Documentation

Everything you need to get started with LTCue.

System Requirements

You'll also need:

• An audio interface with LTC input
• SMPTE/LTC timecode source

Installation

macOS

1. Download the .dmg from the download page
2. Open the .dmg file
3. Drag LTCue to your Applications folder
4. On first launch, macOS may block the app -- right-click and choose Open, or go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway

LTCue does not require any additional libraries to be installed separately.

Windows

1. Download the installer from the download page
2. Run the installer
3. Follow the installation prompts
4. Launch LTCue from the Start menu

If Windows Defender SmartScreen appears, click More info → Run anyway.

Resolume OSC Setup

LTCue talks to Resolume Arena over OSC (Open Sound Control). This is how LTCue sends clip triggers and reads your composition. You only need to set this up once.

1. Open Resolume Arena
2. Go to Preferences → OSC
3. Enable OSC Input and set the port to 7000
4. Enable OSC Output and set the port to 7001
5. Click OK

Important: If you enable OSC in Resolume while it is already running, restart Resolume for the changes to take effect.

Both LTCue and Resolume need to be running on the same computer, or on the same network if you're running them on separate machines. By default, LTCue connects to 127.0.0.1 (localhost).

Audio Setup

LTCue listens for LTC timecode on an audio input. You need an audio interface with the timecode signal connected to one of its inputs.

1. Open LTCue and go to the Settings tab
2. Select your audio interface from the Device dropdown
3. Select the Channel that your timecode is connected to. Channel 0 is the first input on your interface, channel 1 is the second, and so on
4. Set the Framerate to match your timecode source. If you're not sure, 30 fps is the most common in North America, 25 fps in Europe

You should see the signal level meter respond when timecode is playing. If the meter shows activity but no timecode appears on the display, try a different framerate setting.

Your First Scan

Once OSC and audio are configured, you're ready to scan your Resolume composition. This tells LTCue what clips are available and what their timecode offsets are.

1. Make sure Resolume Arena is running with a composition loaded
2. Make sure at least some clips have SMPTE timecode offsets set (see Configuring SMPTE Offsets below)
3. Click Scan Resolume in LTCue (or press Cmd/Ctrl + R)
4. LTCue will scan your composition and show all clips with SMPTE offsets in the clip table
5. Use the layer checkboxes to select which layers you want LTCue to monitor

LTCue starts listening for timecode automatically — as soon as your timecode source starts playing, clips will trigger at their configured offsets.

Trigger History

The History panel below the layer selector shows a running log of recently triggered clips, including clip name and the timecode at which they fired. This updates in real time during playback.

Reset and Test

Each engine has two buttons at the bottom of the clip table. Reset clears all trigger status back to ready — useful after scrubbing or restarting your timeline. Test fires an OSC trigger to Resolume for the currently selected clip, letting you verify a clip will play correctly before the show starts.

Engine Modes

Single Engine Mode

One LTC stream triggers clips across all selected layers. Use this for simple shows with a single timecode source.

Dual Engine Mode (Licensed)

Two independent LTC streams, each controlling specific layers. Perfect for:

• A-roll and B-roll on separate timelines
• Main show + backup timecode
• Complex multi-timeline productions

Toggle between modes using the Single / Dual switch in the top-right corner of the window. Dual engine mode requires a full license.

Trigger Parameters

These settings control how LTCue decides when to fire clips. You can adjust them in the Settings tab. The defaults work well for most shows.

Application Settings

The Application panel in Settings contains two options. Always on Top keeps the LTCue window above other applications — useful when running alongside Resolume on a single monitor. Export Debug Log saves a diagnostic log file to disk, which is helpful when troubleshooting or reporting issues to support.

Jump Detection

During a show, your timecode usually runs forward at a steady pace. But sometimes you need to jump around — scrubbing to a specific point, looping a section, or restarting from the beginning.

LTCue detects these jumps automatically. When it sees the timecode skip by more than the Jump Threshold (default: 1 second), it resets all clips to "ready" so they can fire at the new position. There's a brief 3-frame settling period to let the timecode stabilize before triggering resumes.

You don't need to do anything — this happens automatically. If you're scrubbing through your timeline in Ableton, QLab, or any other source, LTCue will keep up and fire the right clips at the right time.

How Clips Trigger

LTCue watches the incoming timecode and compares it to the SMPTE offset you've set on each clip in Resolume. When the timecode reaches a clip's offset, LTCue fires that clip.

One Trigger Per Clip

Each clip only fires once as the timecode passes through it. It won't keep firing on every frame. The clip stays in a "triggered" state until one of these things happens:

• You scrub or jump to a different point on the timeline
• You pause and restart playback
• You change playback direction (forward to reverse, or vice versa)
• You click the Reset button

After any of these, all clips go back to "ready" and can fire again.

What If Two Clips Have the Same Timecode?

If two clips on the same layer have the same or overlapping SMPTE offsets, both will fire — but since Resolume only plays one clip per layer at a time, the second clip will replace the first. This is exactly how Resolume behaves when you trigger clips manually.

If two clips on different layers share the same timecode, both fire at the same time on their own layers. This is normal for multi-layer shows.

Pausing and Restarting

When you pause your timecode source, LTCue detects the signal loss after about 1 second. When you hit play again — in any direction — all clips automatically reset to "ready" so they can fire fresh. No manual reset needed.

Reverse Playback

LTCue handles reverse (rewind) timecode. When you rewind your timeline:

• Clips fire once as the timecode passes backward through each clip's offset — just like they do going forward
• When you switch from forward to reverse (or reverse to forward), all clips reset automatically
• If you pause during reverse and restart, clips reset and can fire again

This is useful during rehearsal when you need to rewind and re-run a section. LTCue handles it without any extra steps.

Layer Selection

After scanning, use the layer checkboxes to choose which Resolume layers LTCue should monitor. This gives you control over which parts of your composition are automated by timecode.

• Only clips in selected layers will appear in the clip table
• Only clips in selected layers will be triggered by timecode
• You can change layer selections at any time — the clip table updates immediately
• In Dual Engine mode, each engine has its own independent layer selection

For example, you might put your main show content on layers 1–3 and have LTCue automate those, while keeping layer 4 for manual VJ content that you trigger by hand in Resolume.

Configuring SMPTE Offsets

Each clip you want LTCue to trigger needs two things set up in Resolume: a SMPTE transport type and a timecode offset.

The transport type tells Resolume (and LTCue) that this clip should respond to timecode. The offset is the timecode position where the clip should start — for example, 01:00:00:00 means the clip will trigger when the timecode reaches one hour.

To set this up:

1. Click on a clip in Resolume to select it
2. In the clip properties panel (usually at the bottom of the screen), look for the Transport dropdown
3. Change it from "Timeline" to SMPTE 1. If you're using dual engine mode, clips on Engine 2's layers should use SMPTE 2
4. Set the Offset field to the timecode where this clip should fire (format: HH:MM:SS:FF)
5. Repeat for each clip you want to automate

After setting up your clips, run a scan in LTCue to pick up the changes.

Transport Types

Resolume clips can use different transport types to control how they play. LTCue only works with SMPTE transport types:

• SMPTE 1 — Controlled by Engine 1. Use this for most setups
• SMPTE 2 — Controlled by Engine 2. Use this in Dual Engine mode when you have a second timecode source controlling a separate set of layers

Clips set to other transport types (Timeline, BPM Sync, Denon, Pioneer) will not appear in LTCue's clip table and will not be triggered. This is by design — LTCue only manages timecode-driven clips and leaves everything else to Resolume's own playback controls.

Trial Limitations

The free trial includes:

• 1 layer maximum
• 10 clips per layer
• Single engine mode only
• 30-minute session limit

Activating a License

1. Purchase a license from the download page
2. You'll receive a license key via email
3. In LTCue, go to Settings → License
4. Enter your license key and click Activate

License Transfer

To move your license to a new machine:

1. On your old machine: Settings → License → Deactivate
2. On your new machine: Enter your key and click Activate

License terms:

• One license per machine
• Easy transfer to new machines
• Lifetime updates for the major version purchased (v1.x)
• 30-day revalidation (works offline, checks online monthly)

Troubleshooting

No Timecode Displayed

• Check your audio interface is selected in Settings
• Verify the correct channel is selected
• Ensure LTC audio is being sent to that channel
• Try a different framerate setting

Clips Not Triggering

• Verify clips have SMPTE 1 or SMPTE 2 transport type
• Check clip offsets are set correctly in Resolume
• Ensure the layer containing the clip is selected
• Increase the Tolerance setting if timecode is slightly off

Scan Finds No Clips

• Ensure Resolume is running with a composition loaded
• Check OSC is properly configured
• Verify some clips have SMPTE offsets configured

App Won't Launch (macOS)

1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security
2. Click Open Anyway next to the LTCue entry
3. Or right-click the app in Finder and select Open

Keyboard Shortcuts

The ? button in the top bar launches the onboarding tour, which walks through the main UI elements. You can restart it at any time.