Helm Cues
What this does: Helm Cues is a macOS app for building a timecoded show and running it. One project holds the tracks, the cues, the media and the desk settings. Build on the waveform; the desk follows.
Who it is for
Section titled “Who it is for”- Show designers plan the moments on a timeline, by song.
- Programmers turn them into cues, stacks and timecode the desk chases.
- Operators arm Live, press GO and watch the desk follow.
- Production managers keep the project, its media and its versions in one place, synced to Helm Cloud.
The five pages
Section titled “The five pages”| Page | Key | Holds |
|---|---|---|
| Project | ⌘1 | The project: its sequences, settings, branding and cloud link. With nothing open, the splash and recent projects. |
| Build | ⌘2 | One track at a time: the waveform, cue stacks, cues, beat grid, tempo lane, media lanes. Where cues are made. |
| Show | ⌘3 | Running orders. Pick sequences, set the order, choose the active show. |
| Live | ⌘4 | Running the active show: arm, GO, timecode out, the cue palettes, Panic. |
| Monitor | ⌘5 | A read-only view of the show for a second screen or a session follower. |
Build, Show, Live and Monitor need an open project. View → Go to Splash (⌘0) closes it.
What it does
Section titled “What it does”- Cues on a waveform. Import the song, drop cues on the hits, group them in stacks. A beat grid and tempo lane snap cues to the beat.
- Timecode out. LTC, MTC, Art-Net timecode and MIDI Clock. 24 to 30 fps, drop-frame handled. Mute or Hold on a stop.
- grandMA3 both ways. Stacks become sequences. Cues become timecode events. Move an event on the desk and the cue moves in Cues.
- Media lanes. Video, images and extra audio layered under the master, out to a Sequence Monitor and a Video Output window.
- Live. Arm, GO, timecode runs, the desk fires. Live arms only when every media file is on this Mac and checked.
- Panic. ⇧Esc stops the transport, disarms Live, silences every timecode output and turns the show’s desk sequences off.
- Sessions. A second Cues or an iPad joins over the LAN and follows to the frame. An operator drives the host, an editor edits, a standby can TAKE the show.
- Helm Cloud. Pair once with
app.helm.show. The project syncs track by track; media uploads under a budget you set. - Backups and imports. Hourly backups,
.helmpkgpackages, grandMA3 and Reaper import. - Stream Deck. Transport, cues, pages and readouts on the keys.
Requirements
Section titled “Requirements”| Need | Detail |
|---|---|
| macOS | Apple Silicon or Intel. First launch: right-click → Open. |
| Windows | Windows build not yet available. |
| Licence | A HELM-CUES-… key or a Helm Cloud sign-in. Without one: local projects, 3 tracks each. See Accounts and licences. |
| Desk | grandMA3 console or onPC with the HelmTrackNav plugin, same LAN. |
| Audio | Any audio interface the Mac sees. LTC needs a spare output channel. |
Docs map
Section titled “Docs map”| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Getting started | First timecoded show in 20 minutes, with the setup panel |
| What’s new | What changed in each build |
| Projects and shows | Project Manager, the Project page, running orders, versions |
| Build | Stacks, cues, selections, Duplicate, Find, rename |
| Beat grid and tempo | Detect, tempo changes, bar pins, snap, Beat Builder |
| Media and lanes | The local-only rule, Locate…, Trash, lanes, clips, routing |
| Import from grandMA3 and Reaper | MA3 timecode XML, Reaper .rpp and marker CSV |
| Live | Arm, GO, the setlist, cue palettes, the output pill |
| Monitor and video outputs | Monitor page, Sequence Monitor, Video Output |
| Panic | What it stops, in what order, and from where |
| Timecode | Rates, LTC, MTC, Art-Net, MIDI Clock, chase, freewheel |
| grandMA3 setup | Plugin install, ports, push, two-way sync |
| grandMA3 plugin | The HelmTrackNav plugin on the desk |
| Sessions | Host, join requests, roles, desks, LAN media, standby and TAKE |
| Helm Monitor (iOS) | The iPad and iPhone follower |
| Stream Deck | Keys, dials, colours |
| Cloud sync | Pairing, per-track sync, conflicts, uploads, downloads |
| What works offline | 7 days without internet, and what needs the cloud |
| Backups and show packages | Hourly backups, restore, .helmpkg |
| Diagnostics and support | Log, crash banner, support bundle, Diagnostics panel |
| Updates | Stable and beta, release notes, Reinstall previous version |
| Keyboard shortcuts | Every key, by page |
| Troubleshooting | Symptom first, by area |
| Technical reference | Files, formats, ports and firewall, desk OSC commands, limits, support bundle |
| grandMA2 (legacy) | Frozen |
Status
Section titled “Status”Beta. Get it from Downloads. Report problems at helm.show/support: Help → Report an Issue… opens it. Attach the zip from Help → Save Support Bundle…