Toolbar overview

The main functions within BEYOND are controlled by the Toolbar which is located at the top of the Main Control Window. The toolbar is shown below.

The Timeline / Gride mode controls what appears in the largest portion of the BEYOND user interface.

The Cue triggering mode controls what happens when you click on a cue with the mouse (or touch screen).

If the Select mode is chosen, cues are not activated when you click on them. Cues are only selected. This is handy when you want to drag and drop cues to the BEYOND Timeline, or when you want to change the Properties of a cue, without activating the cue.

If the Toggle mode is chosen (as indicated above with the green highlight), cues will “toggle” their activation mode each time you click on the cue. For example, if you click on a cue once, it will start playing. If you click on the cue again, it will stop playing. Toggle is the default cue triggering mode.

If the Restart mode is chosen, cues will be restarted each time you click on them. For example, if you have an animation which counts down to zero, the count-down will restart each time you click on the cue, if Restart mode is chosen.

If the Flash mode is chosen, cues will only remain active for the period of time you are clicking on them (or holding your finger pressed on the touch screen). For example, when you click the left mouse button on the cue, the cue will begin playing and will remain playing until you release the left mouse button.

The Transition button controls what happens when you trigger a new cue and there is already a cue playing.

When Transition is activated, morphing will be performed between the currently-displayed output and the next cue you press.

You can change the type of transition that is performed by right-clicking on the Transition button. You can also control the transition by showing the Dynamics tab in the View menu.

BEYOND allows you to play either one cue at a time, or multiple cues simultaneously, depending on whether the One cue or Multi cue button is pressed.

You can choose the behavior of both the One Cue button, and the Multi cue button, by right-clicking on each button. These can also controlled by showing the Dynamics tab in the View menu.

BEYOND is a beat-oriented program. The beat counter is always running and you can see the beats per minute, and also a metronome icon to indicate the beat of the music.

You can set the beat by repeatedly clicking on the “BPM” label, or by repeatedly tapping the SPACE BAR on the computer keyboard. You must click the BPM label or press the SPACE BAR repeatedly to the beat of the music. When you do this, the average BPM of the clicks or key presses will be calculated and this will be used to synchronize the timer beat system.

Note that you can press the BACKSPACE key on the computer keyboard to “re-synchronize” the timer beat system to the beat of the music, in case the music timing becomes slightly ahead or behind the timer.

You can also enter a specific BPM, and control other aspects of beats by right-clicking on the Beat icon.

BEYOND includes a new and ground breaking feature called Virtual Laser Jockey, which can be used to make a completely automated laser show synchronized to the BPM or incoming audio.

The Blackout and Pause buttons control the overall playback of BEYOND

The Blackout button causes all output to immediately stop. This will also reset certain program functions, including the cue triggering mode. Blackout can also be activated by pressing the ESC key on the computer keyboard.

The Pause button will pause all currently-playing cues. Pause can also be activated by pressing the Pause key on the computer keyboard.

The Enable Laser Output button is found at the far right of the toolbar.

In order to enable output from the FB3 laser controller, the Enable Laser Output button must be pressed.