Guides
Control the X32 and M32 from a tablet with an app
A tablet in your hand instead of being stuck behind the console: with the network port of the X32 (or M32) and an app, you can mix from anywhere in the room. Here’s what you need and how to set it up.
What you need
- An X32 or M32 (all models – Compact, Producer, Rack, Core, M32R, M32C) with an Ethernet port on the back
- A Wi-Fi router or access point – the X32 has no built-in Wi-Fi
- An Ethernet cable from the console to the router
- A tablet or phone and a remote control app
1. Get the console onto the network
Connect the console’s Ethernet port to a router with a network cable. Ideally, use a small dedicated Wi-Fi router just for the band – a venue’s Wi-Fi is often overloaded or keeps devices apart (“client isolation”), and then the app can’t find the console.
On the console, open Setup › Network. There you choose whether the console gets its address from the router (DHCP) or uses a fixed IP. On stage, a static IP is handy, e.g. 192.168.1.50 with a router using addresses 192.168.1.x – it must be outside the range the router hands out itself. Then the console can be reached at the same address at every gig.
2. Put the tablet on the same Wi-Fi
The tablet must be on the same network as the console. Connect it to the router’s Wi-Fi – not to mobile data and not to a guest network.
3. Choose an app
There are several ways to control the X32 remotely:
- The manufacturer’s apps for iPad, iPhone and Android – they recreate the console as completely as possible.
- Third-party apps that support many consoles and can often be customized freely.
- BandAssist – runs on a computer at the console and is operated from tablets and phones in the browser. Besides the mixer, it includes a guided soundcheck, monitor mixes for every band member, setlist, music stand, lighting and recording; nothing needs to be installed on the tablets.
The X32 allows several remote controls at the same time: the engineer mixes on the tablet while the musicians set their monitor mix on their phones.
4. Connect
Most apps find the console on the network automatically. If the app can’t find it, enter the IP from Setup › Network manually. In BandAssist, you click the detected console on the start page; then the tablets and phones scan a QR code and log in with a PIN.
If it doesn’t work
- Console not found: Are the tablet and console on the same network? Guest Wi-Fi and some hotel networks don’t allow connections between devices.
- Connection drops: Place the Wi-Fi router high up with a clear line of sight, not on the floor behind the console. On crowded stages, a 5 GHz router helps.
- On a Mac or PC: The firewall or, on macOS, the “Local Network” permission can block access.
In detail: Connecting the console and Preparing the console in the user guide.
Guides