Bitfocus Companion
Bitfocus Companion turns a Stream Deck, an X-keys, or any other panel it supports into a show controller for many programs at once. The Visibox connection adds Visibox to that list. Buttons trigger Clips, select Songs, run the transport, set the output level, and drive Real-Time Control, and they light up to show what Visibox is doing.
Companion or the Stream Deck plugin?
Both drive a Stream Deck. Pick by what else the deck has to do.
- The Stream Deck plugin runs inside Elgato’s own software. Clip buttons show each Clip’s thumbnail, and Visibox installs it for you. Choose it when the deck runs Visibox and a few other desktop apps.
- Companion runs its own server and talks to video switchers, lighting, audio consoles, and playback machines as well as Visibox. One button can fire a Clip and cut a camera at the same moment. Choose it when the deck runs the whole show, or when the panel is not a Stream Deck.
Companion drives a Stream Deck directly, so Elgato’s software has to be closed while Companion uses that deck. Use one or the other on a given deck.
Adding the connection
- In Companion, open Connections, add a connection, and search for Visibox.
- Choose it. The connection’s settings open.
- If Visibox runs on the same computer as Companion, leave Visibox Host at
127.0.0.1. Otherwise type that computer’s IP address. - Leave WebSocket Port at 17734 and HTTP Port at 17736 unless you have a reason to change them.
- Save, then approve the connection in Visibox as described next.
Approving the connection
Visibox asks before it lets Companion in, whether Companion is on the same machine or across the network.
- On the same computer. Leave Pairing Code empty and save. Visibox shows a prompt asking to allow Companion. Click Allow.
- On another computer. In Visibox, choose Pair with Remote… (on Mac, from the Visibox menu; on Windows, from the File menu) to see a six-digit code. Type it into Pairing Code and save. The code works once and expires after 5 minutes.
Either way, Visibox hands Companion a token, and Companion keeps it for every later connection. The Pairing Code field clears itself when that happens. Companion then shows up under Paired Devices in Settings > Remote, where you can remove it.
Actions
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Trigger Clip | Plays a Clip by its position in the Song, counting from 0. Song Offset picks the Song: 0 is the active Song, -1 the one before, 1 the one after. |
| Release Clip | Stops a Clip held down in Gate mode. Put it in the button’s release actions, with the same Clip and Song Offset as the press. |
| Song Select | Selects a Song by its position, counting from 0, or by Song ID. Stop Playing stops what is playing first. It is on unless you turn it off. |
| Playback Control | Play, Pause, Stop, Resume, Play/Stop Toggle, or Pause/Resume Toggle. |
| Navigation | Next Clip, Previous Clip, Random Clip, Next Song, or Previous Song. Cross-Song Navigation lets Clip steps and Random Clip reach other Songs. Don’t Stop Playback lets a Song step leave the current Clip playing. |
| Output Level | Sets the output level to a percentage, or steps it up or down. |
| Set Control (Real-Time Control) | Sets a Control by its letter, or adjusts it by an amount. Adjust suits a rotary encoder. |
| Set Target Param (Real-Time Control) | Sets one parameter by its Target ID, such as master/volume. The API and the command line tool list the Target IDs. |
| System Control | Panic (Reset All), Fullscreen Toggle, or Mute Toggle. |
Positions in Companion count from 0, so the first Clip of a Song is Clip Index 0.
Feedbacks
Feedbacks change a button’s look when something is true in Visibox.
| Feedback | True when |
|---|---|
| Clip Playing | Any Clip is playing. |
| Clip Paused | The active Clip is paused. |
| Specific Clip Active | The Clip at a position in the active Song is playing or paused. |
| Song Active | The Song at a position is the active Song. |
| Output Muted | The output is muted. |
| Output Fullscreen | The Output is full screen. |
Variables
Put a variable on a button’s text to show live information from Visibox.
| Variable | Shows |
|---|---|
playback_status | playing, paused, or stopped. |
project_name | The open Project. |
active_song_name, active_song_index | The active Song and its position, counting from 0. |
active_clip_name, active_clip_index | The active Clip and its position, counting from 0. |
output_level | The output level, 0 to 100. |
output_muted, output_fullscreen | true or false. |
song_1_name to song_10_name | The names of the first ten Songs in the Project. |
clip_1_name to clip_10_name | The names of the first ten Clips in the active Song. |
Presets
Ready-made buttons sit under Presets in Companion, in seven groups: Playback, Navigation, Clips, Songs, Status, System, and Audio. Drag one onto a button to start from it, then change what you need.
Troubleshooting
The connection says Disconnected. Check that Visibox is open, that Visibox Host is the right address, and that the ports match. If Companion is on another computer, check that a firewall is not blocking ports 17734 and 17736.
The connection says Authentication Failure. The pairing code was wrong or already used, or the device was removed in Settings > Remote. On another computer, get a fresh code from Pair with Remote… and save it in Pairing Code. On the same computer, save the connection again and click Allow when Visibox asks.
Authentication timed out. Nobody answered the prompt in Visibox. Save the connection again and click Allow.
Buttons do nothing. A Project with at least one Song has to be open in Visibox.
See Also
- Stream Deck for the plugin that runs inside Elgato’s software.
- OSC, which Companion can also send to Visibox.
- Remote Pairing for pairing codes and paired devices.