Cue Playback Software

[mbenonis]

Since this seems to be a recurring topic for discussion, I'd like to make a sticky thread in this forum to describe the various applications out there for sound cue playback. Please post a short description of a cue playback program if you are familiar with it, as well as requirements (platform, interfaces, etc) so that folks unfamiliar with the options available can decide what program(s) best fits their needs.

I'll start:

QLab (Mac Only)
http://www.figure53.com/
Free; Advanced licenses available (>8 channel playback; MIDI; Video)
QLab is a Mac-based cue playback system that can play back audio files, video files, MIDI cues, and many other things. It features the ability to use up to 8 channels of output in the free version, as well as advanced cueing features. There is a large user base for QLab, and an active mailing list dedicated to user support.

[00AVD]

MultiPlay (Windows Only)
http://www.audiovisualdevices.com.au...lay/index.html
Freeware. Feature requests and bug reports welcomed.
MultiPlay is a Windows based audio cue player that supports wav, mp3, wmv and other audio files. Cues can also contain a list of audio files to play sequentially for pre-show, intermission, etc. It can also send strings to (and be triggered from) the serial port. Each audio cue can be assigned to one of 4 audio groups. Each group can be assigned any one of the available stereo audio cards. A preview function can be routed to a 5th stereo output. Cues can be linked in various ways to play at the same time or after each other, etc as well as stop/fade other cues. Cue lists can be named, saved, loaded, printed and exported.

[Raktor]

Sound Cue System - Windows based cueing system. Supports Vista, XP, 2000 and NT. 256MB RAM recommended. Good soundcard recommended for better performance - but not requried. It comes in many different packages.
Sound Cue System Lite (Windows Only)
http://www.soundcuesystem.com/
$57USD
Sound Cue System Lite's features are:

• Build and save a list of Audio File Cues
• Assign the required level (volume) and pan for each cue
• Loop audio file cues
• Include Stop/Fade-Out Cues to terminate or fade-out cues when required
• Play several audio files simultaneously
• Set up Hot keys to play selected audio file cues at any time
• Start cues by a mouse right-click or by clicking a 'Go' button on the screen. You can, for example, step through the cues for a show using a simple right-click on the mouse.

Sound Cue System Standard (Windows Only)
http://www.soundcuesystem.com/
$95USD
Sound Cue System Standard's features include everything in SCS Lite, plus:

• Play List Cues for your pre-show and intermission music
• Support up to two sound cards or channel pairs on a multi-channel card
• Set start-at and end-at times within an audio file (so you can play just part of an audio file)
• Level Change Cues enable you to automatically adjust another cue's level and/or pan over a specified time
• Set up cues to auto-start at a time relative to the start or end of another cue.
• Time-Based cues, triggered to start at a specified time of day - useful for unattended pre-show announcements.

Sound Cue Professional (Windows Only)
http://www.soundcuesystem.com/
$144USD
Sound Cue System Professional's features include everything in SCS Standard, plus:

• Support for up to 8 sound cards or channels on a multi-channel card
• MIDI control of cues using one of several methods including a subset of the MIDI Show Control (MSC) standard
• RS232 control of cues
• MIDI Send Cues that enable you to send control messages to an external device, such as for scene changes on a lighting board or a sound desk.

Sound Cue System Professional Plus (Windows Only)
http://www.soundcuesystem.com/
$184USD
Sound Cue System Professional Plus's features include everything in SCS Professional, plus:

• Support for up to 16 sound cards or channels on a multi-channel card
• Support for up to 8 output devices per audio file cue or sub-cue.

[dbaxter]

Cue Player Premium (Windows Only)
http://www.baxeldata.com/cueplayerprem.html
$49 USD
There is a family of Cue Player software, including a free version. to accommodate the needs of various sized venues. The primary product is the Premium version which allows for any number of simultaneous playing sounds, multiple sound cards, timed fades, equalizer and reverb by cue, automatic panning or fading from front to rear in a 5.1 system, among other features. References to some of the theaters where it is used are on the web site.
An add-on for $100 is available that integrates control of video projections via a second video card or a Tascam DVD player. A slave computer can be controlled if there are two projectors.

[OnTheRock]

SFX™ Standard (Windows Only)
http://www.stageresearch.com/products/SFXStandard.aspx
$495 USD
SFX™ Standard is the choice for smaller, cost-conscious theatres and venues. Yet it doesn�t skimp on the features and benefits for your productions. The Standard version will play WAVE files, MIDI Commands and Sequences, and CD tracks. In addition, the volume can be adjusted on each audio cue by using the built-in FADE effect. Cues can also be linked using the WAIT and AUTOFOLLOW commands.
There are other versions as well.
This is what we use at BMDS for sound cue maintenance.

[BNBSound]

iTunes (Windows or Mac)
http://www.apple.com/itunes
$FREE
It's free and it's easy. If you've got a noob running sound cues it's hard to beat. Importing sound files of any type is a snap and the interface is easy to learn for the few that aren't familiar already. If the computer's got other things to do, the interface can be minimized to just the playback controls.

[kwotipka]

Alphabet Soup Mac Only
http://www.ozmusiccode.com/alphabetsoup/
The folks across the hall the other day were using this for their sound cue playbacks. (VOG, walkup music, etc). I d/l'ed it and the interface is almost too simple. Maps sounds to various keys. Supports multiple sounds playing at once.
Give it a look.
kw

[derekleffew]

Originally Posted by kwotipka

... I d/l'ed it and the interface is almost too simple. Maps sounds to various keys. Supports multiple sounds playing at once.
Give it a look.
kw

A poor (or frugal) man's 360 Systems Instant Replay? Do theatres use those?

And, as seems pertinent to this topic, because the signal from whatever the playback software on the personal computer still has to pass through a mixer on it's way to the amps/speakers, you need...


...a 3.5mm Stereo Minijack to dual RCA cable and a Whirlwind PCDI. More information in this thread.

[kwotipka]

First, get an external sound card. If you are using a laptop, the noise that is generated within the unit is horrible. I have seen a Beringer external USB sound card (RCA Line level in and out appx. USD $30) in use without a DI or any other ground lift methods and it worked and sounded way better then the high imped. output of the headphone jack. Plus all of the extra "computer related" noise was not there.

http://www.behringer.com/UCA202/

Personally, by the time you make the cable and buy a decent DI you could most likely pick up something like the MAudio 410 on ebay.

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_u...e410-main.html

We use the 360 a lot. It is very frustrating that the thing can't be hooked up to a computer like an external HD. That way you can transfer audio files directly into it. We never have the same one twice in a row. Every show we have to reload all of the sounds into it. It has an AES input but everything is freaking real time. Most people I have seen are switching away from these in favor of a computer based solution.

kw

[roxytech]

Sports Sounds Pro...its what we use at our theatre.
Its really simple to use, just google it.
it is free to do up to 60 sound cues