Audio Output

Audio output is where your sound comes out. CuePoints can play through up to three audio devices at once, and you say exactly what each socket on each device carries: the track's left side, its right side, a mono mix, timecode, or nothing.

Everything about it is two steps. Pick a device. Tell each of its channels what to play. The controls are under Settings.

The Normal Setup

Channel 1 set to Track Audio Left, Channel 2 set to Track Audio Right. That's stereo out of the first two sockets, and it's all most people need.

A Show Setup

On a bigger rig you might do:

• Channel 1, Track Audio Left

• Channel 2, Track Audio Right

• Channel 3, LTC (into the lighting desk)

• Channel 4, Track Audio Mono (a mono feed to the stage manager's speaker)

• Everything else, Mute

Anything you don't use should be Mute. It stops sound appearing somewhere you didn't expect.

Sending Timecode

LTC is timecode as a sound, so it leaves through an audio socket like everything else. Set the channel you want it on to LTC. That's the whole job; there is no timecode control anywhere else for LTC out.

This is why people run a multi-channel interface. A four-channel box gets you a stereo mix for in-ears or speakers and two separate timecode feeds. And because routing is per channel, two people can set the same show up differently: the designer sends only track audio to their headphones, while the programmer sends LTC down channels 3 and 4 to the desk.

Timecode over MIDI or the network is a different thing; see Timecode.

Using More Than One Device

Three slots means three devices at once. Sending track audio out of an interface while sending LTC out of the headphone socket is two slots, both switched on.

If you need channels from two interfaces treated as one device, more channels than any single box gives you, build an Aggregate Device:

1. Open Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup.

2. Create a new Aggregate Device.

3. Tick the outputs you want. The order you add them decides the channel numbering.

4. Give it a name.

5. Back in CuePoints, choose it as the device for a slot and route its channels.

A Note For Focusrite Users

Use Focusrite Control to route Outputs 1–4 directly to Playback 1–4.

Out of the box, Focusrite interfaces pair outputs into stereo pairs and do some routing inside the box that CuePoints cannot see. The result is timecode appearing on channels you didn't send it to. Setting the outputs one-to-one makes what you see in CuePoints match what comes out of the sockets.

Settings

CuePoints > Settings… > Audio Output, or Cmd+Shift+, to open this pane directly

The Three Device Slots

Across the top are three chips, one per device. Each chip does two separate jobs, and this trips people up:

• Click the body of the chip to select it. The list below changes to show that device's channels.

• Click the toggle band to turn that device on or off.

They're separate on purpose: it's completely normal to set up a device's routing before you switch it on.

Each chip also shows how it's doing:

• Connected · 8 output channels: the device is plugged in and working.

• Not connected · last seen with 8 channels: CuePoints remembers this device but can't find it right now. Your routing is safe; plug the device back in and it comes straight back.

• No device: nothing chosen for this slot yet.

Selected Device

With a slot selected, the Device dropdown under SELECTED DEVICE lists everything your computer can play sound through: built-in speakers, headphones, USB interfaces, whatever's plugged in.

Pick one and the channel rows below rebuild to match. A pair of headphones gives you 2 rows; a big interface can give you 64. The pane gets taller and scrolls.

Channel Rows

One row per channel, Channel 1, Channel 2, and so on. Channel numbers match the sockets on the back of your interface. Each row is set to one of five things:

• Mute: nothing comes out of this socket.

• Track Audio Left: the left side of your track's sound.

• Track Audio Right: the right side.

• Track Audio Mono: both sides mixed together into one. Use this for a single speaker or a mono feed.

• LTC: timecode, as an audio signal, for a lighting desk or another machine that listens for timecode.

When It Isn't Working

No sound at all. Check the chip's toggle is on, and check at least one channel is set to something other than Mute. A device can be selected, routed, and still switched off.

"Device already in use." Another app has grabbed the interface exclusively. Quit it, or set it to share, then come back.

LTC comes out of the wrong socket, or in your speakers. LTC is a harsh buzzing noise and it's very obvious. Find the channel set to LTC and check its number matches the socket you meant. On a Focusrite, see the note above.

You unplugged the interface mid-show. The slot goes to Not connected but keeps your routing. Plug it back in and it picks up where it was; you don't have to set it up again.