The guide, step by step.

1.1Quick start#

Goal: six LED PARs on Art-Net or USB, one cue on a fader.

1. Install. Enter your e-mail address on the download page; the installer link is sent to your inbox. On first launch allow network access in Windows, otherwise Art-Net and sACN cannot run.
2. New show. On the welcome screen choose 🆕 New show (later via the logo menu → New show).
3. Output. Section ⚙ Settings → 📡 Output → tick Art-Net (network DMX), or USB Enttec DMX Pro / compatible and the COM port. ● OUT at the bottom of the programmer turns green.
4. Patch. Section Patch → + Add fixtures. Select the Profile (if missing: Profiles → 🌐 Online or 📂 Import), Start (A or U.A) 1, Count 6, + Add. Confirm the offer to create a group named after the fixtures. Esc returns to the list.
5. Look. Section Control: tap the group, raise the ◐ INTENSITY fader to 100 %, tap COL in the action column and tap a color. The values are now in the programmer on the right.
6. Record to a fader. ● RECORD (blinks as ● REC ARMED) → tap the number of an empty fader in the bottom bar, e.g. F001. The cue is created on the fader.
7. CLEAR in the programmer. The look is now held only by the fader.
8. Play. Raise F001.

If OUT is green but nothing lights up, check the address on the fixture, the GM fader at the left of the bottom bar and the Output section (section 2.3).

1.2Screen layout#

Section bar (top)

On the left the TOMIC logo with the version number; a tap opens the menu: New show, Open show…, Save, Save as…, Settings, Help (📖 Manual — how to do things, 🔄 Check for updates, ℹ About) and ✕ Exit (Alt+F4).

Then the sections: Control, Stage Plan, Cue, Sequences, Faders, Timecode (only when the show uses timecode), Live, Patch, Output, Parked (only when something is parked), 🎬 Show and ⚙ Settings. On the right the layout selector of the window (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, section 16.7), in windows 2–4 a ✕ to close the window, and in the main window with several screens ⟳ (restore screens). A long-press on the bar allows the order of the sections to be changed.

Action column (left)

Present in every section: ● RECORD, ⧉ MERGE (only when cues can be merged), 🗑 DELETE, ✥ MOVE, ⌨ CMD (command line, section 12.5), ⬛ BLACKOUT, ◐ DBO, ⏹ RELEASE and under PALETTES the buttons POS, COL, BEAM, FX, ALL, which open the corresponding palette pane in Control. The status block at the bottom shows ⚠ GM LOWERED, the number of playing sequences, and with RECORD armed the ◈ BY TYPE option (section 6.2).

Section column

Next to the action column, with the sub-menu and tools of the open section: pages in Faders and Live, tools and filters in Cue and Sequences, the Patch / Profiles sub-tabs in Patch, groups and grid in Stage Plan, pages in Timecode and Settings. Section actions are indented below the sub-menu items and visually distinguished from them. If the column does not fit the window height it is divided into pages (◄ 1/3 ►).

Programmer (right)

Fixed on the right: CLEAR and ⋯ (◐ BLIND, PARK, ⧉ ISOLATE), with a selected cue also ⬇ LOAD …, followed by the blocks of the selected groups and fixtures with values, palettes and effects (section 5.1).

The bottom of the programmer column shows the show name, the timecode button (when timecode is enabled), ⛶ (window / full screen), the status chips ● BLACKOUT, ● FB · FULL BLACKOUT, ◉ SOLO, ◐ BLIND, ⏱ TIMECODE and the number of playing sequences (only when active), the console lock 🔓, CPU and fps, ● OUT (green = all outputs running), ↶ ↷ (undo / redo) and ⟳ RESET.

Fader bar (bottom)

Page panel (◄ page number ►, Count, ⇄ CHANNELS, ALL FADERS / ONLY ASSIGNED, ▾ COLLAPSE FADERS), the GM fader and the faders of the active page. Fader number: tap = select, long-press = fader settings (chapter 9).

1.3Tap, long-press, typing, MOVE#

The interface is designed for touch operation. There is no right-click menu; the following rules apply throughout the program:

• Tap (or click) — the main action: select a group, apply a palette, select a cue, switch a page.
• Long-press ≥ 1 s — opens the settings of the item: palette, group, fixture, cue, sequence, fader (on its number), Live cell (on an unlocked page), timecode row, page, speedmaster. A ring fills around the touch point; releasing earlier counts as a tap, moving the finger cancels the long-press.
• Typing — renames the selected cue, sequence, group, fixture, timecode row or the last tapped palette (the rename dialog opens with the first character; Enter saves, Esc cancels). While an item is selected, letters do not act as shortcuts.
• ✥ MOVE — arm it and tap the target slot; an occupied slot is swapped.
• Esc — cancels an armed RECORD or MOVE, closes settings opened in the section area and then clears the selection.

● RECORD, 🗑 DELETE and ✥ MOVE always act in the window in which the operator is currently working — with several screens, in the window last touched.

Settings open directly in the section area or as a dialog with Done / Close. Changes are saved immediately. In Live, a long-press opens cell settings only on an unlocked page (section 11.1).

1.4Workflow#

1. Patch — fixtures, profiles, addresses (chapter 3).
2. Groups (chapter 4).
3. Palettes POS, COL, BEAM, FX (chapter 6).
4. Cues via the programmer and RECORD (chapter 7).
5. Sequences and their settings (chapter 8).
6. Faders, Live, optionally timecode (chapters 9, 11, 13).

Undo: Ctrl+Z / ↶, 20 steps by default. The show is saved automatically shortly after every change; a backup is written before every save (section 17.1).

1.5Free version#

All features except LTC/MTC input; limits of 2 universes, 99 fixtures, 99 cues and 99 sequences. A license provides 4 universes, no limits, LTC/MTC input and commercial use. The show does not need to be rebuilt after activation (chapter 18).

1.6Demo show#

The demo show contains real fixtures with real profiles, groups, palettes, positions, sequences and a Live page; it fits into two universes.

1. On the welcome screen choose 📂 Load demo show; at any later time use the logo menu → New show → Load demo show. If there are unsaved changes, the program offers to save them first.
2. The demo is saved as a new file shows\demo.tom (then demo 2.tom…) and never overwrites an existing file.
3. Explore Faders, Live, Cue and Sequences; long-press a tile to see its settings. Check the output in the Output section.

The welcome screen is shown while the show has no patch. Every program version includes an up-to-date demo and leaves your files unchanged.

2.1Installation#

1. Enter your e-mail address on the download page; the installer link is sent to your inbox (check the spam folder as well). Run the installer. No account is created.
2. Keep the default installation folder.
3. On first launch allow network access at least for private networks — Art-Net, sACN, RDM and remote control require it.

A refused permission can be corrected in Windows Firewall (section 14.8).

2.2New show#

While the show has no patch, the welcome screen offers 🆕 New show, 📁 Open show and 📂 Load demo show. File operations are otherwise in the logo menu:

• New show (with the option Load demo show), Open show….
• Save (Ctrl+S) and Save as… — name the show file at the start.

The show name displayed in the program is set in the 🎬 Show section (Show name, section 17.1). Continue with the output (section 2.3, chapter 14) and the patch (chapter 3).

2.3Checking the output#

1. ● OUT at the bottom of the programmer: green = all enabled outputs are running, red = an output has failed, OUTPUT OFF = no output enabled. The number shows running / total outputs. The tooltip lists the outputs, the nodes on the network and incoming Art-Net.
2. Output section: select the universe and tick Only what is being driven. The list shows the fixtures with a value and its source (Default, Sequence, Fader, Live, Effect, Programmer, Programmer effect, Park); switch between By fixture and By group.
3. DMX sheet shows all 512 channels of the universe: color = the source holding the channel, bar = value; a tap selects the fixture.

If the values change but the fixtures do not respond, check the network, node, cabling and the address on the fixture. If the values do not change, check the show content or the output settings.

Each source has Turn off, Pull down, Unpark or End isolation. Tapping a source highlights its fixtures on the Stage Plan.

2.4Model show: patch to sequence on a fader#

Six LED PARs and four moving heads, a two-cue sequence on a fader.

1. Patch → + Add fixtures: PAR profile, Start 1, Count 6, + Add; moving head profile, Start 2.1, Count 4, + Add. Create a group for each type when offered (section 3.2).
2. Position: in Control select the heads → POS → set Pan/Tilt onto the singer → ● RECORD → ＋ in an empty slot. Name the palette by typing “Singer” (section 6.2).
3. Cue 1: PARs, ◐ INTENSITY, COL blue; heads, palette Singer, white. In Sequences: ● RECORD → the + tile creates a sequence with its first cue.
4. Cue 2: CLEAR, new look, ● RECORD → tap the sequence tile: the cue is appended (section 8.2).
5. Fader: long-press the number of an empty fader → Fader settings → Assign an existing sequence → select the sequence → Done (section 9.2).
6. Play: raise the fader, ▶ (GO) or ▼ for the next cue.

Press CLEAR after every recording — the programmer takes precedence over the show.

2.5Keyboard shortcuts#

Space and F work without modifiers in every section. They are ignored while a button or text field has the focus, or while a renamable item is selected — click into an empty area first. Select a fader by tapping its number. BLACKOUT has no keyboard shortcut.

3.1The Patch section#

The section column contains the sub-tabs Patch and Profiles. The Patch sub-tab provides: + Add fixtures, ☰ Fixture detail, ⧉ Duplicate (Ctrl+D), ⇄ Swap type…, → Fill free addresses (shown only when addresses collide), ⇤ Tighten, # Tidy numbers, 📋 Export patch, 🎛 Export to grandMA2 and 📡 RDM — fixtures on the network.

The fixture list uses the full width with the columns ON, # (fixture number), DMX, Name, Profile, Channels, Inv P, Inv T and P↔T. The patch is always editable: change the address, number and name directly in the row; select several rows with Ctrl/Shift. Typing renames the selected fixture, 🗑 DELETE in the action column deletes the selection and the ON column disables a fixture. A long-press on a row opens the fixture settings.

• → Fill free addresses — moves colliding fixtures to free addresses.
• ⇤ Tighten — re-addresses fixtures without gaps (Checked only or Whole patch); universes are kept.
• # Tidy numbers — renumbers fixtures to whole numbers without collisions; the order is kept.

Fixture detail (channels, multipatch) and the Add fixtures form open as a page inside the panel; Esc returns to the list. The same applies to the profile editor and to the group contents.

3.2Adding fixtures#

1. Patch → + Add fixtures. The Add fixtures form opens.
2. Profile — the fixture type (if missing, see section 3.4).
3. Name (base) — base name; empty = shortened profile name.
4. Start (A or U.A) — address of the first unit (1, 2.1).
5. Count and + Add. The units are addressed consecutively according to their channel count.
6. The program then offers a group: Create a group? → Create group / No; if groups with the same profile already exist, Add to a group? → Add to “…” / Create a new group / No.

Fixtures can also be patched from the profile editor (🛠 Patch into show, section 3.6). Colliding addresses are highlighted.

A disabled fixture (ON column) is ignored on the output and on the Stage Plan but remains in the patch.

3.3Address format#

55 = universe 1, channel 55. 2.55 = universe 2, channel 55. Universes 1–2 in the free version, 1–4 with a license. Mapping to Art-Net/sACN is 1:1 by default (Art-Net counts from zero, section 14.2).

RDM fixtures can be checked and re-addressed from the program (section 3.15).

3.4Getting a profile#

Fixture profiles are part of the show; a new show starts with an empty library. Sources in Patch → Profiles:

• 🌐 Online — Open Fixture Library; downloads and imports the profile (internet connection required).
• 📂 Import — GDTF, MA XML, Avolites R20/D4, QLC+, the program's own .fix, and a show file (.tom), from which only the profiles are taken (section 3.5).
• ➕ New — build the profile manually (section 3.6).

Further library tools: 💾 Export, ⧉ Duplicate, 🗑 Delete (not for profiles in use) and 🧹 Unused (removes unused profiles after confirmation). Duplicate profiles (identical parameters) carry the ⧉ duplicate badge.

3.5Import (GDTF, MA XML, R20, D4, QLC+, show)#

1. Patch → Profiles → 📂 Import and select the file. The format is detected from the content, not from the extension.
2. Choose the mode (GDTF, QLC+) or the fixture (MA XML with several fixtures).
3. Confirm; the profile is created including ranges and, for GDTF, gobo images.

Formats: GDTF (.gdtf, most complete, including gobos), MA XML (.xml, grandMA2 / FixtureBuilder), Avolites R20 (.r20), Avolites D4 (.d4), QLC+ (.qxf), .fix (the program's own format).

A show file (.tom) opens the take-over wizard in profiles-only mode: select the profiles and confirm with Take over profiles. The rest of the other show is not imported.

Profiles without a dimmer channel automatically receive a virtual dimmer on import: the color-mixing channels are marked as V-Int (section 3.13). This applies to new profiles in all import formats, including .fix.

The mode must match the mode set on the fixture. Combined parameters (second color wheel, Rainbow next to Color1, two dimmers) are split into separate types (Gobo 2, Prism 2…); anything that cannot be assigned becomes Other and is reported. MA XML and R20 are ordered by DMX channel number; gaps are filled with empty channels.

3.6Profile editor#

1. Patch → Profiles: ➕ New (Manufacturer:, Name:, Channels:), or select an existing profile and use ⧉ Duplicate.
2. Tapping a profile in the list opens the page Profile — channels, ranges, patch into the show.
3. Channels: + Channel, − Channel, order with ▲ ▼. The order defines the DMX offset.
4. Per channel Type (Intensity, Position, Color, Beamshape, Function) and Function filtered by type; non-standard parameters = Other with a custom name.
5. Default, Highlight (value used by SOLO/highlight; empty = unchanged), V-Int (section 3.13).
6. Ranges — named ranges of a channel (+ Range, Name, Min, Max, color, image) for wheels, prisms and strobe; offered in palettes and on the channel faders.
7. Pan range (°) and Tilt range (°) — the mechanical range of a moving head (typically 540° / 270°); effects use it to calculate shapes correctly.
8. ⬚ Multicell — fixture with several elements; the Element column (0 = common, 1…N = cell).
9. 🛠 Patch into show — Name (base), Start (U.A), Count, + Patch into show.

Changes apply immediately to all fixtures that use the profile. Keep in show keeps an unused profile in the library.

Include the pan/tilt fine channels — without them moving heads move in visible steps. Compare the channel count with the fixture manual when finished.

3.7Defaults and shutter#

The default value applies when neither the show nor the programmer controls the channel. Typical values: dimmer 0, pan/tilt center, shutter open. A shutter with the default 0 is often closed, and the fixture stays dark even at full dimmer.

1. Patch → Profiles → the profile.
2. In the Default column enter the shutter's “Open” value from the fixture manual.

3.8Address, type swap, multipatch#

Change the address in the DMX column; cues and palettes refer to the fixture, not to the address.

Swap type

1. Select the fixtures in the patch and tap ⇄ Swap type….
2. In the Swap fixture type dialog choose the New type (profile), or load it with Import profile from file….
3. Check the summary What carries over (fixture, cue and palette values kept or dropped, cell mapping, check of wheel palettes).
4. If the new type needs more channels, choose how to resolve address collisions: Recalculate addresses — one after another from the first selected address, Move overlapping ones to the first free addresses in their universe, Move overlapping ones to the first free addresses anywhere, or Keep addresses (overlap). If it needs fewer channels: Keep gaps, Tighten swapped only or Tighten whole patch.
5. Confirm with Swap type.

Fixture number, name and group membership are kept; only the type changes. Values in cues and palettes are transferred by channel type, parameters the new type lacks are dropped. The operation can be undone with Ctrl+Z.

Multipatch (clones)

1. Select the master fixture and tap ☰ Fixture detail.
2. In Multipatch (clones) enter the Clone address (A or U.A) and tap + Clone.

A clone receives the final output of the master (cues, effects, park, invert). It has no number or row of its own, cannot be selected and does not count towards the fixture limit. The master row shows a ⧉ badge with the addresses; a clone is removed with its cross. Colliding addresses are refused.

A clone cannot have its own invert. Patch a head that is hung differently as a separate fixture.

3.9Invert and pan/tilt swap#

In the fixture row: Inv P, Inv T, P↔T (swaps the axes for a head mounted sideways). Only the output translation changes; values in cues and palettes stay the same.

Set invert on all identically hung units before storing position palettes.

3.10Park#

1. Select fixtures and set values.
2. In the programmer ⋯ → PARK — the fixtures are locked at their current output value.
3. Overview and unpark: the Parked tab (shown only while something is parked) or the Output section → Unpark.

Cues, faders, effects and the programmer do not override a park, and RELEASE does not clear it. BLACKOUT, FB and the Grand Master act on parked intensity; parked pan/tilt/gobo values stay. For a hazer or work light that must remain on during a blackout use a group with Ignore Grand Master (section 4.2).

⟳ RESET also clears park.

3.11Fixture sets (discontinued)#

Fixture sets — several rig variants stored in one show — are no longer available in the user interface. A show that contains fixture sets is opened with its default set; the other sets remain stored in the file but cannot be selected.

To use different fixtures for the same groups, palettes and cues, swap the type of the fixtures in the patch (⇄ Swap type…, section 3.8) and save the result as a separate show file (Save as…).

3.12Stage Plan#

The rig layout on a grid (default 48 × 27 cells). Fixture positions determine the effect direction Stage ↔ / Stage ↕, the order of staggered fades in Live and pixel mapping. A fixture is shown as a square with its number in the live output color (including Grand Master and blackout; in BLIND it shows the programmed values); bars and matrices occupy one cell per element, each lit separately. The outline shows the group color.

Layout

1. In the section column under GRID set the columns (16–96) and rows (9–54).
2. Arrange lays out the fixtures without overlaps by universe and address (overwrites the manual layout; Ctrl+Z undoes it).
3. Drag fixtures to position them. Movement snaps to the cells; dragging one of several selected fixtures moves the whole selection.
4. ⟳ Rotate 90° rotates the selection — for bars and matrices including the cell order.
5. Zoom: mouse wheel towards the cursor, or Zoom out / Fit to window / Zoom in. Pan the view with the middle mouse button, or switch on ✋ Pan and drag.

Selection

• Tap = one fixture, Ctrl+tap = add/remove, ☑ Multi-select = the same for touch operation.
• Dragging on an empty area = lasso.
• Under GROUPS in the section column: a tap selects the group (the number is its fixture count).
• All / None.
• A long-press on a fixture opens its settings; hovering shows name, address and groups.

Groups from the plan

• ＋ Group from selection — a new group from the selected fixtures.
• ▣ Groups of selection… — tapping a group adds the selection to it, or removes it if it is already fully included (✓).

Labels shows the names below the squares. Disabled fixtures are hidden. A highlight from the Output section (◎ From Output:) is cleared with the cross on the chip above the plan.

3.13Virtual intensity (V-Int)#

The V-Int column in the profile editor has two meanings, depending on whether the fixture has a dimmer channel:

• Without a dimmer (COB with CW/WW, simple RGB bar): the marked channels carry the brightness — they respond to INTENSITY, group intensity, Grand Master, blackout, release and cue intensity fades.
• With a dimmer: a marked channel is multiplied by the dimmer on output (LED rings and decorative segments that ignore the dimmer).

Fixtures without an intensity channel but with color mixing also have an automatic virtual dimmer: the intensity fader scales the mixing channels even without V-Int (not a color wheel). Imported profiles without a dimmer receive V-Int on their color-mixing channels automatically (section 3.5).

3.14File formats#

3.15RDM#

Discovery, identification and re-addressing of RDM fixtures through Art-Net nodes with RDM support, on the same network and universes as the output.

1. Enable Art-Net (section 14.2).
2. Patch → 📡 RDM — fixtures on the network.
3. 🔍 Load list — devices reported by the nodes: manufacturer and model, UID, universe.address, channel count, node IP and the patched fixture at that address.
4. Nothing found → ⟳ Full discovery (after confirmation; may briefly interrupt DMX).
5. 💡 Identify — the fixture flashes. Identify is switched off for all devices when the window is closed.
6. Enter a new address (1–512) in the field → Set address.

RDM changes the address in the fixture, not in the patch; update the patch separately. If UDP port 6454 is in use, another Art-Net program is running.

3.16Patch export and grandMA2 export#

1. Patch → 📋 Export patch.
2. Content: Complete summary, Channel details, Groups, Addresses only; format PDF or Text (TXT).

grandMA2

1. 🎛 Export to grandMA2 → choose a folder.
2. The export writes …_fixturetypes (types), …_layer.xml (fixture layer), …_patch.csv (addresses), …_groups.txt (group commands) and …_README.txt (import procedure).

The address CSV serves as a fallback for manual patching if the layer import does not match on a particular console.

4.1Groups in Control#

The upper pane of the Control section is always the group pane: group tiles, the Ungrouped tile and on the right the ◐ INTENSITY fader for the selection. Tapping a group selects it and shows its fixtures below the groups. The section column then offers the selection tools: All, Even, Odd, the number of parts (− ÷N +) with the part buttons, HIGHLIGHT and ◄ ►.

A group has a fixture order; it determines parts, FAN and effects that follow the group order. A fixture can belong to any number of groups.

4.2Creating and editing groups#

When fixtures of a new type are patched, the program offers to create a group for them (section 3.2). Further groups:

Control — RECORD

1. Select groups and fixtures (Ctrl+tap adds).
2. ● RECORD — empty slots in the group pane show ＋.
3. Tap an empty slot = new group from the selection. Tap an existing group = Replace / Merge / Cancel.
4. Name the group: select it and type.

Stage Plan

＋ Group from selection and ▣ Groups of selection… (section 3.12).

Group settings and contents

In Control long-press the group tile. The group editor opens over the area (Close, Esc) with two tabs:

• ▤ Group contents — In group and Available columns: + adds a fixture or a whole group, the cross removes it, the order is changed by dragging; the fixture ID can be edited in the row.
• ⚙ Settings — name, # Unique ID (timecode) with the fixed prefix g-, color, image or symbol, Active, Max. intensity, Ignore Grand Master.

• Active unticked — the group is ignored throughout the system (no output, no response to cues, effects or faders).
• Max. intensity — scales the whole intensity range of the group proportionally (for fixtures much brighter than the rest of the rig).
• Ignore Grand Master — the Grand Master does not reduce the group and BLACKOUT/DBO do not black it out; Full Blackout (FB) does. For hazers, work lights and orientation lights.

Tile position: select the group, ✥ MOVE, tap the target. Delete: select the group, 🗑 DELETE.

The unique ID (g-front-wash) is used in timecode commands (green@g-front-wash, section 13.4). Changing it rewrites the songs automatically.

4.3Sub-groups#

1. Create the parent group (“Heads”).
2. Open its contents (long-press in Control → ▤ Group contents).
3. In Available add whole groups with + (Spots, Washes) — they become sub-groups.

The parent group follows its sub-groups. An effect can then run as one row across all of them or separately in each sub-group (section 10.7).

4.4Odd, even, parts#

1. In Control tap the group.
2. In the section column tap Even or Odd; for parts set the number with − / + (indicator ÷N) and tap the part 1/N…N/N.
3. Set values and record a cue if required.
4. Tapping the active choice again, or All, returns to the whole group.

Cues and palettes store “part of a group”, not a list of fixtures — the part is recalculated when the group changes. The programmer shows the part on the group block (Spots (2/3)).

A part selected before adding an effect limits the effect to that part.

4.5Highlight — focusing heads one by one#

1. In Control tap the group of heads and then its first fixture.
2. Switch on HIGHLIGHT in the section column (shown in yellow). The selected fixtures light at the profile's Highlight value on the output only; nothing is stored in the programmer or a cue.
3. Focus the fixture in the POS pane.
4. ► selects the next fixture of the group, ◄ the previous one. With a whole group selected, the arrows step through the groups.
5. Switch HIGHLIGHT off and store a position palette (section 6.2).

Highlight is never recorded. The ◉ SOLO status chip belongs to a different function — a fader button in Solo mode that dims the other playbacks. Phone control offers group-by-group focusing with SOLO (section 15.5).

4.6Working with the selection#

• Tapping a group replaces the selection, Ctrl+tap adds to it.
• Ctrl+tap a fixture below the groups adds or removes it.
• Removing a group or fixture block from the programmer (select its header, 🗑 DELETE) removes it including its values. To keep the values, change only the selection with Ctrl+tap.
• Order within a group: select a fixture, ✥ MOVE, tap another fixture of the same group.
• Ctrl+K finds a fixture or group by name.

5.1Programmer#

The programmer (fixed on the right) holds everything that is set manually. Its content takes precedence over the show (LTP) until it is stored with ● RECORD or cleared with CLEAR.

• CLEAR (blinks when there is something to clear) and ⋯, which shows ◐ BLIND, PARK and ⧉ ISOLATE. The row stays visible while BLIND or isolation is active.
• ⬇ LOAD C104 / ⬇ LOAD N CUES — with a cue selected in Cue or Sequences; disappears after loading (section 7.3).
• A block per group or fixture. Tapping the block header selects it; 🗑 DELETE then removes the block including its values. Values loaded from a cue are labelled from cue C…. Palette chips carry ⤓ (pull the palette values into the programmer and drop the reference).
• An effect is shown as an ∿ chip with the effect editor below it (section 10.3).
• Channel rows with their values; individual channels can be removed from the programmer.

A programmer that has not been cleared overrides the playbacks — the most common reason why a fader appears to have no effect.

5.2Intensity#

Control has the group pane at the top and a palette pane below (POS, COL, BEAM, FX, ALL — selected in the action column).

1. Tap a group (or fixtures below the groups).
2. Use the ◐ INTENSITY fader on the right of the group pane (shown when the selection has intensity).

The ALL pane shows all palettes and an intensity block per group. An RGB fixture without a color stays dark even at full intensity.

Virtual dimmer: a fixture without an intensity channel but with color mixing scales its mixing channels with intensity automatically (not a color wheel). Manual assignment of brightness channels and slaving decorative channels to the dimmer is done with V-Int in the profile (section 3.13).

5.3Color#

1. Select fixtures and tap COL in the action column.
2. In the tool column of the pane choose the fade time 0s / 1s / 3s / 5s.
3. Tap a color palette.
4. Custom color: 🎨 Palette in the tool column switches to the color mixer (eyedropper), ▦ Tiles back to the tiles.

For color-mixing fixtures the palette color is calculated from RGB even without a stored value. Color-wheel fixtures need the wheel slot stored in the palette (select the fixture, set the wheel, RECORD onto the palette); until then the tile is grayed out and crossed for them.

Default color palettes of a new show: Red, Green, Blue, White, Cyan, Turquoise, Magenta, Yellow, Orange, Amber, Pink, Lime, Warm, plus RBW (rainbow spread across the selection) and Default.

5.4Several colors across a group#

1. Select the group, COL.
2. Tap the first color, then Ctrl+tap further colors (up to three).

The colors are distributed over the fixtures in group order (1-2-3-1-2-3…). Record the result as a cue or use it as the color set for Color Change (section 10.6).

5.5Position#

1. Select moving heads, POS.
2. Pan and Tilt knobs (drag or mouse wheel); ↻ Default next to a knob resets the axis. The knobs are shown only for moving fixtures.
3. One fixture at a time: HIGHLIGHT and ◄ ► (section 4.5).
4. Store a position palette (section 6.2).

The ⌂ Default tile in the POS pane returns the selection to the default position from the patch; with RECORD armed it stores the current Pan/Tilt as the default.

FAN

1. Select at least two heads and point them at the center of the fan.
2. Below the knobs switch on ✦ FAN (only with more than one fixture).
3. Drag or scroll the Pan/Tilt knob — the values spread symmetrically across the selection (outer units most, center unchanged). Without the toggle: hold Ctrl.

The spread follows the selection order, i.e. the group order. FAN switches off automatically when fewer than two fixtures remain selected.

Movement effects are relative to the current position; changing the position moves the effect with it.

5.6Beam#

1. Select fixtures, BEAM.
2. Tap a palette (gobo, prism, zoom, frost…); Ctrl+tap combines palettes (gobo + prism + zoom).
3. Exact values on the channel faders (section 5.9).

Only parameters present in the profiles of the selected fixtures are offered.

5.7BLIND#

1. In the programmer ⋯ → ◐ BLIND (shown as ● BLIND ON). The ◐ BLIND status chip appears at the bottom of the programmer.
2. Program; the output does not change. The Stage Plan shows the programmed values.
3. Store with ● RECORD.
4. Switch BLIND off.

5.8CLEAR#

Empties the programmer immediately (values, palettes, effects) and clears the selection, without a fade. It does not stop sequences, lower faders or affect park. To release the show's sources use ⏹ RELEASE (section 12.2).

5.9Channel faders#

1. Select fixtures and choose COL, POS or BEAM in the action column.
2. In Control the bottom bar switches automatically to the channel faders of the selection for that category. Leaving Control or clearing the selection restores the playbacks.
3. Set values with the fader or enter a number in the field below it (Enter); channels with ranges offer a list.

Manual switch: ⇄ CHANNELS / ⇄ FADERS in the panel of the bottom bar. In channel mode: ALL CHANNELS (the whole profile regardless of category) and → X-TOUCH (channels onto the motor faders). The GM fader is hidden in channel mode.

5.10Isolation#

1. In the programmer ⋯ → ⧉ ISOLATE → ● ISOLATION ON.
2. Only the programmer reaches the output; cues, sequences, faders, Live and effects are suppressed. Parked and disabled fixtures remain as they are.
3. Tap again to switch isolation off.

Isolation darkens everything outside the programmer — do not use it during a performance. It can also be ended in the Output section (End isolation).

6.1Palette types and panes#

Palettes are located in the lower pane of Control; the type is selected in the action column: POS, COL, BEAM, FX (chapter 10), ALL. A palette stores only channels of its type. There is no separate Palettes section.

A palette is a table of values per group and fixture — a position palette holds different values for each head. The ⚙ in the upper right corner of the pane sets the tile size and the number of tiles per row (2–20).

6.2Storing a palette#

1. Select fixtures and set the values.
2. Open the COL, POS or BEAM pane.
3. ● RECORD. Empty slots show ＋.
4. Tap ＋ = new palette; tap an existing palette = overwrite it.
5. Name: select the palette and type, or long-press it → Palette settings.

With RECORD armed a dot at the bottom left of the tile indicates: 🟢 = the palette already has a value for the selection (it will be overwritten), 🔴 = a new value will be added to the existing ones.

◈ BY TYPE (status block of the action column, available while RECORD is armed) stores the programmer values separately for each fixture type (profile) — for example RGB values for LED washes and a color-wheel slot for spots in the same palette. The option applies to the current recording only.

Storing is limited to the selected group and replaces its content completely: for that group the palette then contains exactly the programmer content; parameters not in the programmer are removed. Other groups are not affected. To change a single parameter, first pull the palette into the programmer (chip → ⤓).

Move a palette with ✥ MOVE (only to a slot of the same type).

6.3Applying a palette#

1. Select fixtures.
2. In the COL or POS pane choose 0s / 1s / 3s / 5s.
3. Tap the palette. The value goes into the programmer and fades in with the selected time; the time is recorded with it into the cue.

A palette applies only to the selection. For a fixture without a stored value, color-mixing fixtures receive the color calculated from RGB; color wheels and positions do not — the tile is then grayed out and crossed.

Tile markers

• 📌 — individual value for some of the selected fixtures (section 6.8).
• ⚠ — palette assigned to only part of the selection.
• ? — value missing for part of the selection.
• ≈ — the selection has different values in the palette.
• 🔒 — built-in effect (cannot be overwritten, deleted or moved).

6.4Re-focusing a finished show#

1. Select the affected fixtures.
2. Tap the palette (values go into the programmer).
3. Re-focus.
4. ● RECORD → tap the same palette. The change applies in every cue that took the value from the palette.
5. CLEAR and check several cues.

Only values that entered the cue from the palette follow the change. Values set manually and stored in a cue have no reference to a palette.

6.5Rig presets (discontinued)#

Rig presets — alternative sets of position palette values for different hanging positions — have been removed from the program. Shows created with rig presets can still be opened; the preset variants are no longer used.

For a different hang, re-store the position palettes (section 6.4) and save the show under a new name (Save as…). All cues that take their positions from palettes follow automatically.

6.6Gobo images#

For GDTF profiles the gobo images are stored with the show (media/gobos) and shown on beam palette tiles instead of the name.

1. Import the profile from GDTF (section 3.5).
2. Select the spots, BEAM, long-press a beam palette (store one with RECORD first if required).
3. In the palette editor choose the Gobo tile image.

Tile display priority: own image → gobo → symbol → name. The own image, the Tile colour and the Tile symbol are set in the palette editor.

6.7Naming and order#

Name positions after stage locations (“Singer”, “Drums”, “Audience”) and colors after their use or hue. The name also defines the palette's unique ID for timecode (green@g-spots); renaming rewrites the songs. Move the most frequently used palettes to the beginning of the pane with MOVE.

6.8Palette editor and individual values#

A palette has several layers: Global values, Groups, Per fixture type and Individual fixtures (different values); the more specific layer takes precedence. If the fixtures of a group differ when the palette is stored, the group receives the most common value and the differing fixtures their own values (marked 📌).

1. In Control long-press the palette tile. The editor opens over the pane; the section column switches between Settings and Values.
2. Settings: name, tile color, symbol, image, gobo image (saved immediately).
3. Values: the layers and a fixture × channel table; an empty cell removes the value.
4. Esc closes the editor.

Individual values are removed by deleting the values of the affected fixtures; the group value then applies again. All changes can be undone with Ctrl+Z.

7.1The Cue section#

A cue contains only the fixtures and parameters that were in the programmer — cues can therefore be layered. The library is a grid of tiles with fixed numbers: number = page × 100 + slot (page 1: C101–C199). The number is shown at the top right; empty slots show their number. Content badges: I, P, C, B, FX; ⏱ = called from timecode.

The bar above the library contains the page buttons with ＋ (new page; long-press a page → → Move selected here (N), ✏ Rename, 🗑 Delete page), the Search field, the tile size, the view switch ▦ Tiles / ☰ Table (table with the columns Number, Unique ID, In sequences, Content) and 👆 (touch layout).

Section column: ✥ Move, ☑ Multi-select with the number of selected cues, ⧉ Merge selected cues (two or more cues selected), ⧉ Duplicate, ＋ To sequence, the filters Empty only, In sequences, Not in sequences, 🗑 Delete empty (with the Empty only filter) and the group filter (tap = this group only, Ctrl+tap = several groups).

Selecting a cue does not load it; loading is done with the ⬇ LOAD button in the programmer.

7.2RECORD#

1. Build the look in the programmer.
2. ● RECORD → ● REC ARMED (orange, blinking).
3. Tap a target from the table below. RECORD is disarmed after storing; Esc or another tap on RECORD cancels it.
4. CLEAR.

What is stored

RECORD stores the entire programmer content — values set manually and values loaded from a cue, palettes and effects. Load a cue, change two colors, RECORD → Replace: the whole cue is stored including the unchanged values. The programmer keeps loaded content until CLEAR, even when another group is selected in the meantime.

To remove a parameter from an existing cue use ⊖ (Record Remove) in the sequence (section 8.2).

7.3Loading and editing a cue#

1. Select a cue in Cue or a row in a sequence. The programmer shows ⬇ LOAD C104 (several cues: ⬇ LOAD N CUES).
2. Tap it — the content goes into the programmer; the blocks are labelled from cue C104.
3. Edit.
4. ● RECORD → the same cue → Replace. Store a variant on +, or use ⧉ Duplicate.

Name, times, switches and the cue's effect are changed without the programmer: long-press the cue tile → Cue settings.

Change colors or positions across the whole show in the palette (section 6.4).

7.4Fade times#

1. Long-press the cue → Cue settings. The dialog has the tabs Settings, FX (only for a cue with an effect) and 🖼 Button look.
2. On the Settings tab expand ⚙ fade / wait (expanded automatically for cues with times).
3. Times in seconds: Position, Color, Beam, Fade in (intensity up), Fade out (intensity down). Below each field the source of the effective value is shown.
4. Done.

Overrides per sequence: the Fade, Color, Position, Beam, Int ↑ and Int ↓ columns of the cue row. A value that differs from the cue is shown in red and applies only in that sequence; entering the cue's own value removes the override. There are no Wait or Hold fields.

Effect of the cue

For a cue with an effect, the FX tab contains the complete effect editor (section 10.3); changes are stored in the cue directly. The Settings tab shows FX SPEED for such cues.

Typical values: Fade in 1–2 s, Position 4–6 s — intensity follows the beat while movement remains readable.

Staggered fade

Fades from the left, right, center or in random order are set on palette cells and palette banks in Live (Spread direction, section 11.5); for effects use DIRECTION (section 10.3). The order is taken from the Stage Plan.

7.5Follow and ▶+#

• Follow (Cue settings) — after the fade has completed, the next cue of the sequence starts automatically. Step length = the cue's fade.
• ▶+ (column in the sequence row) — the cue starts together with the previous one on a single GO.
• GO=TAP (Cue settings, cues with an effect only) — the fader's GO button taps the tempo of the cue's effects instead of stepping cues.

Irregular automatic chains (triple flash, multi-step build) are created with Follow; regular steps with a chase (section 8.4).

7.6Numbers, moving, names#

• Move to another slot: drag with the mouse; by touch ✥ Move in the section column → tap the cue → tap the target (occupied slots are swapped); or ✥ MOVE in the action column. References in timecode and on controllers are rewritten.
• Another page: in Cue settings select the target in Page, or select cues and long-press the target page → → Move selected here (N).
• Name: type with the cue selected, or Cue name in the settings.
• # Unique ID (timecode) — derived from the name, editable, usable in timecode instead of the number (section 13.4).

The playback order is defined by the sequence, not by the cue number.

7.7Cue switches and group swap#

• 👥 Ignore group int. — the cue's fixtures are not limited by the Group intensity fader; an effect is visible even with the fader down.
• ⛨ Nothing overrides — while the cue plays, its fixtures are not reduced by group intensity, the group's maximum intensity does not apply and Live colors cannot override them. Only the programmer remains on top.
• Override programmer — when the cue is started after a value was set in the programmer, the cue takes precedence over it.
• Ignore Grand Master — the intensity output by this cue is not reduced by the Grand Master. Full Blackout (FB) still applies.
• 🔄 Swap group — From group / To group / Swap group: rewrites all group references of the cue; values, times and parity are kept.

Footer of Cue settings: Open in Cue, ▥ Add to fader (intensity only), Done.

Every cue that ignores group intensity or the Grand Master is a place where lowering a master has no effect. Use these switches deliberately.

7.8Merging and deleting#

1. Select two or more cues (Ctrl+tap or ☑ Multi-select).
2. ⧉ MERGE in the action column (or ⧉ Merge selected cues in the section column).
3. A new cue is created; in case of conflicts the later cue wins, effects are combined. The original cues are kept.

Delete: select the cues, 🗑 DELETE, confirm. A warning is shown if a cue is used in sequences; undo with Ctrl+Z. Empty cues: filter Empty only → 🗑 Delete empty. Bulk removal of parts of the show: 🎬 Show → 🧹 Clean up show… (section 17.9).

＋ To sequence adds the selected cues to a new sequence or to an existing one (at the end, or after the current cue of a playing sequence).

7.9Cue limit#

Free version: 99 cues and 99 sequences; no limit with a license. The number of cues can be kept low by using palettes and Live cells instead of cue variants, effects instead of cue series, and layered cues per group.

8.1The Sequences section#

Sequences are tiles in a grid with fixed numbers (S101 = page 1, slot 01). A tile shows the number at the top right, the cue count, a CHASE badge, ⏱ (timecode), a speedmaster badge and ⏹ (stop). A playing sequence is highlighted.

Tapping a tile selects the sequence and shows its cues. The bar above the grid contains the pages, the Search field, the tile size and the switch ▦ Tiles / ☰ Table (columns Number, Name, Cues, Current cue, Content, State, Fader). The section column contains ✥ Move, ☑ Multi-select, ⧉ Duplicate and the group filter. Typing renames the selected sequence.

A fader holding a single cue recorded with RECORD contains a hidden sequence; recording another cue onto it offers Convert and add — the sequence becomes visible and its settings are kept.

8.2Building a sequence#

By recording

1. ● RECORD → the + tile: new sequence with its first cue (without RECORD an empty sequence).
2. CLEAR, next look, ● RECORD → tap the sequence tile: the cue is appended.

From the library and reordering

Above the cue list of the selected sequence: GO (from the start), next, STOP, Add cue (cue picker with search, several cues at once; or drag from the Cue section), ＋ Add cue from programmer at the end, ⤵ (programmer as a new cue directly after the selected one, numbered between its neighbors), ▲ ▼ (order) and ⊖ (Record Remove — removes the programmer content from the selected cue). 🗑 DELETE removes the selected cue from the sequence; it remains in the library.

One cue can be used in several sequences; editing it applies everywhere. Copy a sequence with ⧉ Duplicate sequence in its settings (long-press the tile) and choose whether the cues are duplicated or shared.

The cue number in a row can be tapped to sort the sequence by cue number.

8.3Playback#

• The fader sets the level. A sequence with several cues shows the prepared cue in bold on the fader; raising the fader from zero starts it (GO on the prepared cue).
• Function button (▶ = GO) — next cue with the target cue's times. ◄ ► below the fader: with the fader down they only change the prepared cue (the output does not change); with the fader up they switch to the previous / next cue directly.
• With the fader down, GO from the Sequences section or from the phone only prepares the cue; the sequence starts when the fader is raised. Lowering the fader to zero releases the sequence.
• After the last cue the sequence stays on it; only a chase with Loop wraps around.
• Keys in Sequences: Space next cue, Enter GO, Esc stop / deselect.

8.4Chase#

A run across the fixtures of one group is quicker to create as an effect (chapter 10). A sequence in chase mode is suitable for steps that are different looks.

1. Store the steps as cues of one sequence.
2. Sequence settings → Chase tab → Chase mode (auto-advance cues).
3. Loop; Direction: (Forward, Reverse, PingPong, Random — never the same step twice in a row, AllTogether); Tempo from: (0 = own tempo, otherwise a speedmaster — one step per beat); Step [ms]: (only with Tempo from = 0, default 500).
4. ✓ Done and raise the fader.

Steps shorter than approximately 100 ms appear as a malfunction; create fast flashing with an effect.

8.5HTP and LTP#

Sequence intensity is HTP by default; color, position and beam are always LTP. Switch: sequence settings → Sequence tab → 🔀 Intensity HTP (unchecked = LTP).

An LTP sequence is evaluated after all HTP sequences and overrides everything it controls (intensity, color, position, beam). Use it deliberately — for example for a sequence that must black out part of the rig in the middle of a bright scene.

8.6Sequences outside RELEASE#

1. Sequence settings → Sequence tab → ⛨ Ignore RELEASE: RELEASE neither stops the sequence nor lowers its fader.
2. Optionally 🔆 Ignore Group intensity fader: group submasters do not reduce it.

BLACKOUT and FB still black it out. ⟳ RESET or lowering the fader manually stops it. Unlike park, the sequence remains controllable (fader, GO).

Keep ⛨ sequences (hazer, work light) on a dedicated fader page or at the edge of a page.

8.7FX speed and size sources#

Sequence settings → FX tab:

• ⏱ FX SPEED — by cue / FX speed 1–3 / speedmaster / by fader (the level of the sequence's fader).
• ◇ FX SIZE — by cue / FX size / by fader.
• 🌀 INTENSITY BLEND — custom (value stored in the cue) / FX fade 1–3.

Three sets of FX speed, FX size and Global fade allow three independent groups of effects (for example head movement and wash flicker).

8.8Sequence settings#

Open them with a long-press on the sequence tile, or with ⚙ Sequence settings above the cue list. The tabs are in the sub-menu on the left; a tab with non-default settings is marked with ●. The dialog also contains ⧉ Duplicate sequence and Delete sequence.

↺ Reset sequence settings to defaults (after confirmation) resets all settings; the cues are kept.

Before a performance check ⛨ Ignore RELEASE on all sequences.

8.9Cue Only and Tracking#

Sequence settings → Sequence tab → 📋 Cue tracking:

• Cue Only (default): the sequence controls only what is contained in the current cue.
• Tracking: cue N holds everything from cues 1…N−1 unless it overrides it. Jumping to cue N builds the result from cues 1…N.

In a tracking sequence every cue row has two switches:

• ⛔ Block — the look is rebuilt from this cue; earlier cues do not track into it.
• ① Cue only — changes in this cue do not track into later cues.

⊖ (Record Remove) in a tracking sequence removes a parameter from a cue, so that the value tracks in from the previous cue again.

Tracking is a property of the sequence, not of the cue; the same cue can run as Cue Only in another sequence. Switching the mode deletes nothing. Cue Only suits busking and shared cues; Tracking suits linear shows (theater, musicals).

9.1The fader#

• Number (F001…) — continuous across pages. Tap = select, long-press = Fader settings. A gray number indicates an empty fader, ⏱ = called from timecode.
• Label — name of the sequence or cue, the prepared cue in bold and its position in the sequence; the fader color below the name.
• Fader — level (inactive on an empty fader).
• Buttons — the function button (symbol ▶ GO, ⏻, ⚡, ◉, ■…) and, for sequences with several cues, ◄ ► (section 8.3). The button lights while the fader outputs, red while flashing, yellow on the tap beat.

Selected fader: Space = GO, F = flash, 🗑 DELETE = remove the assignment (the sequence stays in the library), ✥ MOVE + tap another fader's number = move (occupied faders are swapped). X-Touch motor faders follow the active page (section 15.2).

9.2Assigning content#

RECORD

● RECORD → number of an empty fader = cue on the fader. Occupied fader: ➕ New cue / ⧉ Add to cue / Replace cue / Cancel (section 7.2).

Fader settings

1. Long-press the fader number → Fader settings (changes are saved immediately). The tabs are Assignment, Control and Look.
2. Assignment: Fader function Normal (cue / sequence); Assign an existing sequence, or … or assign a single cue (the lists filter as you type); Button behavior (section 9.3); Ignore RELEASE.
3. Control: CONTROLS (section 9.4), EFFECT SPEED, INTENSITY START (the point of the fader travel from which intensity responds) and INTENSITY CAP (the intensity at full travel).
4. Look: Rename cue/sequence, Unique name (for timecode) with the fixed prefix f-, Color, 🖼 Image or symbol instead of the name.
5. Done or Close.

Clear assignment frees the fader; Open sequence / Open cue switch to the content. A sequence can also be assigned from its settings (Faders tab → Assign).

9.3Button behavior#

Set in the fader settings (Button behavior, this fader only) or in the sequence settings (🔘 FADER BUTTON, all faders holding the sequence).

9.4What the fader controls (scope)#

1. Fader settings → Control tab → CONTROLS, or sequence settings → Fader tab → 🎚 FADER CONTROLS.
2. Toggle one or more options: Submaster (cue intensity), Intensity, Color, Position, Beam only (Strobe/Gobo/Zoom/Focus/…), a specific channel, FX speed, FX size, FX fade, FX spread, Crossfade speed (Rate) and Manual crossfade (A/B crossfade to the next cue with the fader).

A color scope mixes the color according to the level (half-way = intermediate color). A position scope is applied on top of everything — it also moves heads that are running a movement effect, and the effect moves with them.

9.5Special faders#

Fader settings → Fader function:

Depending on the function: group / channel / palette, Max. fader value, Ignore RELEASE, Ignore Grand Master, the button behavior (On/off — toggles between full and zero, ⚡ Flash — hold for full, ◉ Solo — full and dim the rest) and, for group intensity, the Flash button fade.

Special faders keep their level after a show is loaded; content faders start at zero (section 9.7).

9.6Pages and the bottom bar#

• Bottom bar: ◄ ► pages (wrapping), large page number and name, Count (8 / 16 / All), ALL FADERS / ONLY ASSIGNED, ▾ COLLAPSE FADERS / ▴ EXPAND FADERS (buttons only), ⇄ CHANNELS. In a small window ⋯ shows the further options.
• Faders section: pages in the section column (long-press = ✏ Rename / 🗑 Delete page); above the faders Rows × faders per row, ▭ Buttons only, + (new page) and ✏ (rename).
• ⚙ Settings → 🖥 Display, card 🎚 Bottom fader bar: Show only active faders (those with content) and the fader width; the visibility of the bar per screen is set in the screen table (section 16.3).

9.7After loading a show#

Content faders are at zero after a show is opened (loading a show lights nothing). Special faders (GM, FX speed, FX size, Global fade…) keep their level. Songs can set defined master levels when they are loaded (section 13.10).

On a backup computer check the masters after copying the show.

9.8EXEC#

A fader converted into a column of buttons (4 by default, up to 8), each with its own content. An EXEC does not take an F number; the following faders are renumbered.

1. Settings of an empty fader → Turn fader into EXEC (clear an occupied fader first).
2. EXEC settings: Add button, Remove button; an empty EXEC is converted back with Back to a fader.
3. Content: ● RECORD → tap the EXEC button (default behavior Flash). Tapping an empty button opens its settings.
4. A button with content is played by tapping it; a flash button stays active while pressed. A long-press therefore does not open the button settings — they are opened by tapping the ⋮ handle at the top of the EXEC.

Every button has a fixed E number (not shown on the button). It can be placed in Live (EXEC button function) and called from timecode (E12). An EXEC with content cannot be converted back to a fader — remove the content first. A button can also be given a special function (EXEC function), for example FB or a speedmaster TAP.

10.1The FX pane and effect types#

Effects are effect palettes in Control → FX. The tool column filters them with ALL, I (intensity), P (position), C (color) and FX (palette effects). Each tile carries a category badge.

• Intensity — Chase, Chase reverse, Soft-edged chase, On/Off, Flicker, Strobe, Fade up / Fade down (also combined with movement), Sparkle, Heartbeat, Lightning (irregular bursts of flashes).
• Movement — Pan, Tilt, Circle, Figure 8, Flower, Spiral, Wave, Pendulum, Wander, Random walk, Zigzag, Bounce, Fan, Cross, Rise, Fall, Random, Shiver (small, smooth trembling around the current position) and Swoop (from a point below out into a fan and back, as a cascade). Movement effects are relative to the current position.
• Color — Rainbow, Color pulse, Color Change (alternating picked colors), Aurora, Fire (red–orange flame with varying intensity) and pixel effects (section 10.9).
• Palette cycle (Palette FX) — alternates between stored palettes, including position and beam palettes.

Built-in effects carry 🔒: they cannot be overwritten, deleted or moved and keep their order by category; they can be renamed and duplicated. In a new show the built-in palettes of the four newest types are named Chvění (Shiver), Nálet (Swoop), Blesk (Lightning) and Oheň (Fire).

10.2Adding an effect#

1. Select the group. Position moving heads before adding a movement effect.
2. FX → tap the effect. The programmer shows an ∿ name chip with the effect editor below it.
3. Set the parameters (section 10.3); the editor includes a live preview.
4. Store with RECORD (section 7.2).

Several effects can run on one group, each on different parameters. ✕ on the chip removes the effect from the programmer. The effect type cannot be changed in the editor; remove the effect and add another one.

Movement effects start smoothly from the current position and return smoothly to it when switched off. Parameter changes made while an effect is running are applied smoothly, without a jump.

The effect of a stored cue can be edited directly in Cue settings on the FX tab (section 7.4), without loading the cue into the programmer.

10.3Effect editor#

The editor has two pages, Basic and Advanced. Only the cards relevant to the effect type are shown.

Basic

• TEMPO — source Own, FX (then FX speed 1–3) or SM1…SMn (speedmasters of the show). With Own the Speed slider sets the tempo in BPM; with an FX speed master the slider is labelled Max. speed and the line below shows the maximum and the current tempo. New effects start at 80 BPM, movement effects at 20 BPM.
• SIZE — source Own or FX size (then FX size 1–3); movement amplitude, flash brightness for Lightning, depth of variation for Fire. Default 50 %. Intensity waveforms use the From–To range instead.
• FADE — GF1–GF3 (the fade follows Global fade 1–3) or Manual with the Fade slider. Offered for intensity effects and color effects on color-mixing fixtures.
• SHAPE — intensity waveform ▮ Step, ∿ Sine, ◢ Ramp up, ◣ Ramp down, ⊓ Square; for the continuous shapes (Sine, Ramp up, Ramp down, Square) also Repeating or Single wave (one wave passes along the row, dark between passes). Color Change has the Color change mode here, pixel effects Color 1, Color 2 and 🖼 Load image…, Palette cycle the Palette type and Palette 1–3. Flicker offers Smooth, Flashes, Candle and Density.
• LIT AT ONCE — Lit at once as a percentage or as a Count (“3 of 8”); for continuous shapes it sets the wave width. Groups at once with several groups.
• DIRECTION — →, ←, ↔ from centre, →← to centre, ⇄ back and forth, 🎲 random, ≡ all at once (only the directions the effect supports). By: Group (group order), Stage ↔ or Stage ↕ (fixture positions on the Stage Plan).
• LAYOUT — Spread (from together to one by one), Wings 1–4 (only counts the row can be divided into), Counter-rotating wings, Parts (parallel parts in group order) and Split: None, Odd × even, Halves.
• GROUPS (several groups selected) — Across all, Each separately, One after another.
• CELLS (multicell fixtures only) — Whole fixtures or Per cell; with Per cell Across all or Same on each, cell order Same or Alternate, and Offset between fixtures.

Advanced

• TEMPO — Multiple of the tempo: ¼, ⅓, ½, 1×, 2×, 3×, 4×.
• LIGHTING — palette cycle fade, Use the fixture's Strobe channel.
• COLOURS — color source Stored colors or Colors from Live, Hold per step, Fade through HSV (constant brightness), Auto white, Color wheel with nearest color.
• MOTION — Axis ratio, Rotation, Random speed.

An effect without further options shows This effect has no further settings. on the Advanced page.

10.4Tempo and speedmasters#

A speedmaster is a shared tempo for any number of effects and chases. A show has 1–5 speedmasters (default 3), each with a range of 20–600 BPM.

1. In the effect editor set TEMPO to SM1, SM2….
2. Tap the tempo with: a fader with the ⏱ Speedmaster function (fader = tempo, button = TAP), the fader button ⏱ SM (sequence settings), an EXEC button, a Live cell Speedmaster (tap), OSC /tomic/tap/1, or the timecode command SM1/120.
3. Beat detection from an audio input feeds a selected speedmaster (section 16.1).

The number of speedmasters, their names, tempo and the fixed-tempo option are set in the 🎬 Show section, card Speedmasters (section 17.1). A fixed speedmaster ignores tap, GO=TAP and beat detection. The sequence FX speed source and the fader TAP offer SM 1–3.

10.5Global effect controls#

1. Assign a fader the function 🌐 FX speed (1–3), 🌐 FX size (1–3) or 🌀 Global fade (1–3) (section 9.5), or use the corresponding Live cell.
2. Select the source in the effect editor (TEMPO → FX, SIZE → FX size, FADE → GF1–GF3) or on the sequence's FX tab (section 8.7).

With an FX speed or FX size source the value set in the effect is the maximum; the master fader scales it from zero to that maximum.

A global control affects only effects that use it as their source. Global fade at 100 % also corresponds to a 5 s fade for color and position palettes applied in Live (section 11.5).

10.6Color Change#

1. Select the group and the colors in COL (tap, then Ctrl+tap, section 5.4).
2. FX → Color Change.
3. Color change mode: Chase from the left, Chase from the right, Back and forth, From the center out, Fill from the left, Fill from the right, Fill back and forth, All together, Even / odd, Random, Bag (each color once).
4. Color source on the Advanced page: Stored colors (stored in the effect) or Colors from Live (the colors currently switched on for the group in Live, changeable during the show).

Directional modes are staggered in time, so the movement is visible even with two colors.

Color Change with Colors from Live combined with additive palette cells in Live allows the effect colors to be changed by tapping, without editing the cue.

10.7Effect on part of a group#

• Sub-groups with GROUPS — one wave across all groups, each group separately, or one group after another.
• Sub-selection — Even / Odd / part in the group sub-panel before adding the effect; the effect remembers it. A second effect on the other part produces counter-running waves.
• Parts and Split (None, Odd × even, Halves) on the Basic page — parallel parts without sub-groups.
• Wings and Counter-rotating wings — mirrored order from the center.

10.8Custom effect palette#

1. Set up the effect in the editor.
2. FX → ● RECORD; empty slots show ＋ only when the programmer contains an effect.
3. Tap ＋ — the effect settings are stored without target groups.
4. Name: tap the palette and type, or long-press it to open the palette settings.

RECORD onto an existing effect palette is refused; store a modified variant as a new palette.

10.9Pixel mapping#

Pixel effects read the color of each fixture and of each cell (pixel) of bars and matrices from a 2D image stretched over the actual cell positions on the Stage Plan grid.

1. Cells in the profile

1. Patch → Profiles → the bar or matrix profile.
2. ⬚ Multicell and the Element column per channel (0 = common, 1…N = cell).

The cell arrangement is part of the profile; a profile created in the program places all cells in one row.

2. Stage Plan grid

1. Stage Plan → GRID: columns (16–96) × rows (9–54). One cell = one pixel.
2. Place the fixtures; a bar or matrix occupies one cell per element (section 3.12).
3. ⟳ Rotate 90° for vertical bars (also rotates the cell order).
4. The Stage Plan shows the live color of every cell, so the mapping can be checked without the rig.

3. Pixel effect

1. Select the group.
2. FX (filter C): Pixel: rainbow across the stage, Pixel: moving bars, Pixel: two-color gradient, Pixel: rings from the center, Pixel: plasma, Pixel: image.
3. Bars, gradient and rings: Color 1 and Color 2. Image: 🖼 Load image… (PNG/JPG, scaled to max. 160 px).
4. DIRECTION — the direction in which the image travels.
5. Tempo, speed and recording as for other effects.

The image is stretched over the rectangle of the selected fixtures' cells (with a margin of half a cell); an added fixture extends it. Pixel effects are color effects; an intensity effect on the same group runs in parallel.

Incorrect or flattened mapping: check the Element column in the profile and the rotation on the Stage Plan.

11.1Pages and the Live toolbar#

The Live pages are listed in the section column under Pages; tap a page to open it. New pages are named Live N.

The toolbar above the grid:

• Lock (padlock icon) — locked = playing: a long-press on a cell opens nothing, so flash buttons can be held as long as required. Unlocked = layout mode for this page (section 11.2); the button is highlighted.
• PRESET / LIVE, GO, ✕ and ↺ from live — preparing a scene off-output (section 11.7).
• ⏱ Timecode — shows or hides the timecode panel; only when the show uses timecode.

Every window (screens 2–4, tablet) shows its own Live page and has its own page list; the state of the cells is shared. Layout mode can be entered in any window, but only in one at a time; the other windows continue to play.

Managing pages (layout mode)

• ＋ New page, ↑ Up, ↓ Down in the section column.
• Long-press a page → ✏ Rename or 🗑 Delete page. A selected page can also be renamed by typing and deleted with 🗑 DELETE. The last page cannot be deleted.

With an Elgato Stream Deck enabled, the list also contains the page ▦ Stream Deck with a fixed 8 × 4 grid, one cell per key (section 15.7).

11.2Building a page#

1. Open Live and unlock the lock. Every cell gets a frame with a move handle ✥ and a resize handle ↘; empty positions show +.
2. Choose the tile size of the page: Size: S, M or L. The number of rows and columns follows from the screen area; content that does not fit can be scrolled.
3. Tap + on an empty position. A cell is created and Edit cell opens; changes are saved immediately.
4. Set the Function and the target (search by name or ID); for cues and sequences also the Behavior and the Appearance. Close with Done.
5. Drag a cell by ✥ to move it (onto another cell = swap) and by ↘ to change its size. The preview is green for a move, yellow for a swap and red where the cell does not fit.
6. Lock the page and play.

In layout mode a tap selects a cell, 🗑 DELETE deletes it and typing renames it. A long-press (≥ 1 s) opens the cell settings. Delete cell is also in the cell settings.

Recording a cue directly into a cell

1. Build a look in the programmer and arm ● RECORD. Empty positions show + even when the page is locked.
2. Tap an empty position. A new cue is created in the cell with the Toggle (on/off) behavior. The same applies to a cell without a function.

Cell appearance

Button, Vertical fader, Horizontal fader. Only the appearances that suit the function are offered: cues and sequences can be buttons or faders, masters (group intensity, Grand Master, FX speed, FX size, Global fade) are faders, all other functions are buttons.

The look of the buttons is uniform: palettes look like the palette tiles in Control, cues and sequences like the tiles in the Cue and Sequences sections (number at the top right, color strip at the bottom, green frame and ► while playing). Groups show the colors they currently hold as a strip.

The cell settings are divided into the tabs Function, Groups, Palettes, Cues & sequences and Look & placement (size, position of the first cell, background).

11.3Cell functions#

The panels Subselection, Spread direction and Groups can be placed anywhere on the page and replace the former central group bar.

11.4Cue and sequence cell behavior#

• GO — starts; a further tap goes to the next cue.
• Momentary (while pressed) — active while pressed; respects the content's level and times.
• Toggle (on/off) — first tap on, second tap off. Default for a cue recorded with RECORD.
• Flash ⚡ — full while pressed, regardless of stored times.
• Swop ⚡ — while pressed only this cell is at full, everything else is dimmed.

Play flash and swop cells with the page locked; on an unlocked page a long-press opens the cell settings.

11.5Palette cells on groups#

1. In layout mode add a cell with the function Palette and choose the palette and the group.
2. Optionally parity (even, odd, halves), Fade (s): and Spread direction: (all at once, from left, from right, from center, random — order from the Stage Plan).
3. Additive (add to colors, don't replace): the color is added to the group's colors instead of replacing them (multi-color spread, source for Color Change).

A tap applies the palette to the group and holds it. Tapping another color of the same group replaces it; tapping the same cell again switches it off. Colors switched on in Live feed Color Change with the source Colors from Live (section 10.6).

Fade time of colors and positions

Color and position palettes applied in Live fade with: the cell's own Fade (s): value; otherwise the fade stored in the palette; otherwise the Global fade level (100 % = 5 s); otherwise immediately. Beam palettes always snap. Cue and sequence times are not affected.

11.6What's lit#

💡 What's lit is switched on per page in layout mode. It adds a strip that shows what the selected groups currently hold (intensity, color, position, beam, FX) and where it comes from, each item with a Release button. Colored dots on the group buttons indicate the source types.

The fixed master column on the right of the page is no longer available; place Group intensity, Grand Master, Speedmaster (tap) and Release cells on the page as required.

11.7Preset — preparing the next scene off-output#

Two-scene preparation: the next scene is built on the same cells without reaching the output and is then fired with GO.

1. Tap PRESET in the Live toolbar. The banner BUILDING SCENE — nothing goes to the output appears.
2. The preset starts as a copy of the live state. Tap cells — the tiles show the prepared state, the output does not change.
3. GO sends the scene to the output and the panel returns to LIVE. The LIVE button does the same.
4. ✕ discards the preparation without firing it.

↺ from live reloads the preparation from the current stage state. Each cell fades with its own time (cell, bank, cue or sequence).

The preset defers scene content (cues, sequences, palettes, fader positions). TAP and CLEAR act immediately. RELEASE is stored and executed as the first step of GO.

Color wheel, gobo and prism snap even with a fade time; color mixing (RGB, CMY) crossfades. Preset is not BLIND — BLIND detaches the programmer, a preset is a Live scene.

11.8Palette bank#

A palette bank occupies an area of the grid: group selection and sub-selection first, then all palettes of the chosen type. It uses grid cells, so its buttons match the other cells.

1. In layout mode add a cell with the function Palette bank, choose the Bank type (Colors / Position / Beam), the Bank groups and the Palettes in bank. The bank fills the row from its first cell to the right and continues on the following rows.
2. Tap a group = switch to it, Ctrl+tap = add it. Tapping the only selected group clears the selection. With a single group the group buttons are not shown.
3. Sub-selection All, Even, Odd, −/+ for the number of parts and the parts 1/N…N/N; tapping the active choice again returns to All. Not in Beam banks.
4. ＋ Additive (Colors banks) — colors are added instead of replaced; the number in the tile corner is the order in the set for Color Change.
5. Spread direction ■ ➡ ⬅ ↔ ✱ applies to the following taps (not in Beam banks). The fade time follows section 11.5.
6. The Default tile releases the colors of the selected groups.

The bank offers only palettes that the group's fixtures can use. New palettes appear automatically; individual palettes can be excluded in the bank settings. A bank with Controlled by the central group bar has no group selection of its own and acts on the Groups panel of the page.

If the content does not fit, the last cell shows +N; tapping it explains how much space is missing. Move the bank higher or further left, or choose a smaller tile size.

12.1Basic operation#

• Faders in the bottom bar — playback level, ▶ GO, ◄ ► cue stepping.
• Live — colors on groups, banks, flash and swop buttons.
• GM at the left of the bottom bar — overall intensity.
• Programmer — immediate overrides; CLEAR afterwards.

Current state: the status chips at the bottom of the programmer (BLACKOUT, FB, SOLO, BLIND, TIMECODE, number of playing sequences), the sequence tiles and the Output section, which shows the source of every fixture's value.

Run the whole show once before the performance. 🎬 Show → Check show… finds dead references, empty cues and address collisions (section 17.9).

12.2BLACKOUT, FB, DBO, RELEASE and RESET#

BLACKOUT, DBO and RELEASE are in the action column, RESET at the bottom of the programmer. FB is assigned to a fader or an EXEC button, a Stream Deck key or called by command.

BLACKOUT and DBO are positioned one above the other. DBO is spaced apart and has a different symbol, so that a mistaken touch does not leave the stage permanently dark.

DBO can be mapped to an X-Touch button or a Launchpad pad (DBO function) and triggered via OSC /tomic/dbo. In timecode use BLACKOUT (BLACKOUT- cancels it) or FB / FB-.

12.3Grand Master#

The GM fader is located in the bottom bar next to the page panel and scales all outgoing intensity. A lowered GM is shown with a red background and the warning ⚠ GM LOWERED in the action column. In channel-fader mode the GM fader is hidden.

GM at zero is not a blackout — it has to be raised again. For immediate darkness use BLACKOUT. GM can also be assigned to any fader (🎚 Grand master) or placed in Live. Groups and cues with Ignore Grand Master are not reduced by it.

A lowered GM is the most common reason why nothing lights up.

12.4Lowering one group (submaster)#

1. Assign a fader the function 👥 Group intensity and choose the group (section 9.5), or use a Live cell Group intensity.
2. Lowering it reduces the group regardless of where its values come from.

An idle group is lit by the fader; with a running effect the fader acts as a limit. Exceptions: cues with 👥 Ignore group int. or ⛨ Nothing overrides (section 7.7) and sequences with 🔆 Ignore Group intensity fader.

12.5Interventions in a running show#

• Programmer — overrides immediately and holds until CLEAR. To adjust a single element in isolation use ⧉ ISOLATE.
• Live — palettes on groups, switched off with another tap or CLEAR.
• Preset in Live — build the next scene off-output and fire it with GO (section 11.7).
• BLIND — program a cue off-output and store it (section 5.7).

Command line

⌨ CMD in the action column or Ctrl+E opens the command line on the right: a text field, a touch keypad (digits, THRU, @, FULL, GROUP, PAL, CLR, CUE, GO, REL, REC, ENTER) and the last commands. Esc or ✕ closes it, ↑ / ↓ browse the history. The syntax follows ChamSys MagicQ:

The command line has its own syntax; it is not the same as the timecode command syntax (section 13.4).

12.6Unexpected state — procedure#

1. Check the status chips at the bottom of the programmer: BLIND, BLACKOUT, FB, SOLO, TIMECODE. Check GM and ISOLATION in the programmer.
2. Output section, select the universe, tick Only what is being driven. Each fixture shows its source (sequence, fader, Live, effect, programmer, park) with a button to turn it off, pull it down or unpark it.
3. Check the Parked tab (present only while something is parked).
4. CLEAR, then ⏹ RELEASE.
5. If the state persists after RELEASE (⛨ sequences, park), use ⟳ RESET.

Moving heads that jump or flicker without a cause in the show indicate a problem outside the program: DMX over Wi-Fi, a second Art-Net/sACN source on the same universe, or cabling (chapter 14).

12.7Operation on a small laptop#

• Compact layout is activated automatically according to the window size (narrower columns, lower action buttons, icons above the section labels), see section 16.2.
• Scale — ⚙ Settings → 🖥 Display, card 🔍 Main screen scale; automatic or manual.
• Bottom fader bar — ▾ COLLAPSE FADERS (buttons only), Count 8/16, or hide the bar in the screen table.
• Layouts — sections can be limited per layout (section 16.7).
• F11 or ⛶ — full screen.

DMX output is computed on its own thread, independently of the screen rendering, so the fixtures do not stutter while the interface is being redrawn.

Screen settings belong to the computer, not to the show.

13.1When to use timecode#

• Shows played to a track — playback, choreography, video: the music is identical every time.
• Unattended shows — fashion shows, exhibitions, installations.
• Dense passages — sequences of hits too fast to be played reliably by hand.

Timecode and manual playback can be combined: rows without a time wait for GO, so the start of a song can be triggered manually while the rest runs from the song (section 13.5).

Timecode is off in a new show. Enable it in the 🎬 Show section, card Timecode → Enable timecode in this show. With timecode disabled the Timecode tab is hidden and song playback and LTC/MTC reception stop.

The section has four pages in the section column: Playback, Song editor, Playlists and Settings. The header is the same on all pages: song time, status and countdown to the next row, remaining time, and on the right the playlist selector with ◀ song ▶.

13.2Recording a song live (REC)#

1. Open Timecode → Song editor and select or create the song; attach the audio recording if available (section 13.8).
2. Press ● (REC). Recording starts immediately together with the audio or the internal clock.
3. Operate the console. Every action is written as a timed row.
4. Press ■ to end the recording; playback stops at the current position. During recording ▶ and ⏸ are disabled.
5. Adjust times in the diagram or the list (sections 13.9, 13.3).

What is recorded

• Cues and sequences — start and stop (S101 / S101--), including Live cue and sequence cells.
• Faders — the level and its course over time (F5/60), fader buttons (P5).
• EXEC buttons — flash as press and release (E46++ / E46--), other behaviors as E46.
• Group intensity faders, including flash with fade in and out (@group/100/3 … @group/0/3).
• Grand Master, FX speed, FX size and Global fade 1–3.
• Speedmasters with their tempo (SM1/128).
• BLACKOUT, FB, RELEASE, palettes and other actions in Live.

A fader that is raised remains raised until the end of the song unless a later event lowers it. Repeated level changes of the same target within a short interval are merged into one row. Each recording pass is a single undo step.

Recorded rows are delayed by the operator's reaction time. Shift hard accents slightly earlier in the diagram.

13.3Writing and editing rows#

1. Timecode → Song editor, view List (section column).
2. + Row adds a row. Time format mm:ss.f, hh:mm:ss or SMPTE hh:mm:ss:ff; an empty time creates a manual row.
3. Long-press a row (≥ 1 s) to open Edit row commands. Commands do not have to be typed: search a target by name, number or unique ID, or pick it in the Command panel (tabs Commands and Used).
4. Row actions are under ⋮: ✎ Edit row commands, ▲ Move up, ▼ Move down, ➕ Insert a row after this one, ⚑ On song load… (first row), ✕ Delete row.
5. After manual edits use Sort by time (rows without a time go last).

Row list

• 👆 Touch switches between the touch layout and the compact layout for mouse operation.
• Compact layout: select several rows with the checkboxes, Ctrl+click, Shift+click (range) or Ctrl+A.
• 🗑 DELETE deletes the selected rows after confirmation.
• Typing renames the caption of the selected row.

Further tools in the section column: Replace… (replace a target in a row, a song or the whole show) and Find usages….

Playback follows the row order, not the time. A row with 1:30 placed after 3:00 fires late. REC sorts automatically; tidy manual edits with Sort by time.

A row whose target no longer exists (deleted cue, typing error) shows ❗ and is skipped. The ⚠ N missing targets badge counts these rows; check it before every performance.

13.4Command syntax#

Basic form target/level %/fade s; level and fade are optional. Several commands in one row are separated by commas and fire together. The fade applies to intensity; color and position use the times stored in the cue. A trailing - is equivalent to --, a trailing + to ++. Fades are limited to 0–600 s.

Instead of numbers the target's unique ID can be used — cue, sequence, palette, group (g-…), fader or EXEC (f-…), with the same modifiers. Renaming a target rewrites the songs automatically.

Keywords are in English (even, odd, GM, CLEAR…). Cues, sequences and faders called from timecode carry a ⏱ badge.

13.5Rows without a time and manual mode#

A row without a time is manual: playback stops on it and waits for GO. GO fires the row and the clock continues. When chasing incoming LTC/MTC, manual rows are skipped.

1. Add a row and leave the time empty.
2. Add the command and a clear caption (“START song 3”).
3. During playback the song waits on the row; GO continues.

Transport on the Playback page

• GO — in time mode starts or resumes the clock, in manual mode fires the next row.
• ■ — pauses the clock; GO resumes it.
• R — rewinds the song and runs its on-load rows.
• MANUAL — manual mode: the clock does not run and every GO fires the next row (the button is orange while active).
• ▲ ▼ — jump between rows while the song is running.

The Playback page lists the songs of the active playlist (tap = load) and the rows of the loaded song; long-pressing a row opens it in the Song editor. A running song shows the TIMECODE chip with the time in the top bar on every tab.

13.6LTC and MTC input#

When the sound engineer plays the music, playback can chase incoming timecode: rewinding the track rewinds the show, stopping the track stops it. LTC (SMPTE) is received through an audio input, MTC via MIDI (Ableton, Reaper, Pro Tools, Logic).

1. LTC: connect the timecode signal to an audio input. MTC: connect the MIDI interface.
2. Open ⚙ → ⏱ Input.
3. LTC: card 🎚 LTC (SMPTE) input — Audio input, Channel with timecode, then Enable LTC receive. MTC: card ♬ MTC (MIDI Time Code) input — MIDI input, then Enable MTC receive. Only one of them can be active; enabling one switches the other off.
4. Play part of the track and check the Level meter and the signal indicator: the time must appear and run.

Each song has its own LTC start time; incoming timecode selects the song whose range contains the received time. The most common LTC problem is the signal level: a weak or clipped signal decodes erratically. Adjust it using the meter.

LTC/MTC input is a licensed feature (section 18.2); in the free version the switches show Paid version only. The internal clock, audio playback and manual rows work without restriction.

13.7Playlists and songs#

A song holds the rows, the optional audio recording and its default values. A playlist is an ordered set of songs — the running order of a show. A song can be in several playlists (at most once in each); deleting a playlist does not delete its songs.

The Playlists page has three columns:

• Playlists — tap selects a playlist for editing (playback is not switched), long-press renames it, 🗑 DELETE deletes it. ▶ marks the playlist currently playing.
• Songs in playlist — order with ↑ / ↓; per song the name, Active, 🎵 Select audio recording, length, Start values and Edit. DELETE removes the song from this playlist only.
• All songs — the song library of the show; ➕ adds a song to the selected playlist. DELETE deletes the song from the show and from all playlists.

Section column: + New playlist, + New song, Load song (.shw), Import timecode (.tim), Export timecode (.tim), Delete selected playlist and Clear all.

In the header of every Timecode page the playlist selector and ◀ / ▶ switch songs: they step through the active playlist, skip inactive songs, release the stage and prepare the look of the next song.

Before the performance play every song from the start and check that no row shows ❗, especially after changes to cues or sequences.

13.8Song editor and audio#

Timecode → Song editor edits the loaded song. The section column switches the view between Timeline (default) and List; the timeline also works without audio.

Audio recording

🎵 Select audio recording attaches an MP3 or WAV file (M4A, AAC, WMA and FLAC are also accepted). Only the path is stored in the show; keep the audio files together with the show when moving to another computer.

Transport

Keyboard (with audio): Space play/stop, ← → one frame (Shift = 1 s, Timeline view), S start here.

13.9Song diagram#

The Timeline view shows the audio waveform and the song as tracks: Cue, Sequences, Palettes, Layer 1, Layer 2 and Release. Level events (faders, EXEC, Grand Master, FX masters, group intensity, speedmasters, BLACKOUT, FB) are distributed automatically over the two layers so that they do not overlap. The level of each element is drawn in color: it holds until the next event, and a fade is drawn as a ramp.

• Click an event — selects its row.
• Long-press an event — Edit row commands.
• Drag an event sideways — changes its time.
• Fade handle at the end of a ramp — drag right to add a fade, back to the event to remove it.
• Tap a track name — selects the whole track; 🗑 DELETE removes its content after confirmation.
• Lanes filter — shows or hides tracks (Layers switches both layers).
• Mouse wheel = zoom, Shift+wheel = scroll, click on an empty area = move the playhead; the ⚑ START flag can be dragged.

13.10Song default values#

Each song can set masters to defined values when it is loaded, so the song always starts from the same state. Open them with Start values in the Song editor section column or next to the song on the Playlists page.

• Speed masters — tempo in BPM.
• Masters — Grand Master, Global fade 1–3, FX speed 1–3, FX size 1–3.
• Groups — group intensity levels in %.

Only ticked values are applied (editing a value ticks it). They are applied when the song is loaded, before the on-load rows (⚑ On song load…), which can override them.

14.1Outputs overview#

• Art-Net — recommended default; broadcast or unicast, up to 4 universes (licensed).
• sACN (E1.31) — multicast with source priority; standard in theaters and installations.
• USB Enttec DMX Pro / compatible — one DMX line without a network.

Several outputs can run at the same time. ● OUT shows the state (number of running outputs, tooltip with nodes and incoming packets); the Output section shows exactly what is sent (section 2.3).

DMX values are always computed on a dedicated thread, independently of the user interface. Output timing remains stable even while the screen is being redrawn or a large show is loaded.

Use a cable between the computer and the node. DMX over Wi-Fi is prone to dropouts (section 19.5).

14.2Art-Net#

1. Connect the computer and the node by cable (directly or through a switch) and put the computer in the node's network (typically 2.x.x.x / 255.0.0.0; behind a DHCP router addresses are assigned automatically).
2. Open ⚙ → 📡 Output and tick Art-Net (network DMX).
3. Target IP — keep broadcast 255.255.255.255 or enter the node's IP address (unicast).
4. Network card — the adapter that leads to the DMX network. Art-Net then leaves only through it, regardless of Windows routing (reliable with Wi-Fi and VPN connections active).
5. Check ● OUT and its tooltip with the discovered nodes.

Universes map 1:1 by default. Art-Net counts universes from zero: patch universe 1 is sent as Art-Net universe 0 (sACN counts from one).

Further options

• ArtPoll responder (Capture/MA/grandMA will find Tomic in the node list) — announces the program on the network and answers discovery.
• Receive Art-Net input (merge/backup with another console) — section 14.7.
• ⚙ Advanced settings → Art-Net universes — for each universe the Art-Net universe (0–32767; Default (0–3)) and, with Each universe to a different node, a separate Target (IP). Universes 3 and 4 require a license.

Nodes

1. Enable Art-Net and the ArtPoll responder.
2. The Nodes card lists the nodes that answered, with their IP address, name and ports; ↻ Find repeats the search.
3. Tap a node: its IP address becomes the target, the network card in the same subnet is selected and, if required, the universes are mapped to the node's ports. The selected node is marked with ✓; a short message below the row reports problems (for example no network card in the node's subnet).

14.3sACN#

1. In ⚙ → 📡 Output enable sACN (E1.31) output.
2. Target IP empty = multicast 239.255.x.x (recommended). Enter an IP address only for unicast to a single device.
3. Priority 0–200 (default 100) — the higher priority wins the merge on the node. When this source stops sending, a lower-priority source takes over.
4. Local IP interface for multicast — the IPv4 address of the computer's network card in the DMX network (not the node). Empty = default network card.

Do not send Art-Net and sACN to the same fixtures at the same time; the two sources would conflict.

14.4USB interface#

1. Install the manufacturer's driver (otherwise no COM port appears).
2. In ⚙ → 📡 Output enable USB Enttec DMX Pro / compatible.
3. Select the COM port; ↻ refresh updates the list.
4. Check ● OUT.

Supported are interfaces using the Enttec DMX USB Pro protocol (virtual COM port). Simple Open DMX interfaces (FTDI without their own processor) are not supported. A USB interface provides one universe regardless of the license.

A network node as the main output with a USB interface as backup: switching requires no change to the patch.

14.5How many universes are available#

The lower of two limits applies: the license (free version 2 universes, licensed 4 universes) and the hardware (USB = 1 universe, a network node according to its ports). Two universes in the free version therefore require a network node.

14.6Visualizer#

1. Start the visualizer (Capture, Depence, WYSIWYG…) and build the rig.
2. Send Art-Net to the visualizer computer (broadcast, or its IP address as Target IP; on the same computer the local address).
3. Check that the visualizer listens to the same universes.

Capture in one step

The card 🎬 Capture Visualizer — quick connect contains Apply Capture preset: it enables Art-Net, sets broadcast 255.255.255.255 and enables the ArtPoll responder. In Capture open Settings → Connectivity → Art-Net; tomic.lighting appears in the node list.

The preset overwrites the Art-Net target. If the fixtures require unicast to a node, use Each universe to a different node in the Art-Net universes table instead.

14.7Art-Net input from another console (merge, backup)#

1. Connect to the same network as the other console.
2. In the Art-Net card tick Receive Art-Net input (merge/backup with another console).
3. Check the input state in the ● OUT tooltip.

Incoming ArtDmx is merged HTP with the program's output: light can be added, but not taken away from the other console. If the other console stops sending for more than 3 s, the merge is dropped and only this program's output remains. Full Blackout (FB) also applies to the merged input.

14.8When the node is not found#

1. Firewall. Allow the program on private networks in Windows Firewall.
2. Addressing. Computer and node in the same network; check with ping.
3. Several network cards. Set the Network card for Art-Net and the Local IP interface for multicast for sACN.
4. USB driver. No COM port → check the Device Manager.
5. Output off. ● OUT with OUTPUT OFF = no output enabled.
6. Port in use. Another Art-Net program occupies UDP port 6454.
7. Intermittent dropouts. In ⚙ → ⚙ Application → 📋 Logging enable Detailed diagnostic logging (network, nodes, send errors); Open folder shows the log files.

Then open the Output section: if values change, the program computes correctly and the fault lies in the network, node or cabling; if values do not change, check the show or the settings.

15.1Which controller for which purpose#

• X-Touch — motor faders for the playbacks of the active page, displays with names, buttons and encoders with custom mapping.
• Launchpad — 8×8 RGB pads for triggering (GO, flash, blackout, tap…); no faders.
• Stream Deck — keys with symbols and labels for the console buttons and a Live page (section 15.7).
• Phone / tablet — focusing from the stage, faders and Live in the browser, a tablet as an additional screen.
• OSC — QLab, Companion, TouchOSC and other software.

All controllers work in the free version. Controller mappings are stored on the computer, not in the show.

15.2Behringer X-Touch#

1. Put the console in MC mode (Mackie Control): hold SELECT of channel 1 while switching it on and choose MC / USB.
2. Connect it via USB.
3. In ⚙ → 🎛 Controllers tick Behringer X-Touch; on the 🎛 X-Touch tab, card 🔌 Connection, select the MIDI input and MIDI output (↻ refreshes the list).
4. Model: Auto detects the Compact by the MIDI device name; the Compact has no displays, so no texts or colors are sent.
5. Move a physical fader and check that the on-screen fader follows. The MONITOR — last press on the console card shows what the console sends.

Motor faders 1–8 = faders of the active page, MAIN = Grand Master. The displays show the fader name and the prepared cue, the strip color is the cue color. Default button rows: SELECT selects the fader (with RECORD armed it stores the programmer onto it; a long-press opens the fader settings), MUTE = GO, SOLO = previous cue, REC = next cue.

The channel faders of the selection are sent to the motor faders with → X-TOUCH in the bottom bar in channel mode (section 5.9).

15.3Novation Launchpad#

1. Connect the Launchpad via USB.
2. In ⚙ → 🎛 Controllers tick Novation Launchpad Mini MK3; on the 🟩 Launchpad tab select the MIDI input and MIDI output.
3. Choose the pad function, its color and the mode ON/OFF or FLASH.
4. Tap 🎓 Learn and press the pad on the device. Mapped pads light in their color.
5. Clear entire mapping removes all assignments.

15.4Console button mapping#

The 🎛 X-Touch tab contains the 🎓 Button mapping card. Each row is one control on the console (button, encoder turn, jog wheel, pedal).

1. Tap ➕ Add button and press the control on the X-Touch.
2. In the new row choose the category, function and behavior: actions (BLACKOUT, DBO, RELEASE, CLEAR, TAP…), specific faders (GO / FLASH / SELECT), sequences and cues (ON-OFF / FLASH).
3. Remove a mapping with the cross in its row.

15.5Phone and tablet control#

1. Connect the phone and the computer to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. In ⚙ → 📱 Remote control, card 📱 Phone control, switch control on. A QR code appears.
3. Scan the QR code — the controller opens in the browser; the PIN is contained in the QR code.
4. Change the PIN (default 0000); the new PIN applies from the next time phone control is switched on. After ten wrong PINs from one address, that address is blocked for one minute.

Bottom navigation of the controller: ▶ Show, 🎚 Fadery (faders), ⚡ Živě (Live), ✛ Position, ◎ Beam and 🎨 Palettes; on a tablet also 🖥 Obrazovka (screen, section 16.4). Some labels of the controller are shown in Czech.

Position and Beam focus fixtures group by group: select the group, step through the fixtures with SOLO and ◀ ▶, then ● RECORD into a palette or CLEAR.

The server tries the ports 8080, 8090, 8099, 8123 and 5959 in this order. Only control commands are sent over Wi-Fi; keep DMX on cable.

15.6OSC#

1. In ⚙ → 📱 Remote control, card 📡 OSC receive (UDP), set the UDP port (default 9000, range 1024–65535) and enable OSC.
2. In the sending program enter the computer's IP address and the port.
3. Send a test message.

15.7Elgato Stream Deck#

Supported models: Stream Deck XL, Stream Deck Module 32, Stream Deck MK.2, Stream Deck (15 keys), Stream Deck Module 15, Stream Deck Mini and Stream Deck Module 6. The program communicates with the device directly over USB; the Elgato Stream Deck software is not required. If the Elgato application is running, it occupies the device — close it.

1. Connect the Stream Deck by USB cable.
2. In ⚙ → 🎛 Controllers, Active controllers:, tick ▦ Elgato Stream Deck. The ▦ Stream Deck tab appears.
3. The status line reports the connection (Connected: model (number of keys)). Set the Brightness if required. The device can be disconnected and reconnected during operation.

Home screen

After start the Stream Deck shows the home screen. Its default keys are RECORD, DELETE, MOVE, CMD, BLACKOUT, DBO, RELEASE, POS, COL, BEAM, FX and ALL, plus ▦ LIVE on the last key of the XL layout.

• The Stream Deck home screen preview on the ▦ Stream Deck tab shows the 8 × 4 layout. Tap a key to select it; a long-press or ✏ Set up key opens the cell editor known from Live. Tapping an empty key creates a new one.
• In addition to the button functions of Live cells, the editor offers the console buttons (RECORD, DELETE, MOVE, CMD, BLACKOUT, DBO, FB, RELEASE, POS, COL, BEAM, FX, ALL, CLEAR, Undo, Redo) and the switches between the home screen and the Live page. Faders and level functions are not available on Stream Deck keys.
• The home screen is stored on the computer, not in the show.

Live page

The ▦ LIVE key switches the Stream Deck to the Live page ▦ Stream Deck. The page appears in the Live page list while the Stream Deck is enabled, has a fixed 8 × 4 grid (one cell per key) and is stored in the show. Its cells are set up in Live layout mode like other cells (section 11.2); in addition to the button functions, the console buttons are available, faders and level functions are not. On this page the last key always returns to the home screen.

Models with fewer keys show the upper left part of the 8 × 4 layout. On the 15-key and 6-key models, place the switch to the Live page on a visible key. CMD opens the command line (section 12.5). A long-press on a speedmaster key resets it to its default tempo.

16.1Settings structure#

Settings are a section of their own: ⚙ Settings at the end of the section bar, or the logo menu → Settings. The pages are listed in the section column; changes apply immediately, there is no Save button. Details of the options are given in their tooltips. Settings that belong to the show (show name, timecode, speedmasters) are in the 🎬 Show section (section 17.1).

16.2Scaling and small monitors#

⚙ Settings → 🖥 Display, card 🔍 Main screen scale:

• Automatic based on screen — the scale is calculated from the desktop height and recalculated when the monitor changes.
• Scale — manual setting with − / +.
• Minimum font size (with automatic scaling).
• Maximum content width — for ultrawide monitors the content stays centered (Like a 16:9 monitor (recommended), a fixed width or No limit).

Compact layout (1024×768)

Activated automatically according to the actual window size after scaling. Nothing is hidden: section tabs show the icon above a smaller label, the action column, programmer and bottom bar panel are narrower, the action buttons lower and the section column narrower; options of the bottom bar are available under ⋯.

▣ Application window

• Max. main window size — select a size (800×600, 1024×768, 1280×720 … 1920×1080) or enter your own (1100x700). The window cannot be enlarged beyond it; when maximized it stays centered on the monitor. No limit removes the restriction.
• Start in full screen — when switched off, the program starts in a window on the last used monitor. During operation F11 / ⛶.
• Software rendering (remote desktop) — for remote desktop connections that show only a black screen.

Ctrl+0 resets the font size and the scale. If the window is outside the visible area, hold Esc while starting the program — position and size are reset.

16.3Up to four screens#

Screen 1 is the main window; screens 2–4 are further windows of the same show, each with its own section. The windows open automatically according to the settings.

1. In Windows set the monitors to an extended desktop.
2. ⚙ Settings → 🖥 Display, card 🖥 Screens — a table with one row per screen.
3. Count (1–4). Missing windows open immediately; rows above the count are dimmed but can be prepared.
4. MONITOR — the monitor of the screen; for the main screen the Windows primary monitor by default. Disconnected monitors are listed as well — the screen moves there as soon as the monitor is connected.
5. SCALE — for the main screen − / +, for screens 2–4 the same as the main screen or a separate value.
6. LEFT MENU (action column), PROGRAMMER, FADER BAR — what the screen shows. Default: the main screen shows everything, screens 2–4 have no action column and no programmer.
7. Choose the section in each window; it is remembered after a restart.

Each window remembers its monitor. If a monitor is disconnected and reconnected, the window returns to it. Only a manual move (dragging, choosing the monitor in the table) changes the assignment.

Ultrawide monitor → Split into two screens divides one monitor into two halves: screen 1 on the left, screen 2 on the right.

● RECORD, 🗑 DELETE and ✥ MOVE act in the window in which the operator is working — for example RECORD to a Live cell on screen 2 while the main window shows Control.

Closing and restoring

The ✕ in the section bar closes window 2–4. ⟳ in the section bar of the main window (with two or more screens; orange when a window is missing) or ⟳ Restore screens in the settings reopens the missing windows on their monitors and brings all windows to the front.

For a performance: screen 1 with faders and programmer, screen 2 on a touch monitor with Live, without action column and programmer.

16.4Tablet as a screen#

A tablet can be an independent screen 1–4 (not a mirror). The console renders an off-screen window at the tablet's size, transmits the image (approximately 8 frames per second) and receives the touches — faders, flash and long-press included.

1. ⚙ Settings → 📱 Remote control → switch on phone control; a QR code appears.
2. Connect the tablet to the same Wi-Fi network and scan the QR code (the controller opens in the browser).
3. Bottom navigation → 🖥 Obrazovka (screen; page /screen).
4. 🖥 at the top left → screen 1 (main), 2, 3 or 4 (remembered by the tablet).
5. Choose the section on the tablet. ↩ returns to the standard controller.

The tablet counts towards the limit of four windows. The image is transmitted over Wi-Fi at a low frame rate — suitable for Live and tapping, not for fine fader movements.

16.5Tiles and font#

⚙ Settings → 🖥 Display, card 🔠 Tiles and font:

• Palette tile size:
• Tile text size: — tile labels in Control, Live and the sequences.
• Live panel text size:

The tile size of the Cue and Sequences sections is set in the bar above the tiles, the tile size of a Live page with S / M / L (section 11.2).

16.6Language#

⚙ Settings → ⚙ Application, card 🌐 Language → Application language (Czech, English). The setting changes the labels, not the show content. Custom language: copy Languages\en.json under a new name (de.json), translate the values and restart the program; untranslated keys are shown in Czech.

16.7Layouts and the section bar#

Layouts

The selector at the right of the section bar switches this window to one of four layouts: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta. Each layout remembers its last section and has its own set of sections. The window remains on its monitor.

The sections shown in each layout are selected in ⚙ Settings → 🖥 Display, card Sections per layout (one column per layout). This is the only place where sections are hidden.

On a single display, for example: Alpha for programming (Patch, Control, Cue, Sequences), Beta for the performance (Faders, Live, Timecode).

Control panes

Upper pane = groups, lower pane = palettes (POS, COL, BEAM, FX, ALL from the action column). ⚙ in the corner of the pane: tile size and tiles per row. The divider between the panes can be dragged.

Section bar order

1. Long-press the section bar.
2. Each section shows ◀ (earlier) and ▶ (later).
3. ✓ Done.

The sub-menu of each section is in the section column; section actions are indented below the sub-menu items and visually distinguished from them.

16.8Console lock#

1. Ctrl+L or 🔓 at the bottom of the programmer → Controls are locked.
2. The controls stop responding; DMX output, playback, effects and timecode keep running.
3. Unlock with a long-press on HOLD TO UNLOCK.

The lock is not remembered after a restart. Do not confuse it with the lock of a Live page (section 11.1).

17.1Saving#

A show is one .tom file containing everything: patch, profiles, groups, palettes, cues, sequences, faders, Live, timecode songs and playlists, and the show settings. Audio recordings of songs are referenced, not embedded. Computer settings (screens, scale, output, controller mappings, layouts) are stored separately on the computer.

• Autosave — ⚙ Settings → ⚙ Application → 💾 Saving → Autosave after every show change (on by default): the show is saved shortly after the last change. Saving and a backup on exit always take place.
• Logo menu → Save (Ctrl+S) and Save as….
• Undo steps: — on the same card, 5–200, default 20.

The 🎬 Show section

Everything that belongs to the show file is collected in the 🎬 Show section:

• Show — Show name and the file path.
• Timecode — Enable timecode in this show, Hide the timer in the left column (section 13.1).
• Speedmasters — Count: (1–5) and the list of speedmasters; a long-press on a row opens Speed master settings (name, tempo in BPM, fixed tempo).
• Check and export — 🖨 Export show overview (HTML), 📤 Send show to the author…, Check show…, 🧹 Clean up show…, Take over from another show….

📤 Send show to the author… sends the current show (including unsaved changes) with an optional note to the author of the program for diagnostics. The saved show file is not changed.

17.2Backups and recovery#

Before the show file is overwritten, a backup is written to the backups folder (next to the program; if that folder is not writable, under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Tomic). The 20 newest backups are kept, plus one per minute for the last hour, one per hour for the last day and one per day for the last 14 days. A damaged file is detected at start and the last working version is used.

1. Open the backups folder.
2. The files are named name~code-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.tom; the code distinguishes shows with the same name from different folders.
3. Copy the backup to another location and open it via the logo menu → Open show….

Backups are stored on the same disk. Copy important shows to external media or cloud storage, always before major changes (bulk type swap, rearranging faders, cleanup).

17.3Several shows#

• New show: logo menu → New show, or derived from the current show via Save as….
• Switching: logo menu → Open show…, or double-click a .tom file.

Recommended rule: a different production = a different file. For different fixtures with the same programming, save a copy of the show and swap the fixture types in it (section 3.8).

17.4Moving to another computer#

1. Copy the .tom file (it contains the fixture profiles) and the audio files of the songs.
2. Open the show on the other computer. If an audio file is not found, the song shows ♪ ✕; select the file again with 🎵 Select audio recording.
3. Set up the output (chapter 14) — it is not part of the show.
4. Set up the screens (section 16.3) and the controllers (chapter 15).
5. Verify in the Output section (section 2.3) and check the masters.

A show that exceeds the free limits opens in the free version, but the limits apply. To transfer parts of a show use the take-over (section 17.7).

17.5Show overview export#

1. 🎬 Show → 🖨 Export show overview (HTML).
2. The overview opens in the browser: patch with addresses and types, groups, cues and sequences.
3. Print it or save it as PDF (Ctrl+P).

The patch table alone as PDF or TXT: Patch → 📋 Export patch (section 3.16).

17.6Program updates#

The program checks for a new version automatically at start (without an internet connection no message is shown). Manually: logo menu → Help → 🔄 Check for updates, or ⚙ Settings → 🔄 Updates → Check for updates.

1. Confirm the update offer.
2. The program downloads the new version, replaces its files and restarts.
3. The last show is opened.

Show data is never overwritten by an update — shows, settings, mappings and backups are kept. Updates are free for both the free and the licensed version.

Do not update the program on the day of a performance.

17.7Taking over from another show#

Adds selected content of another show file to the open show; the open show is not replaced. Start it with 🎬 Show → Take over from another show…. The wizard has four steps; Back and Next move between them.

1. Show — the source show (Other show…) and an overview of what it Contains.
2. What to take — categories: fixtures (with their patch), fixture profiles, groups, palettes (all / Choose which… / none), effect palettes, cues, sequences, Fader and EXEC pages, Live pages, Timecode songs and Speed masters. Items can be filtered by group; Select all / Clear selection.
3. Conflicts — DMX addresses (patch): With patch (addresses from show) or Without patch (first free), Keep fixture numbers if they are free; for collisions Move to the first free address, Keep the address (overlap) or Do not import the fixture (for all or per row). Groups with the same name: Create a copy / Merge into existing. Palettes with the same name: Merge values into the existing one / Create a copy (Name (2)) / Do not import. Speed masters (SM slots): Overwrite / Keep existing. Link to same-named items already in the show links the taken-over content to existing groups, fixtures and palettes of the same name instead of duplicating them.
4. Summary — check and confirm with Take over.

Dependencies are added automatically (groups used by cues, fixtures of groups, profiles of fixtures). Taken-over items receive new numbers following your existing ones. Ctrl+Z undoes the whole take-over in one step.

In timecode songs, cue and sequence references are renumbered; references to faders or EXEC buttons by number (F5, P3, E12) are not — the program reports how many there are.

17.8Profiles from another show and the library#

The light park — a profile store outside the show — is no longer part of the program. Fixture profiles are always stored in the show file. To reuse profiles:

• Patch → Profiles → 📂 Import and select a show file (.tom): only the selected profiles are taken over (section 3.5).
• 💾 Export saves selected profiles to a .fix file (several profiles per file), which can be imported into any show.
• 🌐 Online downloads profiles from the Open Fixture Library.

17.9Show check and cleanup#

• 🎬 Show → Check show… (also 🩺 Show check in the Output section) — finds dead references, empty cues, address collisions and similar issues. The check only reports; → Go to opens the place where an issue can be corrected.
• 🎬 Show → 🧹 Clean up show… — deletes selected parts of the show at once: all cues, all sequences, all fader assignments, all EXEC button assignments, contents of Live pages, timecode songs and playlists, custom palettes, all groups. The patch is kept; the cleanup can be undone with Ctrl+Z.

Save a copy with Save as… before a major cleanup.

18.1Free version#

No time limit, no watermark, all features described in this guide except external timecode input: patch and custom profiles, GDTF/MA/Avolites/QLC+ import, groups, palettes, cues, sequences, chases, effects including pixel mapping, Live, tap tempo and beat detection, X-Touch, Launchpad, Stream Deck, OSC, phone and tablet, up to four screens, timecode songs with the internal clock and audio playback, Art-Net, sACN, USB and visualizer connection.

Limits: 2 DMX universes, 99 fixtures, 99 cues, 99 sequences. Two universes require a network node; a typical USB interface provides one DMX line (section 14.5).

The free version is intended for personal and non-commercial use. Paid performances, agencies and rental companies require a license.

18.2What a license unlocks#

• 4 DMX universes (2048 channels), no limits on fixtures, cues or sequences.
• LTC and MTC input including automatic song selection by the incoming time (section 13.6).
• Commercial use.

Price: CZK 999 per year or CZK 4,999 one-off; both variants are functionally identical and updates are free. A show built in the free version requires no changes after activation.

18.3Activation#

1. Send an e-mail to [email protected] stating the license type (yearly / one-off). You will receive an invoice for payment by bank transfer.
2. After payment the license key is sent by e-mail (in a format such as ABCD-1234-EFGH).
3. In the program open ⚙ Settings → 🔑 License, enter the key and tap Activate.
4. The first activation requires an internet connection and binds the license to this computer. After that the program works offline.

The same page shows the license state, the stored key, No license? Request one → and Remove the license from this computer. When a yearly license expires, the program returns to the free mode; nothing is deleted.

18.4Several computers#

A key can be activated on a main and a backup computer; the number of activations is limited and each activation is bound to a specific computer. Two operators working at the same time need two licenses.

Reinstalling Windows or an in-place upgrade changes the computer's fingerprint — activate the license again. Before selling a computer use Remove the license from this computer, or ask [email protected] to release the activation.

Prepare the backup laptop completely: activated license, current copy of the show, interface driver, output and screens configured.

19.1A fixture stays dark#

1. Intensity and color. An RGB fixture needs a color as well as intensity (section 5.2).
2. Address and universe. Compare the patch with the fixture display; RDM fixtures can be checked in 📡 RDM — fixtures on the network (section 3.15).
3. Shutter. The default value in the profile must open the shutter (section 3.7).
4. Fixture mode. The channel count of the fixture mode must match the profile in the patch.
5. Output. Check the fixture's channels in the Output section. No change → show content; values change → cable, terminator, power supply.
6. Park and disabled fixtures. The Parked tab; the ON column in the patch (a disabled fixture is ignored and hidden on the Stage Plan).
7. Inactive group. Active unticked in the group settings removes the group from the whole system.

A whole series of one type is dark → profile or addressing of the series. Everything after a certain point of the DMX line is dark → cable or a fixture in the chain.

The opposite case — an LED ring glowing at zero dimmer — is solved with V-Int on that channel (section 3.13).

19.2Nothing lights up#

1. ● OUT is not green or shows OUTPUT OFF → section 14.8.
2. The BLACKOUT, FB and BLIND status chips at the bottom of the programmer.
3. GM in the bottom bar (red background, ⚠ GM LOWERED in the action column).
4. ● ISOLATION ON in the programmer — only the programmer reaches the output.
5. Content faders are at zero after a show is loaded (section 9.7).

19.3An effect or light does not stop#

1. Output → Only what is being driven: the fixture shows its source (sequence, fader, Live, effect, programmer, park) with a button to turn it off or pull it down.
2. A playing sequence has a highlighted tile; stop it with ⏹ on the tile or by lowering its fader.
3. RELEASE stops all sources except ⛨ sequences and park.
4. ⟳ RESET clears everything including ⛨ sequences and park (after confirmation).

19.4Color does not reach full#

1. A fader that controls color (🎚 FADER CONTROLS → Color) mixes according to its level. Raise it fully or set the scope back to the whole cue (section 9.4).
2. Several sources control the fixture; color is LTP, the latest wins (section 8.5). The Output section shows the sources.
3. A cue with ⛨ Nothing overrides blocks colors from Live.
4. Low intensity: a saturated color at 20 % dimmer appears pale.

19.5Moving heads jumping#

1. Wi-Fi. Wireless DMX loses packets; use a cable.
2. Second source on the same universe. Another console or program sends to the same fixtures. Separate the universes or use the sACN priority (section 14.3).
3. Node. Check the node's firmware and power supply, and whether its ports are mapped to the correct universes (section 14.2).
4. Cabling and terminator. Problems usually appear at the end of the line.
5. Missing fine channels. Pan/tilt fine channels missing in the profile → regular steps in slow movements (section 3.6).

Random jerks indicate the network, node or cabling. Regular steps indicate missing fine channels.

19.6Moving head moves in the wrong direction#

Tick Inv P or Inv T in the patch (head mounted sideways: P↔T), on all identically hung units, ideally before storing positions (section 3.9).

Swapped pan/tilt or erratic movement even after inverting indicates a wrong profile or mode.

19.7Limit reached#

Free version: 2 universes, 99 fixtures, 99 cues, 99 sequences. When a limit is reached the item is not added; nothing is deleted.

• Find empty and unused cues with the Empty only and Not in sequences filters in Cue.
• Replace color variants with palettes and Live cells, and cue series with effects.
• Fixtures that always do the same can be clones (multipatch) — clones do not count towards the limit (section 3.8).

The universe limit cannot be circumvented (section 14.5, chapter 18). Limits apply per show.

19.8If the problem persists#

1. CLEAR, then RELEASE.
2. Status chips at the bottom of the programmer (BLIND, BLACKOUT, FB, SOLO); GM; isolation in the programmer.
3. Output section and the Parked tab.
4. 🎬 Show → Check show…
5. ⟳ RESET.
6. Restart the program; if the problem persists, use a backup (section 17.2).

Support and bug reports: [email protected]. Describe what happened, what you tried, the program version (below the logo in the section bar) and the rig. Attach the show file — or send it directly with 🎬 Show → 📤 Send show to the author… — and the overview export (section 17.5). For network issues attach the log files (⚙ Settings → ⚙ Application → 📋 Logging → Open folder).

20.1Show and programming#

Cue

A stored look (intensity, color, position, beam, effects) for the fixtures that were in the programmer. Number = page × 100 + slot (C101). Elsewhere: cue (ChamSys, grandMA), memory, look. See chapter 7.

Sequence

An ordered list of cues played from a fader, with its own chase, HTP/LTP, tracking and effect source settings. Number S101. Elsewhere: sequence / cue list (grandMA), playback (Avolites). See chapter 8.

Palette

A named POS, COL, BEAM or FX value stored per group and fixture; cues keep a reference to it. Elsewhere: palette (ChamSys, Avolites), preset (grandMA, ETC). See chapter 6.

Group

An ordered set of fixtures; may contain sub-groups. ID in the form g-name. See chapter 4.

Programmer

The working buffer on the right; takes precedence over the show, stored with RECORD, emptied with CLEAR. See section 5.1.

Command line (CMD)

Text input of commands in the style of ChamSys MagicQ (1 THRU 10 @ 75). See section 12.5.

Profile

Fixture type definition — channels, types, default and highlight values, ranges, cells. Part of the show. Elsewhere: fixture profile, personality (Avolites, ETC), fixture type (grandMA). See section 3.6.

Swap type

Replaces the profile of selected fixtures while keeping groups and transferring values; resolves address collisions. See section 3.8.

Individual palette value (📌)

A palette value stored for a specific fixture instead of the group. See section 6.8.

Tracking / Cue Only

Sequence mode: cues inherit from previous cues / each cue is a complete state. Per cue ⛔ Block and ① Cue only. See section 8.9.

Virtual dimmer / V-Int

Virtual dimmer: automatic scaling of the color-mixing channels of fixtures without a dimmer. V-Int: a marked channel that is multiplied by the dimmer or carries the brightness. See section 3.13.

Clone (multipatch)

An additional DMX address of a fixture with identical data; does not count towards the fixture limit. See section 3.8.

Park

Locks a fixture's output value; only blackout, Full Blackout and the Grand Master (for intensity) act on it. See section 3.10.

Isolation

Only the programmer reaches the output; the show is suppressed. See section 5.10.

Merge / Replace

Recording into an existing cue: merge with its content / overwrite it. See section 7.2.

Highlight

The selected fixtures light at the profile's Highlight value on the output only; ◄ ► step through the fixtures. Not recorded. See section 4.5.

20.2Output and screens#

U.A address

Address format: 55 = universe 1, channel 55; 2.55 = universe 2, channel 55. See section 3.3.

Universe numbering

Patch universe 1 = Art-Net universe 0 = sACN universe 1 (default mapping). See section 14.2.

HTP / LTP

Highest / Latest Takes Precedence. Sequence intensity is HTP by default; color, position and beam are always LTP; Art-Net input is merged HTP. See section 8.5.

Screen 1–4

A console window with its own section; 1 = main window. A tablet can be one of the screens. See section 16.3.

Layout (Alpha–Delta)

A per-window set of sections that remembers the last section. See section 16.7.

Stream Deck

Elgato key controller connected directly over USB: a home screen with console buttons and a Live page. See section 15.7.

Timecode

Songs consisting of time + command rows; internal clock, audio playback, manual GO, or incoming LTC/MTC (licensed). See chapter 13.

Song

A timecode list of rows with an optional audio recording and default values. See section 13.7.

Playlist

An ordered set of songs — the running order of a performance; a song can be in several playlists. See section 13.7.

Song diagram

Timeline view of a song with the tracks Cue, Sequences, Palettes, Layer 1, Layer 2 and Release. See section 13.9.

20.3Playback and effects#

Fader (playback)

A fader with the number F001… and buttons; holds a cue, a sequence or a special function; arranged in pages. Elsewhere: playback (ChamSys, Avolites), executor (grandMA). See chapter 9.

EXEC

A fader converted into a column of 4–8 buttons with their own content. Elsewhere: button executor. See section 9.8.

Speedmaster

A shared effect tempo (SM 1–5, 20–600 BPM) set by tap, beat detection or a fixed BPM value. See section 10.4.

FX speed / FX size / Global fade

Global effect speed, size and fade controls, three of each. Global fade also sets the fade time of palettes in Live (100 % = 5 s). See section 10.5.

Group intensity

Group submaster; lights an idle group, limits an effect. Elsewhere: group master, submaster. See section 12.4.

Grand Master (GM)

Main intensity; fader in the bottom bar next to the page panel. See section 12.3.

Blackout / FB / DBO / Release / Reset

Intensity off (toggle) / Full Blackout — all intensity off without exception / dark while pressed / stop the show's sources / emergency reset of everything including park. See section 12.2.

Group part

Even, odd or part 1/N–N/N of a group, stored as a rule, not as a list of fixtures. Elsewhere: odd/even, blocks, grouping. See section 4.4.

Spread, wings, parts, split

Phase spread of an effect across the selection; mirroring from the center; the effect running in N parallel parts; division into odd × even or halves. Elsewhere: spread/phase, wings, blocks, groups (MA phasers). See section 10.3.

Pixel mapping

Cell colors read from an image stretched over the cell positions on the Stage Plan grid. See section 10.9.

Preset (Live)

A Live scene prepared off-output and fired with GO. Not BLIND (a programmer preview). See section 11.7.

Swop

Live cell behavior: while pressed only this cell is at full, the rest is dimmed. See section 11.4.

Busking

Playing without a pre-programmed running order, from faders and Live.

Missing a term? Write to [email protected].