From patching through programming to running the show on timecode. Almost everything works in the free version too (2 DMX universes, 99 fixtures, 99 cues and 99 sequences); a license adds four universes, removes the limits and unlocks LTC/MTC timecode input (details on the pricing page). Step-by-step procedures are in the guide.
A fader set to Group intensity is the submaster of the selected group. When the group is not playing, the fader brings it up; when a cue or effect runs on it, the fader works as a ceiling — the content keeps going, just at the set level. An over-lit group is corrected with one move, without searching for the playback that lit it.
Group faders in the guide →
On/off (full ↔ zero), Flash with adjustable fade-in and fade-out, and Solo — the group at full, everything else dimmed.
Ignore RELEASE and Ignore Grand Master options. Cues set to ignore group intensity or to be never overridden, and sequences set to ignore the Group intensity fader, are not affected by the submaster.
A fixture in several groups with their own faders follows the lowest level — nested groups (All, Warm) do not overwrite each other.
The fader writes directly to one channel type of all fixtures in the group — a hazer fan or a service channel, for example — without creating a cue.
The fader crossfades the selected palette onto the group: zero = unchanged, full = palette at full. The link to the palette stays, so palette edits apply here too.
The fader, the Group intensity cell in Live and the X‑Touch motorised fader show and control the same value.
REC captures the fader movement and flashes with fade-in and fade-out, e.g. @g-spots/100/3 … @g-spots/0/3. The @group/level/fade command can also be written by hand.
A song can set group levels when loaded, together with Grand Master, Global fade and speedmaster tempo.
Load an MP3 or WAV file into a song, play the show by hand on the console and REC captures everything you do. Then refine the recording in the song diagram — by dragging directly on the timeline.
A song can follow external LTC or MTC from the sound department, or you start it with GO and it runs on the internal clock. Rows without a time wait for the operator's GO, and MANUAL mode steps through rows one at a time — so the show can run automatically with the music while staying under full control.
Timecode in the guide →
MP3 or WAV per song, Timeline or List view. The timeline also works without audio. ⚑ sets the timecode zero at the current position in the recording; rows stay tied to the music.
▶ / ■, ⏸ pause, ● REC, ◀▮ ▮▶ start and end, ⟲ loop, volume, zoom. Space plays, ← → step by frame (Shift by 1 s).
Cues and sequences (start and stop), faders with their movement, EXEC as press and release, group intensities including fades, Grand Master, FX speed, size and fade 1–3, speedmasters, BLACKOUT, palettes and Live cells. Each pass can be undone in one step.
Cue, Sequence, Palette, Layer 1, Layer 2 and Release tracks; level events are split into layers automatically and drawn as colour-coded curves. Drag to move, use the handle for fades, long-press to open settings; the track filter also applies to REC.
A playlist is a set of songs, and one song can belong to several playlists. Playlist selection and ◀ song ▶ sit in the clock header on every page; .tim import and export, .shw import.
Loading a song sets speedmaster tempo, Grand Master, Global fade, FX speed, FX size 1–3 and group levels.
Rows without a time wait for GO, and MANUAL mode executes rows only on GO. “On load” rows prepare colours, positions and tempo before the start.
C112/50/3 cue, S101:3 sequence, F5/50/3 fader, E12++ EXEC, green@g-spots:even palette, GM/80, FXSPEED/50, BLACKOUT and more; several commands per row run simultaneously. Autocomplete offers the content of your show.
External timecode control — LTC (SMPTE) from a sound card, MTC from a DAW; signal indicator in Settings. External timecode input is part of the license; everything else works in the free version.
Touch and compact modes, multi-row selection (checkboxes, Ctrl+click, Shift+click, Ctrl+A), DELETE removes the selection, typing renames a row.
A busking surface with your own layout across multiple pages. Unlock the lock to add and edit cells; lock it and the surface is ready for the show — a long-press then opens nothing and flash buttons can be held as long as needed.
Live in the guide →
Tile sizes S, M and L, move and resize cells by dragging, pages in the submenu (new, order, rename, delete). Block headings are Text cells.
Cue, sequence, palette on a group, palette bank, cue and sequence bank, EXEC, group intensity, Grand Master, speedmaster (tap), FX speed and size, Global fade, Release, Clear, Subselection, Spread direction, Groups.
GO, Momentary, Toggle, Flash and Swop. Shown as a button or a fader (vertical, horizontal). A cue can be recorded straight into an empty cell with RECORD.
Parity (even, odd, halves), spread direction (all at once, from left, from right, from centre, random) and additive colours. A colour set on a group carries over to groups that share fixtures.
Transition time for colour and position: the cell's own fade → the fade stored in the palette → Global fade (0–100 % = 0–5 s).
A two-scene preset: prepare the next scene off output, and GO sends it to the stage.
An overview of what the selected groups hold (colour, position, beam, intensity, FX) and where it comes from, with buttons to release individual sources.
Every screen and tablet has its own Live page with shared cell state. The Stream Deck has an 8 × 4 page edited like any other cells. Actions in Live are captured into timecode by REC.
Physical control without extra software: Elgato Stream Deck directly over USB, Behringer X‑Touch with motorised faders, Novation Launchpad, OSC and a phone or tablet. All controllers work in the free version too; mappings are stored on the computer, not in the show.
Controllers in the guide →
Directly over USB, without the Elgato app. An editable home screen (RECORD, DELETE, MOVE, CMD, POS, COL, BEAM, FX, ALL, Live and more) and an 8 × 4 page in Live stored in the show. Communication runs outside the interface and DMX threads.
Mackie Control mode over USB. Motorised faders 1–8 follow the faders of the active page, MAIN is the Grand Master, displays show the fader name and the next cue in the cue's colour. Custom mapping of buttons, encoders and pedal. The Compact model is detected automatically.
An 8 × 8 RGB pad matrix for GO, flash, BLACKOUT, tap tempo, cues and sequences. Assign a pad by learning (press the pad); colour and ON/OFF or FLASH mode are set separately.
A browser remote via QR code with a PIN: position (XY pad), beam, palettes, faders and Live. Focus heads from the stage. A tablet can serve as another screen of the desk.
OSC over UDP from QLab, Bitfocus Companion, TouchOSC and other software: fader GO, level and flash, Grand Master, BLACKOUT, TAP, RELEASE, cues and text commands in timecode syntax.
| Elgato Stream Deck | XL, Module 32, MK.2, Module 15, Mini, Module 6 (the first generation is not supported) |
|---|---|
| Motorised faders | Behringer X‑Touch, X‑Touch Compact (Mackie Control) |
| Pad matrix | Novation Launchpad Mini MK3 |
| Remote control | Phone and tablet in a browser (same network), OSC over UDP |
| DMX output | Art-Net, sACN (E1.31), USB interfaces using the Enttec DMX USB Pro protocol |
| DMX input | Art-Net — HTP merge with your own output |
| RDM | Art-Net nodes with RDM support |
| Timecode | LTC from an audio input, MTC from a MIDI input (licensed) |
| Audio | Microphone or line input for beat detection |
Every fixture needs a profile — a description of its modes, channels and ranges. Search by manufacturer or model directly in the app and download from the Open Fixture Library. A manufacturer's GDTF file imports with channels, default values and gobo images; the importer also accepts MA XML, R20, D4 and QLC+ formats.
For a fixture without a ready-made profile, build one in the editor from the DMX channel chart in its manual: dimmer, colour mixing, pan/tilt, gobo, zoom and other attributes. The profile stays in the library for future shows. Importing .fix files adds a virtual dimmer (V-Int) to fixtures without one.
Different fixtures arrived than the rider specified? Swap type… replaces the profile of the selected fixtures, keeps their groups and transfers programmed values. Address conflicts are resolved by recalculating, readdressing or packing addresses.
A four-step wizard brings over fixtures with their patch and conflict resolution, profiles, groups, selected palettes, cues, sequences, faders and EXEC, Live, timecode and speedmasters from another file. Import in Profiles also accepts a show file and takes only its profiles.
Through an Art-Net node with RDM support the program discovers connected fixtures, shows their type and address, identifies a fixture and changes its DMX address directly from the computer.
Name groups after the rig — Front wash, Spots, Blinders. Cues, effects and palettes are stored on the group, so a fixture added later joins everything that is already programmed.
Click to select a whole group, Ctrl+click to add or remove individual fixtures. Odd, even or half of a row is one button; the division is recalculated when the group grows. Groups can be nested — Heads can contain Spots and Washes.
Store a colour, head positions or gobo and zoom settings as a palette with a clear name — Amber, Vocal, Drums, Narrow beam. Looks are then built from palettes, both when programming and when busking.
A cue does not store fixed values but a reference to the palette. Adjust the Vocal position in another venue and the change applies to every cue that uses it, without editing individual cues.
The palette bank is a Live cell with groups and colour, position or beam palettes, designed for fast group → palette → group → palette changes. It offers only the checked groups and palettes; new palettes appear in it automatically.
Movement effects (circle, figure 8, fan, wave, pendulum, Rise, Fall, Random), intensity chases, sparkle, pulses and strobe, colour effects, palette cycling and pixel effects based on the stage plan. New: Shiver, Swoop, Lightning and Fire. Movement is always relative to the current position; movement effects fade in smoothly from the current position and fade out smoothly when stopped.
Effect speed is set in BPM — 80 BPM by default, 20 BPM for movement effects. Tempo can be driven by up to five speedmasters (20–600 BPM) with tap tempo from the app or a controller, or by beat detection from a microphone or line input. Effect speed, size and fade can be put on faders.
Lit at once as a percentage or a count (“3 of 8”), layout (direction, By, Wings, Parts, Split), continuous waveforms Sine, Ramp up, Ramp down and Square with wave width and a Single wave option, and options for multi-cell fixtures. Parameter changes apply smoothly while running. The editor is also available directly in the cue settings (FX tab).
A look built in the programmer is stored with RECORD as a cue — with every value in the programmer, including colours, positions and running effects. Assign the cue to a fader or EXEC; the fader position sets its intensity.
Several cues in a row form a sequence, stepped through with GO. When you record a second cue onto a fader, the program offers to create a sequence. A sequence can also loop on its own as a chase; both Cue Only and Tracking modes are available.
Intensity from several playbacks on the same fixture follows HTP (highest value wins); colour, position and beam follow LTP (latest wins). Playbacks can be layered safely; RELEASE returns the desk to its default state.
Each cue has its own fade and delay, set separately for intensity, colour, position and beam: intensity fades in over one second while heads move for five. A cue with follow triggers the next one when it completes.
BLACKOUT takes the output dark instantly and restores the previous state when released. FB — Full Blackout takes every intensity to zero without exception, including fixtures exempt from the Grand Master. RELEASE stops playbacks; marked sequences (hazer, work light) keep running. The desk lock prevents unintended changes.
DMX over the network via Art-Net or sACN (E1.31), or by cable through a USB DMX interface using the Enttec DMX USB Pro protocol. The free version outputs 2 universes (1,024 channels), the Premium license 4 universes (2,048 channels); a USB interface with a single line outputs one universe. The ● OUT indicator always shows output status and node availability.
Output is calculated separately from the user interface, at higher priority. DMX timing stays stable while working in editors, switching screens or running a large show.
Data can be sent to a visualiser (Capture, Depence and others) so the show can be programmed without the rig. The visualiser can run alongside the live output.
The desk receives DMX from another console and merges it with its own output — as a backup or to add lighting alongside a house desk. When the other desk stops sending, the merge drops out automatically.
Each monitor shows a different section: faders and programmer, stage plan, Live. Configuration is a single table — one row per screen with monitor, scale and panels. RECORD, DELETE and MOVE act in the window you are working in. Windows remember their monitor and return to it when it is reconnected. A tablet over Wi‑Fi can serve as another screen.
At 1024×768 the program switches to a compact layout: narrower columns, lower buttons, section names retained. Fixture details, the profile editor or group contents open in the panel with a Back button. The maximum size of the main window can be limited.
Arrange fixtures on a grid that matches the real stage. LED bars and matrices take one square per cell, so the plan doubles as a pixel map for effects. Move fixtures by dragging and rotate a selection by 90°.
Large buttons, no right mouse button. Tap to select, long-press (1 s) to open the settings of a cue, fader, cell or fixture. Section actions are visually distinct from the submenu. The same rule applies throughout the program.
Every change is saved continuously with a backup; the last twenty are kept. If a file is damaged, the program loads the last working version at startup. Undo goes back dozens of steps and the history depth is configurable.
The whole show, including fixture profiles, lives in one file. A copy of that file on a second laptop is a backup desk. Keep separate shows for different bands and venues.
The interface scale is set per screen, so the desk stays clear on a laptop and on a large monitor alike.
English and Czech; another language can be added with your own dictionary. Updates install from within the app — show data is never overwritten.
The free version requires no registration and has no time limit.
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