---
title: "Behringer XR18 and Midas MR18: audio into DMXDesktop"
description: "Send a stereo music feed from a Behringer XR18 and Midas MR18 mixer to DMXDesktop for Live Wire and beat detection, with a music-only setup."
canonical: https://www.dmxdesktop.com/knowledgebase/behringer-xr18-midas-mr18-audio
lang: en
source: /knowledgebase/behringer-xr18-midas-mr18-audio
---

# Behringer XR18, X18 and Midas MR18: audio into DMXDesktop

The XR18 and its siblings carry an 18-in, 18-out USB interface, and the desktop editor (X AIR Edit, or M AIR Edit on the MR18) lets you choose what goes out of each USB channel. You can send a music-only mix on USB 1 and 2, which works on Windows with or without ASIO.

This article is part of [Connecting a Sound Mixer to DMXDesktop](/knowledgebase/connecting-a-sound-mixer), which covers the shared rules and the problems common to every console.

## [Models covered](#models-covered)

- Behringer XR18
- Behringer X18
- Midas MR18

**XR12 and XR16 are different.** They do not have the same multichannel USB interface. Use [the analogue method](/knowledgebase/analogue-mixer-audio-interface) for those.

## [What you need](#what-you-need)

- A USB Type-B cable to the rear USB audio port.
- On Windows, the X Air USB ASIO driver.
- The desktop editor, to do the routing: **X AIR Edit** for the XR18 and X18, or **M AIR Edit** for the MR18, on Windows, macOS or Linux. The mobile apps lay things out differently.
- On macOS, nothing extra.

Wi-Fi and Ethernet carry *control* only on this mixer. The audio has to travel down the USB cable, so the computer running DMXDesktop is the one that needs to be physically connected.

## [Connect the console](#connect-the-console)

### Windows

1. Install the X Air USB ASIO driver.
2. Power the mixer on and connect the USB cable.
3. Open X AIR Edit or M AIR Edit and confirm it connects.
4. In DMXDesktop, open **Settings → Audio** and pick the X Air device.

### macOS

1. Connect the mixer by USB.
2. Confirm it appears in `Audio MIDI Setup`.
3. Select it in **Settings → Audio**.

## [Fastest setup: the main mix](#fastest-setup-the-main-mix)

In X AIR Edit or M AIR Edit:

1. Open the routing page (**In/Out** in current versions) and find the **USB Sends**. Labels differ a little between app versions.
2. Set USB output `1` to `Main L`.
3. Set USB output `2` to `Main R`.
4. If the page offers a tap point, choose post-fader so the lighting follows the main mix level.
5. In DMXDesktop, select channels **1** and **2**.

## [Recommended setup: a music-only bus](#recommended-setup-a-music-only-bus)

1. Pick a free bus pair, for example **Bus 5** and **Bus 6**, and stereo-link them.
2. Unmute the pair and set its master to 0 dB.
3. Send each music channel to the pair at 0 dB, and choose pre-fader or post-fader sends. Keep the sends fully down on speech microphones.
4. Open the USB Sends.
5. Set USB output `1` to Bus 5 and USB output `2` to Bus 6.
6. In DMXDesktop, select channels **1** and **2**.

Music channels

players, DJ, live band

Speech mics and talkback

not sent to DMXDesktop

↓→

Bus 5 / 6

stereo-linked

↓→

USB Sends 1 / 2

In/Out tab

USB↓→

DMXDesktop

channels 1 and 2

## [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)

**The classic XR18 mistake.** The USB *return* configuration decides what the computer plays back into the mixer's channels. DMXDesktop needs the opposite direction: **USB Sends**, travelling from the mixer to the computer. Setting up the returns does nothing for lighting.

### The editor connects over Wi-Fi but DMXDesktop hears nothing

Control and audio are separate. The USB cable has to be plugged into the machine running DMXDesktop.

### The lights react to speech

You are on Main LR. Build the bus pair above.

## [Still not working](#still-not-working)

Work through the shared checks in [Connecting a Sound Mixer to DMXDesktop](/knowledgebase/connecting-a-sound-mixer), which covers the faults that are not specific to one console. If you need to contact support, have these five things ready, because they resolve most cases immediately:

1. The exact mixer model.
2. Your Windows or macOS version.
3. How the mixer is connected, and which USB port you used.
4. Which device you picked in **Settings → Audio**.
5. Which left and right channel numbers you selected.

For a console with a multichannel USB interface, a screenshot of the mixer's USB output patch is worth more than any log file.