A/V playback software with minor editing features

[mixmaster]

One of our campus groups just finished their annual fashion show, and while it went better this year than in the past, music/video playback still needs some work. This year we only had music from 3 sources, plus video and still photo projection. Primary music was from laptop 1 running windows media player. That music origanlaly came from multiple sources and has the wide varietaions that you might expect. Secondary music was from laptop 2. This was a dedicated laptop for internet use. We have a number of student groups on campus who prefer to perform to music from youtube and the DJ for this event used the second laptop specifically for that to elimante having to switch back and forth between WMP and Firefox. A third laptop ran video (with audio) for the main screen, and a fourth laptop ran a powerpoint showing still photos on a secondary screen. Thank goodness the group provided their own DJ to keep everything straight, but there has got to be a better way. So I need a peice of software that:

1) is windows based,
2) I can record all my songs into and level all their volumes,
3) I can build a playlist that includes both songs and videos,
4) Allows for fading songs out insteead of just chopping them off,
5) I can advance to the next item on the playlist with a simple button press or I can rearrange the playlist on the fly if we need to skip a scene that the performers aren't ready for. Simple operation is key here.

I need something like this,
Import material before the show, plug in a stereo audio send to the house and a VGA to the projector.
1st cue is song 1
second cue, song 2
third cue, video a
fourth cue, step through photos 1-10 while playing song 3
fifth cue, back to another song.


It would be VERY helpful if the software could import files from Youtube or other internet resources, but that's not a deal breaker.

I've seen some DJ software that would handle most of the audio requirements, but they haven't had the video integration that I need. Same for sound cue playback software. Powerpoint could integrate my video/photo needs with basic audio clips, but lacks the audio editing capabilities that I want. Ultimately I guess I'm looking for a combination of the two, in a clean, easy-to-use interface. This being for a school, budget will eventually have it's say in things, but I'm looking for ideas right now.

Thanks all
Matt

[SweetBennyFenton]

Well, my favorite Cuing software is called Q-lab. It does everything you want except one thing... run on Windows.

It's a Mac only application, but is also free and can run video as well if you pay a bit for an upgrade.

If you have access to a Mac... I would highly suggest it.

[epimetheus]

SongShowPlus does what you're looking for. It's designed for churches, but it will certainly work in your situation as well. Not sure how much, if any, you were looking to spend though.

[mixmaster]

Originally Posted by SweetBennyFenton

Well, my favorite Cuing software is called Q-lab. It does everything you want except one thing... run on Windows.

It's a Mac only application, but is also free and can run video as well if you pay a bit for an upgrade.

If you have access to a Mac... I would highly suggest it.

Thanks for the idea but I'm pretty much stuck with PC stuff here.

[mixmaster]

Originally Posted by epimetheus

SongShowPlus does what you're looking for. It's designed for churches, but it will certainly work in your situation as well. Not sure how much, if any, you were looking to spend though.

Looks like a capable program. Next step is pitching it to the bean counters in the budget dept. The price is reasonable by my judgement but with the econmy in the tank, my opinion isn't the only one that matters anymore. I wonder if there is a free demo I can use to pitch this.

[dbaxter]

Cue Player Premium will play the cues as you outlined. It can fade the videos or stills in and out as well as the same for sound. It does not have any editing abilities, however.

[NickJones]

Check out the Collaborative Article named "Presentation Software" could help.

[beny23]

Have a look at Sound Cue Systems. You can build a cue list with audio, video and stills. No support for video fading but the developer says they are working on it. I started using it this year for mixed media live shows and it worked great.

[listerofsmeg]

Sound Cue Systems is the best program for what you are looking for. It now supports videos with Version 10 and runs on Windows. You can create cue lists with audio and/or video. It isn't that pricey even.

Sound Cue System for theatre sound effects and music cues

[IndigoFire]

Not a professional product. But Winamp is free, simple, and has by far the best media library and playlisting i've come across. With a second monitor, you can even have it running video and visualizations with transitions.
Also has a built in 10 band graphics EQ and options to add a graphical parametric EQ (xEQ).