rcplug

README

rcplug

A plugin platform for the RØDECaster Duo: a small host that runs on the device, starts and supervises plugins, and gathers their web interfaces on one page in your browser. It never touches the firmware.

rcplug ships with the console: the whole mixer in the browser. Channels with live meters, faders, mute and listen, processing, the routing matrix, inputs, outputs, effects, SMART pads, the recorder, system information and an explorer for the complete device state. A fresh install is read-only; you can switch on control in steps.

More plugins, such as Sonar (which direction does a sound come from?), live in rcplug-plugins. Writing your own takes a folder with a plugin.json and a program in any language; for Go there is an SDK in this repository. Start with the plugin guide.

Status: early and unofficial. Everything has been tested offline: against a simulator that replays a real Duo state capture (firmware 1.7.4), with the arm64 binaries under QEMU, and installed into the stock firmware images 1.7.6 and 1.7.3. First test on a real Duo (firmware 1.7.6): flashing, SSH, the installer, in-app updates, the dashboard and the plugins work. The mixer serves one client at a time, so the console takes that connection and passes everything on to the device's own screen (full control): it shows the whole desk with live meters and changes every setting, while the screen works as before (docs/device-notes.md). Where that is not possible it reads along and changes what has a button on the device. A fresh install is read-only until you choose a control level.

rcplug is not affiliated with or endorsed by RØDE. Use it at your own risk; read the disclaimer below.

Deutsch: README.de.md

⚠ Disclaimer: use at your own risk

rcplug, its plugins and its tools are unofficial, experimental software, provided "as is" without any warranty (see the MIT license). Getting SSH onto the RØDECaster means flashing a modified firmware. Flashing, installing software on the device and changing its settings can make the device unusable ("brick" it), lose settings or recordings and void your warranty. RØDE does not support devices changed this way. Whatever you do with this project, you do on your own responsibility: the authors accept no liability for damage to your device, your data or your productions. Do not use it during a show that must not fail.

Supported devices

Device	Status
RØDECaster Duo, firmware 1.7.x	Runs on a real Duo (1.7.6): host, dashboard, in-app updates and plugins; the console controls the whole desk with live meters, with the device's screen running through it (full control).
RØDECaster Pro II	Recognised and shown read-only. Control needs a verified profile; see docs/adding-a-model.md.
Other / unknown	Shown read-only.

Try it without a device

You need Go 1.22 or newer.

make run-local                 # host, console and examples on http://127.0.0.1:8080
                               # (the console talks to a simulated Duo)
go run ./cmd/console --sim     # only the console, on http://127.0.0.1:8082

With rcplug-plugins checked out next to this repository, make run-local there starts the same with its plugins.

Install on the device

Installing, updating and removing is done from your computer with rcplug-toolkit: a setup window for Windows, macOS and Linux, or a script. It also gets SSH onto the Duo, which has none out of the box: you add your own key to the firmware once (enable-ssh.md), also right in your browser.

This repository's releases contain the device package the toolkit installs: rcplug-<version>-aarch64.tar.gz (host, console, device installer) and the example plugins. Then open http://<device-ip>:8080/; the console is the start page. The pre-release Development build has the newest state of the code, for testing.

What gets installed where: the host, its plugins and their data go into one directory, /usr/local/rcplug. Besides that, rcplug adds a start script /etc/init.d/rcplug with its autostart links and a PID file in /var/run; the logs stay in the install directory (logs/). Nothing else on the device is changed, and uninstalling removes all of it. The host runs as root at the lowest CPU priority, so audio always comes first. Updating rcplug keeps its settings.

Updates: once installed, rcplug updates itself and its plugins from the dashboard (System → Updates): it checks GitHub only when you ask, shows the release notes and installs only signed releases you click. If a new version of rcplug does not start, the previous one comes back by itself. More plugins install from the dashboard's catalog (Plugins → More plugins), and Remove… takes one off again. See docs/updates.md. A firmware update writes a fresh root partition, and the Duo has no other place that survives it: rcplug, its settings and your SSH key are gone afterwards.

When something goes wrong

The dashboard's System page has a Download diagnostics button. The zip contains the logs of the host and all plugins (kept on the device across reboots), versions, the device's vitals, processes and kernel log, the console's connection statistics and a sanitized copy of the desk state. Passwords, PINs, keys and the values of your settings are masked (URLs down to their host). Attach it to a bug report. If the web interface does not respond, the toolkit gets the same bundle over SSH.

Using the console

• Read only · Control · Expert at the top right sets what the console may change. Read only is the default on a fresh install; the level you choose is kept across restarts. Control allows everyday operation, each control with its valid range. Expert allows almost every property in the explorer.
• Some things are never allowed: firmware update, reset, power off, deleting or formatting storage, network and account settings. Passwords and keys never leave the device.
• Physical faders are not motorised: at Control they are shown but not moved remotely. Expert allows it, but the real fader stays where it is and takes over again as soon as someone touches it.
• The Log tab lists the last changes the console sent to the device (kept in memory until the console restarts).
• You can set a PIN for changes (System → Console). The PIN protects changes to the desk only: everyone on your network can still see the console (including details like the device's serial number and network addresses) and start or stop plugins on the dashboard. rcplug has no user accounts and is made for a home network you trust.

More: docs/safety.md.

Documentation

Architecture	How the host, the plugins and the device fit together; the host's API
Configuration	All flags, environment variables and settings files
Developing plugins	A complete plugin step by step, from the first page to signed updates
Plugin cookbook	Recipes: follow the desk, mute, markers, pads, webhooks, audio, diagnostics, …
Plugin interface	The reference: manifest, process, environment, HTTP, dashboard, host API, SDK
Updates	In-app updates: using them, how they are secured, publishing signed releases
Console API	Reading and controlling the desk over HTTP from your own code
Protocol	The desk's control port (JUCE ValueTree over TCP)
Safety	What protects the device and your network
Device notes	What the firmware has, what still needs a real device
Adding a model	Capturing a device state and making a model controllable
Development	Building, testing, repository layout, the three repositories
Roadmap	What comes next, and plugins worth building

Contributing

Bug reports, device reports and pull requests are welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md. Please report security problems privately, as described in SECURITY.md.

License

MIT, see LICENSE. Third-party data and sources: THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md. RØDE and RØDECaster are trademarks of their owner and are used here only to describe what rcplug works with.