Lock-In Session Open my studio

Set up Lock-In Helper

Lock-In Helper is a small free app for your Mac. It lets you stream your DAW into a session with studio-quality sound, and lets people you approve use your mouse and keyboard. You install it once. It takes about 5 minutes.

You don't need it to join a session. Camera, microphone, chat and screen sharing all work in the browser.

1. Install Lock-In Helper

The download is fairly large, so it can take a few minutes on a slow connection. You only download it once.

1. Open the download

   When it finishes, open your Downloads folder and double-click Lock-In-Helper-mac.zip. It unzips to Lock-In Helper. (Safari may have unzipped it for you already.)

2. Move it to Applications

   Drag Lock-In Helper into your Applications folder. This matters: if it stays in Downloads, macOS may keep blocking it.

3. Open it

   Double-click Lock-In Helper in Applications. The first time, your Mac shows a security warning. That's expected, and the next step explains it.

2. The Mac security warning

Apple charges developers $99 a year to have their apps "verified". Lock-In Helper is free and doesn't have that paid certificate, so the first time you open it your Mac says something like:

This is normal for free and independent apps. You only have to approve it once. How you do that depends on your macOS version (to check: menu → About This Mac):

After that it opens normally every time. The Lock-In logo appears in your menu bar at the top of the screen, and a Get started window shows a short checklist.

3. Connect it to a session

1. Join any session in Chrome or Edge

   Open lockinsession.com, sign in and start or join a session.

2. Click Connect

   Open Music Devices → Lock-In Bridge (to stream your DAW) or Remote control (to share control), and click Connect helper.

3. Let the browser open the helper

   Your browser asks:

   Open Lock-In Helper?

   Click Open. You can tick "Always allow" so it doesn't ask again.

4. Approve in the helper

   Lock-In Helper asks:

   Connect Lock-In Helper to lockinsession.com?

   Click Connect. The session shows Lock-In Helper connected. From now on it reconnects by itself every time.

4. Lock-In Bridge (stream your DAW)

Lock-In Bridge is a plug-in you put on a track in your DAW. Whatever plays through that track goes straight into the session, uncompressed until it leaves your computer, with no virtual audio cable.

1. Unzip and run the installer

   Double-click Lock-In-Bridge-mac.zip, open the Lock-In Bridge folder and double-click Install Lock-In Bridge. A Terminal window opens, copies the plug-in into place, and says when it's done.

   If your Mac shows the same security warning, approve it exactly as in step 2, using Open Anyway or right-click → Open.

2. Restart your DAW

   Quit and reopen your DAW so it finds the new plug-in. Logic Pro checks it the first time; that takes a few seconds.

3. Add it to a track

   Logic Pro: on your Stereo Out (or any track), click an empty Audio FX slot → Audio Units → Lock-In → Lock-In Bridge.
   Ableton Live: drag Lock-In Bridge from Plug-ins onto the Master track.
   FL Studio: in the Mixer, select Master, click an empty slot → Lock-In Bridge.

4. Go live

   The first time, Lock-In Helper asks:

   Let lockinsession.com use audio from Lock-In Bridge?

   Click Allow. Then, in the session, choose your DAW under Music Devices. Everyone now hears your DAW in full quality.

5. Remote control (like AnyDesk)

Let a teacher, student or collaborator use your mouse and keyboard, for example to fix a setting in your DAW. Nobody can control your Mac unless you approve them, and you can stop it at any time.

1. Allow Accessibility (once)

   The helper's Get started checklist (or the first control request) opens System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility. Turn on Lock-In Helper there. Without this, other people can only point, not click or type.

2. Approve each person

   When someone asks for control, you see Allow / Deny in the session. You decide every time, unless you tick "Don't ask again for them this session".

3. Stop any time

   A red bar shows while someone is in control. To stop immediately, press ⌘ ⇧ Esc, click Stop on the bar, or switch off Remote control enabled in the helper.

Questions