Author Topic: Multiplay Sound Cue Software  (Read 21399 times)

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plutosams

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Multiplay Sound Cue Software
« on: May 25, 2011, 02:06 pm »
I am going to be using Multiplay sound cue software (Freeware from Australia) on my upcoming show and I was wondering if anyone else has used this software.  If so, what are some limitations to be aware of?  It seems like exactly like the software I need, but trying new things during a show always make me a bit nervous.

Gina

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Re: Multiplay Sound Cue Software
« Reply #1 on: May 25, 2011, 11:12 pm »
I haven't used that specific program, but if you are running a Mac I would highly suggest QLab- another free sound program- depending on what you need to do with it. It is pretty customizable and user friendly once you get accustomed to it. I've found it very helpful both in rehearsal and widely used in performance. Let me know if you would be interested in more information.

anole

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Re: Multiplay Sound Cue Software
« Reply #2 on: May 26, 2011, 04:08 am »
I'm not sure about Multiplay, however, I've been at two houses that use QLab regularly. I haven't worked a show where we've been able to use it without buying a license for it, so I can't speak to the free-only applications of it. You can either buy a daily license or a permanent license.

That said- I'm a really big fan of QLab, especially in the ability to run sound, projections, and lights (via the midi output) from one spacebar during a show. It GREATLY reduces operator error, and you can synchronize things beautifully in a way that's nearly effortless during shows.

kiwitechgirl

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Re: Multiplay Sound Cue Software
« Reply #3 on: May 26, 2011, 07:35 am »
I've not used Multiplay myself but I've really only heard positive feedback.  Another great piece of software (although not free, it's very reasonable) is Show Cue System.  I've been using that for years and have always found it to be solid and reliable - plus the author of it is incredibly helpful.


Moderator Note:  Removed link.  -kmc307
« Last Edit: May 26, 2011, 08:29 am by kmc307 »

Gina

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Re: Multiplay Sound Cue Software
« Reply #4 on: May 26, 2011, 10:24 am »
QLab does have a Pro version that has alot more capacity such as synching video and all that great stuff. There is a free version. I like that I can quickly program a fade in, fade out, link cues mostly for rehearsal. I've worked with a couple directors who as part of their process just need to hear something in the rehearsal room and I found this a lot less clunky for my purposes than running it off a CD player or through iTunes. It might be overkill for some situations.

Sorry not much help on your specific program but good luck.


plutosams

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Re: Multiplay Sound Cue Software
« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2011, 01:37 pm »
QLab does look amazing unfortunately it only works on a Mac.  I have been looking into Show Cue System also, it costs a little bit, but it seems worth it.

kiwitechgirl

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Re: Multiplay Sound Cue Software
« Reply #6 on: May 29, 2011, 01:15 am »
QLab does look amazing unfortunately it only works on a Mac.  I have been looking into Show Cue System also, it costs a little bit, but it seems worth it.

Totally worth it.  We ran backing tracks off it for a 12-week summer musical and it was flawless - easy to program, powerful, easy to operate and pretty much does everything you need it to.  So long as you're running it off a dedicated computer (which goes for any computer-based playback anyway) with all the extraneous junk taken off it it won't let you down....and on the tiny chance that you do have a problem, e-mailing the author will usually have you a fix in record time.  We ran it off a stripped-down XP machine which had pretty much nothing else on it and was not on the network or the Internet and it worked well for us.

iamchristuffin

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Re: Multiplay Sound Cue Software
« Reply #7 on: Jun 06, 2011, 07:14 pm »
I always found Multiplay very un-intuitive and hard to use. I haven't used it in a couple of years, so my thoughts may be completely null and void by now. The GO hotkeys didn't always set themselves correctly, I always had problems from MIDI control (even though I wasn't using MIDI) and it crashed quite a bit. As I say though, this may have all been fixed!

2p

Chris

Moderator Note: Removed link.  -kmc307
« Last Edit: Jun 08, 2011, 08:28 am by kmc307 »

plutosams

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Re: Multiplay Sound Cue Software
« Reply #8 on: Jun 08, 2011, 01:30 pm »
So now that the show has closed I thought I would update with my experience using Multiplay.

Overall, I have very high praise for this program. 

The Good: We were running a relatively complex sound show that required many sound cues to play on top of each other, take some out, and what not all off very quick actor blocking.  This program performed excellent in this regard.  Adjusting settings and control cues I found to be very easy (and I am not a sound person).  I really liked that I could adjust the look of the program to put the "Go" button exactly where I wanted it and not it a place likely to be accidently pushed.  Changing levels was very simple.  Overall it reminded me a lot of working with SFX.  I liked that this software allowed me to archive the entire show including the sound cues in one place.  This seems like a simple feature, but as an SM working on a semi-mobile show it is nice to know if my laptop kicks out I have it backed up and can use anyone elses without having to refind all of the sound files.  I really liked the script reference option.  Although this show required calling almost everything off a blocking cues, it was still a nice feature to have.  I also found the advanced option of starting a cue later into the track and cutting early really nice (saves a lot of time when I don't have to be editing sound files to make them cleaner, especially when someone else made them to begin with).  Overall, in a fast paced tech week that we had this program took a lot of stress off of me just knowing things "worked".

The Bad: Not a whole lot to say here.  We had two shows running in tandem and for some reason the program did not like to switch between them...it would lag or crash.  For us this was not a big deal because we a had a ten minute intermission.  We just simply restarted the program and loaded up the other show.  Although the program allows some customizability (is that a word?), sometimes a simple drag and drop on the gui made things goes funky.  This is a small gripe.

The final say.  I would say if you are a small theatre company looking for a sound program that has similer aspects to qlab and SFX AND are willing to deal with a few small quirks use this program.  If you are running multiple shows I would either store both shows in one file...otherwise you will be restarting the program.  If you are a medium sized theatre I would say purchase Sound Cue System, it has similar functionality, but removes a lot of the quirkiness.  I definitely plan on using this because I work for a very small and new company with very little funding; however I would upgrade as soon as possible.

Sidenote: I really wish we could find a program similar to this developed on the Gnu/Linux or more specifically Ubuntu/Linux Mint systems.  Sound programs are the only reason I still dual boot windows; everything else including light software just works better on my Linux Partition.  If anyone is looking into developing something like this I would love to help.

Joshua S.

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Re: Multiplay Sound Cue Software
« Reply #9 on: Jun 08, 2011, 02:39 pm »
I've never heard of this program and can't find any info on it, but I'm interested in checking it out.  Does anyone know the website for the company that manufactures it?

plutosams

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Re: Multiplay Sound Cue Software
« Reply #10 on: Jun 08, 2011, 02:56 pm »
Here is a link to their webpage:

newbielink:http://www.audiovisualdevices.com.au/software/multiplay/index.php [nonactive]

KMC

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Re: Multiplay Sound Cue Software
« Reply #11 on: Jun 08, 2011, 03:13 pm »
Thanks for the feedback and detailed review Plutosams!
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Joshua S.

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Re: Multiplay Sound Cue Software
« Reply #12 on: Jun 08, 2011, 08:27 pm »

drewski91

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Re: Multiplay Sound Cue Software
« Reply #13 on: Jun 10, 2011, 01:08 pm »
Having used Multiplay a bit, my opnion is that it's a leap above using something like iTunes, but nothing like the full version of Qlab. I go back and forth between Multiplay and the free version of Qlab-- largely depending on whether I have a Mac or a PC. In my experience, Multiplay can be buggy-- which of course comes with the territory when it comes to  freeware. I just always make sure I have plenty of lead time to diagnose any problems.

For freeware, I think it's fantastic. If I have the option of using a more robust (expensive) program, great. But when I walk into a space with an old audio console, a CD player, and a PC running iTunes... Multiplay is a lifesaver.