Quick Start

This is the beta tester’s “start here” page. It assumes nothing beyond a workstation that meets the requirements in Installation. In 15 minutes you will build a tiny show, run preflight, and take a live GO.

Before you start

• CueForge 0.99.1 beta installed (provided through the beta programme).
• One short audio file on your computer — any WAV or MP3 you have permission to use.
• Your personal beta license installed through Settings → Licensing.
• A working audio output and an explicit Master bus device/channel binding (built-in speakers are fine).

The 15-minute walkthrough

1. 1

   Launch CueForge

   Open the application. It starts in the Start Workspace.

2. 2

   Create a new project

   In the Start Workspace, click **New Empty Project**. Save it somewhere sensible.

   Cmd+N, then Cmd+S
3. 3

   Add an Audio cue

   Click the **Add** button and choose **Audio Cue**. A cue named **"New Audio Cue"** appears in the cue list — no file picker yet. Select it, then in the inspector's **Media Source** group click **"Replace Audio File…"** and choose your audio file.

   Add → Audio Cue
4. 4

   Name the cue

   Press `F2` (or double-click the name) and rename it to something meaningful, like "Opening Music". Cue numbers are computed for you.

5. 5

   Add a Group

   With the first cue selected, click **Add** and choose **Group Cue**. With the group selected, the Add menu offers **Add inside Group** — add a second Audio cue inside it. Set the group's **Group Mode** to **Sequential** in the inspector.

   Add → Group Cue, then Add inside Group
6. 6

   Audition the audio

   Check the Master bus device/channel binding. Use **Audition** in the Inspector or **PLAY** in the Audio Editor. Use that preview transport to pause and stop. Preview currently sounds through Master, so isolate the audience output.

   Audition / PLAY → PAUSE → STOP
7. 7

   Save

   Press `Cmd+S`. The title bar clears its dirty indicator — your work is on disk.

   Cmd+S
8. 8

   Run preflight

   Switch the header mode switch to **SHOW**. Preflight opens automatically. Fix anything red; read anything yellow before acknowledging.

   Mode switch → SHOW → Preflight
9. 9

   Enter Show Mode

   Click **Enter Show Mode**. The interface switches to the live operator view.

10. 10

    GO

    Press `Space` to fire the armed cue. The cue plays; subsequent behaviour depends on its continuation setting.

    Space → GO
11. 11

    STOP

    Press `S` to stop running cues. Check the stopped state before restarting. Timecode triggers require deliberate rearming after STOP.

    S → Stop
12. 12

    PANIC and recover

    Press `Escape`. Everything stops and a **PANIC ACTIVE** banner appears. Recovery is deliberate: click **Recover from Panic** and confirm. All transport stays blocked until you recover.

    Escape → PANIC; Recover from Panic
13. 13

    Quit safely

    Press `Cmd+Q`. Because the project may have unsaved changes, a guard dialog offers **Save and Quit**, **Discard Changes**, or **Cancel**. Choose **Save and Quit**.

    Cmd+Q → Save and Quit

The Start Workspace at first launch: New Empty Project, Open Existing Project, recent projects, templates, and demo projects.

Note: The physical Cmd+Q shortcut is undergoing final acceptance testing in Edit Mode. If quit does not respond while you are in Edit Mode, use CueForge → Quit CueForge from the application menu. The quit guard dialog itself is fully functional.

Where to go next

• Core Concepts — understand what you just did.
• Cue Types — the other eleven cue types.
• Keyboard Shortcuts — the full operator keymap.
• Projects, Saving and Recovery — autosave, recovery, and missing media.