Features
Everything SonaCue can do.
The full list, not just the highlights.
Playback engine
- –Sample-accurate playback via AVAudioEngine — the waveform and the audio are the same file, so seeking is frame-accurate.
- –In/out trim points per track.
- –Perceptual (dB-linear) fade-in / fade-out curves.
- –Configurable fade-out on Escape/Stop, instead of a hard cut.
- –Auto-advance to the next track in Show mode.
- –A live peak level meter in the header, always in view.
- –Drag & drop inserts audio files at the exact drop position in the set list.
Waveform view
- –Precise envelope rendering that stays sharp and glitch-free at any zoom level, with peak detail that scales to the track's length.
- –Follow-playhead mode keeps the playhead centered and pans the waveform, ruler, and note/MIDI timelines underneath it.
- –Smooth at every zoom level during playback, including deep zoom.
- –Optionally keep the current zoom when switching tracks in Show mode with follow-playhead on.
- –Optional spectral coloring tints the waveform by frequency content — bass red, mids green, highs blue.
- –Show mode confines the waveform viewport to the track's trimmed in/out region — no zooming or scrolling past it.
Seamless loops
- –Multiple non-overlapping loops per track.
- –Gapless, sample-accurate loop scheduling with a click-free crossfade at the seam.
- –Play a fixed number of passes, or hold a loop until you cue the exit.
- –Per-loop volume ducking with its own fade-in/fade-out.
Volume automation
- –Draw a custom dB curve directly on the waveform instead of plain fades.
- –Linear-in-dB interpolation between breakpoints.
- –Automation replaces fades on a track when enabled.
Beat grid
- –Set BPM and a downbeat anchor once per track.
- –Loop edges, trim points, notes, and MIDI triggers all snap to the grid.
- –Adjustable line spacing from 1/8 to 4 bars.
Notes & cues
- –Place named notes with a body on the track timeline.
- –Show mode surfaces the active note as a large read-only cue card as the playhead passes it.
Timecode output (MTC & SMPTE/LTC)
- –SonaCue acts as an MTC master with its own virtual "SonaCue MTC" source.
- –SMPTE (LTC) timecode as an audio signal, alongside MTC — route it to a split channel of the main output, a spare channel on a multichannel interface, or a separate device entirely.
- –Per-track start timecode and pre-roll, so a lighting desk or DAW locks up before the track's audio starts.
- –Selectable frame rate: 24, 25, 29.97 drop-frame, or 30 fps, shared by both MTC and LTC.
- –Status chips for MTC and LTC in the large timecode section, so you can see at a glance that both are running.
MIDI trigger output
- –Drop Note or CC triggers anywhere on a track's timeline; they fire the instant the playhead crosses them.
- –An optional pre-roll trigger fires once when a track enters pre-roll.
- –Output goes to a virtual "SonaCue Triggers" port plus any number of physical MIDI destinations.
MIDI control input
- –MIDI learn: press a button, then a key on your controller, and it's mapped.
- –Map the transport, GO, and per-track cue firing.
- –A learned mapping can also fire a loop exit if the track is already playing inside a loop.
OSC control (Bitfocus Companion / Stream Deck)
- –GO, Stop, Play/Pause, Next/Previous, and select-or-fire-a-track-by-index, all over OSC — no MIDI routing or IAC bus required.
- –Status feedback mirrors playing state, the current track, and mode back over OSC so button LEDs stay in sync.
- –Pairs with the official SonaCue Companion module — direct download on the Downloads page, no GitHub account needed.
Show mode
- –Locks all editing — nothing can be changed by accident mid-show.
- –One set list, one GO button.
- –Space fires the next cue (or requests a loop exit while one is playing); Escape fades out.
- –An optional large, glanceable timecode display next to the cue note, readable from across the room.
- –The Notes panel confirms the last MIDI trigger fired — type, channel, number, and value.
- –↑/↓ pre-selects the next track during playback without interrupting the current cue — it plays automatically when the current song ends, or on Enter.
Audio routing
- –Pick the output device from any Core Audio device on the Mac.
- –On multi-output interfaces, choose which channel pair (1-2, 3-4, …) the stereo mix plays on — remembered per device.
Project & safety
- –Shows are saved as portable .sc files.
- –Snapshot undo/redo — a whole handle drag counts as one step.
- –Autosave with a configurable interval, plus crash recovery on relaunch.
- –Prompted to save before quitting or opening another show.
- –Missing audio files are flagged with a warning icon and can be re-linked in place.
- –Automatic updates (same major version only), verified by an Ed25519 signature.