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Stardust

Click Track

Per-Song click with configurable BPM, time signature, count-in. Standard musical-theatre / live-band tempo coordination.

📋 Planned · v0.8.0 engine, v0.12.0 editor

What it does

Each Song can have a configured click track that plays during the Song:

  • Configurable BPM (manual or tap-tempo)
  • Configurable time signature (4/4, 3/4, 6/8, 5/4, etc.)
  • Configurable count-in bars (0, 1, 2, or 4)
  • Audio output routed to a dedicated channel (typically your in-ear mix only — others on stage don’t hear it)
  • Visual indicator flashes on the beat in Live Mode
  • MIDI clock output for syncing external sequencers, drum machines, or lighting consoles
  • Tap-tempo footswitch for live conductor follow

Where the click is load-bearing

A click is often the difference between a tight cue and a sloppy one, particularly with:

  • Songs that need exact tempo (e.g. dance breaks, click tracks pre-mixed with backing tracks)
  • Numbers with multiple keyboardists who need to lock together
  • Pieces that have to sync with pre-recorded backing tracks
  • Conductor-following sections where the conductor needs to nudge tempo

Use cases

  • Pure click — just a tempo guide for the keyboardist’s in-ears
  • Click + count-in — automatic 4-bar count before the Song starts
  • Conductor follows — tap-tempo on a footswitch lets you adjust live
  • Click to drum machine / sequencer — MIDI clock out drives external time-based gear

Routing

The click track is a separate audio channel — it’s not mixed with the main Song output. Common routing:

  • Main outputs (channels 1-2) → FOH / monitors → no click
  • Auxiliary output (channels 3-4) → keyboardist’s in-ears → click + cue mix
  • Keep your audience-facing sound clean while you stay locked to tempo

Configure in the Audio I/O panel.

Visual indicator

In Live Mode, a <ClickIndicator> widget flashes on each beat. Quarter notes brighter, others dimmer. Customizable colors per theme.

Tap-tempo

Assign a footswitch (via MIDI Learn) as tap-tempo:

  • 4+ taps establish a tempo
  • Stardust averages the last 4 taps for stability
  • Subsequent taps drift the tempo (configurable rate of drift)
  • Useful for conductor-follow sections

MIDI clock output

Stardust can output MIDI Beat Clock (a standard MIDI Real-Time message at 24 PPQN) on a virtual MIDI port. External gear can sync:

  • Ableton Live / Logic
  • Hardware drum machines, sequencers, modular gear
  • Lighting consoles that accept MIDI clock for tempo-synced effects
  • forScore (for tempo-aware page turn animations? rare but possible)

Storage format

"click_track": {
  "bpm": 120,
  "time_signature": [4, 4],
  "count_in_bars": 1,
  "output_channel": 3,
  "volume": 0.7,
  "midi_clock_out": true,
  "midi_clock_port": "Stardust Clock"
}

See Data Model.