Show control software for Mac and Windows
Design cues. Play them back. Run the show.
KontrolX is cue playback software for live shows, broadcasts, and installations. Play audio, video, OSC, MIDI, and Art-Net from a single app on Mac or Windows.
Pick a tier, enter your machine ID from the app, and check out with Stripe.
9,999
max cues
5
trigger types
3
output protocols
2
platforms
See it run
Two views. One source of truth.
Switch between the Cue List and the Cards View with a single keystroke. Both views read from the same cues. Fire from whichever matches your workflow.
Cue List
A list you can trust under pressure.
Build the show linearly. Every cue shows its triggers, outputs, and media in one place. Drag to reorder, fire in sequence, and watch cues highlight as they play.
- Per-cue OSC, MIDI, Art-Net, wall-clock, and hotkey triggers
- Stable OSC control numbers. /cue/N/go fires from anywhere
- Cue groups: fire simultaneously or wait for the prior cue to finish
- Escape key panics everything and halts all media
Cards View
Cue Cards. Tap to fire, drag to arrange.
A paginated grid of cue cards with colour accents, per-card play modes, drag-to-reorder, and drop-to-import from Finder or Explorer. Multiple named pages let you segment the show by act, scene, or section.
- 2 to 8 columns, 2 to 6 rows. Resize to fit your screen
- Seven preset colour accents with automatic contrast text
- Toggle play-and-stop or press-and-hold per card
- Drop audio or video files directly onto a page or slot
What it does
Every tool you need for show night.
KontrolX puts playback, triggers, outputs, and display routing in one place so your team can focus on running the show.
- ▶
Cue List
A linear list of cues and cue groups. Fire, stop, and control the flow of your show with per-cue triggers, outputs, and media in one place.
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Cards View
A paginated grid of cue cards with colour accents, per-card play modes, drag-to-reorder, and drop-to-import from your file manager.
- ♪
Audio playback
WAV, MP3, AIFF, M4A, OGG, FLAC. Fades in and out up to 60 seconds, loops, trim points, volume, and per-cue output device routing.
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Video playback
MP4, MOV, M4V, WEBM, MKV, AVI. Route to the main window or an external display window with fit / fill / cover and a letterbox colour of your choice.
- ◉
OSC in & out
Listen on any port and address pattern. Send to any host with arguments. Fire cues remotely via /cue/N/go, /page/N/cuecard/M/go, or your own custom paths.
- ♬
MIDI in & out
Note On, Note Off, CC, and Program messages across all 16 channels. Web MIDI port selection with listen-on-all-ports as a default.
- ✦
Art-Net in & out
Full Art-Net with configurable net, subnet, universe, start channel, and value-match filtering. For venues that need DMX and show control working together.
- ⊕
Cue groups
Simultaneous groups fire every member at once. Sequential groups wait for each cue's media to end before advancing. Great for chained sequences.
- ◷
Wall-clock triggers
Time-of-day firing with 12h or 24h format. Every day or a custom day-of-week schedule for preshow loops and daily openers.
- ⌨
Hotkey chords
Capture multi-key sequences on the fly. Keep hands-on control during tech and performance without reaching for the mouse.
- ▣
External displays
Dedicated output and preview windows across any connected screen. True-fullscreen on macOS covers menu bar and Dock with no Spaces animation.
- ⎋
Show Mode
A distraction-free performance mode that hides all editing controls. You can still fire cues, but nothing can be changed mid-show.
Every kind of space
Built for every kind of venue.
If you need repeatable, operator-friendly playback and control for front of house, shop floors, ride queues, or club nights, KontrolX fits right in.
- Theatres & touring
- Concert halls
- Retail & flagship stores
- Bars & clubs
- Theme & amusement parks
- Museums & galleries
- Corporate & broadcast
- Houses of worship
- Escape rooms & attractions
- Pop-ups & experiential
Simple licensing
Scale from starter to pro.
Four tiers. One-time purchase or monthly billing. Your license is signed, keyed to your machine, and imported directly into the desktop app.
Free
Kick the tyres
10 cues
- Hotkey triggers
- OSC output
- Perfect for trying KontrolX
Starter
Small shows & installs
60 cues
- Audio with fades & loops
- OSC + MIDI in & out
- Hotkeys
Show
Theatres & venues
200 cues
- Everything in Starter
- Video playback & external displays
- Cue groups & wall-clock triggers
Pro / Venue
Full lighting integration
9,999 cues
- Everything in Show
- Art-Net in & out
- The highest cue caps
| Feature | Free | Starter | Show | Pro / Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum cues | 10 | 60 | 200 | 9,999 |
| Audio playback | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Video playback | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| External displays | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cue groups | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wall-clock triggers | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| OSC input | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| OSC output | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| MIDI input | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| MIDI output | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Art-Net input | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Art-Net output | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Hotkey triggers | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Works with the protocols your rig already uses
Get the app
Download KontrolX 0.2.0
Install on Mac or Windows. Launch the app, copy your machine Unique ID from the Licensing panel, then pick up a license in the shop to unlock paid features.
macOS
KontrolX for Mac
Apple Silicon and Intel DMG installers
Windows
KontrolX for Windows
Windows 10 & 11 · NSIS installer
After installing
- 1Open KontrolX and go to Settings → License.
- 2Copy your machine Unique ID. The Free tier works right away.
- 3Buy a license in the shop and import the signed file.
Ready to run your next show?
Create an account, pick the tier that matches your setup, and download your license. You'll be running cues in minutes.