Play Modes Overview

The first thing to understand about Callie is the play mode. It controls how clips are routed to outputs and is the foundation for everything else.

Callie has three play modes:

• Default — you assign each clip to an output.
• Auto — Callie assigns clips to outputs automatically.
• Single Output — every clip routes to Output A.

You can change play mode at any time in Preferences → Play Mode. The current mode is saved with your project.

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Default Mode

In Default mode, every clip can be patched to a specific output letter: A, B, C, and so on.

How it works:

• Each clip has an Output setting in Clip Settings.
• By default, clips must have an output assigned or they will not play.
• If you disable Require output assignment in Preferences → Play Mode, unassigned clips fall back to Output A.
• Multiple clips can play on the same output at the same time — they stack.
• Clips on the same output can be organized into slots, shown as 1a, 2a, etc.

Best for:

• Complex shows where different audio types need separate destinations.
• Routing music to one output and sound effects to another.
• Feeding different outputs to different Dante channels, mixers, or stream inputs.

Output Assignment option:
Require output assignment is on by default in Default mode. Turn it off in Preferences → Play Mode if you want unassigned clips to fall back to Output A instead of being blocked.

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Auto Mode

In Auto mode, Callie automatically picks the first free output when you trigger a clip.

How it works:

• When a clip plays, Callie looks for an output that is not currently playing anything.
• If all outputs are busy, the clip falls back to Output A.
• You can still lock a clip to a specific output in Clip Settings if needed.

Exclusive Outputs option:
Enable Exclusive outputs to make outputs B and above hold only one clip at a time. Output A is always non-exclusive and stacks clips.

Best for:

• Live shows where you want each new clip to grab its own output.
• Avoiding accidental stacking of music beds or long effects.

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Single Output Mode

In Single Output mode, every clip routes to Output A.

How it works:

• No per-clip output assignment needed.
• All clips stack on Output A.
• Quick to set up and easy to understand.

Options:

• Quick-fire all — force zero fade-in on every trigger.
• One at a time — stop all playback before each trigger.

Best for:

• Simple soundboard use.
• Streaming and podcasting where everything goes to one virtual cable.
• First-time users evaluating Callie.

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Comparing the modes

Feature	Default	Auto	Single Output
Per-clip output assignment	✅ Yes	Optional	❌ No
Clips stack on same output	✅ Yes	Optional (A only if exclusive)	✅ Yes
Automatic output selection	❌ No	✅ Yes	❌ No
Exclusive outputs	❌ No	✅ Optional	❌ No
Best for	Complex routing	Live performance	Simple use

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Per-clip behaviour settings

No matter which play mode you use, each clip also has behaviour settings that control how it plays.

Quick Fire

When Quick Fire is enabled, every trigger starts a new instance of the clip. The instances layer on top of each other. Great for repeated stings, rimshots, or sound effects you want to punch rapidly.

When Quick Fire is off, triggering the same clip again obeys the Retrigger Mode.

Retrigger Mode

Controls what happens when you trigger a clip that is already playing:

• Pause / Resume — pause playback on the second press, resume on the third.
• Stop / Restart — stop the current instance and start it from the beginning.
• Ignore — the second trigger does nothing.

Set Retrigger Mode in Clip Settings → Playback & Audio.

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Output counts

In Default and Auto modes you can choose how many outputs are available:

• 3 outputs (A–C)
• 6 outputs (A–F)
• 9 outputs (A–I)
• 12 outputs (A–L)

Set this in Preferences → Play Mode → Output Count.

Single Output mode always uses Output A only.

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Choosing your mode

Just getting started?
Use Single Output. Add clips, trigger them, and get comfortable with the interface.

Need separate destinations for music/effects/VO?
Switch to Default and assign each clip to the right output.

Want hands-off output management during a show?
Use Auto with Exclusive outputs enabled.

You can change modes at any time. Existing output assignments are preserved, so switching back to Default restores your patches.

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