Timecode

CuePoints > Settings… > Timecode

Timecode is a clock that machines share. One machine says what time it is; the others follow. This pane is where you send and receive timecode.

There are two halves, and both can be on at once: you can follow someone else's clock and pass it on to a third machine. Each half has one source.

Timecode In: Following Someone Else

Source picks what CuePoints listens to:

• Disabled: CuePoints runs on its own clock. This is the normal setting if nothing else is driving your show.

• LTC Audio Input: timecode arriving as a sound, down an audio cable. The most common way on a live show.

• MIDI Timecode: timecode arriving over MIDI.

• Artnet Timecode: timecode arriving over the network, the way lighting rigs send it.

The rows underneath change to match whatever you pick.

If you chose LTC Audio Input

• Audio input device: the interface the cable is plugged into.

• Audio channel: which socket on that interface (Ch 1, Ch 2, and so on).

Get the channel wrong and nothing happens, so count the sockets on the back before you guess.

If you chose MIDI Timecode

• MIDI input device: the MIDI port the timecode arrives on.

If the sending app is on the same computer, you'll see a note: you must create an IAC Bus in order to share MIDI internally. An IAC Bus is a virtual MIDI cable between apps on the same Mac. Create one in Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup, under Window > Show MIDI Studio, then double-click IAC Driver and tick Device is online. It then shows up in this list.

If you chose Artnet Timecode

• Art-Net stream: which stream to follow.

  • Leave it empty to accept any stream. Start here; it just works.

  • Type a number 0–255 to follow only that one stream. Use this when several things on the network are sending timecode and you must lock to one of them.

Timecode Out: Being The Clock

Protocol picks how CuePoints sends its clock out:

• Disabled: CuePoints doesn't send timecode.

• MIDI Timecode: sent over MIDI.

• Artnet Timecode: sent over the network.

If you chose MIDI Timecode

• MIDI output device: the MIDI port to send down. Same IAC Bus note applies if the receiving app is on this computer.

If you chose Artnet Timecode

• ArtNet TC Network Interface: which network card to send from. This is about your computer, not the far end. If you're on Wi-Fi and a wired show network at the same time, pick the wired one.

• Destination IP: where it goes. Localhost (127.0.0.1) means "another app on this same computer". Otherwise put the address of the machine that needs it.

• Stream: the stream number to send as. The receiving machine has to be listening for the same number.

Sending LTC: It's Not On This Page

LTC out lives on the Audio Output pane, not here.

That's because LTC out is a sound, so it comes out of an audio socket like anything else. Go to Audio Output, find the channel you want it on, and set that channel to LTC.

When It Isn't Working

Nothing is arriving. Check the source isn't set to Disabled: it's the first thing to go wrong and the easiest to miss. Then check the device and channel.

Numbers arrive but they're wrong. That's usually frame rate. The sender and CuePoints have to count at the same rate. See Default frame rate for new tracks on the Tracks pane.

MIDI device isn't listed. If it's another app on the same computer, you need the IAC Bus. If it's real hardware, unplug and replug it, then reopen Settings.

Art-Net arrives but nothing moves. You're probably locked to the wrong stream number. Clear the Art-Net stream box to accept anything, and see if it starts.