React to what comes nextRequires Pro

Time-line doesn't just know which section is playing. It also knows which one comes next. This gives the option to react to upcoming dynamic changes in the track, before it happens.

• Send a trigger to your MA to arm a fader to a specific sequence seconds before the Drop.
• If an effect needs a few seconds to start, trigger the cue with that offset.
• Don’t trigger a sequence when a specific Key Point type is coming up.
• Only trigger a sequence when it’s the last of the Key Point Family.

This example flow dims the lights during a Drive Break that returns to Drive, but gradually lifts them when the Drive Break leads into a Build.

Download This Flow

How It Works

• Every message from a Key Point node sends out a value called nextKeypoint (and previousKeypoint, plus zoomed-out versions nextKeypointGroup and nextKeypointFamily). This gives you the info of what is coming up.

• The Drive Break node streams while the break is playing. Two small Function Nodes receive info 30 times per second, and use JavaScript to check if conditions are met:
  • If next is drive only pass messages when the break goes back into a Drive.
  • If next is build only pass messages when a Build is coming
• Each path has its own Progress node. A Progress node helps you create more complex animations, using curves. In this example we’ve set it up like this:
  • If the next Key Point is Drive: the lights duck to 25% for most of the break, then return to full just before the Drive comes back.
  • If the next Key Point is Build: the lights rise steadily across the break, handing over to the Build already lifting.

The same idea works for one-shot cues: put the same kind of function after an Enter node to fire a different cue depending on what's coming.