Manual

Redundancy & Sessions

CueForge2 can link two or more Macs over the network so a backup machine mirrors the primary — protection against hardware failure mid-show.

#Concepts

• PRIMARY — the machine in control. Audio and DMX output active.
• BACKUP — a mirror. Receives all cue edits and transport commands. By default, stays silent so it doesn't double-feed the rig.
• Session — the connection between one PRIMARY and its BACKUPs.

#Setting up a session

1. Open the Session window on both Macs (File menu, ⇧⌘J).
2. On the PRIMARY, click Host Session. Note the session name.
3. On the BACKUP, find the PRIMARY in the discovered sessions list and click Join.
4. The show, its media, and all routing settings transfer to the BACKUP automatically.

#What stays in sync

• All cue edits (names, levels, routing, new/deleted cues).
• Transport commands: GO, Stop, Pause, Resume, GOTO, LOAD.
• Show saves (⌘S on PRIMARY saves the show on BACKUP too).
• The full media library (any audio/video/image file the PRIMARY uses).

#Media transfer

Media files transfer over a parallel bulk channel so heartbeats and commands are never interrupted. A progress bar per file appears in the Session window. On rejoining after a restart, only files not already on the BACKUP are transferred.

#Playback sync

CueForge2 broadcasts clock echoes from PRIMARY to BACKUP at 4 Hz. Each BACKUP runs a gentle PI rate-correction loop to slew its playback speed toward PRIMARY's position, eliminating clock crystal drift over long cues. The BACKUP's clock display reflects PRIMARY's position in real time.

#Redundant rig vs. shared rig

• Shared rig (default): BACKUP's audio and DMX outputs are silenced. Only PRIMARY feeds the speakers and lighting.
• Redundant rig: enable "Backup outputs audio" and/or "Backup outputs DMX" in the Session window. Both machines feed their own sets of outputs — if one fails, the other continues uninterrupted.

#Tight-sync GO

When enabled, PRIMARY delays its own GO by a configurable window (default 100 ms) and sends the scheduled fire time to all BACKUPs so every machine fires at the same wall-clock instant. Useful for redundant rigs where audio on both machines must align. The trade-off is that GO feels slightly delayed locally.

#Taking over

If the PRIMARY machine fails, the BACKUP shows "PRIMARY LOST" and an audible alert sounds. Click Take Over to promote the BACKUP to PRIMARY — its outputs un-mute and it starts hosting a new session. Optional auto-promotion promotes the highest-priority BACKUP automatically after about 550 ms of silence.

#Priority

Each machine has a priority (0–100). Higher priority = promoted first during auto-election. Set it in the Session window's identity block.

#Security (PSK)

Set a passphrase in the Session window. Only machines that share the same passphrase can join the session. Click Generate to create a random six-word phrase.

#Diagnostics

The Session window's Connection Log records every handshake, mutation, and error. Use the filter field to search, and Copy to extract lines for a bug report. Each connected peer shows its round-trip latency (ms), CPU load, and free RAM.