Whether you are setting up your system for the first time or training a new operator for an upcoming production, getting comfortable with your playout workflow should be quick and straightforward.
We have put together a 7-part video tutorial series covering The Basics of Ultimate Playout. In just over 20 minutes total, these step-by-step guides walk you through everything from initial output configuration to running a live multi-channel show.
Part 1: Configuring Ultimate Playout
Before your first show, it is worth going through the settings once. We walk through every settings window—including General preferences, Cue List defaults, Outputs (DeckLink, full-screen displays, NDI, and streaming/recording), Audio routing, Performance hardware acceleration, and Module management.
Part 2: Adding items to your cue list
Learn how to build a complete show from an empty cue list. We cover adding web pages, stills, video and audio files, organizing cues into groups, setting follow actions, placing holds, and saving your rundown.
Part 3: Exporting and importing lists
Need to move a show to another computer or share a block of announcements with a colleague? This video explains the difference between a lightweight list file and a self-contained bundle (which packs all media, designs, and scenes), and shows how to import them into a new or existing rundown.
Part 4: Going live
Run a live show with confidence. Learn how to arm cues, preview upcoming material safely, trigger playback with GO, and read the color indicators (Green for Next, Red for On Air, and Amber for Auto-follow) and countdown timers during a broadcast.
Part 5: Trimming and setting cues
Fine-tune how every item in your list behaves without altering your source files. We look at setting non-destructive In and Out points, adjusting individual cue volumes, choosing transitions (cuts, fades, and dips to black), looping background music, and batch-editing multiple cues at once.
Part 6: Holds, the archive and go-to lines
Not every line in a cue list plays media—some control the flow of your production. Discover how to use Holds as waiting points, park unused cues in the Archive without losing their settings, and set up Go-to lines to dynamically skip blocks during a live show.
Part 7: Working with two playouts
See how a single operator can control multiple independent channels at the same time—for example, feeding a main stage screen on Playout 1 and a hall or foyer screen on Playout 2. We show how to switch between active panels and use the Link column to trigger cues across both playouts simultaneously with a single GO.