Run a set with Looks, MIDI, and beat sync

Projection geometry should not move every time the content changes. Projektor's Looks capture the per-surface media and mix while leaving the mapped geometry in place. That separation lets you finish calibration, then perform inside a stable physical frame.

Build the surface layout first. Once corners, masks, layer order, and projector output are correct, treat those as the rig. Use Looks for the changes the audience should see: media assignments, opacity, blend, and color state.

Capture the current mix as a Look, name it by function, and set its fade. Names such as Opening Grid, Verse Low, Chorus White, and Blackout carry more information under pressure than Look 1 or Final Final. Re-capture a Look when you want its stored mix to match the current editor state.

Arrange the list in performance order, then rehearse it with Go and Back. A zero fade produces a cut. A longer fade cross-dissolves content and mix between the outgoing and incoming Looks.

In Chrome or Edge, enable MIDI and connect a device through WebMIDI. Press the learn control on a Look, opacity control, or supported color adjustment, then move the pad or fader you want to bind. Active bindings appear over the stage.

Bindings persist in the current browser, not inside the shared project URL. That is useful for a personal controller layout, but it also means a second machine needs its own learned mappings. Label the hardware and keep the mapping small enough to remember without looking down.

When beat sync is enabled, detected audio beats advance the cue list. The divisor chooses whether Projektor advances every beat, every second beat, or every fourth beat. Audio must be enabled because the cue advance listens to the same local analysis that drives shader uniforms.

This works best when the Look order is intentionally cyclical and each transition can survive the music's beat detector. It is less suitable for a narrative cue that must land on a lyric, a lighting call, or a human action. In those cases, fire the Look manually.

Run the set once with the projector visible, not only the editor. Close and reopen the output window. Disconnect and reconnect the MIDI device. Disable Audio and verify the shader's idle state. Recall the recovery Look from the same position you will stand during the show.

Save the project as a versioned .projektor file before doors, and keep a share link when all media is URL-backed or shader-based. Local uploads, webcams, and screen captures do not travel in that link, so they need to be restored on the performance machine.