Module 2: The Timeline

The Timeline in Proxima is a powerful tool for precise automation, allowing you to synchronize scenes, audio, and actions with millisecond accuracy. Whether you're designing a live performance, an interactive installation, or a timed visual show, the Timeline gives you full control over playback, cues, and transitions. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Overview of the Timeline
  • Tracks
  •  Playback controls
  • Toolbar
• Using Cues to Program Actions
  • What’s a cue?
  • Adding a cue
  • Selecting a cue
  • Editing a cue
  • Deleting a cue

The Timeline is a Sequencer module that allows you to program a chain of actions at specific times. The playback of scenes can thus be automated.

The waveform of an audio file can be used to set up action cues on a sound.

Overview of the Timeline

Tracks

The Timeline is divided into multiple components. At the center, 3 tracks are stacked up and follow the same timeline:

• At the top, the time track, where the playhead runs and indicates the time.
• In the middle, the cue track, where cue labels appear. Cues are small flags that allow you to program automatic actions triggered when the playhead reaches them. Their behavior is detailed later in this article.
• At the bottom, the audio track, where the audio waveform is displayed when an audio file is added to the Timeline.

The center part of the Timeline can be scrolled horizontally (using the scrollbar, a mousewheel click & drag, or by holding [Shift] while scrolling vertically) and is zoomable using a simple vertical scroll or the dedicated buttons.

 Playback controls

On the left, the playback controls allow you to start and move the playhead:

•  Play/Pause, the button has 3 states:
  •  Indicates that the timeline is neither playing nor paused: the playhead doesn’t progress, and cues it passes are not activated. If clicked, the Timeline starts playing.
  •  Indicates that the timeline is playing: the playhead progresses along the time track and triggers cues it passes. If clicked, the timeline pauses.
  •  Indicates that the timeline is paused: the playhead doesn’t move, and the timeline holds. The master opacity of the output is set to the value defined in the timeline settings. If clicked, the timeline resumes playback.
•  Stop: Stops the timeline completely, places the playhead at 00:00:00.000, resets the Play/Pause button, and switches the rendering to Blackout (no scene playing).

•  Previous/Next cue: Places the playhead on the closest cue before/after its current position. If the timeline was stopped, the playhead is simply moved. Otherwise, playback continues, and if the target cue is a "Play" action, it is triggered.
• Playhead position: Indicates the position of the playhead on the time track. The playhead can be moved manually by entering a new position in the input field, sliding it on the time track, clicking on a position on one of the tracks, or using the keyboard arrow keys (by 1ms).

Toolbar

On the right, the toolbar allows you to access tools and parameters of the timeline:

•  Adjust height: Expands or reduces the height of the Timeline. It can either have a minimal height or take up half of the total height of the Sequencer.
•  Settings:
  • Timeline length: Determines the length of one timeline loop. When the playhead reaches the end, it starts back from the beginning.
    Note: If the timeline length is reduced, all cues that were in a cut part are placed at the end.
  • Override master opacity when paused: Determines the value that temporarily overrides the current master opacity of the output when the timeline is paused.
  • Audio file and associated buttons: Indicates the name of the imported audio file (if any) and allows you to delete or replace it.
  • Scroll follows playhead: When checked, the scroll automatically adapts to keep the playhead in view.
•  Add cue: Adds a cue at the playhead’s position by choosing an action from the dropdown menu. Actions are detailed later.
•  Add audio: Lets you choose an audio file from your computer. The file is added to the timeline with its waveform, starting at 00:00:00.000.
•  Zoom: Zooms in or out on the timeline tracks. The minimum zoom level fits the entire timeline length in the view. Zooming with the mouse wheel is also possible.

Using Cues to Program Actions

What’s a cue?

A cue is an object in the timeline used to send a signal that triggers an action related to scene playback. It appears as a small flag positioned at a precise time on the timeline and is activated when the playhead reaches its position during playback.

Adding a cue

There are multiple ways to add a cue:

• Drag & drop a scene directly onto the cue track to create an associated "Play" cue at a precise timestamp.

• Use the associated button in the toolbar and choose an action. The new cue will be placed at the current playhead position.
• Right-click on the cue track and choose an action to add a cue at a precise timestamp.
• Double-click on the cue track to add a "None" cue, which serves only as a marker at a precise timestamp.
• Copy/Cut/Paste an existing cue by selecting it and using the right-click menu or keyboard shortcuts. Copies will be placed at the current playhead position.

Selecting a cue

When a cue is added, it is automatically selected. To select a cue, click on its label. To deselect, click on an empty space in the cue or audio track.

Note: Only one cue can be selected at a time.

Editing a cue

When a cue is selected, its settings appear in the related panel on the right. Here’s a list of a cue’s parameters and actions:

• Name: The name of the cue, displayed on its tag.
• Color: The color of the cue in the timeline (7 options available).
• Timestamp: The position of the cue on the timeline. If multiple cues share the same position, only one will be activated.
• Action:
  • Play: Unfolds a dropdown listing all existing scenes and a "Blackout" option. The "Play" action triggers the selected scene, as if it were clicked in the scenes module. This action doesn’t alter the playhead’s progression.

Note
If "Blackout" is chosen, the action is equivalent to clicking on an empty cell in the scenes module (no scene playing).

• Pause: Stops the playhead at the cue position and pauses the timeline. The output of the currently playing scene (or blackout) is not interrupted, but you can set a temporary master opacity value in the timeline settings.

• Stop: Stops the playhead and resets it to 00:00:00.000. The timeline stops, and the rendering is blacked out (no scene playing).

• Jump to: Unfolds a dropdown listing all existing cues and a "Start" option. The "Jump to" action moves the playhead to the selected cue’s position, as if it were double-clicked. The playhead continues from this point (the "Start" option defines the 00:00:00.000 position).
  Note: If the targeted cue has a "Play" action, it is triggered.
  
  

• None: Doesn’t trigger any action and doesn’t alter the playhead’s progress. It serves only as a reference.

Note
If an object targeted by an action is deleted, the associated cue(s) become inactive and serve as markers until the object is recovered or the action is manually changed.

Deleting a cue

To delete a cue, select its label and press [Delete/Backspace] or use Right-click → Delete.