Settings
Open Settings in the top bar. Close it with Close or Esc. Most
changes apply at once and are saved automatically.
The window has one size (900 × 640, smaller on a small screen) whatever the section, and the section scrolls inside it. Every section lines its labels up in one column.
The Players, Meters, Analysis, Loudness and Keyboard shortcuts sections have a Restore defaults button in their header. It asks for confirmation and then resets only that section (Players keeps the number of players and the language; Shortcuts has no other reset button). Audio outputs, Playlists, Cartwall, MIDI and Remote have none.
Settings pending
Every setting applies while the application runs. The audio system, the sample rate, the buffer size (also a device’s own), the Main and Cue outputs (players and cartwall), the bit-perfect devices and the DSD settings change how an output device is opened, so they apply as soon as that is safe:
- A device’s settings apply when nothing plays on that device: no player routed to it is playing, fading or pre-listening (CUE, also when held), and no cart plays on it. A paused player, or one with a track only loaded, does not hold a device: its track stays paused where it was.
- A player’s or the cartwall’s output moves when that player (or the cartwall) is not playing; other players on the same devices are not interrupted.
- A new audio system applies when nothing plays anywhere.
A waiting change runs at the first moment nothing it affects plays. That can be the gap between one track ending and the next starting: the next track then starts later by the time the device takes to reopen. Apply now (below) forces the change at once instead.
A rate or buffer given to a device counts only when it changes what the device opens with: giving a device the same value as the global one, or clearing such a value, changes nothing.
Until then the top bar shows Settings pending. Hover it to see what waits and on what; click it for the list, which also shows any change a device or output refused (the device keeps its current settings; the change is tried again when you change it or press Apply now). The Settings footer says “Some changes wait until the outputs they affect are free.” and offers Apply now; a short notice (for example, that a setting was saved) can take the place of that text for a moment.
Apply now applies every waiting output change at once. When that would
interrupt something, it first lists the devices and what plays on them;
Interrupt and apply then briefly interrupts the audio on those devices:
what was playing goes on from where it was after a short gap, and nothing
paused or stopped starts. Cancel (or Esc) keeps waiting.
The limits and the engine tuning are edited in the configuration file with the application closed (see Data and backups).
Audio outputs
Changes in this section apply while the application runs, as soon as nothing they affect is playing: see Settings pending.
At the top, Show chooses Basic or Advanced. Basic shows the audio system, the sample rate, the buffer size and the outputs. Advanced adds, for each device an output uses, its own rate and buffer, the bit-perfect switch and the DSD mode, and then the DSD settings. Switching views only shows or hides rows: nothing is changed or reset. When Basic hides a setting that is in use, a line says so. When no output uses a device any more, its own rate and buffer, its bit-perfect switch and its DSD mode are forgotten the next time the application starts: if an output uses it again after that, it starts from the global values. Until then, choosing it again (for example after swapping two devices) keeps them.
| Setting | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Audio system | The last choice, No output (silent), plays nothing: timelines run at real-time pace with no sound card (for a machine without one, or to rehearse). Linux: PipeWire (in builds that include it), PulseAudio, JACK or ALSA. Windows: WASAPI, ASIO (in builds that include it) or JACK. macOS: Core Audio or JACK. Systems missing on this computer, or with no output device (a JACK server that is not running), are shown as unavailable. “System default” uses the first available one in that order. |
| Sample rate | The rate every output runs at unless a device has its own (Advanced); files are converted to it with high-quality resampling. Bit-perfect devices start at their rate and then follow the files. |
| Buffer size | Frames per audio block, unless a device has its own; the resulting latency is shown below it |
| Outputs per player | For each player, a Main (on-air) device and a Cue (pre-listen) device, each with a channel pair. A sound card that offers several output profiles (ALSA lists front, surround, direct hardware…) shows each as card — profile; two entries that would still read the same get their device id in brackets. Multichannel interfaces can carry several players on different pairs. |
| Test Main / Test Cue | Plays a short tone (1 kHz on Main, 440 Hz on Cue, 1.5 s, −18 dBFS) on the chosen output, so you can check the wiring before going on air |
| Cartwall | The cartwall’s Main and Cue outputs. Main defaults to the system output. Without a Cue there is no cart pre-listen. |
| Sample rate: device (Advanced) | Global (…) uses the sample rate above; a value gives this device its own rate. Only the rates the device reports are offered; a saved rate it no longer reports stays listed with a note that it may not open (the device then falls back to the global rate). The own values apply only to devices an output names, not to the system default output unless one does. |
| Buffer size: device (Advanced) | Global (…) uses the buffer size above; a value gives this device its own, with its latency below. A device that does not take its own buffer size falls back to the global one, and to the global rate too when it does not take its own rate either. |
| Bit-perfect: device (Advanced) | Off by default. A special mode for audiophile playback, not for mixed programmes: the device is opened with exclusive access and follows each track’s sample rate. The players whose Main output is on it never crossfade or mix, a change of rate leaves a short silence between two tracks, and their volume is held at 100 %. The switch is disabled where the device cannot give exclusive access. See What it costs. |
| DSD: device (Advanced) | Convert to PCM (the default), DoP or, on Linux, Native DSD. Every device shows it; only the modes the device can take are offered, and a line under it says why the others are not. See DSD. |
| When another source needs a DSD output (Advanced) | Continue the DSD track as PCM (the default), or Keep DSD and mute the other sources. See DSD. |
| DSD silence (Advanced) | Silence sent before a DSD stream starts, after it ends and on a switch to PCM, so that the converter locks without a click; 200 ms by default, 0 to 2000. |
A Cue output never falls back to the output Main uses, so that pre-listening never goes on air. A Cue that names a device on an audio system this computer does not have, or the same output (device and channels) as Main, means “no cue”. When a Cue output is the same as its Main output, a warning under it says so. A player with no Cue output, or with its Cue on its Main output, has its CUE button dimmed; hovering it tells you to choose a Cue output here. The same goes for the cartwall’s Pre-listen on CUE.
If a device disappears while playing, the players keep their timelines, and the device is reopened when it comes back (see Troubleshooting).
Players
| Setting | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Language | System | Interface language |
| Number of players | 4 | Columns on the main screen (a player on air cannot be removed). The number applies when you release the slider; a number typed into the box applies when you press Enter or leave the box, and Escape cancels it |
| Default mode | CONT | The mode players start in |
| Fade time | 1000 ms | Used by Play while on air and by Fade stop. On a player whose Main output is bit-perfect, only by Fade stop |
| Automatic mix at the MIX point | On | Overlap tracks in continuous mode. Does not apply to a player whose Main output is bit-perfect |
| Use cue-in and cue-out | On | Off: players play every track from the start to the end of the file; the markers are kept and carts still use theirs. Durations and playlist totals follow the same range |
| End-of-track warning | 10 s | When the countdown starts blinking red |
While a player’s Main output is bit-perfect, a note under Automatic mix at the MIX point says that such players never mix or crossfade. Both settings stay editable: they still apply to the other players. See What it costs.
Meters
Changes apply at once. Settings shows only what the chosen meter type uses: the EBU, DIN and VU meters have the scale, red zone and behaviour their standard fixes (only the alignment level is set), and a K-System meter’s alignment is its own 0. A value you set is kept for when you choose that type again.
| Setting | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Meter type | Digital peak | How the bar rises and falls, and its scale, after a standard (see below) |
| Rise time, Fall rate | 5 ms, 11.8 dB/s | Only for Custom. The rise time is an integration time: a tone burst that long reads 2 dB low; 0 shows every peak. |
| True peak | Off | Digital peak, custom and K-System only. Measure between samples, with the 4× oversampling filter ITU-R BS.1770 publishes. It shows peaks that exceed 0 dBFS after conversion, which a sample-peak meter misses. As the standard allows, an isolated one-sample click can read up to about 0.3 dB below its sample value. |
| Scale floor | −60 dBFS | The bottom of the digital scale (digital peak and custom). The other meters show the range their standard gives. |
| Peak hold | 2 s | Digital peak, custom and K-System only: how long the highest level stays lit; 0 turns it off. Programme meters and the VU have no hold. |
| Alignment level | −18 dBFS | All but the K-System. Marked on the scale (EBU R68). It is also where the EBU TEST mark, the DIN −9 mark and 0 VU sit. |
| Warning from | −9 dBFS | Yellow from here (EBU permitted maximum), for the digital peak and custom meters |
| Danger from | −3 dBFS | Red from here, for the digital peak and custom meters. The others turn red where their scale does: VU from 0 VU, EBU and DIN PPM from the permitted maximum (EBU +9, DIN 0), the K-System from +4. |
| Loudness readout | Short-term | The loudness under the meter: off, momentary (last 400 ms) or short-term (last 3 s), EBU R128 |
| Loudness target | −23 LUFS | The readout is green within ±1 LU (EBU R128) |
| Meter type | Standard | Behaviour |
|---|---|---|
| Digital peak | IEC 60268-18 | Shows every peak at once; falls 20 dB in 1.7 s |
| EBU PPM | IEC 60268-10 type IIb | Peaks shorter than about 10 ms read lower (a 10 ms tone burst reads about 1.6 dB low, a 0.5 ms one about 18 dB low), within EBU Tech 3205’s tolerances; falls 24 dB in 2.8 s |
| DIN PPM | IEC 60268-10 type I | The same with a 5 ms integration time; falls 20 dB in 1.5 s |
| VU | IEC 60268-17 | The average level, with the needle movement of a VU meter: 99 % in 300 ms, with a slight overshoot; a sine reads its peak level |
| K-20, K-14, K-12 | K-System | Two sections: the average (RMS, 600 ms) as the solid bar and the peak (falls 26 dB in 3 s) dimmed above it. 0 is 20, 14 or 12 dB below full scale; green below 0, amber from 0 to +4, red above. K-12 suits broadcast, K-14 and K-20 more dynamic programme. |
| Custom | — | Your rise time and fall rate |
Each meter uses the scale of its standard, with its marks between the channels:
| Meter | Scale |
|---|---|
| Digital peak, custom | −60 … 0 dBFS, marks every 10 dB down to −40 and every 5 dB above; the top 20 dB take half the height |
| EBU PPM | −12 … +12 around the alignment level (TEST), every 4 dB; quieter levels rest at the bottom |
| DIN PPM | −50 … +5, where 0 is 9 dB above the alignment level (−9 dBFS by default) |
| VU | −20 … +3 VU, 0 VU at the alignment level; the bar moves in proportion to the voltage, like the needle |
| K-System | from +20, +14 or +12 (0 dBFS) down to −60; even in dB down to −24 |
Analysis
The thresholds described in Markers and mixing; each row has a one-line hint under its name saying what the value does. Re-analyse all tracks runs the analysis again for the whole library; manual markers are kept.
After an update whose analysis has changed, tracks analysed by the earlier version keep their markers and waveforms, which still work. At start, Fauste Player says how many there are and offers Analyse now or Later; Analyse outdated tracks (N) here does the same at any time. The tracks on the players are brought up to date anyway, as they are shown, and so are the tracks of carts that have no recorded format (a cart plays bit-perfect only when its format is known). Tracks whose file is missing are not counted until the file is back.
The analysis also measures each file’s loudness for loudness normalization. Files analysed before loudness was measured are measured in the background, when the analysis has nothing else to do, whether normalization is on or off; their markers are not touched. Re-analyse (in the playlist menu) and Re-analyse all tracks measure again.
Loudness
Plays every track and cart at the same loudness, with a fixed gain per track. Loudness normalization explains how the gain is worked out, the badge in the player header and the per-track settings.
| Setting | Default | Range | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normalize loudness | Off | Normalization on or off | |
| Target | −16 LUFS | −36 … −6 LUFS, 0.5 steps | The integrated loudness every track is brought to |
| True-peak ceiling | −1 dBTP | −12 … 0 dBTP, 0.1 steps | A boost never takes the track’s true peak above this. Cuts are not limited |
| Maximum boost | 12 dB | 0 … 24 dB | The largest gain a quiet track can get. Cuts are not limited |
| Maximum trim | 12 dB | 0 … 24 dB | How far each track’s own trim can go, up or down |
Changes apply to tracks loaded afterwards: what is playing keeps its gain, and the next track waiting on each player is prepared again with the new one. A note under the settings says how many tracks are still waiting for their measurement; they play unchanged until it is done. A player or cart on a bit-perfect output is never normalized. Restore defaults resets this section only (normalization off).
Playlists
- Music folder: where the file dialogs start.
- New playlist, rename (edit the name and press Enter; Esc cancels) and delete (trash icon).
- Import M3U / PLS… creates a new playlist from a playlist file. M3U on each row exports it as M3U8. See Playlists.
- Table columns: which columns the track tables show and in which order, for every player: a checkbox per column (Title and Dur. cannot be turned off), up and down arrows for the shown ones, and Default columns. See Playlists.
Language: a drop-down list: System (follow the operating system), then every language the interface is available in, each in its own name (English first, then alphabetically: for example Español). The interface switches at once. A system language with no translation of its own uses the closest one (Canadian French uses French, Brazilian Portuguese uses Portuguese), and English otherwise. A language in the settings file that the interface does not have shows as System and follows the operating system.
The interface in every language, English and Spanish included, was produced with AI and may contain errors. About carries a general disclaimer that covers all of them. Corrections are welcome as issues or pull requests.
Cartwall
Pages, grid size, the cart editor, and cart page import and export. See Cartwall.
Keyboard shortcuts
See Keyboard.
MIDI
Turn MIDI control surfaces on, see the input ports, and learn a control for each player action. See MIDI control surfaces.
Remote
Remote control over the network, for web pages, phone apps, automation and control surfaces. See Remote control.
- Allow remote control over HTTP, its address and port, and a line that says whether it is listening.
- Token, required beyond this computer. Generate makes a random one, Show reveals it, and Copy puts it on the clipboard. A warning appears when the address reaches beyond this computer and there is no token.
- Web pages allowed to use the API: one origin per line.
- Allow OSC control, its address and port, and the senders allowed (addresses or subnets, one per line).
- Publish times every: how often elapsed and remaining times are sent while something plays.
Text fields and numbers apply when you leave them, which includes opening another section or closing Settings; Esc cancels what you were typing. An invalid value is corrected, and the field shows what was kept.