A production timer is the clock a live show actually runs on: the countdown the talent sees, the running order the crew follows, and the cues that keep both aligned when the schedule bends. It is a different tool from a kitchen timer with bigger digits — the job is coordination, not just counting.
MaestroTimer does this job in the browser. One room per show; every screen that needs the time opens a link; and the person calling the show controls all of it from any device.
What a production timer has to do
Productions fail on timing in predictable ways, so the requirements are predictable too.
The list:
- Show one time to everyone — a stage screen and a booth screen that disagree are worse than no timer.
- Carry the rundown, not just one countdown: what is on now, how long it has, what comes next.
- Warn the talent before time is up, visibly, without a stage manager waving.
- Deliver messages to the stage silently, mid-segment.
- Prove every display is receiving before doors — not during the opening act.
How MaestroTimer covers it
Each requirement maps to a part of the room.
The mapping:
- Sync: every view displays the same room, so the stage viewer, the booth controller, and a producer's phone always agree.
- Rundown: timers carry a name, a speaker, and notes — the list reads as a running order. Link them and each segment starts as the previous ends; schedule the first and the show starts itself.
- Warnings: wrap-up thresholds change the timer's appearance as time runs low. The speaker sees it from the stage without being told.
- Messages: bold, colored, or flashing notes appear next to the countdown on the stage display.
- Verification: the live connections view lists every attached device — the confidence monitor, the FOH screen, the greenroom tablet — so the booth confirms reception at a glance.
Five views, one per job
A production has different people needing different slices of the same clock, so each view is its own link: the controller for whoever runs the timer, the viewer for stage screens, the agenda for the room's schedule, the moderator for a host sending messages, and the operator for the show caller.
Because a view is just a URL, the venue's hardware stops mattering: a spare laptop drives the confidence monitor, a tablet backstage shows the agenda, and a remote producer follows from home. Distributing one clock to every corner of the venue takes no HDMI runs and no SDI splitters — the network the devices are already on is the video distribution.
Segments that do not fit a countdown
Not every part of a show has a fixed length. Switch a timer to count up for open-ended segments — a Q&A, a soundcheck, a delay you are absorbing — and elapsed time becomes the visible number.
When the schedule shifts live, adjust the running timer from the controller and every screen follows. The rundown is a plan, not a cage.
FAQ
What does the crew need to install?
Nothing. Every view is a URL — stage screens, the caller's phone, and remote producers all open a browser link, which is also why setup in an unfamiliar venue takes minutes.
How does the talent see their remaining time?
Open the viewer link on any screen facing the stage. A wrap-up threshold changes the display as time runs low, so the warning is visual and automatic.
Can the show advance automatically between segments?
Yes. Linked timers start each segment the moment the previous one ends, and a scheduled timer can start the show at a set time of day.
How do I know every screen is receiving before doors?
The room's live connections view lists each connected device. If the confidence monitor and the lobby screen are on the list, they are live.
Give your next show a real clock
MaestroTimer runs in the browser: one room, a running order of named timers, five synced views, and control from any device. Wrap-up colors, stage messages, and a live connections view are built in.