A first walkthrough for preparing lighting, audio, and cues on iPhone and iPad. Explore Review Demo without buying Full or connecting equipment. Then build a small rehearsal project and check the next GO before enabling physical outputs.
This guide covers the TOPS 1.0 (22) candidate prepared in App Store Connect; it does not announce a public release. Requires iOS or iPadOS 17.6 or later. Labels such as Programmer, patch, cue, fade, and Sequence follow the application vocabulary.
1. Keep a copy of your project before starting
Check your installed build and open Settings. Save the current project and use EXPORT .lightpad to choose a destination in Files. Give the copy a recognizable name. Before replacing the project, confirm that you can find the exported file.
The file contains configuration and references, not the audio files. Keep the originals too. If you move the project to another device, check audio and relink any files needed. Exporting does not create a shared session or synchronize the show between devices.
Disable external outputs for this first rehearsal. Do not change projects, the patch, or routes during a performance. Credentials entered in dedicated PJLink and QLab fields remain in the local, non-synchronizing Keychain and are not included in exports.
2. Load Review Demo and observe the transport
Open Settings → Review Demo → confirm. Loading the demo replaces the current project, prepares sample content, and keeps network outputs disabled. Inspect Cues and Live; you do not need a DMX node to understand the workflow.
Press GO and observe the cue running and the cue prepared for the next GO. Try PAUSE/RESUME and STOP. In the main stack, BACK arms the previous cue; GO runs it. BACK does not play the previous cue by itself. STOP cancels cue progression and the current fade and stops audio; it is not blackout or a universal physical stop.
Selecting a cue to edit, preparing it with LOAD, and running it are separate actions. Always check the next-GO indicator. Configuration screens and local values do not demonstrate reception by external equipment.
3. Create a small project and prepare the patch
Finish the demo test and create a new project in Settings. Start with one or two simple fixtures. In Patch, choose a suitable profile and set the universe, starting address, and DMX mode. For a rehearsal without equipment, use a generic profile; for the actual setup, compare every attribute and channel with the fixture manual.
Check that channel footprints do not overlap. The library is local: create custom profiles or import compatible DMX data from GDTF. Importing a profile does not confirm that it matches every firmware version or mode of a fixture.
Do not confuse a fixture’s logical number with its DMX address. Check the receiver’s universe numbering too. Leave network output disabled while preparing this project.
4. Program two states and record two cues
Open Programmer and select the rehearsal fixtures. Prepare an initial intensity state and, if the profile supports it, color. Open RECORD and use REC ALL to record a cue with a clear name, such as “Entrance.” Change the values and record another, such as “Scene.”
In Cues, review order, stored values, and fades. Start with manual advances so you can check each transition; add WAIT/FOLLOW once you understand the continuation they create. Use CLEAR ALL in Programmer to release its values before evaluating playback: Programmer can continue overriding the cue.
Prepare the first cue with LOAD and press GO. Editing a cue does not run it. Try both cues, BACK followed by GO, and STOP. Save or update an edit using the relevant action; moving the transport does not replace that work.
5. Add a file and an Audio Play cue
Create a cue in the stack and choose Audio Play in Cue Editor. Use the system picker to import your own file from Files. Review level, start offset, looping, and fades. Make your first stereo test at a safe level.
Audition lets you listen directly and can produce sound immediately. To check show order, return to Cues, prepare the cue, and run it with GO. Add Audio Pause, Resume, Stop, and Fade cues targeting the relevant source and rehearse their results.
Full adds multichannel audio, speaker maps, and Audio Move. Check Audio Patch and the Audio Play source first, then the path. Channel count, channel order, and latency depend on the interface and the route exposed by iOS/iPadOS. An on-screen map does not verify physical outputs.
6. Check one external output at a time
Connect the device and receiver to the intended network. Allow TOPS to use the local network. Choose Art-Net or sACN E1.31 and set destination, universe, and delivery mode to match the receiver. Start with a single destination and confirm both node reception and fixture behavior.
Free provides one DMX universe in unicast. Full enables multiple universes, Art-Net broadcast, and sACN multicast. In sACN, priority and universe are separate parameters. Coordinate before changing priority on a shared system.
Keep TOPS open and active for continuous network control. That local traffic does not need Internet access, though Apple services may. A successful send status in the app is not confirmation of physical reception.
7. Add MIDI, OSC, or Link after the first rehearsal
In Settings → MIDI, select the source, connect, and inspect the monitor. Use MIDI Learn for Note or Control Change on transports, masters, and Pads. Connect does not arm control: check the mappings and press ARM deliberately. DISARM prevents new commands but does not stop playback. After backgrounding or losing the source, reconnect and arm manually.
For OSC, prepare each IP address, port, and command. Full enables PJLink TCP projector control. Use only dedicated fields for credentials. Ableton Link synchronizes tempo and phase: it does not carry audio or trigger remote start or stop by itself. Rehearse each action with its real equipment before including it in the show.
8. Run the show and prepare recovery
Rehearse from start to finish using the same build, device, network, files, and interfaces as the performance. Check GO, BACK, PAUSE/RESUME, STOP, levels, and continuation; test connection loss and recovery under controlled conditions too. Keep the on-screen transport accessible and prepare a stop procedure appropriate for the physical equipment.
Save and export another copy of the finished project and keep the audio. Free allows creation of up to 16 fixtures, 25 total cues, 8 Audio Play cues, and one Sequence, plus one unicast universe and stereo. Full is a one-time, non-consumable purchase with no subscription; Apple shows the price before confirmation. Restore purchases and offer codes are in Settings → TOPS Full.
TOPS must not be the sole control for safety-critical systems. For help, contact support with build, device, and reproducible steps, without sending secrets.
UNQUINTO · Updated · developer@unquinto.es