Accessing the timer at gigs
How to open the director controls for an event you're working and run the clock from the sound booth.
For: Sound engineers
Once a venue assigns you to an event, you get the same timer controls as the show director. This article explains how to open those controls, what you'll see, and how to run the clock from the sound booth.
Before the show: check you're assigned
The venue has to add you to the event before you can access the timer. They do this from their staff or sound-engineer settings for that event. Until they do, the director controls won't be available to you.
To confirm you're on the list, sign in and go to your Sound Engineer dashboard at nextset.ca/dashboard/sound. Any event where the venue has confirmed your access shows a green "Confirmed — Director Access Enabled" label.
Events that are still waiting on the venue show a yellow "Awaiting Venue Approval" label instead. There's no timer link on those yet — contact the venue to prompt them.
Opening the director controls
Once you're confirmed on an event, there are two ways to get to the timer:
From the dashboard home
- Sign in and go to
nextset.ca/dashboard/sound. - Find the event in the My Events list. Live events show a green LIVE NOW badge; today's events show TODAY.
- Click Open Director. The director page opens in a new tab.
- If the venue set a director PIN, it's shown just below the button — the link includes it automatically, so you won't be prompted to type it in.
From Timer Control in the sidebar
- In your sound engineer dashboard, click Timer Control in the left sidebar (under the Jobs section).
- You'll see the same list of confirmed events with their Open Director buttons.
Either path takes you to the same director page.
What you'll see in director mode
The director page is your live show control panel. At the top you get the current timer — counting down from the set length to zero — plus the current performer's name and who's up next.
From here you can:
- Start a set, changeover, or intermission timer.
- Pause / Resume — freezes the clock and picks up where it left off.
- Add or subtract time — extend or tighten a set without restarting.
- Next — advance to the next rundown item, which starts a fresh timer at that item's planned length.
- Toggle overlays — switch sponsor or announcement graphics on the projector.
Every action you take updates the projector and any other screens in the room within a second or two — automatically. You don't need to do anything extra to keep them in sync.
Keeping tabs on the rundown
The left column of the director page shows the full event rundown in order. The active item has a coloured border so you can see at a glance where you are. Scroll down to see what's coming up later in the show.
Rundown item lengths come from the event's settings. If the opening act is booked for 20 minutes, the clock starts at 20:00 when you hit Start. If you need to change a length mid-show, ask the venue staff — they can edit rundown items from their dashboard while the show is running.
During the show: quick reference
| Task | What to do |
|---|---|
| Start the first set | Hit Start on the current rundown item |
| Add time for a slow changeover | Use + Time (usually 1 or 2 minutes) |
| Cut time when running behind | Use − Time |
| Pause for a venue announcement | Hit Pause, then Resume when you're done |
| Move to the next act | Hit Next — timer resets for the next item |
| Show the intermission clock | The timer mode switches automatically when you advance to an Intermission item, or you can set it manually |
After the show
When the last act finishes, hitting Next (or End Show) switches the timer to "Thank you" mode — a count-up that shows how long the wrap-up has been running. The projector reflects this automatically.
Common problems
I can open the dashboard but there's no "Open Director" button for my event. The venue hasn't confirmed your assignment yet. Your event will show an "Awaiting Venue Approval" badge. Message the venue or your contact there and ask them to approve you in their Sound Engineers settings for that event.
The director page says I don't have access. Your account needs to be signed in with the same email the venue used when they added you. Sign out and sign back in, then try the link again. If it still doesn't work, ask the venue to check that the assignment is saved.
The timer looks frozen on the projector but is moving on my screen. The projector is catching up — it reconnects on its own within a few seconds. If it stays stuck, reload the projector page; it will re-sync immediately.
The wrong duration appeared when I hit Next. The length comes from the rundown item's planned duration. The venue can adjust it in the event rundown — or you can use + Time or − Time on the fly to correct it.
I see a PIN code on the Timer Control page. Do I need to type it in? No. The Open Director button includes the PIN automatically. The code is shown in case you want to open the director page manually in a separate browser or on a different device — just add ?pin=XXXX to the end of the director URL.