ShowTime 1.0 - Show management software for FS

[Pidea]

WHAT IS IT ?

ShowTime is an free add-on to FreeStyler which allows someone with absolutely no lighting experience to put on a high quality lighting show. Like FreeStyler it runs on Microsoft Windows and can be controlled by mouse, touchscreen or a MIDI input device. You can also trigger WAV files (maybe mp3's in a future release) so it could be used by bands (large and small) as well as individual entertainers singing along to backing tracks.

LATEST VERSION

Version 1.0 Released May 3, 2013: Download here

ShowTime is currently in Beta which means that you will find some bugs. Known issues are listed at the end of this post. Not currently recommended for running a live show !


FEATURES

• Lighting sequences built around songs
  Songs are stored in a song library
  Songs from the song library can be added to one or more set lists
  Multiple FreeStyler sequences can be run in parallel allowing lighting sequences to built from other sequences
  WAV files can be included to play song intros, backing tracks or samples
  Songs can be previewed whilst building the sequences
  Automatically checks that all song, sequence and WAV files are present when starting a show
  Song and set list information stored in open XML files for easy transfer between computers
  Entire show can be run from a few mouse clicks
  Show can be controlled from on-stage via MIDI control
  Songs and set lists can be edited without FreeStyler running
  Comprehensive manual in the \manual folder when installed

REQUIREMENTS

• Windows 7 / 8 (not tested on Windows XP - would be grateful if someone could test it)
  FreeStyler (latest version highly recommended)
  1 free USB port (for USB-DMX dongle)
  1 free USB port (for MIDI input if used)

INSTALLATION

Download the RAR file above and expand it to the root of your C: drive. It will create the necessary sub-folders for you. Double-click ShowTime.exe to run it. When installed the manual folder contains detailed instructions on how to use it.

NOTE: the revised version will have a proper installer, the current version is just a beta version for testing.

HOW IT WORKS

By breaking songs down into segments (intro, verse, chorus and solo etc) and associating one or more FreeStyler sequences with each of these, light shows for entire songs can be built quickly and easily. ShowTime can run more than one FreeStyler sequence at a time as well as looping and/or reversing them so a small library of sequences can be quickly built up in a diverse set of light shows.



But ShowTime can do more than that. Audio files (WAV files) can also be dropped into song sequences so that samples and sound effects (or even entire backing tracks) can be added to your shows as well and triggered in exactly the same way as the lighting sequences.

Once the lighting sequence for a song has been created the song is stored in the song library and these songs can be added to one or more setlists.



To run a show you simply load the appropriate set list, click on 'Start Show' and trigger the first sequence. At the appropriate time the next sequence is triggered and so on throughout the show.



The triggering of sequences can be carried out by a friend of the band sitting to the side of the stage or by a band member themselves since ShowTime supports MIDI input. ShowTime commands can be associated with any MIDI note values and these can be sent by any device that sends MIDI notes to allow hands free operation.




KNOWN ISSUES AND BUGS

No confirmation request when deleting a song or setlist (however they go to recycle bin)
Clicking on song list (but not on any song) loads first song
After deleting setlist, closing form warns that changes won't be saved
If two or more MIDI devices are present in system, ShowTime won't respond to MIDI signals


FOR HELP AND SUPPORT

I'm fairly confident that there aren't any major bugs in ShowTime but if you find any please use this thread to report them. It's also where you can download the latest version from.

Alternatively if there's a feature that you'd like to see added to ShowTime, this thread is also the place to post them. I can't guarantee to add all requested features but I will try.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A massive thanks go to Raph for creating FreeStyler and to Mattotone for his help in getting Visual Basic to talk to FreeStyler. Without them, ShowTime wouldn't exist.

[Pidea]

FAQ's

Based on questions asked by user.

Why do I get a Windows security warning when I start ShowTime ?

Microsoft tried to make things more secure in Windows 7 & 8 and introduced something called User Account Control (UAC). It was designed to stop people running potentially malicious software when logged in as a user who has administrative permissions.

At the moment ShowTime partly complies with the requirements of UAC - not because it's malicious - but because it's a PITA to get it fully complient. As the current version is a beta version, this will be addressed later. At the moment I'm more concerned with making the program as stable and dependable as possible so that it can used to run shows reliably.

The security warning will be fixed in a later release.

Is ShowTime safe to install ?

Absolutely, it's 100% safe. It doesn't do anything to your existing FreeStyler files other than read them. They are not written to in anyway.

Can I copy the song files and setlists from one computer to another ?

Yes, the song files can be found in the C:\ShowTime\Songs folder. There is one file per song. The setlists can be found in the C:\ShowTime\Setlists folder. Again, there is one setlist per setlist file. These can be copied from one computer to another, just ensure that if you two files with the same name then one will be over-written. Copy them at your own risk !

I've deleted a song / setlist, can I get it back ?

Yes, although there's no dialogue box asking you if you wish to delete the item (there should be: it's a bug that it's not appearing) the song or setlist is sent to the recycle bin so you can restore from there if you accidentally delete it - so long as you haven't emptied the recycle bin.

[SMD Event Solutions]

this looks awesome.

good work that man!!

[prakodr]

Hey, does this work with the current version of Freestyler?

I keep getting warnings that I have no midi hooked up (don't want/need it) and that Freestyler isn't running when it is.

And will it do this--automatically sync a WAV to lighting cues without intervention. I want to push a button to play a song and play the lights so that I can concentrate on a video camera.

[tomatoheadache]

Hey I love this so much but I was wondering if you could add a time control or if there was a way to do it? I'm using this triggered by notes in FL Studio to play songs but freestyler has limited time control. Different songs have different bpm so I was wondering how to account for this or if you could add something to have midi trigger time %?

[craigs91]

Download link doesn't work, anyone got a link for it?

[djSupport]

I'll investigate

[djSupport]

It's fixed, please raise issues like this direct to any moderator via PM or using the contact button at bottom of forum for quick fixes!

[VladimirK]

Download link doesn't work, anyone got a link for it?