Live Events & Concerts

This guide covers a typical live music or festival workflow: multi-screen output, beat-synced visuals, and real-time cue triggering by an operator.

Walkthrough

☰ menu → Walkthroughs → Getting started → Show day — from loading the file to on air loads the show, lets Check Project read every file, labels the projectors, switches to show mode and goes.

Typical Setup

Phase 1 — Pre-Production (Days/Weeks Before Show)

1.1 Gather and Transcode Media

Convert all video assets to HAP Q (for 4K) or HAP (for 1080p) for best performance:

# Using FFmpeg
ffmpeg -i input.mov -c:v hap -format hap_q -chunks 8 -c:a copy output.mov

Keep width and height multiples of 4 and use several chunks (-chunks 8), or use Exaplay's own encoder (right-click the file in the Media Browser → Encode → HAP Q (best quality)), which does both. See Encoding HAP.

Organise media into clearly named folders:

media/
├── backgrounds/
├── artists/
├── transitions/
└── branding/

1.2 Set Up Output Screens

1. Open the STAGE tab and add one screen per surface (the + after the last screen card).
2. Open each screen (the arrow under its card) and drag the outputs of its projectors or LED processors onto it. Connected monitors are detected by themselves — see Output Setup.
3. Verify the resolution on each output box matches the display.
4. If using VIOSO, load the .vwf calibration files.

1.3 Build Compositions

Create a composition for each screen. A typical concert might have:

• MAIN — full-stage content; 3–4 layers (background loop, artist video, overlay/logo, spare)
• LED_LEFT and LED_RIGHT — flanking screens with complementary or mirrored content
• FLOOR — floor projection (if applicable)

1.4 Import Media and Build the Timeline

For each song or show segment:

1. Drag the background loop to Track 1 (loop enabled).
2. Drag the artist-specific content to Track 2.
3. Drag the transition/sting to Track 3 (or add it as a crossfade).
4. Create a cue on the Timeline's cue line (double-click it):
   • Name: Song title (e.g. "Set 1 — Song 3")
   • Action type: Jump to time or Jump to Cue — or Play with Composition set to another composition (plus Stop others) when each song is its own composition
   • Hotkey (in the cue's Control Panel section): F1–F12 for quick keyboard access

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Phase 2 — Day of Show (Venue Setup)

2.1 Load the Show

exaplay3.exe -f "C:\Shows\Festival2026\main.vpp" -ui

Or double-click the .vpp file (it's registered with Windows).

2.2 Verify Outputs

1. In the STAGE header, press Identify (every output labels itself on the wall with its name and resolution) and Outlines (every screen's and field's box). For a test image, use the Pattern select of a screen's Projection Setup editor (e.g. Grid + circles) to confirm signal, resolution and alignment.
2. Switch Identify and Outlines off and set every Pattern back to Show content before doors open.

2.3 Calibrate Projectors (if applicable)

If using projection mapping:

1. Open the STAGE tab to verify projector placement.
2. For each screen, open Warping → Manual Warping → Open editor in the screen's inspector and fine-tune the control points on the actual surface.
3. If projectors overlap, load the VIOSO calibration (.vwf) on the screen — it carries the edge blend.

2.4 Soundcheck

1. Start Exaplay playback on a test loop.
2. Confirm audio is routing correctly to the PA system.
3. If using LTC sync, open Control → Monitor → Timecode and verify the IN card shows receiving and locked.

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Phase 3 — Show Operation

During the Show

The Operator Control View (/control) is the primary interface during performance:

• The operator uses Next cue / Previous cue on the composition's row to step through cues, or clicks a cue's button to fire it directly.
• F1–F12 (if Hotkeys are assigned) let the operator fire cues without looking at the screen.
• Control → Monitor gives an at-a-glance check of the engine, timecode and network traffic.

Emergency Procedures

Situation	Action
Wrong cue fired	Press Previous cue, or click the correct cue's button in the Control view
Blank output	Check the Diagnostics Panel for errors; press Stop, then Play to restart
Audio dropout	Check volume fader; verify ASIO buffer is not overrunning
System freeze	Only with Watchdog Restart switched on (Menu → Auto-Heal & Watchdog; off by default) does the service restart Exaplay after it detects the hang — about 30 s without a heartbeat, 60 s with a frozen picture — and Auto-Heal then resumes playback. Switch it on before the show

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Phase 4 — After the Show

1. Press Stop to clear all outputs.
2. Save the project (Ctrl+S) with any last-minute changes.
3. Use Export Project to create a portable archive.
4. Review the engine log (Documents\Exaplay3\logs\) for any errors to investigate.