REQUIREMENTS
FarPlay works right out of the box, with no additional setup required — you can use it with your computer’s built-in mic, and even over WiFi. Questions about your setup? Email us at support@farplay.io.
Wired Headphones
Headphones are required — they’re essential for avoiding feedback. Bluetooth headphones come with a lot of added latency, so you’ll need to use wired headphones. At simplest, the wired headphones that used to come with iPhones work great, and as a bonus, they feature a microphone that can act as a cheap external mic as well. Any headphones you can plug into your computer will work.
Ethernet
In order to get the full FarPlay experience, you should use a wired ethernet connection, which is much faster and more reliable than WiFi (note that for non-musical uses, where latency is less critical, WiFi works just fine). This is easy. Your internet router already has ethernet ports, so all you need is an ethernet cable ($5 to $20 depending on length; we recommend CAT5e or higher). If your computer doesn’t have a built-in ethernet port, you’ll also need a USB-C or USB-A ethernet adapter ($10 to $15). Make sure you’re plugged in to your router itself, and not a WiFi repeater.
Note that if you live in a sparsely-populated area with no other WiFi networks around, using FarPlay over WiFi should work well. It’s when your WiFi network is competing with others in the same area that WiFi becomes problematic. Still, Ethernet is always best.
Good Internet Connection
FarPlay will work with most internet connections, but the faster your connection, the better your results will be. You can check your upload speed here. FarPlay has been successfully tested with upload speeds as low as 8 Mbps.
Mac, Windows or Linux
FarPlay requires a computer running MacOS 10.13 or higher, Windows 10 or higher (it may work on earlier versions of Windows but is untested), or Linux. We don’t yet support tablets or phones.
Recommended
External Audio Device
FarPlay will work amazingly well with nothing but the built-in audio interface on your computer. If you’re on Mac, it’s worth noting that the built-in mic on Macs from 2015 and before had very low latency, but unfortunately, newer Macs have added a layer of audio-processing that adds a lag on the order of 30ms — which you’ll definitely want to avoid. You can easily get around this by purchasing a pair of $15 wired EarPods, which will provide the low-latency you need simply by plugging them straight into your computer, and will double as a useful pair of headphones.
For the absolute best results, use an external audio device. At simplest, this could be something like the Zoom H1n Portable Recorder, which comes with two mics for $120, can be connected directly to your computer via USB, and has very low latency. If you already have an audio interface, like a Focusrite Scarlett or a high-end one like the Apogee Ensemble, it’ll work beautifully, as should any other audio interface on the market.