Help & FAQ
Everything from "what actually is this" to licence transfers and refunds. If it's not here, just email.
Mix Lock is a desktop production system that sits alongside your DAW and teaches the reasoning behind each mix decision. The app gives you 43 channel guides, a 400-entry encyclopedia covering every channel, macro, signal chain and decision point, a 13-stage gated mix workflow with sign-off conditions, a 300-problem symptom-first diagnostic engine, 305 production techniques and a 219-term glossary. The Mix Scorecard analyses a bounce you drop in, on your own computer, and explains what each reading means.
Mix Lock never changes your audio or your project. It reads what you're doing and explains it; you make the decision and turn the knob in Ableton.
The paid licence includes (1) the app; (2) a 39-track Ableton Live template with 6 return tracks, pre-mapped macro racks and 140 BPM start point; (3) the bridge, a live link that mirrors your macro positions into Mix Lock; and, arriving with Mix Lock 1.3, (4) the Trance Sub beta, a sub-bass synth plugin that paid owners keep using. The free 72-hour demo is the app only.
It's a standalone desktop app that ships with an Ableton Live template. The app runs in its own window next to Ableton — not as a plugin, not as a Max for Live device. The template has 39 tracks and 6 returns with every rack and macro pre-wired; the app teaches them as 43 channel guides (the returns and master get their own, and a couple of layered lanes are taught as one channel). The bridge (also included) is the live link between Mix Lock and Ableton, letting the app read what you're touching as you work. App, template and bridge work together as one system.
Trance Sub, the sub-bass synth that arrives with Mix Lock 1.3, is a plugin (VST3 on Mac and Windows, plus AU on Mac). It is a beta and a separate sound source you play and shape. The template uses Ableton's stock devices plus one free plugin, Caelum Audio Flux Mini 2, for ducking.
It won't write better tracks for you, and it won't get you signed. What it will do is make you more consistent. When you always start from the same neutral position, always use macros the same way, and always apply the same listening process — your decisions improve because they're being made in context, every time. The knowledge compounds because you're actually using it, rather than knowing it theoretically.
Just me — one producer who needed this tool and built it. Not a software company, not affiliated with Ableton, Native Instruments, or anyone else. Independent. Any questions, support or feedback goes directly to me at mixlockadmin@gmail.com.
The listening cues in Mix Lock are calibrated to what you hear when you move from a neutral starting point. If your knobs are in random positions, the cues won't match what you're actually hearing, and the consistency breaks down entirely. Starting neutral every session is the single most important habit the app builds. The template has default positions marked — don't skip this step.
Technically yes, but the macros are designed for mix decisions, not writing decisions. Adjusting a sub's octave or a lead's brightness while you're still arranging introduces variables that make it harder to judge the mix objectively later. The recommended approach: write with macros at neutral, then switch into mix mode when the track is structurally done.
The Trance Edition launches with a complete Ableton Live template — macros pre-mapped and ready to use. The methodology, channel guides and reference system work in any DAW, but you'd need to build your own macro racks to mirror the template setup.
Templates for Logic Pro, FL Studio and Bitwig are on the build path but have no confirmed release date. Join the mailing list to be notified when a template for your DAW is ready.
Yes, with some setup required. The app itself — the channel guides, listening cues, fix queue, and glossary — works completely independently of which DAW you're in. For Logic Pro users, we've documented the equivalent Smart Controls and plugin settings that map to the same macro functions. It's more manual than the Ableton template, but the methodology is identical.
See the DAW support page for setup guidance, or join the list to be first to know when a native Logic template ships.
Yes — for Ableton Live. Mix Lock ships with the Mix Lock Bridge, the live link that lets Mix Lock read what's happening in your Live session. A one-time setup walkthrough is included with the download. Once it's running, every macro position is mirrored to Mix Lock in real time — turn a knob in Ableton, the value updates in Mix Lock instantly. No manual logging.
The bridge does not touch your audio or change your project, and it doesn't send anything to a server. It runs between Ableton and Mix Lock on your machine. The bridge can be disconnected at any time and Mix Lock continues to work as a standalone reference.
For Logic Pro and other DAWs, the bridge integration is on the post-launch roadmap. Until then, Mix Lock works as a documented reference — you adjust macros in your DAW and consult the encyclopedia for what each value means.
The bridge does five things — all locally, nothing leaves your machine:
If the bridge isn't running, Mix Lock still works — you just don't get the live updates. Everything else (encyclopedia, problems engine, techniques, AI assistant, mix stages) runs identically with or without it.
Your licence covers 2 machines — for example your studio desktop and a laptop. Both can be active simultaneously. If you need to move a licence to a different machine, email mixlockadmin@gmail.com and I'll sort it manually.
One-time purchase, lifetime licence. No subscription, no annual renewal. All future updates to the Trance Edition are included. New genre editions (Techno, House, etc.) are separate purchases — but existing licence holders receive a reduced rate.
Second-wave pricing is £59 with code SECONDWAVE, then the price goes to £89 standard. Apply the code at checkout to save £30 on the lifetime licence.
Yes — each genre edition is a separate product with its own licence. Mix Lock Techno is the next release, with House planned after that. Existing Mix Lock licence holders receive a loyalty discount at checkout, so you never pay full price for subsequent editions. The discount is applied automatically via your registered email at the point of purchase.
Licence transfers are handled on a case-by-case basis. Email mixlockadmin@gmail.com with the details and I'll review it.
The code is sent automatically in the confirmation email after you sign up. Check your spam folder if you don't see it within a few minutes. If it's not there after 10 minutes, email mixlockadmin@gmail.com with the address you signed up with and I'll send it manually.
In Ableton Live, a Macro is a single knob that controls multiple parameters inside a rack simultaneously. In the Mix Lock template, each channel has a set of macros — so instead of hunting through plugins, you have one knob that makes a meaningful, calibrated change. The Mix Lock app tells you exactly what each macro position sounds like and what to listen for when you move it.
A listening cue is a description of what you should hear at a given macro position. For example: Low position — wide notch, sub feels open. High position — narrow notch, sub feels tighter. The cues train your ears by giving them something specific to focus on, rather than making decisions in the abstract.
The fix queue is a log of mixing decisions — things you've noticed that need attention in a specific track. You can add an entry, tag it to a channel, set a priority, and mark it resolved. It replaces the sticky notes, mental notes and random DAW markers that most producers use. Everything in one place, per track.
It means the macro positions make the most sense when your track has enough context to judge them — full arrangement, all elements playing, basic processing already on. Moving a sub macro while you've got two bars of kick and bass isn't mixing, it's writing. The decisions you make in that context won't hold when the full arrangement is playing. Set macros neutral when writing, engage them when mixing. For how the kick and sub share the low end once you are mixing, see the free kick and sub mixing guide.
Only for these, and the core of Mix Lock works offline:
When online, the app also loads its bug-report library and a cookieless usage-statistics script at startup. Neither includes your tracks, notes, audio or API key.
Everything else is local: the Mix Scorecard analyses your bounce on your computer and never uploads it, the bridge talks to Ableton on your machine only, and the encyclopedia is bundled with the app. No account and no cloud sync.
All track data (Fix Queue entries, session notes, settings, Scorecard bounces and reports) is stored locally on your machine in the app's data directory. There is no account, no cloud storage and no sync. It only leaves your computer if you use the optional AI assistant (the context listed above goes to Google with your own key), send a bug report, or export a backup yourself.
This is a macOS Gatekeeper warning that appears for apps from independent developers. To open Mix Lock:
Alternatively: System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to the "Mix Lock was blocked" message and click Open Anyway.
Mix Lock has a built-in bug reporter — when an error toast appears, click "Report this bug" and your description, the page you were on, the app version, your system's browser identifier and the recent in-app error log are sent to a private Firebase inbox that only Paul reads, tagged with a random ID rather than your name. No screenshots, tracks or audio. Or trigger one manually via Settings → Bug Report.
For anything that doesn't trigger a clear error — UX issues, confusing copy, feature requests — email mixlockadmin@gmail.com directly. Note that screenshots of the Mix Lock window will appear black due to screen-record protection (this is intentional, prevents content theft) — describe what you saw in words instead, or screenshot the surrounding context.
Mix Lock is a digital product. What it does and how it works is clearly demonstrated on this site and in the video guides before you buy — there are no surprises after purchase.
Refunds are available within 48 hours of purchase in either of these cases:
Change of mind is not grounds for a refund on a digital product. This policy does not affect your statutory rights under UK consumer law where applicable.
To request a refund: mixlockadmin@gmail.com with your order reference and a description of the issue. Full terms: Terms of Service.
Email mixlockadmin@gmail.com with your OS version and what happens when you try to open it. I'll work through it with you first — most issues are solvable. If it genuinely can't be made to work on your machine and we've exhausted all options, I'll refund in full.
It goes directly to the person who built this. I respond to every email.