23. Interface Appearance: Change the interface appearance mode to Light or Dark.
24. Scaling: Change the scaling/size.
25. Hot Keys: Add keyboard shortcuts to easily access any parameter in
    the CASTER application.
26. MIDI Setup: Set your MIDI controllers.
27. Pin: Keep the CASTER always open in front of all the other apps.
28. GroundControl Audio Devices Setup: Create and manage virtual audio devices.

‍

20. Recording Options: Choose the file format, quality, and
    resolution of your recording. Select from the plug-ins
    related recording options and the folder in which you
    want the recording to be saved.
21. Record: Start and stop recording.
22. Recording Folder: After stopping the recording, a folder
    button         will appear on the left side of the recording
    options. Clicking on it takes you to the folder with
    your recording files.

‍

‍

INPUTS

1. Application Track: Click this button to add audio of your applications.
2. Microphone Track: Click this button to add microphone tracks.
3. Input Track: Click this button to add any audio device input tracks.

4. Track Name: Modify the track’s name, change its
   icon, or color-label the track.
5. Input Source Menu: Change the existing track input.
6. Input Peak Meter: Check to see if the audio is coming
   through and if the level is what you desire.
7. Advanced Track View: Open/close the advanced track
   menu where you can add up to 3 different plug-ins,
   enable/disable recording, and turn on/off Direct To,
   which will automatically create a new virtual device
   in your Audio MIDI setup, allowing you to stream
   individual input tracks directly to any streaming application.
8. Volume Faders: Adjust the track’s volume in each sub-mix or link them together.
9. Mute: two separate mute buttons, which allow you to mute individual input tracks separately in each sub-mix.
10. Panning Sliders: Change the panning of your track. Choose to hear the selected track more from the right or left speakers/headphones.
11. Soundboard Track: Choose and play as many sound effects from the twenty samples we provide.
12. Trigger Pad: Click on it to play the loaded sample.
13. Sample Groups: There are five different samples within each sample group.
14. Sample Editor: Change the trigger pad’s name, add your own samples, color-label, and adjust the

4. volume and the sample’s play mode or loop mode.
5. Sample Rate: Go to settings and choose your desired sample rate.
   

OUTPUTS

16. Streaming Sub-Mix: Stream your mix on another application using
    CASTER Stream Mix 1 virtual audio device by going to the selected app
    and choosing CASTER Stream Mix 1 as the audio input source.
17. Monitor Sub-Mix: Assign it to your desired audio monitoring device.
18. Output Peak Meter Options: Choose to view or turn off the visual output peak meter and select the desired value.

16. Monitoring Option: The ear button        allows you to choose the sub-mix you want to monitor at each moment.

‍

With CASTER Live, you can separate applications’ audio, microphones, and other audio devices connected to your Mac. This virtual mixer allows you to control and process each of those tracks individually, create your desired mixes, and send them to your favorite streaming app, headphones, speakers, or other output devices, through two distinct output tracks. You can also use the direct-out option on each individual track. In addition, CASTER Live provides several other advanced features, such as multitrack recording and audio processing, to meet the needs of all users.

As discussed in the quick setup section, when you open the CASTER, there will be five main sections in the mixer:

1) Inputs, 2) Add Tracks, 3) Outputs, 4) Recording Panel, and 5) Toolbar.

Add up to 8 Application Tracks and 6 Input or Microphone Tracks simultaneously using the Add Tracks. The chosen input tracks will appear in the inputs section, where the sticky tracks will always appear as the first two tracks. You can always delete the input tracks and add a new one or simply change the input source of previously added tracks using the input source menu. You can also change the order of the input tracks by dragging and dropping them to the left or right of other input tracks (except for the sticky tracks).

The Outputs section of the mixer has two output tracks, one output designated for streaming, which is hard-wired to our virtual output device called CASTER stream mix 1, and another one for monitoring, which allows the user to select any physical audio output (e.g., speakers, headphones). Each track in the inputs section has two volume faders and mute buttons, allowing the user to create two distinct sub-mixes for streaming and monitoring. By default the faders are linked.

The Recording panel is located under the outputs section with several features. For your convenience, we have also included a Toolbar on the right side of the application, which provides some tools for appearance, hot keys, GroundControl audio devices setup, and MIDI device options.

Now we will label every part and feature within each mixer section on CASTER. In the next section of this user guide, we provide detailed information on how to get the most out of each component.

‍

What is CASTER Live:

GroundControl CASTER Live is a top-notch virtual mixing board that allows you to mix or separate any applications’ audio, microphones, and audio interfaces on your Mac. Produce and process high-quality sound, route audio between applications, stream to your favorite streaming apps, and record locally. Now you can control these all in one place without any physical wiring.

Getting Started:

Welcome to CASTER Live. With this all-in-one high-end virtual audio mixer, you can manage the entire sound coming in and out of your Mac with only a few clicks. While the convenient UI design of CASTER Live allows you to quickly install and easily use this virtual mixer, in this user guide, we provide detailed explanations of all the features and How-Tos of this application. We recommend a quick read-through, or you can simply start using CASTER Live and refer back to this document for assistance.

CASTER requires macOS 10.14 or newer versions and can receive and route audio from/to any external audio device. With CASTER, you can simultaneously work with multiple audio devices and route audio between them without using physical cables.

Quick Setup:

Quick Link: visit our CASTER page to download the CASTER for free.

We have tried to make everything as smooth and fast as possible. Download CASTER Live from our website and follow the installation instructions on your Mac to install the app only in a few steps. If you need help with the installation steps, please read the installation guide section of this document. After the installation, you can find CASTER in your applications and click on it to launch it.

Note: After installing the CASTER, there will be two new audio devices added to your Mac’s Audio MIDI Setup, 1) CASTER and 2) CASTER Stream Mix 1.

Once you have the CASTER installed, you can enjoy your 14-day free trial of the Live version with all features included. We are proud to offer our users the basic version of this app at no cost, but to enjoy using all the features, you should go with CASTER Live. For more information on purchasing, upgrading, and recovering existing licenses, please refer to this document’s Purchasing and Upgrading section. Our team is constantly working to improve and upgrade our products to provide you with the best quality service. The application will automatically notify you once an update is available, but you can also visit our website for the most recent updates.

When you open the application, you will see a mixer with five different sections in the following order from left to right:

1) Inputs, 2) Add Tracks, 3) Outputs, 4) Recording Panel, and 5) Toolbar.

The Add Tracks section allows you to add microphones, applications, or other audio devices as separate tracks. Any tracks you choose will be added to the Inputs section, where you can EQ, process, adjust, and mix your input tracks. All input tracks include a renaming option, color labeling, peak meters, volume faders, mute buttons, panning controllers, and advanced track view for inserting AU plug-ins or FX. You will always have at least two input tracks open on the CASTER app, which we call sticky tracks: 1) Soundboard track and 2) Application track. The Soundboard track, with its 20 exciting preloaded sound effects, samples, and intros. In addition, Soundboard track’s advanced options allow you to experiment with its sound effects or add your own audio files instead.

CASTER provides two output tracks on the mixer. The first output is hard-wired to our virtual output device called CASTER Stream Mix 1, designated for streaming services. You can find this virtual device in other applications’ audio input setups, and by selecting it, you can stream the audio from CASTER to the desired application. The other output track is the Monitor Track, which can be routed to your speakers or headphones. Besides the volume fader, advanced track view, and mute button, output tracks are equipped with a multi-option meter. This feature allows you to measure and control your output’s loudness level (e.g., LUFS and True Peak) to deliver the best audio result. In addition, the Recording Panel gives you the power to choose from various audio formats, quality, resolution, and track configurations to record your desired output locally on your Mac. Finally, the Toolbar completes your smooth and unique experience with this virtual mixer by providing options for the appearance of CASTER Live on your desktop, MIDI Setup, and GroundControl Audio Devices Setup. Find even more options in the settings, including choices for changing sample rates and latency.

In this quick setup, we provided an overview of the CASTER application and briefly explained how to use it. In the following sections and after discussing how and where you can find answers to any questions you may have while using CASTER, we will discuss each feature of the application in detail.

How to Get Help:

This document provides detailed information on how to use CASTER. However, we understand that your exploration and creativity may result in more questions, so our compassionate support team has created other ways for you to communicate with them while providing additional support pages.

1. Ginger Audio Support Center

Please visit our Support Center’s page on our website. In addition to this user guide, you will find a section that includes several “How to” articles. We have also picked and sorted your frequently asked questions in an FAQ section for your convenience. Finally, if you are experiencing issues with licenses or installation, you can find a page dedicated to answering your questions on those topics.

2. Email Us

We are always here to help. If you prefer getting in touch with someone to find the answer to your questions, simply email us at: support@gingeraudio.com. Our support team is amazingly responsive and ready to answer any questions before and after you start using our software. We also encourage you to send us your feedback, as we always strive to improve our products and services.

‍