User manual

Record anyone, anywhere — straight into your DAW.

M8Studio pairs a DAW plugin on the engineer's side with the M8Artist app (or the web app) on the performer's side. Audio travels peer-to-peer as uncompressed PCM — what the artist sings is what lands on your track.

Get the apps PDF version

01 Getting started

One account works everywhere — M8Artist, the M8Studio plugin and the web app share the same login.

Your account

  • Sign in with your email + password. Registration is invite-only right now — accounts are created by the M8Studio team.
  • Forgot password? Use the link on the login screen — a reset email lands within a minute. One reset per 60 seconds; the button shows a cooldown.
  • Your username sits next to Sign out. Click it to open your profile slide-over.

Your profile

  • Set your role (artist / producer), categories, instruments, styles and bio — this is what others see in the Directory.
  • Email is locked — it's your sign-in identity and can't be changed from the profile editor.
  • Visibility: public lists you in the Directory; invisible hides you (friends can still reach you).
M8Studio login screen
The login screen — same everywhere: app, plugin and web.

02 Installing

One installer covers everything. Run M8Studio-macOS-Installer.pkg, then tick what you need on the Customize step:

  • M8Artist — standalone app → /Applications (for the performer)
  • M8Studio — standalone app → /Applications
  • VST3 → /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3 — most DAWs
  • AU (Audio Unit) → /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components — Logic, GarageBand
  • CLAP → /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP — Bitwig, Reaper
Gatekeeper: while builds are unsigned, macOS may say the app "can't be opened" or is "damaged". Fix it once: open Terminal and run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/M8Artist.app (or on the .zip/.pkg before opening). Alternatively: right-click → Open → Open Anyway in Privacy & Security.
Updates are automatic. When a newer version exists, an UPDATE → vX.Y.Z pill appears in the header after login. Click it — the app downloads the installer and opens it for you.

03 M8Artist app

The performer's booth: a standalone app that sends your uncompressed mic audio to the engineer's DAW.

M8Artist on air
On air — the engineer hears exactly what your microphone hears.

First launch

  1. Sign in. The app remembers you — next launch skips straight to the booth.
  2. Grant microphone permission when macOS asks.
  3. Pick your input device in the audio bar — an interface or USB mic beats the built-in one.

Going on air

  • Wait for the engineer's call, or call them from the Directory.
  • Enable audio arms your stream; the level meter should dance while you sing.
  • MUTE mutes your outgoing stream — the pill pulses red so there's no doubt.
  • TALK is your talkback latch to speak to the control room between takes.

Controls you'll use

Input gain & autogain

Set your level with the input fader, or hit Autogain — sing at performance level for a few seconds and it sets the gain for you.

Monitor mix

Blend your own voice with the engineer's return channel (the DAW playback) using the monitor faders — headphones recommended to avoid feedback.

Video

Optional camera preview in the stage area. Video adapts to the network first — audio quality is never sacrificed for it.

Help

The ? button in the header opens this manual in your browser.

04 M8Studio plugin

The engineer's side: a plugin that lives inside your DAW and receives the artist's PCM stream directly on a channel — no routing, no virtual cables.

M8Studio main window
The control room view — directory, chat and session tools a click away.

In your DAW

  1. Insert M8Studio on an audio track or aux (VST3 / AU / CLAP — whichever your DAW hosts).
  2. Sign in with the same account — the plugin shows the identical interface to the app.
  3. Arm the track's record or monitor path like any other input.

Calling an artist

  • Open the Directory, find the artist, hit call. They get a ring with accept/decline.
  • Once connected the session goes ON AIR and artist audio lands on the plugin's output — record it like a live mic.
  • Talkback (PTT or toggle) speaks to the artist's headphones without printing on the recording.

Return channel

Whatever the host plays into the plugin's inputs — cue mix, backing track, your talkback — streams back to the artist. One send, zero setup.

05 Web app

No install needed: m8studio.co.uk/app is the full artist booth in a browser — same account, same directory, same calls.

Web app on a phone
The web app on a phone — everything fits, everything works.
  • Works in Chrome, Edge, Safari — the browser asks for mic permission.
  • Fully responsive: directory, chat, friends, calls and your profile all work on a phone.
  • The ? button in the header brings you back here.

06 Calls, chat & sessions

Directory & friends

  • Directory lists everyone public — search by name, role, instrument or style.
  • Add friend sends a request; if they already asked, it accepts instantly.
  • Friends get a direct line — call and chat from the Friends panel.

Chat

  • Per-friend threads, live delivery, unread badge on the Chat tab.
  • Works between app, plugin and web — message from anywhere.

Sessions

  • Schedule a session with anyone: pick a time, they get notified in-app.
  • Upcoming sessions live in the Sessions panel — join the call from there.

Presence

  • The dot by a name is live presence — green means they're online now.
  • Going invisible hides you from the directory but not from friends.
Directory Chat

07 Recording

  • Engineer side: the artist's PCM arrives on the plugin channel — record in your DAW as usual. A safety Backup.wav of the raw received stream is written during takes.
  • Artist side: your own performance is captured locally as a WAV too — nothing is ever only on the wire.
  • Take sync: when the engineer hits record, the artist sees the take start at the same moment — backups line up across both machines.
  • Latency: audio is uncompressed PCM over P2P WebRTC. The connection adapts (96k → 48k → 44.1k) to keep the stream clean — never dropouts.
Sessions scheduler
Book the session, get the reminder, hit record.

08 Network & firewall

  • Calls are peer-to-peer: audio goes straight from artist to engineer — lowest possible latency.
  • When a NAT blocks the direct path, the call falls back to the TURN relay automatically — no setup needed.
  • Wired Ethernet > Wi-Fi for long takes. Close other uploads/downloads during a session.
  • Outbound traffic only: HTTPS to db.m8studio.co.uk for login/chat, then the call itself runs over UDP (WebRTC).

09 Troubleshooting

"App is damaged / can't be opened"

Unsigned-build Gatekeeper block. Run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/M8Artist.app once, or right-click → Open. Notarised builds won't need this.

No reset / contact email arrives

Check spam first. Reset emails only go to the address your account was created with — a different inbox never receives them. One reset per 60 seconds.

I connect but hear nothing

Artist: check Enable audio is on and the input meter moves. Engineer: check the plugin channel's input monitor and the return-gain fader. Then check both sides' headphone/monitor mixes.

Call never connects / drops instantly

A strict firewall is blocking the direct path — the call should fall back to the TURN relay within a few seconds. If it doesn't, retry the call; if it persists, your network blocks outbound UDP (common on corporate Wi-Fi) — tether or move networks.

The header shows UPDATE → vX.Y.Z

A newer release exists. Click the pill — the app downloads the installer and opens it. Reinstall keeps your login.

Something's still wrong

Use the contact form — it mails the team directly.