Quick guideKueSync 0.15.29

Presenter notes and the teleprompter

Every Notes screen in the fleet shows the speaker notes of the slide that is up, the moment it changes: a confidence monitor, the lectern, a teleprompter glass or a phone. There is nothing to type or import. The notes are the ones already in the deck.

The situation. A keynote with a confidence monitor downstage and a teleprompter glass at the lectern. The deck runs on the primary graphics machine, with a backup beside it. The presenter wants the Timer on the notes, bigger text for the Q&A, and a heads-up when the video is next.

1. The notes sources
2. Open the screens
3. Set each screen
4. Zoom
5. The teleprompter
6. Live notes
7. Over the internet
Companion and OSC
Troubleshooting
Checklist
All guides

A Notes screen: the slide number and file name at the top left, the Timer at the top right, the current slide’s notes, and the next slide’s notes below a line — A Notes screen with the Timer, the slide count and file name, and the next slide’s notes.

Before doors

1The notes sources and their backups

The notes come from the presenter notes already in the deck: Keynote’s Presenter Notes or PowerPoint’s Notes pane. One machine is the notes source, Source 1, and every Notes screen in the fleet shows its deck’s notes.

Settings, Fleet, Notes source: Source 1 set to KA-M3 Black with PC-7 as its failover, and Source 2 set to PC-7 with KA-M3 Black as its failover

1Source 1, on the Leader in Settings › Fleet › Notes source: the machine whose deck the Notes screens read. Usually the graphics machine running the show deck.
2Source 1 failover (optional): the backup graphics machine. If the source’s deck goes down mid-show and the backup is presenting, every Notes screen switches to the backup together, and back when the source is presenting again.
3Source 2 (optional): a second graphics machine, for shows where two take turns. Below.
4Source 2 failover (optional): the backup for Source 2, working the same way.

You can change any of them live. When more than one deck is running, the NOTES button on a deck’s row in Now Playing makes the Notes screens follow that deck.

Keynote (Mac): the notes are read live. Skipped slides are left out of Next.
PowerPoint for Windows: the notes are read live. Hidden slides are left out of Next.
PowerPoint for Mac: the notes are read from the saved file. Save the deck after editing notes so the change shows.
A PDF has no notes.

Source 2: notes from a second graphics machine

When two graphics machines take turns, for example a primary and a secondary that alternate between sessions, set Source 2 (optional) below Source 1, with its own optional failover. Each Notes screen then reads one of three:

Source 1, the default.
Source 2.
Follows cues: starts on Source 1 and changes when a Show Flow cue picks a source. A dedicated notes display, and its backup, can follow the show from one machine to the other with no one touching it.

Set it under Notes reads in that machine’s Settings › Displays › Notes screen, or for every machine from the Leader in Screens on every machine. Notes reads appears once Source 2 is set. In a cue’s settings, Notes source sits beside Notes zoom and lists the two machines by name. Each source keeps its own failover, whichever screens read it. With no Source 2, everything reads Source 1 as before.

Screens on every machine: KA-M3 Black’s Notes screen reads Source 2: PC-7, and PC-7’s reads Follows cues — Notes reads, on every machine from the Leader.

Show Flow cue settings, When this cue is taken: Notes zoom, and Notes source set to PC-7 (Source 2) — Taking this cue switches screens set to Follows cues to PC-7.

2Open the Notes screens

Settings, Displays, Notes screen: Open and Copy link, Background, Chroma text, Zoom, Font, Show Timer (PIP) with its position, style and size, and the toggles for next notes, messages, slide count, file name and Cue Lights

1Open or Copy link, on any machine in Settings › Displays › Notes screen. With a second display, pick it in Opens on and press Open full screen. Copy link gives you the address for a phone or tablet on the show network.
2Background: Black, White, Chroma green or Chroma blue.
3Zoom: Follows fleet, or a fixed size for this machine.
4Show Timer (PIP): the fleet Timer in a corner of the notes.
5Show the next slide’s notes and the other toggles below it.

From the Leader you can open Notes on any machine’s display without walking over to it: Settings › Displays › Screens on every machine. The Mirror switch there flips that machine’s Notes screen for a teleprompter glass. The menu bar (Mac) and tray (PC) have Open Notes… too.

Screens on every machine: KA-M3 Black with its two displays, a row for each screen, and the Notes row with Open full screen and the Mirror switch

3Set each screen

Each machine keeps its own look, so the downstage monitor and the lectern can differ. The text size is set once per deck, from the first slide with notes, and held for the whole deck so it doesn’t jump from slide to slide. Short notes sit centred; long notes scroll.

Background and Chroma text: on chroma green or blue the Timer draws no panel and messages show as text only, so the frame keys cleanly.
Font: Helvetica, System, Verdana (wide and very legible) or Georgia. Notes text only.
Show Timer (PIP): the same digits as the Timer screens, warning colours included. Position (six corners and edges), Timer style (Auto, Panel or Bare) and Timer size (Standard or 2x). The notes always move clear of it.
Include video count-out: a small VIDEO box beside the Timer while a clip plays (Video count-outs to the stage).
Show the next slide’s notes, Show the slide count, Show the slide show file name.
Show operator messages: Timer messages from KueSync Control appear along the bottom (Timer messages and Live notes).
Cue Lights on the notes: a green NEXT or red BACK flashes at the top as the slide is called.
Presidential teleprompter (mirror image): flips the screen KueSync opens on an external display, for a teleprompter glass.

A Notes screen on chroma green with white text and the Timer drawn without a panel — Chroma green: the Timer has no panel, so it keys cleanly.

A Notes screen with the Timer at 2x, centred at the top, and the notes below it — Timer size 2x at the top centre. The notes move below it.

A Notes screen flipped left to right for a teleprompter glass — Presidential teleprompter: the screen flipped for the glass.

The top of a Notes screen with a green NEXT flash beside the Timer — Cue Lights: NEXT flashes as the slide is called.

4Zoom: for the fleet, for one screen, and by cue

There are four ways to make the notes bigger or smaller. They stack, so set the room once and nudge it during the show.

The fleet zoom, in the Notes window of KueSync Control: 80% to 130%, or − and + for fine steps. Every Notes screen set to Follows fleet changes together.
One machine: set Zoom in that machine’s Notes screen settings to a fixed size, and it stops following the fleet.
One screen: move the mouse over a Notes screen (or touch it) and use −, + and the % in the bottom left. Click the % to go back to fit. Pinch with two fingers on a Notes link on a phone.
By cue, in Show Flow: open a cue’s settings and set Notes zoom under When this cue is taken. Taking that cue sets the fleet zoom, so the Q&A can come up bigger without anyone touching a screen. A cue left on Leave the Notes zoom as it is changes nothing.

Show Flow cue settings, When this cue is taken: Notes zoom set to 120%, and Records reminder — Show Flow cue settings: taking this cue sets the Notes zoom to 120%.

During the show

5Run the teleprompter

The Notes window of KueSync Control: a live preview of the Notes screen, Zoom 80 to 130, Play, words per minute with the speed slider, Top and the step arrows, Hold on new slide, and Live notes — The Notes window: what the screen shows, and the controls under it.

1Zoom for every screen that follows the fleet.
2Play scrolls the notes at the speed set below it; press again to pause.
3Words / min: 60 to 260, with − and +. 150 is a comfortable speaking pace.
4Hold on new slide: at each new slide, scrolling waits this long at the top before it starts again.

Open it with ⧉ Notes in KueSync Control’s Teleprompter controls. The preview is the real Notes screen: drag or scroll it and every Notes screen moves with it. ⤒ Top, ▲ and ▼ step the notes three lines at a time; hold to keep scrolling. In the Notes window, Space plays and pauses, the arrow keys step, - and = change the speed and Home goes to the top.

A phone clicker link can scroll the notes too: turn on Notes scroll on the link in Settings › Show control › Clicker links (Who is advancing?).

6Live notes

A Notes screen with a live note under the Timer: Next slide is the video. Wait for the music before you speak. — A live note sits under the Timer while the slide notes scroll beneath it.

1Turn on Live notes in Teleprompter controls or the Notes window.
2Type the note. Enter starts a new line.
3Send puts it up on every Notes screen and every Notes link. Clear after takes it down by itself, or press Clear.

With no deck open on the notes source, the Notes screens show only the Timer and your live note, at the largest size that fits. More in Timer messages and Live notes.

7Notes over the internet

Settings, Displays, Notes screen, Notes links: a name and an email, and Create internet Notes link

For a presenter who is not in the room, make a Notes link in Settings › Displays › Notes screen › Notes links (Internet access on). The link and its PIN are shown once: copy them, or add an email to send the link. Each link has its own background, font, zoom and toggles, and a change reaches the screen at once.

A Notes link follows the fleet’s Notes screens, so the same words sit at the top. The presenter can read ahead by scrolling or swiping; Current position brings it back, and so does the next slide. Pinch to change the text size.

A Notes screen on a phone: the Timer at the top, the notes below, and the minus, 80% and plus zoom buttons — On a phone. The − button set this one to 80%.

Notes links have no mirror and no video count-out. They are for reading; they can change nothing in the show. More in Remote crew and screens.

Companion and OSC

The KueSync · Notes presets in Companion scroll the notes, play and pause the teleprompter, change its speed, zoom, put up and clear a live note, set the notes sources and their backups, and pick the source for screens on Follows cues. Feedbacks light a key while the teleprompter runs, while a live note is up, or while a machine is the source. Over OSC the same are under /kuesync/notes/, for example /kuesync/notes/zoom 120 or /kuesync/notes/prompt.

Troubleshooting

What you see	Fix
“No notes for this slide”	That slide has no notes, or no deck is open on the notes source. Check Settings › Fleet › Notes source names the machine running the deck.
A notes edit doesn’t show (PowerPoint for Mac)	Save the deck. PowerPoint for Mac notes are read from the saved file.
One screen is bigger or smaller than the rest	Its Zoom is set to a fixed size, or its own − / + was used. Set Zoom to Follows fleet, and click the % on that screen to go back to fit.
Zoom from KueSync Control does nothing on a screen	That machine’s Zoom is a fixed size. Set it to Follows fleet.
The notes switched to the backup machine	The source’s deck went down. They switch back when the source is presenting again.
A screen shows the other machine’s notes	Check its Notes reads. On Follows cues it reads the source the last cue picked.
The teleprompter glass reads backwards	Turn on Presidential teleprompter for that screen, or the Mirror switch in Screens on every machine.
Open full screen is missing	That machine’s KueSync menu bar or tray app isn’t running. Start it, or open the Notes screen in a browser.

Pre-show checklist

Source 1 set to the machine running the show deck, and Source 1 failover to the backup. Source 2 and its failover too, if two machines take turns.
Notes reads set on each Notes screen, and Notes source on the cues that switch machines.
Every Notes screen open, and the next slide checked on each one.
Timer, Cue Lights and next notes on or off as the presenter wants.
Zoom set for the room, and Notes zoom on the cues that need it.
The teleprompter speed agreed, and Play / Pause tested.
Notes links sent and connected for anyone outside the room.

More quick guides

Timer messages and Live notesPut the Timer on a screen, send it messages, and move to Live notes when you need more room.Calling the show with Show FlowImport your run of show, set what each cue does, and call it with STANDBY and GO on every screen.Remote crew and screensShow Caller and Control users over the internet, internet clickers, and Timer, Notes and Cue Lights links.

All guides · FAQ