Audio on Cue 2 1.0.2

The Audio on Cue 2 application allows you to create a play list using the audio items in your music library on your computer. Unlike playing the list in iTunes, songs are played one-at-a-time on your command - the next song in the list doesn`t start until you tell it to.

I created this application because I needed a better way to control the audio played from my devices during live events (recitals, talent shows, theatrical events). I tried adding "silent songs" in between songs, but sometimes I still forgot or needed to attend to other things and failed to stop the player in time. This application improved the quality of the sound in my live events: no more "oops the sound guy screwed up" mistakes.

Plays Lists

Play lists are stored as files. Each play list file can be stored locally on your Mac or in iCloud. iCloud play lists can be shared across devices. A play list consists of a number of cues. Each cue contains an audio item. The audio for each item is stored in the play list file (so the files can, and do, get large and, if stored in iCloud, can take a while to sync.)

Modes

When a play list is opened, it can be in either Play mode or Edit mode. In Play mode, the cues can be loaded and played. Additionally, notes about cues can be made for cues while in play mode.

In Edit mode, cues can be added, deleted and re-ordered. The name of the cue can be changed. You can edit the audio item for a cue. This will allow you to adjust the start and end times used for the audio. (This allows you to trim the silence from audio or isolate a specific segment of the audio.) You can also change the title and artist of the item in the cue.

Audio Files

When audio is added to a play list, you select audio from your iTunes library (iPad) or from your computer`s storage (Mac.) The selected audio is loaded from your source and added to the play list file. Only audio located on your source device can be added. Since play lists can be shared (via iCloud or be file copying,) the audio must exist within the play list file. This was a lesson learned from the original Audio on Cue application. The unfortunate side effect of storing the audio in the file is that the files can (and do) get large. The larger a file is the longer it will take iCloud to initially sync the file to other devices.

Cue Transitions

There are three cue transitions available in Audio on Cue 2:

Load next cue on finish
Load next cue on start
Start next cue on finish
"Load next cue on finish" works same as cue transitions did in Audio on Cue (1). When the audio for the cue completes, the next cue is loaded and waits for user input to start.

"Load next cue on start" works by loading the next cue when the audio for the current cue is started. The next cue still waits for user input to start, but the next cue can be started before the previous cue completes. This allows Audio on Cue 2 to accommodate situations where you need have more than one cue playing at same time. (Maybe sound effects in a play triggered off of the timing of actor movements.)

"Start next cue on finish" works by loading and starting the next cue automatically once the current cue completes. I personally came across situations where I just wanted the next cue to start without my needed to manually start the cue.