Triggers
A Trigger ties a controller input straight to a show: "when this input turns on, play this show." It's the simplest way to make something happen — wire an input to a show and you're done. No Logic Rule, no wiring diagram, no code.
For "button plays scene," a Trigger is all you need. When a scene depends on combinations or timing — several inputs together, a delay, a counter, a puzzle sequence — that's what Logic Rules are for.
You can wire any input on any controller to fire any show on any other controller — a button on one box can launch a show on another. They just need to be on the same local network. The list of available inputs includes every input across your account.
Setting one up
Every show has a Triggers button in its metadata bar (right next to the show name and duration). Click it to open the Triggers editor.
Inside, you see a simple input-to-show editor:
- Available inputs on the left — every input on every controller in your account
- The show on the right — the show you're editing
- Drag and drop to wire an input to the show
That's the whole thing. When you save, Studio sends the trigger to your controllers — and once it's there, it keeps working whether or not the cloud is connected.
A show also has a Logic Rules button next to Triggers. It lists every rule (including ones on other controllers) that fires this show, so you have one place to see everything that can play it.
On, off, or both
For each wired input, you choose when it fires the show:
- On — when the input turns on (button pressed, sensor activated). The usual choice.
- Off — when the input turns off (button released, sensor clears).
- Both — either change fires it.
Trigger actions
A trigger's action is what happens when the input fires. You can pick:
- Play — play the show.
- Stop — stop the show; the controller returns to its ambient routine if one is set.
- Soft Lock — lock the target controller: stops the running show and blocks new ones until it's unlocked. (The same lock as the front button's Safety Lock mode.)
- Hard Lock — a stronger Hard Lock: stops everything and keeps the controller locked until it's rebooted.
Play and Stop target a show; the two locks target one or more controllers you choose. Because triggers reach across your whole Studio, you can wire one input to lock a different controller — perfect for a single "stop everything" or emergency-stop button.
Where a trigger runs
A show's trigger runs on a specific controller — by default, the first controller in the show's targets. You can change which one in the Triggers editor under Settings.
Triggering a show that's already playing
Sometimes a trigger fires while the show is still running — a guest steps on the same trip plate twice, or two sensors point at the same scene. You decide what happens next with the trigger's Retrigger setting:
| Setting | What happens |
|---|---|
| Restart | The show stops where it is and starts over from the beginning. Good for a scare that should always begin fresh. |
| Skip if Playing | The new trigger is skipped until the show finishes on its own. Good for a scene you never want to interrupt. |
| Toggle | The first trigger starts the show; the next one stops it. Handy for a button or lever that turns a scene on and off. |
| Take Over | Stops whatever is currently playing and immediately plays this show. Useful when this scene should always take over. |
Pick whichever matches how the scene should feel to your guests. If you want a show to keep cycling on its own rather than respond to repeat triggers, see Looping & Chaining.
When you need more
Triggers are deliberately simple — one input, one show. When a scene depends on combinations or timing — all four switches flipped, every fifth guest, a 30-second delay, a Morse-code puzzle — step up to Logic Rules. A rule can still fire shows (and can even use an input from another controller as a condition); it just adds the logic in between.