What's Now Playing

Real-time music charts from streaming communities

Home Songs Artists Search Get Started FAQ

WNP EarShot Documentation

How It Works

EarShot listens to audio through your device's microphone (or, on Mac, any audio input) and uses Apple's Shazam technology to identify the track. When a match is found, the title and artist are sent to your What's Now Playing client over your local network, just as if WNP had read the track directly from DJ software.

This makes it possible to use WNP with setups it can't integrate with natively: vinyl decks, standalone CDJs, mixers, and any other source that doesn't expose track metadata to a computer.

Requirements

macOS

On Mac, EarShot runs as a menu bar app. It starts listening automatically on launch and runs in the background with no main window to keep open.

Setup

  1. Install EarShot from the Mac App Store.
  2. Launch EarShot. Grant microphone access when prompted.
  3. Click the ear icon in the menu bar → WNP Settings.
  4. Set your WNP host and port, or use Discover Services to find a WNP client on your network automatically.
  5. Make sure What's Now Playing is set to accept Remote input.

EarShot will start identifying tracks immediately and send them to WNP.

Audio Input

Unlike iOS and watchOS, Mac lets you choose exactly which audio source EarShot listens to. Click the ear icon, then Audio Input to select from any input device on your system. Any audio device connected to your Mac appears in the list, including DJ controllers, audio interfaces, virtual audio drivers (such as Serato Virtual Audio or NDI), and the built-in microphone.

WNP Settings Menu

  • Host / Port: The address of the machine running WNP. Use localhost if WNP is on the same Mac.
  • Discover Services: Finds WNP clients on your network automatically via Bonjour.
  • Send Album Artwork: When enabled, EarShot sends the Shazam artwork URL to WNP. Disable if you prefer WNP to look up artwork itself.
  • Send ISRC: When enabled, EarShot sends the track's ISRC code. Disable if you prefer WNP to resolve it independently.
  • API Secret: Optional. Only needed if your WNP client is configured to require authentication.

Troubleshooting

  • No tracks identified: Check that EarShot has microphone permission in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.
  • Cannot reach WNP: Confirm your Mac is on the same network as the WNP machine and that the host and port are correct. Check your firewall isn't blocking the WNP port.
  • Wrong audio source: Make sure the correct input is selected in the Audio Input menu.

iPhone & iPad

On iPhone and iPad, EarShot gives you a large Listen button. Tap it to start identifying. EarShot will listen until you stop it manually or until the auto-stop timer runs out.

Setup

  1. Install EarShot from the App Store.
  2. Launch EarShot. Grant microphone access when prompted.
  3. Tap the gear icon to open Settings.
  4. Under WNP Connection, either:
    • Tap Discover Services to find a WNP client on your network automatically, or
    • Enter the host and port manually (e.g. 192.168.1.10 / 8899).
  5. If your WNP setup uses an API secret, enter it in the API Secret field.
  6. Tap Test Connection to confirm EarShot can reach WNP.
  7. Tap Done, then tap the Listen button to start.

Settings Reference

  • Host / Port: Address of the machine running WNP.
  • API Secret: Optional. Only needed if WNP requires authentication.
  • Send Album Artwork: Sends the Shazam artwork URL to WNP. Disable to let WNP look up artwork itself.
  • Send ISRC: Sends the track's ISRC code to WNP. Disable to let WNP resolve it independently.
  • Keep Screen On: Prevents your device from sleeping while EarShot is active. Useful in a booth.
  • Auto-Stop: EarShot stops listening automatically after the selected duration, measured from when you tap Listen. Set to Manual only for continuous listening with no automatic stop.

Placement Tips

  • Place your phone near your monitors or on the mixer for the cleanest signal.
  • Avoid placing directly in front of a bass-heavy speaker. Midrange and treble carry the most useful fingerprint data.
  • A wired or wireless connection to your mixer's headphone output gives the most reliable results.

Troubleshooting

  • Track not identified: Make sure the device can clearly hear the music. Background noise or very obscure releases can affect accuracy.
  • Cannot reach WNP: Confirm your iPhone is on the same Wi-Fi as the WNP machine. Check host, port, and firewall settings.
  • Microphone permission denied: Go to Settings → EarShot and enable microphone access.

Apple Watch

The Apple Watch app works like the iPhone version but is designed to stay out of your way. Wear it, tap the mic button, and it listens. Settings are configured on your iPhone and sync to the watch automatically.

Setup

  1. Install EarShot on your iPhone. The watch app installs automatically on your paired Apple Watch.
  2. Configure your WNP connection in the iPhone app first.
  3. Open EarShot on your watch and tap the mic button to start listening.

Usage

The watch displays a status message and the last identified track. Tap the mic button to start or stop listening. There are no settings to configure on the watch itself. Everything is managed from the iPhone app.

Placement Tips

Just wear it. The watch microphone picks up enough audio in most booth environments without any special placement. If identification is unreliable, try the iPhone app instead, as its microphone is more sensitive.

Troubleshooting

  • Watch not connecting to WNP: Make sure your Apple Watch is on Wi-Fi or has a cellular connection. Check that the host and port are correctly set on your iPhone.
  • Settings not syncing: Open the iPhone app and tap Done in Settings to push the latest configuration to your watch.

Android

On Android, EarShot gives you a large Listen button. Tap it to start identifying. EarShot will listen until you stop it manually or until the auto-stop timer runs out.

Setup

  1. Install EarShot from Google Play — see the Android Beta setup page for access instructions.
  2. Launch EarShot. Grant microphone access when prompted.
  3. Tap Settings in the bottom-right corner.
  4. Under WNP Connection, either:
    • Tap Discover WNP on Network to find a WNP client on your network automatically, or
    • Enter the host and port manually (e.g. 192.168.1.10 / 8899).
  5. If your WNP setup uses an API secret, enter it in the API Secret field.
  6. Tap Test Connection to confirm EarShot can reach WNP.
  7. Tap Save, then tap the Listen button to start.

Settings Reference

  • Host / Port: Address of the machine running WNP.
  • API Secret: Optional. Only needed if WNP requires authentication.
  • Send Album Artwork URL: Sends the Shazam artwork URL to WNP. Disable to let WNP look up artwork itself.
  • Send ISRC: Sends the track's ISRC code to WNP. Disable to let WNP resolve it independently.
  • Keep Screen On: Prevents your device from sleeping while EarShot is active. Useful in a booth.
  • Auto-Stop: EarShot stops listening automatically after the given number of seconds, measured from when you tap Listen. Set to 0 for continuous listening with no automatic stop.

Placement Tips

  • Place your device near your monitors or on the mixer for the cleanest signal.
  • Avoid placing directly in front of a bass-heavy speaker. Midrange and treble carry the most useful fingerprint data.
  • A wired or wireless connection to your mixer's headphone output gives the most reliable results.

Troubleshooting

  • Track not identified: Make sure the device can clearly hear the music. Background noise or very obscure releases can affect accuracy.
  • Cannot reach WNP: Confirm your device is on the same Wi-Fi as the WNP machine. Check host, port, and firewall settings.
  • Microphone permission denied: Go to Android Settings → Apps → EarShot → Permissions and enable Microphone.
  • Failed to initialize: EarShot needs a network connection on launch. Make sure Wi-Fi is enabled before opening the app.

How Identification Works

  1. EarShot samples a short clip and generates an acoustic fingerprint on-device.
  2. The fingerprint is submitted to Apple's Shazam service for identification. Raw audio never leaves your device.
  3. When a match is found, EarShot waits 30 seconds to confirm the track hasn't changed before sending it to WNP. This applies on all platforms.
  4. WNP handles everything downstream: overlays, scrobbling, charts, and more.

Subscription

EarShot includes a 30-day free trial. After the trial, a subscription of $9.99/year keeps all features active. You can restore a previous purchase at any time from the subscription screen. Purchases on Apple platforms are managed by Apple; purchases on Android are managed by Google. We never see your payment details.

Subscriptions are platform-specific and do not transfer between Apple and Google. If you subscribe on iPhone, that subscription is not active on Android, and vice versa. Each platform requires its own subscription.

Vinyl & Obscure Releases

Shazam's database covers a huge range of commercially released music including most vinyl pressings. Rare pressings, white labels, acetates, and unreleased tracks won't be in the database and can't be identified.

Have a question not answered here? Contact us.