install BlackHole (a free virtual audio driver) and create an aggregate device in Audio MIDI Setup combining BlackHole with your output. Select that device as the input in DMXDesktop's Audio Settings, and Direct Audio Detection drives lights from your Mac's audio in real time.
Free plan available — no card required. Apple Silicon and Intel both supported.