Setlists & Cues

Creating & Managing Setlists

Setlists let you organise your cues into ordered lists for each gig, rehearsal, or event. You can create setlists on iPhone, iPad, or Mac. On Mac, you can also use Studio to author setlists visually on a timeline. See Studio Overview.

1. Tap + on the home screen to create a new setlist.
2. Enter a name for your setlist.
3. Optionally assign a default image that displays on external screens between cues.
4. Add cues using the + button. You have several options:
   • From Files: pick audio or video from the Files app (AirDrop, USB drives, cloud storage, etc.)
   • From Photo Reel: select videos directly from your camera roll
   • From Cloud: import from cloud storage (for v1 migration users)
   • Action Cue: create a cue with no media (for DMX, images, or MIDI-only triggers)
   • Marker: add a coloured placeholder to mark intervals, breaks, speeches, or other notes in your running order

Files are copied to your device's local storage and are immediately available to play. No uploads, no waiting. To get the same show onto another device, use Show Transfer. See Adding Media Files for more detail.

To delete a setlist, swipe left on it in the setlist list. To rename, tap the setlist name at the top of the setlist view.

Cue Settings & Configuration

Tap any cue to open the Edit Cue view. Here you can configure:

• Cue Name: Edit the display name shown on the player screen.
• Visual Media: Attach an image or video to display on the external screen during playback. You can pick from your Photos or the Files app.
• Video Delay: Offset the visual media start by a precise number of seconds (0–30s) to sync video with audio.
• In Point: Set where playback starts (skip intros, count-ins, etc.).
• Out Point: Set where playback ends (cut before silence or applause).
• Fade Out Duration: How long the cue fades when it reaches the out point.
• Looping: Toggle to loop the cue continuously.
• Auto-Advance: Automatically advance to the next cue when this cue finishes.
• MIDI Output: Send a MIDI note on a specific channel when this cue fires.
• Lighting Scene & Movement Pattern: Trigger a qDMX scene (and optional movement pattern) when this cue fires.
• Mute from Stereo Mix: On multichannel cues, exclude individual channels from the Stereo Fallback downmix (e.g. click, talkback, in-ear-only material).
• Lyrics: Paste plain text or import an LRC file for time-synced scrolling during playback.
• Colour: Assign a colour for visual organisation in the setlist view.

All changes, including attaching, changing, or removing visual media, are staged as a preview. Nothing is saved until you tap Save. The Save button turns blue when you have unsaved changes, so you always know if there's something to save before leaving. If you go back without saving, all changes are discarded.

Reordering Cues

In the setlist view, tap Edit (or long-press a cue) to enter reorder mode. Drag cues up and down to set your running order.

Setting In & Out Points

In and out points let you trim playback without modifying the original file.

1. Open the Edit Cue view by tapping a cue.
2. In the Cue Points section, tap the In Point or Out Point field.
3. Type a time in m:ss format (e.g. 1:30 for 1 minute 30 seconds) or plain seconds (e.g. 90).
4. Press Return to confirm. The value is clamped to stay within the cue's duration.

The Fade Out field sets the fade duration in seconds (e.g. 3.0). Values range from 0 to 10 seconds.

Fade Timing & Crossfades

Each cue has a fade-out duration that controls how it transitions when reaching the out point or when you manually advance to the next cue.

The default fade-out is 3 seconds. Set it to 0 for a hard stop, or increase it for smoother transitions between songs.

Auto-Advance

When Auto-Advance is enabled on a cue, qPlayer automatically moves to the next cue when the cue finishes playing. This lets you chain multiple cues together for hands-free playback.

1. Open the Edit Cue view by tapping a cue.
2. Toggle Auto-Advance on.
3. When this cue reaches its out point, the next cue will fire automatically.

MIDI Output Per Cue

Each cue can send a MIDI Note On message when it fires. Use this to trigger external gear like lighting desks, click track software, or DAWs.

1. Open the Edit Cue view.
2. Scroll to the MIDI section.
3. Set the MIDI Note number (0–127) and MIDI Channel (1–16).
4. When this cue fires, qPlayer sends the configured note to all connected MIDI outputs.

Lyrics Teleprompter

Never forget a lyric on stage. The lyrics teleprompter displays your lyrics on your device during playback while the audience sees your visuals on the external display. For more advanced prompting with timed scroll control, see the Studio Prompt Lane.

Adding Lyrics to a Cue

1. Open the Edit Cue view by tapping a cue.
2. Scroll to the Lyrics section.
3. Paste plain text lyrics, or import an LRC file for time-synced scrolling.
4. Tap Save.

Viewing Lyrics During Playback

1. In the player view, tap the lyrics icon in the top-right toolbar.
2. Lyrics appear in a scrollable view above the cue list.
3. Lyrics are shown when a cue is armed (next up) as well as when it's playing, so you can prepare ahead.
4. Tap the icon again to switch back to the confidence monitor.

Action Cues & Markers

qPlayer supports two types of non-audio cues that help you build a complete show running order:

Action Cues

Action cues have no audio file. They fire instantly when triggered and can be used to:

• Trigger a DMX lighting scene (e.g. a walk-in look or scene change)
• Display an image on the external screen (e.g. sponsor graphics)
• Send a MIDI note to external gear
• Any combination of the above

1. In the setlist edit view, tap + and choose Action Cue.
2. The cue appears in your setlist with no audio file attached.
3. Tap the cue to open the Edit Cue view and assign a DMX scene, image, or MIDI output.

Markers

Markers are coloured placeholders in your setlist. They help operators see at a glance where intervals, breaks, speeches, or other non-playback moments fall in the running order.

• Markers have a name (e.g. "Interval", "Speech", "Doors Open") and a colour for easy identification.
• When the player reaches a marker, it displays the marker name and waits for the next GO press.
• Markers don't play audio, trigger DMX, or send MIDI. They're purely visual.

1. In the setlist edit view, tap + and choose Marker.
2. Tap the marker to open the Edit Marker view.
3. Set a descriptive name and choose a colour from the palette.

Assigning DMX Scenes to Cues

With qDMX (Pro tier), you can assign a lighting scene to each cue. When that cue plays, qPlayer automatically crossfades to the assigned scene.

1. Open the Edit Cue view.
2. Scroll to the Lighting section.
3. Select a scene from your saved scenes. You can also assign a movement pattern.
4. When the cue plays, lighting will crossfade using the scene's configured fade-in duration.

You can also set a Preset Scene on the setlist itself. This acts as the "home" lighting state that returns between cues.