QLab 5.6.5 (macOS)

QLab 5.6.3 runs on macOS 11 (Big Sur) and later, on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. Before you install, here are the questions most people ask.

Runs on any Mac with macOS 11 or newer

Any Mac that can run macOS 11 or newer. QLab is a native macOS app, so it works on Intel and M1/M2 machines alike. No special graphics card needed.

Designs sound, video, light, and show control cues

Design and play back sound, video, light, and show control cues. You get an integrated audio editor, keystone correction, animation tools, and live video input from devices including Blackmagic gear.

Installs via disk image with Gatekeeper bypass

Mount the disk image, run Open Gatekeeper friendly, then press Enter in Terminal to bypass Gatekeeper. Drag the app into the Applications folder and launch it.

A real-world setup: a school theatre tech

You are the lighting and sound technician for the school's end-of-term play. The drama teacher wants a 35-minute show with recorded dialogue, live microphones, a video backdrop that changes scene, and a lighting sequence that follows the action. You have three rehearsals to get it right. QLab is what you reach for.

On Wednesday you import the audio tracks into one workspace, add the video files for each scene, and lay down lighting cues from the Light Library. On Thursday you discover that the second-act projector needs a keystone correction because the rig is slightly off-centre — QLab's corner pinning sorts it without moving the projector. On Friday you run through the whole show from one laptop, adjusting cue timing as you go. No separate software for sound, lights, or video. One workspace, one timeline.

Single app works on Intel and Apple Silicon

QLab 5.6.3 works on macOS 11 or later, on both Intel and Apple Silicon machines. The installer is a disk image — mount it, run the Gatekeeper bypass in Terminal, drag the app into Applications. It is a single application, not a suite of separate tools, so you get one window with all your cues in a list.

The interface shows audio and video faders, an integrated audio editor for trimming track ends, and animation controls. Video can be reversed or centred on a projector. You can overlay titles on video without a separate graphics app. Live video input from external devices — including Blackmagic hardware — is supported directly.

Undo works for changes made inside the app, which matters when you accidentally delete a cue five minutes before a run-through. The Light Patch editor now shows a Broken status for a misconfigured instrument definition, and the Light Library editor colours those rows differently, so you spot a bad patch before the show.

Light Library colours misconfigured rows automatically

• The Light Library editor colours rows differently when an instrument definition is misconfigured — no need to click each row to find the fault.
• The Light Patch editor now shows a Broken status for the same misconfiguration, so you know exactly which fixture is wrong.
• Workspaces created in 5.6.2 and earlier automatically migrate to the built-in network device definition for Right On Cue Services Stage|Tracks — no manual reconfiguration after updating.
• You can adjust playback speed with pitch control, useful for running through audio cues at double speed during rehearsal without chipmunk vocals.
• Syphon integration lets you send video to other apps or streaming software without extra hardware.

Replaces multiple apps for school IT technicians

Live performance crews and theatre technicians are the obvious users, but a few other roles benefit heavily.

School IT technicians who support drama and music departments find QLab useful because it replaces three or four separate apps with one install. You set it up once on the theatre Mac, and the show runs from a single workspace file. No wrangling with different audio players, video players, and lighting consoles that don't talk to each other.

Show control operators — the people who synchronise projection, sound, and lighting across a venue — get a single timeline for all cue types. MIDI and OSC control are built in, so you can trigger external gear or receive commands from a lighting desk.

Installation and museum techs who run looping video or timed audio for exhibits find the playlist-style cue structure straightforward. You can set a video to loop, overlay a title, and have it start on a schedule or from a sensor trigger.

Anyone who has ever had to download qlab 5, find a qlab 5 crack, or search for a qlab torrent because their venue's budget doesn't stretch to a per-seat licence will appreciate that QLab runs on whatever Mac is already in the booth — no extra hardware required.

What version 5.6.3 fixed

• A rare crash when stopping video playback — the sort of bug that only shows up in a live show but is good to have gone.
• Misconfigured instrument definitions now show coloured rows and a Broken status, so you catch them in rehearsal, not during a blackout.
• Workspace migration for Right On Cue Services Stage|Tracks now uses the built-in network device definition automatically.

• Rows in the Light Library or Light Definition editor now change colour when an instrument definition in the row is misconfigured.
• Workspaces from 5.6.2 and earlier now migrate to the built-in network device definition for Right On Cue Services Stage|Tracks.

• macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later
• Intel or Apple Silicon processor
• English interface language