9. Settings
The settings panel opens by clicking the gear icon in the header, or via the macOS menu ESTË Live → Settings… (⌘,). An orange dot on the gear icon indicates unsaved changes.
9.1 Audio
Split into two cards:
Devices — Input and output audio interface selection:
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Input | Available CoreAudio input devices | System default |
| Output | Available CoreAudio output devices | System default |
Engine — Sample rate and buffer size (shown as button groups). A live latency badge shows the round-trip latency based on the selected settings.
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Sample Rate | 44.1k, 48k, 96k Hz | 48k |
| Buffer Size | 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024 samples | 128 |
Note: Changing these parameters requires an audio engine restart. Click the Apply button (checkmark) in the panel header.
9.2 Inputs (Input Channels)
Table with one row per channel:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| # | Channel number |
| Name | Editable channel name |
| Device Ch | Mapped input device channel |
| Stereo | Toggle for stereo source (pan becomes balance) |
| Color | Color picker to customize the strip |
Use + and - buttons to add/remove channels.
9.3 Outputs (Output Buses)
Similar table to inputs:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| # | Bus number |
| Name | Editable bus name (e.g., "Singer IEM") |
| Device Ch | Output device channel pair |
| Color | Color picker for the bus color |
9.4 Files (File Tracks)
Management of backing track audio files:
- Loaded file list with name, duration, sample rate
- Upload button to load WAV or MP3 files (500 MB limit)
- Color picker per track
- Record checkbox to include in multitrack recording
- Remove button per file
Files are copied to ~/ESTE/songs/{song}/backtracks/ and decoded into memory.
9.5 MIDI
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| MIDI Port | Dropdown with available system MIDI ports |
| MIDI Tracks | List with name, file, output port |
| Channel Mode | "Remap to Ch.X" or "Original (passthrough)" per track |
| Upload MIDI | Button to load .mid files (50 MB limit) |
Channel modes:
- Remap: All events are sent on a single chosen MIDI channel (default)
- Passthrough: Original MIDI channels from the file are preserved (useful for multi-channel lighting controllers)
9.6 Recording
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Multitrack | Toggle to record individual channels alongside the FOH mix |
| Format | WAV (PCM 16-bit) or MP3 (VBR high quality) |
The FOH stereo mix is always recorded. When Multitrack is enabled, individual device input channels and record-enabled file tracks are also recorded as separate mono files.
Recordings are saved to ~/ESTE/songs/{song}/recordings/.
9.7 Tempo & Regions
Organized into four cards:
Tempo Source:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| None | No tempo information |
| Manual | Fixed BPM + time signature on a single row (e.g., 120 BPM, 4/4) |
| MIDI File | Variable tempo extracted from MIDI file (supports tempo changes) |
Click Track: Enable/disable with sound selector (Digital/Woodblock/Rim button group). See Section 11.
Playback:
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-advance setlist | Automatically load the next song when playback finishes | On |
Regions:
- Upload CSV — Load a region CSV file
- Clear regions — Removes regions for the active song
- Timeline bar — Visual preview of region layout with proportional colored segments
- Region count badge — Shows the number of loaded regions in the card header
9.8 Access Control
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Require approval | On / Off | Off |
| Token duration | 1h, 4h, 8h, 24h | 8h |
When enabled, new musician and stage connections must be approved by the engineer before they can access the mixer. See Section 15 for full details.
9.9 License
Displays the End User License Agreement (EULA) — a scrollable view of the full proprietary freeware license covering usage rights, restrictions, intellectual property, privacy, donations, and governing law.
Also accessible via the macOS menu: ESTË Live → License Agreement…
9.10 About
Displays the ESTË Live logo, current application version, tech stack, and credits.
Includes a Support Development link that opens the donation page on the ESTË Live website, and a Contact Us button to reach the team via email (hello@este.audio).
9.11 Applying Changes
Settings changes are not applied automatically. After making your changes:
- An orange dot appears on the settings gear icon in the header
- Click the Apply button (green checkmark) in the panel header
- The audio engine restarts with the new configuration
- A green "Applied" message briefly appears