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Pre-Show Checklist

Run this before doors open. Every show. Every time.

The cost of running through the list is ~30 minutes. The cost of skipping it and finding a problem during the show is your reputation.

T-minus 60 minutes — Power on everything

  • Network switch on, all link lights green
  • Runtime PC powered on, logged in (or auto-login worked)
  • All IMMERSE Nodes powered on (count the green LEDs at the rack)
  • All DMX lighting fixtures powered on
  • All HDMI displays powered on, on the right input
  • All amps / speakers powered on, gain at expected level

T-minus 50 minutes — Network reachability

From the Runtime PC, run a connectivity check on every Node. The simplest way is to visit each Node's /health URL in a browser:

http://<node-ip>/health

Or use a one-line PowerShell loop on the Runtime PC:

foreach ($ip in '10.0.0.11','10.0.0.12','10.0.0.13') {
  Write-Host "$ip : $((Invoke-WebRequest "http://$ip/health" -UseBasicParsing).StatusCode)"
}

Replace the IP list with your venue's actual Node IPs.

  • All Nodes return HTTP 200
  • No Nodes timing out
  • No Nodes returning the wrong nodeId

If any Node is offline:

  • Check the LED on the Node — green means ready, amber means booting, off means power problem
  • Check Ethernet cable + switch port LED
  • Worst case: swap the failed Node with a spare (5 minutes — see Node Setup)

T-minus 40 minutes — Verify show file

  • The right .ishow is on the Runtime PC
  • File modification time matches what you expect
  • The Validator in Studio reports 0 errors for this file
  • Studio's last-edit metadata matches the designer's stated last-edit time

If validation reports errors: fix in Studio (or call the designer), re-export, reload.

T-minus 35 minutes — Verify media

For each audio/video Node, confirm the media files have been pushed (see Media Distribution).

The simplest check: fire one cue per Node from Studio's preview during the smoke test (T-minus 20 minutes).

T-minus 30 minutes — Start Runtime

  • Runtime is launched (auto-start, scheduled task, or manually)
  • Runtime log shows "Loaded show" — name matches expected show
  • Runtime log shows "DMX/sACN transmitter ready" — no DMX warnings
  • Runtime log shows "HTTP API + dashboard listening on port 7880"
  • No ERROR-level entries in the last 5 minutes

T-minus 25 minutes — Verify dashboard

Open the dashboard from the operator's tablet:

http://<runtime-ip>:7880/
  • Dashboard loads
  • Connection indicator is green
  • TC display shows 00:00:00.00 and state is STOPPED
  • Cue list shows the expected cues — count matches what the designer told you
  • First cue is highlighted as "next"
  • GO/BACK/STOP buttons enabled

T-minus 20 minutes — Smoke test cues

Pick a few representative cues to fire as a smoke test. Do not run the full show. Just verify each cue type works.

  • Fire a DMX cue → watch a fixture respond
  • Fire an audio cue → hear it on the right speaker
  • Fire a video cue → see it on the right display
  • Fire a GPIO cue → hear/see the relay click or the effect run
  • Press STOP → pointer resets, TC zeroes

After each test, audibly confirm "audio 1 OK", "video 2 OK" etc. so you can later remember which combinations you actually tested.

After smoke test:

  • Press STOP — pointer back at top
  • Operator dashboard shows "next" is the actual first cue

T-minus 15 minutes — Operator briefing

  • Operator has read the operator one-pager
  • Operator knows where the GO button is
  • Operator knows where the STOP button is
  • Operator knows the contact info if Runtime crashes (yours)
  • Operator has tested holding the tablet in show position

T-minus 10 minutes — Final environmental checks

  • Sound levels — actually walk into the audience area and listen
  • Light levels — preview state matches what the audience will see at curtain
  • All displays showing the correct still / blackout / loop

T-minus 5 minutes — Hand off

  • Operator at their station
  • You're nearby for the first 10 minutes of the show in case something fires wrong
  • Phone has signal

During the show

You're not on the dashboard. The operator is. But you should be:

  • Watching the show, not the screens
  • Listening for missed cues, off-tempo audio, fixtures not responding
  • Ready to walk to the rack if anything looks wrong

If something does go wrong:

  • Don't restart anything mid-show unless you have to. A muted speaker is recoverable; a Runtime restart loses cue position.
  • Log file is on the Runtime PC at C:\Shows\logs\runtime.log — useful for post-show debugging
  • Operator can press STOP if the show's gone off the rails — they should know to do that

Post-show

  • Operator presses STOP
  • Stop Runtime if you're the kind of place that powers everything down — or leave it running for tomorrow
  • Archive tonight's log file: copy runtime.log to C:\Shows\logs\YYYY-MM-DD.log so the next show's log starts clean
  • Note any anomalies in a per-show log (mental or written)
  • If anything weird happened, save the log and share with the IMMERSE team

What "doors are about to open" really means

This checklist assumes a typical theater/escape-room/installation timeline. For a 24/7 immersive installation:

  • Run the smoke test once per morning before opening
  • Verify dashboard reachable and cue count matches
  • Then walk away