Running Your First Show with AutoPilot

What Is AutoPilot?

AutoPilot is CueSync's phrase-aware automation engine. It reads the structure of the track that is playing — a Pioneer deck over PRO DJ LINK (using rekordbox's phrase analysis), or a file you play in Local Audio (which CueSync analyses itself) — and automatically triggers lighting cues, DMX values, and protocol outputs on the moments that matter in the music.

AutoPilot responds to:

• Phrase moments — drops, builds, choruses, breakdowns, fills and outros, with phrase fallbacks and pre-roll that fires N beats ahead
• Energy — the track's energy curve (builds, drops, breakdowns), which scales how hard each look fires

AutoPilot is available in the DJ and Production editions.

Quick Start

1. Pick Your Beat Source

AutoPilot needs a deck or a file behind it:

• Pioneer CDJ / XDJ — go to Settings → DJ Hardware and pick the network interface your players are on. CueSync joins PRO DJ LINK as a virtual CDJ, the connection status turns green when players are detected, and a card per deck appears on Devices.
• Laptop, no DJ hardware — open View → Local Audio and drag WAV, AIFF, MP3, M4A (AAC-LC), FLAC or OGG files onto the drop zone. Apple Lossless and copy-protected M4A files are not supported, so convert them to WAV or FLAC first. CueSync plays and analyses each one (beat grid, phrases, energy, key). Run the queue as a set with Previous, Stop and Next; the Next Up card names the next track and what will fire for it, and Rehearse set plays the queue through AutoPilot against your connected rig while sending nothing.

VirtualDJ (or Serato / rekordbox through an OS2L bridge) can also send a beat grid: Settings → DJ Hardware → OS2L (DJ software) → Accept beats from DJ software (off by default, port 1806). That drives beat cues; AutoPilot's phrase plan comes from a Pioneer deck or a Local Audio track.

Load a track and you should see its waveform and phrase bands on the Auto Pilot screen.

2. Connect a Protocol

AutoPilot needs somewhere to send its output. For a quick test:

• Go to Network → Outputs → + and add an OSC output (Custom OSC, Resolume, QLab and more) with a target IP/port — every edition supports unlimited OSC targets, and any OSC-capable console or media server shows traffic immediately
• Or add an Art-Net (DMX) output with your lighting console's IP address

See the Protocol Setup guides for software-specific instructions.

3. Enable AutoPilot

Open Auto Pilot (Control group, ⌘ 5) and click Enable Auto Pilot. The status header reads Armed once a track with phrase analysis is loaded, then Running when the beat starts.

4. Play Music

Start the track on your deck or in Local Audio. AutoPilot plans its cues from the track's structure and CueSync sends them to your connected outputs on the beat. The Dashboard tab's Recent fires list shows what fired and why.

Tips for Best Results

• Use Ethernet for protocol output — Wi-Fi adds latency and packet jitter
• Prep tracks first — analyse them in Track Prep before the doors open; auto-analysis pauses while AutoPilot is armed
• Save a Venue Profile after dialing in your settings — recall it instantly at the next show
• Keep Pause on Manual Go on (the default) — two manual firings within 3 seconds pause AutoPilot so you can take over by hand, and one click resumes it

Moving Beyond AutoPilot

Once you're comfortable with AutoPilot, explore:

• CuePads — manually trigger supplementary cues over AutoPilot output
• Cues — pair triggers (beat, phrase, energy, and more) with output actions in one master stack
• Looks — reusable output states; a Bundle fires lighting, video and effects together
• Show Editor (Theatre/Production) — sequence cues on a timeline against timecode