Which CueSync Edition Is Right for You? (DJ vs Theatre vs Production)

Three Editions, Three Workflows

CueSync isn't a one-size-fits-all tool. The three editions — DJ, Theatre, and Production — are designed for distinct professional workflows. Choosing the right one depends on what you do, where you do it, and how complex your productions are.

This guide walks you through the decision.

CueSync DJ Edition

Built For

• Club DJs running weekly residencies
• Mobile DJs handling weddings, corporate events, and private parties
• Festival DJs performing on stages with provided lighting rigs
• VJs who want audio-reactive visual automation
• Solo operators who DJ and run lighting simultaneously

What You Get

DJ Edition is the complete audio-reactive automation platform:

• AutoPilot Engine — Hands-free automation driven by real-time beat synchronization (beat, phrase, energy, drop detection)
• Beat / Phrase / Energy Triggers — cues that fire on musical events, aligned to the beat
• ProDeck View — Live performance dashboard for DJs
• Track Structure Analysis — phrase breakdown of intros, builds, drops, and breakdowns, from rekordbox's phrase analysis or CueSync's own analysis of local files
• CuePad Grid — Tap-to-fire cue grid for manual overrides and one-shot effects
• 15 Output Protocols — grandMA2 (Telnet), grandMA3 (TCP + UDP OSC), Avolites Titan, ETC Eos, ChamSys MagicQ, Resolume, disguise (d3), VIOSO Player/Show, AV Stumpfl Pixera, TouchDesigner, Unreal Engine 5, QLab (TCP + UDP), MIDI Show Control, Pangolin Beyond, Custom OSC. (Pioneer PRO DJ LINK, Ableton Link and OS2L are native beat sources. Timecode in 4 formats — LTC, MTC, Art-Net TC, TCNet — is generated by every edition, separate from the 15 output protocols; chasing an incoming timecode master is what Theatre and Production add.)
• Venue Profiles (limited) — Save and recall per-venue configurations
• Automatic connection recovery — Outputs reconnect on their own after a network dropout
• Network Discovery — Auto-detect compatible devices on your network
• Unlimited Art-Net / sACN universes, OSC targets, and CuePad cues
• 2 device activations per subscription (macOS 12+) — a primary and a backup machine, with one driving live output at a time; manage them from the account dashboard

The Decision Test

Choose DJ Edition if your answer is "yes" to most of these:

• Your shows are improvised (not scripted or rehearsed)
• Music drives the lighting — you don't need precise cue-to-cue sequencing
• You work alone or with one other operator
• You don't need to chase an incoming timecode master (DJ Edition still generates timecode from the CDJ playhead)

CueSync Theatre Edition

Built For

• Lighting designers programming theatrical productions
• Technical directors running corporate events with timed segments
• Production managers coordinating scripted multimedia shows
• Award show and ceremony operators with precise musical timing
• Auditoriums and civic venues with weekly programmes mixing scripted and live elements

What You Get

Shared with DJ Edition: the CueStack with unlimited cues, all fifteen output protocols, Looks, venue profiles, the LTC, MTC, Art-Net Timecode and TCNet generator, and unlimited Art-Net/sACN universes. Theatre adds:

• Show Editor and Run Mode — A multi-track timeline on a timecode ruler over the master audio, a lane per department, and a run screen for show night
• Timecode chase — Follow an incoming LTC, MTC, Art-Net or TCNet master and fire cues against it
• grandMA3 Session Sync — Push the cue list into a desk sequence as a previewed merge and read it back
• Companion crew board — Virtual cue lights, countdowns and STANDBY / GO calls on any backstage iPad, served from the show machine

What Theatre does not include: PRO DJ LINK, AutoPilot, Track Prep and the Performance view. Those are DJ Edition's, and Production Edition has both sets.

The Decision Test

Choose Theatre Edition if your answer is "yes" to most of these:

• Your shows have a script, rundown, or predetermined structure
• You need cue-to-cue sequencing (GO button workflow)
• You synchronize with video playback, backing tracks, or other timed media
• You need timecode generation or chasing
• Your productions involve rehearsals where cues are refined over time

DJ vs Theatre: The Key Distinction

DJ Edition is reactive — it follows the music's beat and structure in real time. Theatre Edition is built around prescriptive control — you define exactly what happens and when. A night that needs both — AutoPilot following the DJ's decks, CueStack calling the scripted award presentation, the Show Editor running the timecoded video interlude — is a Production Edition show. Theatre covers the scripted and timecoded half; the AutoPilot engine is not in it.

CueSync Production Edition

Built For

• Large-scale festival production teams (a team licence lets up to three machines drive live output at once)
• Touring shows that load in and out of different venues weekly
• Immersive installations requiring multi-system coordination
• Production companies running several stages or rooms, one CueSync machine per stage on a shared clock
• Technical teams who want Predictive Preview and loudness-matched playback

What You Get

Everything in DJ and Theatre, plus:

• CueSync Crowd — Publish a timecoded light show to the audience's own phones: scan a QR code, tap once, no app
• Loudness-matched playback — LUFS-matched gain across tracks, attenuate-only so it can never clip
• Predictive Preview — See what automation will fire before it happens based on audio lookahead
• Unlimited Venue Profiles — No cap on saved rig configurations (DJ caps at 3, Theatre at 25)
• Priority Support — Priority handling by the team (a published 24-hour reply target, no contractual response time)

The Decision Test

Choose Production Edition if your answer is "yes" to any of these:

• You need AutoPilot and the Show Editor in the same show file
• You want to publish a CueSync Crowd light show to the audience's phones
• You run several stages, one CueSync machine each on a shared timecode clock, and want AutoPilot and the Show Editor on every machine
• You want Predictive Preview's look-ahead on the Performance screen
• You require priority support for high-stakes live events

Quick Reference Table

Common Scenarios

"I'm a club DJ with a grandMA3"

→ DJ Edition. AutoPilot drives your GrandMA executors over OSC. CuePad for manual overrides. Venue profile for instant recall.

"I run lighting for a regional theater company"

→ Theatre Edition. CueStack for your cue-to-cue show programming. The Show Editor timeline for pre-show and intermission sequences. Timecode chase to sync with sound design playback.

"I'm a mobile DJ doing 200 weddings a year"

→ DJ Edition. Build venue profiles for every venue you visit. CuePad cues for first dance, cake cutting, and bouquet toss. AutoPilot handles the dance floor.

"I'm an LD for a touring corporate event"

→ Production Edition. CueStack for the scripted keynote and award segments, AutoPilot for the after-party DJ set — Theatre alone doesn't include AutoPilot, so the both-engines license is the one that covers the whole night. Mission Control on the Performance screen keeps the after-party set's connections in view.

"I run a festival with 3 stages"

→ Production Edition. One CueSync machine per stage, all chasing the same timecode clock. Per-connection status catches network problems during load-in. Priority Support when something goes wrong at 2 AM.

"I'm a VJ who works with DJs"

→ DJ Edition. Map the deck's beat and phrase data to Resolume or TouchDesigner over OSC. AutoPilot runs your visual automation while the DJ plays.

If You're Unsure

Start from what sets the pace of your show. If the music does, that is DJ Edition; if the script does, Theatre Edition; if one show needs both, Production Edition. DJ and Theatre are siblings rather than rungs of a ladder — each has things the other lacks — so Production is the edition that has both. Moving to Production is an upgrade at any time; moving between DJ and Theatre is a switch, and your account dashboard lists what the target does not include before you confirm. Your shows, cues and venue profiles stay on your machine either way, and a lifetime licence can move up or sideways but never back down.

Download CueSync free and run the demo show and tour the app in read-only mode. When you're ready, choose your edition.