Monitor and video outputs

What this does: three read-only views of the running show. One page in the app, and two windows you can put on other screens.

View	What it is	Open it
Monitor page	The Live page without a transport: clock, Now / Next, cue lists	View → Monitor (⌘5)
Sequence Monitor window	A reference screen in panes: picture, clock, cue list, notes, waveform, BPM	Window → Sequence Monitor Window (⇧⌘V)
Video Output window	One full-screen picture for the projector or LED wall	Window → Video Output Window

Lay the windows out once, then save the layout as a workspace and recall it in one go.

The Monitor page

The Monitor page shows what Live is doing. It has no transport. Nothing on it can start, stop or seek the show.

What it shows

The show clock, large.
The track name and artist.
A progress strip with one tick per cue in its stack colour. Flat draws the track’s waveform in it.
Now and Next, with the count-in to the next cue and a bar that fills toward it. See Live.
- Nothing is cut off: number, full name, count-in and bar|beat. A long name wraps to two lines and gets smaller to fit.
- On a narrow screen or pane the count-in drops to its own line.
- Both is always two lines: the time, then the bar|beat under it.
- Cues on the same frame: the card lists the others under the headline cue, one line each: stack colour, number, name, stack. Three at most, then +2 more. The Structure cue is the headline.
- The cards keep one size all track. On a track with cues on one frame, both cards keep room for those lines, empty while the cue is alone.
A cue list that starts at the running cue.
- LIVE is the top row, NEXT is under it, then the cues to come with their countdown.
- Fired cues leave the list. Before the first cue, NEXT is the top row.
- Scroll down to look ahead. The list goes back to LIVE on the next cue, or 5 s after you stop scrolling.
- Cues on the same frame are one block, the headline cue first, the others under it with no gap.
- LIVE’s block: the LIVE row, then the others in grey, with LIVE’s bar down the whole block.
- NEXT’s block: the NEXT row, then the others in grey.
- Later cues on one frame: a lighter grey block.
- Only the first row of a block shows LIVE or the countdown. Every row shows its own number, name and stack.
The cue palettes, as on Live.

With no track loaded, Flat shows the clock alone. Classic shows No track loaded., or the incoming timecode while a chase reader runs. The line under it names the source and its state: MTC in — locked, Art-Net in — listening, DJ deck — locked.

Layout per look

	Classic	Flat
Left	The setlist, read-only	The board
Centre	The board	—
Right	Cue palettes	Cue palettes
Header	`LIVE · MONITOR`, show name, Time · Beats · Both, chase Follow, Desk ON / OFF, `Read-only · no transport`	LTC out state, Source, row size − / +, Time · Beats · Both, MA3 · desk on / off, chase Follow / Free, Open Monitor

Palettes on the Monitor page

Each list starts at LIVE. LIVE is the top row and NEXT under it; fired cues are off the top. On each fire the list moves up one.
Cues on the same frame are one block, as in the board’s cue list. LIVE and NEXT cover the whole block.
Rows do not seek. Right-click a row for Copy cue time.
Palette tools work here: add, rename, filter, duplicate, resize, remove. Live → Add Cue Palette works on this page too. See Cue palettes.
Resize the whole rail: drag its left edge. Double-click to reset. Saved on this Mac.

Who sees it

Any Mac: ⌘5, or Monitor in the page rail.
A session peer with the monitor role sees this page only. See Sessions.
An iPhone or iPad uses Helm Monitor instead. See Helm Monitor.

The Sequence Monitor window

A reference screen for the operator, the director or the video desk. It draws on the project canvas (1920×1080 unless set), scaled to fit the window.

Open it

From	Opens
Window → Sequence Monitor Window (⇧⌘V)	Toggles it. Opens on the display saved in Settings → Video Outputs. None saved: a window.
Live → Monitor (Classic header) or Outputs → Monitor (Flat)	Full screen on the display saved in Settings → Video Outputs. None saved: a window.
Monitor page → Open Monitor (Flat)	The same as Live’s button
Build → Timeline view → Monitor	The same as Live’s button
⌄ beside any Monitor button	Send Monitor to…: Open as window, or a display by name. `PRIMARY` marks the main screen.

A window that is already open comes to the front. Picking a display closes it and reopens it there, full screen.

Layouts

Set the layout in Window → Monitor & Video Output Settings… → Layout.

Layout	Panes	Starts on
Single	One pane over the canvas	All lanes (program output)
Quadrants	2 × 2	All lanes · Timecode clock · Cue list · Waveform
Thirds	One large left, two stacked right	All lanes · Timecode clock · Cue list

Pick what a pane shows

Hover the pane. Click its cog. Or right-click the pane.
The menu header names the pane: Source · Top left.
Pick a source. The pick saves to the project at once.

The list is the same in every pane, the Video Output and the settings dialog:

Group	Source	Shows
Lanes	Master	The track’s Master. Only a video Master has a picture; an audio Master reads `audio, no picture`.
	A lane by name	That video or image lane, in whichever sequence is loaded. This sequence’s lanes come first, top row first.
	A name marked `other sequences`	A lane only other sequences have
—	All lanes (program output)	The Master and every visible lane, layered. The top lane row draws on top.
Other	Timecode clock	Track name and artist over a large timecode
	Cue list	The Monitor page’s board: clock, strip, Now / Next, cue list. The list starts at LIVE, as on the Monitor page. Cue numbers are each cue’s own, as on the Monitor page.
	Notes	The track’s cues that have notes, each note in full. The current one is marked LIVE. See The Notes pane.
	Waveform	The track’s waveform with the playhead
	BPM / beat counter	Bar and beat on the track’s grid. `— no BPM on this track —` without one.
	Project logo	The logo set on the Project page, else the Helm wordmark
	Blank / watermark	The project watermark, else blank

Panes follow lane names. A pane on a lane follows that name from track to track. A sequence without that lane shows the project logo. Rename a lane with All N and the panes follow. See Media and lanes.

Options per source

Source	Menu options
Cue list	Show: … (the filter, below) · Clock: on / off · Waveform: on / off · BPM: on / off · Count-in: Time, Beats, Both
Notes	Count-in: Time, Beats, Both
Waveform	Show markers: cue labels on the waveform. Structure cues sit under the bars, the rest above.
Every pane	Size: Fit, Fill, Stretch, Native · Split into four or Unsplit

Count-in follows Live’s Time · Beats · Both switch until the pane picks its own.
Waveform off gives the cue list the strip’s height: bigger rows, more of them.
Size sets the fit for this pane. It wins over the lane’s and the clip’s own fit.

Filter a cue-list pane

Right-click the pane → Show: All.
Tick the Sequences and Sectors to show. Each row shows its cue count, or not on track.
Show new on: sequences or sectors added later show here. Off: they stay hidden.
The header has All (clear both lists), None (hide every sequence) and Invert (flip the sequences).
Click outside or press Esc to close. Each tick saves at once.

The pane’s label then names the filter: CUES · Main, All but Main, 3 of 7, None.

The Notes pane

The notes written on the track’s cues, as a list you can read from across the room. Write a cue’s notes in Build: the side panel’s Notes field. See Names and notes.

Only cues with notes are listed, in time order. A cue with no notes is left out.
Each row shows the stack colour, the desk cue number and the cue name on one line, LIVE or NEXT at the right. The notes sit under it in full. Long notes wrap and keep their line breaks. Notes are never cut off.
The text fits the pane. With few notes it grows to fill the pane: up to twice the size for the number line, 1.6 times for the notes. With many it goes back to its normal size and the rest scrolls. It gets smaller only when LIVE and NEXT would not fit, and never below 14 px under Flat (16 px under Classic). It refits when the pane is resized and when LIVE moves.
A long cue name makes the number line smaller so the name stays on one line. At the smallest size it is cut with ….
Nothing in the pane can be selected. A click or double-click leaves the text as it is.
LIVE marks the current note: the last cue with notes that has fired. A cue without notes firing after it does not move LIVE.
NEXT marks the next cue with notes, with the count-in to it. Count-in in the pane’s menu picks Time, Beats or Both. It follows Live’s switch until the pane picks its own.
Notes on the same frame are one block, the Structure cue first, as in the cue list.
LIVE stays at the top of the pane, NEXT under it. Fired notes sit above, dimmed. Before the first note, NEXT is at the top.
Scroll to read ahead or back. The pane goes back to LIVE on the next note, or 5 s after you stop scrolling.
Edits show as they save. Change a note in Build and click out of the field: the pane shows it.
A track with no notes reads No notes on this track.
Hidden stacks are left out, as in the cue list.

Split a pane

Right-click the pane → Split into four.
The top-left sub-pane keeps the pane’s source, fit and filter. The other three start on Project logo.
Set each sub-pane like any pane. Its name reads Left › Bottom right.
Unsplit on any sub-pane returns the pane to one.

One level of split. A sub-pane cannot split again.

The holding slate

In Single, with the pane on All lanes and no clip at the playhead, the window shows the holding slate. Pick it in Monitor & Video Output Settings… → Holding slate:

Slate	Shows
Helm wordmark + show name	The wordmark, show, track, artist and timecode
Project watermark	The watermark set on the Project page
Custom image	An image from the Media Library: Choose from media…

The window’s own controls

LABELS ON / OFF (bottom bar) shows or hides each pane’s label. Saved on this Mac.
The bottom bar also shows the canvas size, the layout, the playhead in seconds and PLAYING / PAUSED.
Space in this window plays or pauses Build, only while Build is the page. On Live or Monitor it does nothing.

The Video Output window

One picture for the media server feed. Sound never plays here; it comes from the main app.

Open it

From	Opens
Window → Video Output Window	Toggles it. Full screen on the display saved in Settings → Video Outputs. None saved: a 1280×720 window.
Live → Video output (Classic) or Outputs → Video (Flat)	Full screen on the display saved in Settings → Video Outputs. None saved: a 1280×720 window.
⌄ beside the Live button	Send Video Output to…: Open as window, or a display

Pick the source

Right-click the Video Output window.
Pick from Video Output source. It saves to the project.

Source	Shows
Lanes	Master, or a lane by name, as in the Sequence Monitor
All lanes (program output)	Every visible lane layered, the Master as the bed
First visible lane	The first visible video or image lane. The default.
Project logo	The project logo, else the Helm wordmark
Blank	Black

Transforms apply. Each lane’s and each clip’s fit, scale, offset, rotation and opacity show here.
Disabled clips are skipped. Hold last frame, loop and fades show as set.
When there is nothing to show a grey slate says why: No visible lane named Screens on the current track., The Master on the current track is audio: no picture., — no clip on Screens at this playhead —.

Monitor & Video Output Settings

Open with Window → Monitor & Video Output Settings…. Or Settings → Project → Video → Output canvas → Canvas….

Section	Sets	Saved
Canvas size	1080p · 16:9, 720p · 16:9, 4K · 16:9, 4:3 · XGA, Square, or Width × Height (320–7680 × 240–4320)	In the project, on Save
Layout	Single, Quadrants, Thirds	In the project, on Save
Pane sources	What each pane of the saved layout shows. Sub-panes too.	In the project, at once
Holding slate	Helm wordmark + show name, Project watermark, Custom image	In the project, on Save
Video Outputs	The display for each window	On this Mac, at once

Cancel, × or Esc drops canvas, layout and slate edits. Pane sources and displays are already saved.
A new layout starts with its own panes. Save first, then set its pane sources here or in the window.

Settings → Video Outputs

Which display each window opens on. A choice per Mac, not per project.

Settings (⌘,) → Video Outputs. The same block sits in Monitor & Video Output Settings….
Sequence Monitor: pick a display, or — open as movable window —.
Video Output: the same. The pill shows the display’s size.
Refresh displays finds a screen plugged in since.

Every way of opening a window uses these picks: Live’s and the Monitor page’s buttons, Build’s Monitor button and the Window menu. The ⌄ beside a button picks another display, or a window, for that one open. A workspace recall puts each window where the workspace has it.

Workspaces

What this does: saves where every Cues window sits on this Mac, under a name. Recall puts them all back in one go.

What a workspace holds

Window	Saved
Main window	Display, position, size, full screen or maximised. The page: Project, Build, Show, Live or Monitor. Build’s Sheet or Timeline and its open bottom panel: Media lanes or Sequence Options. The sizes Cues remembers: Build’s waveform and media lanes height, Static · Window · Follow, Live’s cue palettes and their widths, the Monitor page’s rail width, Live’s row size, the Media Library over the whole window.
Sequence Monitor	Display, position, size, full screen. LABELS ON / OFF.
Video Output	Display, position, size, full screen.

Only the windows open when you save. A closed window is not in the workspace.
Nothing from the show. The panes, their sources, the canvas, the slate and the Video Output source stay in the project. One workspace works with every project.
Saved on this Mac. Not in the project, not in Helm Cloud.

Save a workspace

Place the windows: the main window, the Sequence Monitor, the Video Output.
Window → Workspaces → Save Workspace…
Type a name, such as FOH. Save.

A name already in use asks first, then replaces that workspace. A toast confirms: Workspace "FOH" saved.

Recall a workspace

From	Recalls
Window → Workspaces → a name	That workspace
Window → Workspaces → Recall Last	The workspace saved or recalled last
Settings → General → Workspaces → Recall	That workspace
A Stream Deck key	See Stream Deck

Opens each window the workspace has that is closed.
Moves and resizes the windows that are open, and sets full screen.
Never closes a window. A window open now that the workspace does not have stays where it is. Close it yourself.
Build, Show, Live and Monitor need a project. With none open, the main window stays on Project.
A toast confirms: Workspace "FOH" recalled.

Which display

A workspace keeps each window’s display and its name. On recall:

The saved display	The window goes to
Connected, where it was	That display
Connected, moved in macOS Displays settings	That display, found by its name
Not connected	The main display. A toast names the missing display.

Two screens of one model: the one at the saved resolution.
A window too big for its display shrinks to fit. One partly off the screen comes back on.
A window Cues can’t place is skipped. A toast names it: Workspace "FOH": Video Output not placed.

Manage workspaces

Window → Workspaces → Manage Workspaces…, or Settings → General → Workspaces. Each workspace lists its windows and their displays.

Button	Does
Recall	Puts the windows back
Update	Saves the windows as they are now into this workspace
Rename…	Gives it a new name
Delete…	Deletes it, after a confirm. The windows stay where they are.

Recall on launch

Settings → General → Recall on launch: None, or a workspace. Cues recalls it as it opens. No project is open yet, so the main window opens on Project.

What the windows follow

On Build, both windows follow Build’s player and the track open there.
On Live or Monitor, they follow the Live player and the loaded track.
They update only while open. A window opened mid-show catches up within 1 s.

The window opened on the laptop screen — no display is saved for it. Save one in Settings → Video Outputs, or use ⌄ → the display.
The projector shows the Helm wordmark or the logo — the pane or output follows a lane name this sequence does not have. Pick a lane this sequence has, or rename the lane to match.
Master shows no picture — the Master is audio. Pick a video lane or All lanes.
A pane reads — no clip at playhead — — that lane has no enabled clip here. Expected between clips. Turn on Hold last frame on the clip to keep its picture up.
The video plays in Build but not on the Video Output — the output is on First visible lane and another lane is first. Pick the lane by name, or All lanes.
A lane is missing from All lanes — the lane is hidden (V off), or solo cuts it. Check the lane’s V and S.
The windows froze on Live — neither window is open, or Build has the screen. Open Live or Monitor; the windows catch up within 1 s.
Space in the window did nothing — Space there plays Build only, and only while Build is the page. Use Live’s keys on Live.
Layout change lost the pane sources — a new layout starts with its own panes. Set them again.
Cue-list pane is empty — its filter hides every sequence on this track. Right-click → Show: … → All.
The Notes pane reads No notes on this track — no cue on a visible stack has notes. Add them in Build’s side panel → Notes, or show the stack.
A note is missing from the Notes pane — its stack is hidden in Build. Show the stack.
No displays listed — macOS has not seen the screen. Plug it in, then Refresh displays.
A workspace put a window on the main display — the workspace’s display is not connected. Connect it, then recall again.
A window stayed open after a recall — by design. Recall never closes a window. Close it yourself. A workspace saved without that window never opens it.
A recall stayed on Project — no project is open. Open one, then recall again.