Timecode Signal Lost & Freewheel

The Two States

FREEWHEEL (amber) — your active timecode source stopped delivering frames, and CueSync is coasting: the clock keeps advancing from the last good frame at the last measured rate, and your timecode cues keep firing. Freewheel runs for a configurable window (Settings → Timecode → source timeout). A momentary dropout — an intermittent cable, a brief MTC interruption — comes and goes entirely inside this state, and playback never stutters.

Signal lost (red banner) — the freewheel window ran out, or CueSync failed over to a lower-priority source. The banner names exactly what happened: which source was lost, at what time, and which source took over (e.g. "Signal lost — MTC at 21:47:03 · failed over to LTC"). It stays up until the lost source returns or you dismiss it, so a dropout that happened while you were on another screen is still on record. A failover also raises an error toast the moment it happens.

Stopping the transport yourself never triggers either state — CueSync distinguishes a deliberate stop from a lost signal.

Getting the Clock Back

1. Check the source, not CueSync — the Timecode screen's source list shows per-source presence and lock quality live. If MTC shows no signal, the problem is the MIDI interface, cable, or the sending console.
2. Let failover work for you — sources are tried in your priority order (drag to re-order on the Timecode screen; Theatre and DJ presets set a sensible order in one tap). Keep a backup source (e.g. LTC behind MTC) patched and it takes over automatically.
3. Force a source — click Force on a source row to lock to it regardless of signal-quality ranking. Remember to clear the force afterwards; a source left forced after it stops delivering frames produces nothing.
4. Watch for the restore — when the signal comes back, CueSync tells you which source re-locked ("Timecode signal restored — MTC"). If nothing re-locked, you won't get a false all-clear.

Tuning Freewheel

Set the source timeout to your show's real tolerance: long enough to absorb the dropouts your rig actually produces, short enough that a genuinely dead source fails over before cues drift audibly. Verify it in Settings → Timecode during rehearsal by pulling the cable and watching the amber-to-red progression.