Multiplay w/ Bitfocus Companion

[Skullzofdoom]

Hey Everyone. I am currently using Multiplay 3.0.176. For the show I am working on, we do not have someone to run sound FX and we don't want the board op to do so. The reason being is we'd like to avoid the board op having any sort of com set on so their full focus can always be on the mix. Instead, we'd like the SM to hit the cues. Especially because there is around 5 total as the pit does most of the sound FX for us via a piano (the piano has a show profile on it that comes with the majority of the sound FX).

Because Multiplay is stationed at the board, the SM can't hit the cues as they're in the control booth. To play the cues I was going to use Bitfocus Companion. This allows a stream deck to be integrated into almost every piece of production software (sound consoles, pro presenter, video switchers, etc.). Companion is another piece of donationware and is open source so anyone can make software for it. There is a project open for Multiplay, however, I don't think it was made for V3 of Multiplay. I've tried everything but can't get companion to connect to multiplay.

The instructions on how to connect Multiplay to companion don't line up with multiplay anymore. Does anyone use bitfocus with V3 currently? If so, how are you getting it to work? I am currently getting a refused to connect error from bitfocus. When disabling windows firewalls, I then get a connection timed out error. I've also used a windows Powershell command to test a connection to Multiplay, but it failed no matter what I did.

These are the instructions given by the person who created the app for Multiplay on Companion:

"At the moment no data from the player is returned therefor no feedback is provided. Make sure to activate the TCP connection: File > Production Properties > Telnet Patches > Command Listen > Port number & ACTIVE"

As I stated those are no longer menu options. Instead, I went to network and added a network patch, set it to telnet, and entered the port number that companion gave me. I wasn't sure what the destination box was for, so I set it to the IP address that companion was on. That didn't work. Then I set it to the IP address of the computer multiplay was on, but that also didn't work. All companion asks for, is the IP address of the computer Multiplay is on and for you to enter a Telnet port number.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to get this to work? I figured I'd reach out here first, but companion also has a github where you can submit a request for a piece of software to be integrated into companion, and then someone will make it.

Any ideas?

Thank you ahead of time, and I apologize for the REALLY long post.

[David]

I looked at that Bitfocus Companion project only last week and saw that it uses a Telnet connection. That won't work with MultiPlay v3 as Telnet control is no longer present.

At some stage I'd like to see if I can modify that project to use OSC, but from my brief look at it I just don't understand how to do that yet.

I even bought a Stream Deck Mini to try out, again when I have some free time.

If anyone else here knows how to make or modify Bitfocus Companion projects that would be great. I can help with what the OSC commands need to be.

[Skullzofdoom]

David, you are on it! I just gotta say WOW. Pretty much everything I have mentioned in the last week, you have either already been working on or are already trying to implement it.

I know multiplay supports OSC, and there is a generic OSC control already made for companion. I have not messed with OSC control before so I have no idea how to set that type of thing up. Would I be able to link the generic OSC control on companion to multiplay? If so, how would you set this up to play cues? Any ideas? If someone did figure this out could they export what they did on companion, and then add a copy of the show file they used with Multiplay to a reply?

I'd greatly appreciate the help, thank you!

[David]

I just tried using Companion with the generic OSC mode and can control MultiPlay via the test buttons in Companion or via the Stream Deck Mini.

In Companion, I added a connection of type OSC. Pressing the edit button lets you set the IP address (of the computer running MultiPlay) and the port number (set in Preferences > OSC Control > Incoming). If MultiPlay is on the same PC as the Stream Deck, you can use 127.0.0.1 as the IP address in Companion.

For the buttons, click Buttons in Companion and choose a button that corresponds to the one on your Stream Deck. On the Edit Button tab (to the right) click the down arrow of the green "Regular Button" and choose "Regular Button". In the "Button text" area enter in what you want to appear on the Stream Deck button.

To add the command, click the Browse button of the Press Actions and select OSC, then "Send message without arguments", then Done. Back in the button editor, edit the OSC path to what you want to send. For example, to trigger the GO button in MultiPlay, enter /go in there. There's lots of other options for alignment, add graphics, etc, but I haven't tried them yet.

You can find the OSC commands to use by hovering over the commands (left column) in Preferences > Shortcuts. See how you go with that to start with.

[helex]

Hi David,

just received a Stream Deck this week and played around.
This is a great solution. It even functions when 'not focused'.

Also the web-interface offered by Companion is a nice feature.
When rehearsing a director can start/stop/pause/begin the show himself. Technician can drink coffee 

Is it possible to create a shortcut for volume down/up, so this can also be controlled remotely.

[David]

I think cue volume would have to be able to be specified as absolute or relative.

Absolute could be used with a remote fader and relative with up / down buttons.

I'll have to look at how the OSC command syntax could be done.

[goblet1]

Hi
Just trying out the osc controls for the first time from an android phone running "OSC Controller" freeware ( osc app .
Most of the controls seem to work ok (eg /go, /stopall, /select/first, select/next) apart from all the /cue related ones :/cue/current/pause, /cue/all/resume, /cue/all/restart, etc.
Are all controls currently working OK or is it some sort of operator error on my part? (testing with beta v192 with video). When testing sending osc commands, I also have occasional popups of the "An error occurred in the application"  which seems happy when I click on "continue application". When testing on an earlier version (188) I do not get the popup but the /cue/all/... controls still do not trigger from the osc app.
Testing on Win11Pro 21H2 22000.1516.

[David]

I should have time to check in the next few days.

[jim10705]

goblet1,

Have you considered TouchOSC (vendor Hexler.ney) app. I use it to remotely control to MultiPlay. In addition to common GO/STOP/NEXT buttons, I can enter (I made a numeric keypad interface) in a specific Q# and embed in the OSC string.  I haven't looked at OSC Controller.

On matter of popup errors...
It reminds me of MultiPlay popup of error when I was testing with a different app.  In my experimenting with other apps I had another app on the OC that wanted the same port as MultiPlay.  It was like a competition on which app got the port first and the other would fail.  In this case, MultiPlay would get an access violation error when trying to setup the listener again.

[jim10705]

Regarding Stream Deck:
I use stream deck to control apps including MultiPlay.  To control MultiPlay I use the emulate keypress feature.  But what I haven't figured out is how to go back to the previous (move up) cue in the main list (which has focus) and play ("GO" hot-key) that cue.  Even though the selected/highlighted cue goes up, the next cue to play remains unchanged.  What am I doing wrong (which series of hot keys need to be pressed)? Or not possible (?)

Using beta 192

Thanks

[helex]

Hi Jim,

why don't you try Bitfocus Companion for this (OpenSource - community) https://bitfocus.io/companion. Then you can use the OSC-commands.
For me this works 100%.

Other advantage is that application doesn't need to be focused to listen to these commands.
Also there are many other connections for other devices.

[goblet1]

Thank you for your replies to my issue

Ok so " TouchOSC" costs money and seems way over complicated for what I need...
"OSC Controller" is simple, free and has no ads as well as running on older android phones.

And I have spent several hours installing/ configuring "Bitfocus Companion" (which is very comprehensive and versatile... but is not required for my use case) however , while most commands work, the ones I mentioned above (/cue/all/resume, /cue/all/restart, etc) do not... They work as keyboard shortcuts but not as OSC commands.
I did find that /cue/current/pause (and resume) do work but needs to be on the correct object to affect it.

[David]

Use "active" instead of "all", so that would be /cue/active/resume etc.

It's listed in this thread: https://da-share.com/forum/index.php?topic=249.0

[goblet1]

Ok Thanks. That is working OK on the "pause all" and "resume all" commands on the android app and the Companion program.
I'm sorry I didn't double check the earlier forum post, I had just read your post earlier in this thread that said I could find the OSC strings by " hovering over the commands (left column) in Preferences > Shortcuts." so I assumed they were current.

[David]

Ah, sorry about that. Those hints are indeed wrong. I have corrected them for the v193 release.