Run timecode before the music starts
since v0.7.22A lighting console needs a few seconds of running timecode before it will lock, and writing the first cue is awkward when the song begins on the very first frame. Pre-roll gives you that room: the clock runs, the music stays silent, and the music then arrives exactly on the song's start timecode.
- 1
Switch to the TC GENERATOR tab and set START TC — this is the timecode the music will land on.
- 2
Set the seconds in PRE-ROLL, next to Offset in the transport bar. It is set per song, and the box lights up when it is not zero so you can see at a glance which songs have one.
- 3
Press play. The timecode starts a few seconds before START TC and counts up; the transport shows the countdown; the music comes in on START TC.
Worth knowing
- Cues are unaffected. The music still lands on the timecode you set, so everything you have already programmed — here and on the console — points at the same moment in the song.
- The pre-roll cannot be deeper than the song's own start timecode, because timecode cannot run below zero. If START TC is 00:00:00:00 the box is disabled; set a later start timecode first.
- Dragging the playhead, resuming from pause, or auto-advancing to the next song never re-runs the pre-roll — it only happens when you press play.
Still stuck? Email [email protected] — happy to help you get a show locked.