EXP Soundboard vs LivePlay

EXP Soundboard is a free, open-source soundboard for playing custom clips through speakers or virtual audio devices. Users can load MP3 and WAV files, assign hotkeys for playback, adjust each sound’s volume, and configure the output. It also includes text to speech for playing custom messages. Gamers, streamers, and content creators are among its intended users. Audio can optionally be routed to Discord or OBS through Virtual Audio Cable or similar tools. The software is designed for Windows, with Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11 listed as compatible. It is also listed for Linux, macOS, and web: Mac and Linux use is through a virtual machine or Wine, while browser use runs through OnWorks in a virtual Windows environment. After installation, it works offline, except when used through OnWorks. Minimum requirements include Windows 7, a 1 GHz Intel or AMD CPU, 1 GB RAM, 50 MB free disk space, and Java Runtime Environment 8 or later. The site says the installer may be flagged by antivirus software and advises downloading from trusted sources.

LivePlay is a free desktop audio playback app for live shows, designed for live sound operators managing cues. Playlists and cart buttons support cue groups, fades, loops, crossfades, and next-cue actions. Cues can route to channels on one or more audio interfaces. Mixing and monitoring tools include audio buses, EQ, gate, compressor, auxiliary sends, output meters, loudness targets, and a master limiter. Playback control works through mouse, touch, keyboard, MIDI, HTTP, and WebSocket. Media can be added by drag-and-drop or YouTube audio import, with waveform display and LTC timecode output. A desktop controller can connect to a local or remote audio server over a network. LivePlay runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows and is released under AGPL-3.0-only. The Free plan costs nothing with all features and no licence fees, subscriptions, or paywalls. Remote control uses plain HTTP and WebSocket; installers are unsigned and macOS builds are not notarized.