Getting started

Mix-a-Mash builds a live mix from the music files on your computer. Your phone works as the remote, and friends can join from theirs.

Guides

What you'll need

A computer with Windows 10 or 11, a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 14 or newer, or Linux (Ubuntu 22.04 or newer, or Debian 12 or newer).
Music files on that computer, in mp3, flac or wav. Mix-a-Mash works with music files, not streaming services.
At least 8 songs. With 20 or more, the mix has more to choose from.
An email address. Mix-a-Mash emails you a 6-digit code to sign in, and there's no password.
Optional: a phone on the same Wi-Fi as the computer, to use as the remote.

What to expect

Installing takes several minutes with the Windows direct download and about 15 minutes on Linux. On a Mac, you can watch the install in Terminal.
The first start takes a few minutes.
Then your songs get ready. The screen shows an estimate of the time left, and you can play a mix as soon as enough songs are ready.

How it works

You choose the folder your music is in. Mix-a-Mash never renames or moves your files.
Mix-a-Mash gets each song ready. It splits the song into vocals and an instrumental and gets its lyrics. Songs that are ready can play while the others finish.
You choose "Play mix". The mix plays from the computer, one song moving into the next. It starts with each song as it is.
You tap a vocal lane on Live Mix to hear a mashup, which is vocals from one song over another song.

The Live Mix screen: a pink lane and a purple lane of vocals above a violet lane of songs, all scrolling past a white line. — An example of Live Mix. The violet lane is Main songs, and its bright border shows it is the one you hear. The pink and purple lanes above it hold blocks of vocals from other songs.

The Live Mix guide explains each part of the screen.

Watch your first mix

In the video, you play a mix, tap a vocal lane to hear a mashup, pick the next song and request a song. If the video doesn't play, open the MP4 file.

Install on your computer

Mix-a-Mash runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Get the installer from the download page.

Windows

You need Windows 10 or 11. Choose "Download for Windows" to open the Microsoft Store listing, then install from there.
If your computer has an NVIDIA graphics card, use the "direct download" link under that button for best results.
The direct download is an installer. It needs 15 GB of free space, an internet connection and several minutes. Windows asks for permission so phones and tablets on your Wi-Fi can reach the computer. Allow it.
The installer also offers a "Make connected networks Private" box, ticked by default. Phones can only find the computer on a Private network, and Windows marks most new Wi-Fi networks as Public. Clear the box on Wi-Fi you don't trust.
When the installer finishes, Mix-a-Mash runs from an icon in the notification area next to the clock. Click ^ if the icon is hidden. Its menu opens the app.

Mac

You need a Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) and macOS 14 or newer. Choose "Download for Mac", open the disk image, then double-click "Install Mix-a-Mash".
The installer opens Terminal so you can watch the install. macOS may ask whether the installer can control Terminal. Choose OK.
If the installer says it couldn't open Terminal, open Terminal yourself and drag "Install Mix-a-Mash.command" from the disk image into it.
The disk image, the app and the installer are signed and notarized. You don't need to right-click them or change a security setting.
When the install finishes, Mix-a-Mash opens. You can close the Terminal window.

Linux

You need Ubuntu 22.04 or newer, or Debian 12 or newer.
Choose "Download for Linux". You get one file, mixamash-linux-setup.sh. Open a terminal in the folder with the file and run chmod +x mixamash-linux-setup.sh && ./mixamash-linux-setup.sh.
The script takes about 15 minutes. It asks for your password when it needs to add system packages.
When the script finishes, open Mix-a-Mash from your applications menu.

Open Mix-a-Mash on the computer and follow these steps.

The first screen asks how you will use Mix-a-Mash. Choose "Set up this computer to mix".

The first screen, asking how you will use Mix-a-Mash, with a highlighted Set up this computer to mix card above a Join a mix card.

Enter your email address and choose "Send code". Then enter the 6-digit code from your email and choose "Sign in". There's no password, and the code expires after 15 minutes. If the screen offers "Continue with Google", you can use that instead.

The sign-in screen: a Continue with Google button, an empty email address box and a purple Send code button. — An example. A "Sign in with your phone" box with a code may also appear above the email box.

Wait while Mix-a-Mash starts. The first start takes a few minutes.
On "Add your music library", choose "Choose folder…", pick the folder your music is in, then choose "Scan library". If the folder picker doesn't open, choose "Type a path" and type the folder's location.

The Add your music library screen with a folder chosen: a Choose folder… button, a Type a path link, Skip for now and a purple Scan library button.

Wait while your songs get ready. The screen shows progress and an estimate of the time left. You don't have to stay on it.

The Getting your music ready screen: a progress bar, a count such as 9 of 20 songs playable and an estimate of the time left. — An example. Your song count and the time left will differ.

Mix-a-Mash reads mp3, flac and wav files in the folder and its subfolders. It skips other formats, such as m4a, aac, ogg, opus and wma, and tells you how many it skipped. It works with music files, not streaming services.

Mix-a-Mash never renames or moves your files. The scan screen says what is looked up online and what is uploaded for analysis. The privacy policy has the details.

Start your first mix

Wait until the screen says how many songs are ready for a mix. A mix needs at least 8 songs. If you have 20 or more, Mix-a-Mash waits until 20 are ready.

The Library added screen: 20 songs are ready for a mix, with a purple Play mix button above a Done button. — An example with 20 songs. Play mix is the wide purple button.

Choose "Play mix".
Mix-a-Mash opens Live Mix and starts playing once the first parts of the mix are built. The music plays from the computer's speakers or headphones.
Hear your first mashup. The mix starts with each song as it is. Tap the pink or purple lane on Live Mix. The lane with the bright border is the one you hear. Vocals from another song play over the song's instrumental wherever the lane has a block. Tap the violet lane to go back to the songs as they are.

A song can join a mashup once it has finished preparing. Songs that haven't finished still play as themselves.

If nothing changes, the screen may say "This song is still preparing for mashups." Try again during another song, or once more songs are ready.

To steer the mix, see the Live Mix guide.

If you chose "Skip for now", you can add music any time from Home.

Use your phone as a remote

Your phone and your computer need to be on the same Wi-Fi.

Android

On the phone, open the Google Play test link, join the test, then install Mix-a-Mash from Google Play. If the link says you're not a tester, email hello@mixamash.com.

iPhone and iPad

Install Apple's TestFlight app first. Then open the TestFlight link on your iPhone or iPad and install Mix-a-Mash from TestFlight. If the link says the beta is full, email hello@mixamash.com.

Open Mix-a-Mash on the phone. When it asks how you will use it, choose "Control my own computer" and sign in with the same account as on the computer. The phone looks for your computer on the Wi-Fi. If it shows a list, choose your computer, then choose "Connect".

Let friends join

Friends don't need an account. On the computer, open Home. The Guests card shows a join code. A friend scans it with their phone's camera and follows the steps on the join page. They need to be on the same Wi-Fi as the computer.

Anyone on the same Wi-Fi can join and control the mix. Use a network you trust.

Request songs

Requests is the screen where you and your friends ask for songs. Tap a song under "Main songs" or "Vocals" and it moves to "Main requests" or "Vocal requests", and the mix works it in. Tap it there to take the request back.

The Requests screen: four columns of songs, with one song each in Main requests and Vocal requests. — An example of Requests. The cards across the top show what is playing now.

If something goes wrong

Your phone can't find your computer

The phone says "No hosts answered." or "No Mix-a-Mash computer answered on this Wi-Fi."

Check that the phone and the computer are on the same Wi-Fi, and that Mix-a-Mash has finished starting on the computer.
On Windows, phones can only find the computer on a Private network. In Windows settings, set your Wi-Fi network to Private.
If your phone asks to find devices on your local network, allow it. On Android, if the phone says it couldn't search the network, allow Nearby devices for Mix-a-Mash in Settings.
If your Wi-Fi blocks the search, type the computer's address on the phone. The address is in Settings on the computer, under "Address guests connect to".

The first start takes a while

Mix-a-Mash shows "Starting Mix-a-Mash…" and says this can take a few minutes, especially the first time after you install.

Wait. The screen closes by itself when Mix-a-Mash is ready. If it still hasn't connected, close Mix-a-Mash and open it again. If that doesn't help, email hello@mixamash.com with the details the screen shows.

Songs are slow to get ready

You may see "This computer has no usable graphics card. Each song takes several minutes to prepare." On Home you may see "Some songs were prepared on the processor because the graphics card was busy. They'll be improved when it's free."

You don't need to do anything. The songs still play, and you can start a mix as soon as enough songs are ready. The rest keep getting ready in the background.
If your Windows computer has an NVIDIA graphics card, install the direct download from the download page. In Settings, "Song preparation" shows what your songs are prepared on.

Get help

Email hello@mixamash.com with what you were doing and what happened. The support page lists known issues and what to include.

In the app, "Help and support" in Settings opens the support page.