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Busking vs. cue-list shows

The problem

grandMA2 grew up in two worlds at once. Its tracking cue lists, cue modes, MIB and timecode come from theatre and scripted shows, where every moment is planned and played back the same way every night. Its pages, executor functions, effects, speed masters and MAtricks serve busking: live operation, where you react to music you didn't know in advance.

The manual explains both sets of tools side by side, without saying which world each belongs to. That's one reason it can feel overwhelming. Half of what you read may be built for the other kind of show.

Practice

This page is a working-practice comparison. The features are documented in the manual; which show style they serve is interpretation.

Two philosophies

Cue-list show Busking show
The show is a script: cue 1, cue 2, cue 3 … an instrument: layers you combine live
Programming writing every moment in advance building blocks and controls
During the show mostly Go constant playing
Repeatability identical every night different every night
Core tools tracking, cue timing, part cues, MIB, cue modes, timecode executor layout, effects, speed masters, playback filters, Flash/Swop, colour looks
Typical uses theatre, musicals, corporate events, pre-programmed concerts clubs, raves, festivals, bands you don't know
Where effort goes cue content and timing layout, balance and speed of access

What each style can ignore

Busking can mostly ignore: long tracking cue lists, MIB, cue modes (Assert, Break), part cues, timecode, cue-only stores. Many busking sequences have one cue, so tracking barely matters. What does matter is what each executor claims and how it lets go: tracking on or off for chasers and step sequences, Release, Off On Overwritten (see Sequences on a busking page).

Cue-list shows can mostly ignore: complex page structures, Flash/Swop logic, playback masters, live effect manipulation, and most of the executor-layout thinking.

Knowing which group you're in saves a lot of reading.

Mixing them

Most real shows are hybrids, and grandMA2 handles that well, because both kinds of playback can run side by side on different executors:

  • A busking rig with programmed moments: the normal flow is busked, but specific drops, intros or a headliner's signature moment are short cue lists (a few cues with exact timing) on their own executors, ready to fire.
  • A cue-list show with live layers: the main story runs on a cue list, while a few executors (an effect speed, a strobe hit, an audience blinder) stay under your fingers for live moments.
  • A set list: one page per song, each with its cue list on the main executor plus the same fixed busking controls on every page.

Two details to plan for in hybrids:

  • Priority: decide what wins when the cue list and a busking layer touch the same fixtures (see Playback priority).
  • Release and Assert: a cue list that should hand fixtures back to the busking layers needs releases; a cue that must look exactly right no matter what was busked before needs Assert (see Cues, sequences and tracking).

For electronic music specifically

Busking electronic music has its own set of pages: energy levels, the intensity balance, colour, playing in time and short timecode routines. Start with Busking a rave: energy levels.

Sources

Mostly working practice. Manual facts used: