Helm Session

What this does: joins Helm DJ to a session that Helm Cues hosts on the same network. Cues can then chase this DJ’s master deck as a timecode source. No cable.

What it sends

• The master deck only. No master set: the deck that is playing.
• STOP (panic) stops it too. Cues sees the deck stop as LTC goes quiet.

What it leaves alone:

• LTC, MTC and MIDI Clock out. Unchanged, joined or not.
• The decks. Helm DJ only reads them.
• The show. DJ takes no show, media or setlist from Cues.

Before you start

How the DJ gets in depends on how the Cues host is set.

Cues host	On the DJ	On Cues
Ask, passcode off	Ask to join	The operator presses Allow
Ask, passcode on	Type the 6 digits	The operator presses Allow
Open, passcode off	Ask to join	Nothing. The DJ is in at once.
Open, passcode on	Type the 6 digits	Nothing. The DJ is in at once.
Members only	Only a DJ Cues let in before can join	—

• A DJ joins as monitor. Cues ignores its deck until the operator sets it to Operator.

Join a session

1. On the Cues Mac: Settings → Helm Sessions (View → Sessions…, ⇧⌘D). Click Host this show.

2. On the DJ Mac: Settings → Network → Helm Session.

3. Check Name in the Cues roster. Use a name the Cues operator knows, such as Booth DJ. Default Helm DJ. Blank: Cues shows the Mac’s model.

4. Find the session in the list by its name.

5. Click Ask to join. The line reads Waiting for the host to allow this device…. Cancel stops asking.

6. On Cues, the toast reads Booth DJ wants to join. Press Allow. Under Open there is no toast: the DJ is in at once.

7. The DJ line reads Joined as monitor. The host ignores a monitor's deck: ask for operator.

8. On Cues, set the DJ’s Role to Operator in Devices.

9. The DJ line reads Joined as operator. Sending the master deck. The line under it names the deck.

Then on Cues, set the chase source to the DJ deck: see Chase a Helm DJ deck.

When the host has a passcode on

1. Click Ask to join. The line reads This session needs its passcode. Type the 6 digits shown on the host.

2. Type the 6 digits from the Passcode row of the Cues Session card.

3. Click Join with passcode.

4. Under Ask, wait for the Cues operator to press Allow. Under Open the DJ is in at once.

• Already know the code? Click Passcode… on the session’s row. Type it. Click Join with passcode.

Join by address

No session in the list? Open Join by address.

1. On Cues, click Show join code…. Note the Address and the Fingerprint.

2. On the DJ, type the Address, such as 10.0.0.10:5355.

3. Type the Fingerprint: 26 characters.

4. Passcode on: type it in Passcode (if on). Passcode off: leave it blank.

5. Click Ask to join (blank) or Join (6 digits).

Rejoin

Once Cues has let this DJ in, the list marks the session approved and shows Rejoin.

1. Click Rejoin. No passcode, no Allow. The DJ comes back at its last role.

• The DJ does not rejoin by itself when it opens. Click Rejoin.
• The Cues operator can remove the approval (Devices → ⋯ → Remove approval). Rejoin then asks again, with the passcode if it is on. Set Operator again after the Allow.

In the Cues Devices table

Cues status	Means
Joined · Deck 2 · master · playing · 124.0 BPM · <title>	Sending that deck
Joined · deck ignored	The DJ is at monitor. Set Operator.
Joined · No deck to send: no master deck on the link	No CDJ is master and none is playing
Joined · Panic: timecode stopped	STOP (panic) is on

Leave

Leave drops the session. Cues loses this deck at once. A rolling chase on Cues shows no signal within 1 s.

States

Badge	Line	Means
CONNECTING	Connecting…	Joining
WAITING	Waiting for the host to allow this device…	Waiting for Allow on Cues. Cancel stops asking.
JOINED	Joined as operator. Sending the master deck.	Working
JOINED	Joined as monitor. The host ignores a monitor's deck: ask for operator.	In, but Cues ignores its deck
LINK LOST	LINK LOST. Reconnecting. Cues sees no deck.	Cues stopped answering
DENIED	The host denied this device.	The Cues operator pressed Deny
PASSCODE	This session needs its passcode. …	Cues has a passcode on. Type it.
WRONG CODE	Wrong passcode.	The code typed is wrong
NO PASSCODE	This session has no passcode. Ask to join instead.	A code was typed. Cues has none.
FULL	The session is full. Retrying.	No room on Cues. The DJ keeps trying.
REFUSED · ENDED	Refused: … · Session ended: …	Cues said no, or closed the session

• Close clears a refusal and brings the list back.
• clock not locked yet after the deck name: the DJ is still lining up with Cues. Wait a moment.

When it goes wrong

• No Cues session heard. Cues is not hosting, or the DJ Mac is on another subnet. On Cues: Settings → Helm Sessions → Host this show. Or join by address.
• UDP 8005 is in use here; join by address below. Another app holds the port the DJ listens on for sessions. Join by address.
• Stuck on Waiting for the host to allow this device…. Nobody pressed Allow. The request waits in Cues’ Requests until someone does. Cancel stops it.
• The host denied this device. The Cues operator pressed Deny. Check with them, then click Ask again. Ask too soon and the line says how long to wait: Ask again in 4 s.
• This session needs its passcode. Type the 6 digits from the Cues Session card. Click Join with passcode.
• Wrong passcode. The code changed: someone pressed New code, or there were too many wrong tries. Read the current code from the Session card. After too many wrong tries the line says how long to wait.
• This session is members only. Only devices Cues let in before can join. Ask the Cues operator to switch to Ask or Open.
• This session has no passcode. Ask to join instead. Click Ask to join.
• The session is full. Retrying. Cues has no room. Ask the Cues operator to remove a device. The DJ joins when there is room.
• Joined as monitor… The Cues operator let the DJ in but did not set Operator. Ask for Operator in Cues’ Devices table.
• No deck or No deck to send: no master deck on the link. No CDJ is master and none is playing. Set a master on the CDJs, or play a deck.
• Cues follows, but on the wrong track. Cues matches the deck’s track title to its own track names. Ask the Cues operator to name the track after the title.
• LINK LOST. Reconnecting. Cable, switch, or Cues quit. The DJ rejoins when Cues is back. LTC and MTC from the DJ never stopped.