TOPS — Theatre Operations & Production System — is show control for iPhone and iPad: lighting, audio and control cues in one cue list, run with one GO.
ONE CUE LIST
• Light, Audio Play, OSC, Wait and control cues share one list, with numbers, notes, color tags and WAIT/FOLLOW links.
• Run the show with GO, BACK, STOP, pause and fades. The next cue is always marked STANDBY, and moving STANDBY never runs a cue.
• Play, pause or stop any cue from its row. STOP ALL and blackout are always at hand.
SHOW MODE AND HEALTH CHECK
• Before the performance, Show Health Check reviews audio files and routes, patch, cues and Sequences, network destinations, projectors, battery and storage, and points to what needs attention.
• SHOW mode locks editing so only operation remains on screen. To leave it, hold the exit control for two seconds; no code is needed.
LIGHTING
• Patch fixtures by universe and address. Use the offline library, with community profiles from the Open Fixture Library, create custom profiles, and import GDTF or Open Fixture Library files; TOPS shows what it understood from each mode and what it does not control.
• Prepare values in Programmer and store groups, memories and palettes. Build Sequences, apply FX and trigger actions from Pads.
• Send DMX over Art-Net or sACN E1.31 to compatible receivers on your local network. TOPS Full adds broadcast and multicast.
AUDIO
Import audio from Files and create play, pause, resume, stop and fade cues. Adjust level, looping and start offset. TOPS Full adds multichannel output routing, speaker maps and Audio Move cues that move a source between available outputs. Channel availability and latency depend on the interface and the audio route exposed by iOS or iPadOS.
EXTERNAL CONTROL
Send OSC to other show systems, such as media servers. With TOPS Full, use MIDI Learn to assign MIDI Note and Control Change messages to GO, STOP, masters and Pads, receive OSC remote control, and control projectors over PJLink. Ableton Link synchronizes tempo and phase with other devices on the network; it does not transmit audio or start or stop remote playback. Settings > Compatibility lists the protocols TOPS implements and the hardware tested.
FREE AND FULL, PAY ONCE
TOPS is free to download. TOPS Free is for learning and small tests: up to 25 cues and one Sequence, 64 DMX channels in one universe over Art-Net or sACN unicast, Audio Play cues on the stereo output, sending OSC cues and Ableton Link. SHOW mode, Show Health Check, STOP ALL, blackout, autosave and recovery are always included.
TOPS Full is a one-time purchase. It adds unlimited cues and Sequences, complete DMX universes (512 channels) and multiple DMX universes, Art-Net broadcast and sACN multicast, MIDI Learn and OSC remote control, multichannel audio with per-output routing, spatial audio and Audio Move, Pixel Map, and projector control over PJLink. The price is shown before you confirm.
Open Settings > TOPS Full to buy, restore purchases or redeem Apple offer codes. If you redeem a valid code while TOPS is closed or in the background, access updates when you return to the app.
LOCAL PROJECTS AND PRIVACY
Work without a TOPS account, ads, publisher analytics or tracking. Import and export projects through Files. The .lightpad format preserves configuration and references but does not include audio files: keep the originals too. OSC passcodes and PJLink passwords stay in the local Keychain without syncing or export.
BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE
Explore TOPS with Review Demo, without buying Full or connecting equipment. Keep the app open and active for continuous network control; iOS may suspend it in the background.
Check the patch, files, audio routes, connections and recovery with your actual setup before every performance. TOPS is not an emergency control and must not be the sole control for safety-critical systems. Compatibility with third-party protocols and profiles does not imply certification or endorsement by their manufacturers.
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