BeatCut User Manual

Welcome to BeatCut — a tap-to-remix video performance app with an AUv3 instrument extension. This guide walks you through the interface, play and edit modes, importing and trimming audio/video, pad setup, FX, recording, project management, and using BeatCut inside a compatible host.

If you prefer a guided walkthrough, use the in‑app tutorial when prompted on first launch (or from the Support screen). The tutorial highlights each part of the UI and mirrors the sections in this manual.

1. First Launch and Onboarding

• On first launch, BeatCut may prompt you to start a short tutorial. Tap "Start Tutorial" to follow a coach‑mark tour of the app.
• The tutorial covers: play and edit modes, the editing panel, clip selection and import, chop controls (start, end, speed, duration), FX, transitions, audio settings, recording, and project management.
• You can always explore on your own; this manual explains every area in detail.

2. Interface Overview

BeatCut's main screen consists of:

• Video background: Your imported clips are composed into a single reel timeline and displayed full‑screen.
• Pads: A 4×4 grid in Play Mode for performance, or a 1×16 horizontal strip in Edit Mode for detailed editing.
• Bottom toolbar: Controls for switching modes, audio settings and playback, project manager, and recording.

Tap the background when in Play Mode to quickly stop any ongoing pad playback.

3. Importing Video Clips

You can start from an empty project or load a factory preset from the Project Manager. To import your own video clips:

1. Tap the large "Add Video" button on the empty state, or open Edit Mode and use the clip import button within the editing panel.
2. Choose a video from your device's gallery.
3. Trim the video using the trim interface, then confirm. Maximum 60 seconds per clip. BeatCut preserves trim metadata so imports are fast and efficient.
4. Each new clip is added to the end of your project's reel timeline. The first clip is auto‑assigned and auto‑chopped across all 16 pads for instant playability.

Include Audio During Import

When trimming a video that has an audio track, a speaker button appears in the playback controls. Tapping it toggles Include Audio — when enabled, all pads auto‑assigned from this clip will have their audio output enabled by default. If you skip this during import, you can still enable audio per‑pad later in the editing panel (see Section 7).

Clip Limits

• Maximum clips per project: 8 clips
• Maximum duration per clip: 60 seconds (enforced during trim)
• Rendering resolution: Configurable via the Resolution selector in Settings (see Section 12). Available options are 720p, 1080p (default), and 1440p. The app renders in portrait or landscape based on your device orientation.

Drag and Drop Import

You can also drag and drop video files directly onto the app to import them:

• Drag a video file from Files or another app onto the BeatCut window.
• The video goes through the same trimmer workflow as gallery imports.
• Supports standard video formats (MP4, MOV, M4V).

Notes:

• You can import multiple clips (up to 8 clips maximum). The reel timeline is built automatically in order of clip placement.
• The trim interface enforces the 60-second maximum; the duration indicator turns red if exceeded.
• Removing a clip automatically re‑flows the timeline.

4. Pads and Modes

Pads trigger playback of "chops" — segments of your clips defined per pad. There are two modes:

• Play Mode (4×4 grid):

  • Tap a pad to trigger its chop. Depending on play settings (see Play Modes below), the pad may play once, loop, or ping‑pong.
  • Tap the background to stop playback when needed.
  • For an unobstructed video view, enable Hide Pads in Settings. This hides only the Play Mode grid; keyboard and MIDI triggering remain available.

• Edit Mode (1×16 row):

  • Toggle Edit Mode using the mode switch in the bottom toolbar.
  • Select a pad to open the editing panel and adjust its source clip, chop boundaries, speed, FX, and play mode.
  • Use the Preview control in the editing panel to audition a pad without leaving Edit Mode.

5. Keyboard Support

BeatCut supports external keyboards for triggering pads, perfect for iPad with Magic Keyboard or any Bluetooth keyboard.

Key Mapping

The keyboard layout mirrors the 4×4 pad grid:

1 2 3 4   → Pads 1-4
q w e r   → Pads 5-8
a s d f   → Pads 9-12
z x c v   → Pads 13-16

Behavior

• Key press = pad press (starts playback)
• Key release = pad release (stops playback in Hold mode)
• Keys are case-insensitive (Q and q both trigger Pad 5)
• Key repeat is ignored to prevent accidental re-triggering

6. MIDI Support

BeatCut supports external MIDI controllers for triggering pads, perfect for hardware controllers like MIDI keyboards, pad controllers, or any MIDI-capable device.

MIDI Note Mapping

The 16 pads are mapped to a sequential 16-note range on your MIDI controller. By default, this starts at C2 (MIDI note 36) and extends to D#3 (MIDI note 51):

C2 (36)   → Pad 1     C#2 (37)  → Pad 2
D2 (38)   → Pad 3     D#2 (39)  → Pad 4
E2 (40)   → Pad 5     F2 (41)   → Pad 6
F#2 (42)  → Pad 7     G2 (43)   → Pad 8
G#2 (44)  → Pad 9     A2 (45)   → Pad 10
A#2 (46)  → Pad 11    B2 (47)   → Pad 12
C3 (48)   → Pad 13    C#3 (49)  → Pad 14
D3 (50)   → Pad 15    D#3 (51)  → Pad 16

Accessing MIDI Settings

1. Tap the projects button in the bottom toolbar to open the Project Hub.
2. Navigate to the Settings tab (see Section 12 for details).
3. The MIDI section provides all configuration options.

Start Note Configuration

You can customize the starting MIDI note for your controller:

• Use the Start Note picker to select any note from 0 to 112.
• Common starting notes include C1, C2, C3, or C4, depending on your controller layout.
• The note range display shows your current mapping (e.g., "C2 - D#3").

MIDI Channel Selection

Choose which MIDI channels BeatCut responds to:

• Omni: Responds to all MIDI channels (default).
• Channel 1-16: Responds only to the selected channel, useful when using multiple MIDI instruments.

Hardware MIDI Inputs

BeatCut automatically detects connected MIDI devices:

• Each connected device appears as a toggle in the MIDI settings.
• Enable or disable specific devices as needed.
• Multiple devices can be active simultaneously.

Behavior

MIDI triggering works identically to keyboard and touch input:

• Note On = pad press (starts playback)
• Note Off = pad release (stops playback in Hold mode)
• Velocity values are ignored; all notes trigger at full intensity.

7. Editing Panel

Select a pad in Edit Mode to reveal the editing panel. The panel is a single scrollable view with the following sections:

Clip Selector

• Assign a clip to the selected pad.
• Browse your project's clip list and pick the source.
• Import a new clip directly from this panel if needed.
• Remove a clip from the project (when prompted) if you no longer need it.

Chop Controls

• Start (In) and End (Out): Define the normalized boundaries of the pad's chop (0.0–1.0 of the source clip's duration). Displayed in seconds for reference.
• Speed: Adjust playback rate for this pad (0.1x to 4.0x). Slow motion at 0.1x, normal at 1.0x, fast motion up to 4.0x.

Play Mode Controls

• Trigger/Hold: In Trigger mode, a tap starts playback and it continues based on Loop/Ping‑Pong settings. In Hold mode, playback only continues while you keep pressing the pad.
• Loop: Continuously repeats the chop.
• Ping‑Pong: Alternates forward and reverse playback on each loop.
• Reverse: Plays the chop backward. BeatCut automatically creates reversed media when needed, showing a progress indicator during creation.

FX Controls

• Flip H / Flip V: Mirror the video horizontally or vertically.
• Color: Choose styles — Normal, Black & White, Negative, Posterize, or Sepia.
• Scale: Adjust how the video fits the screen (Fit, Fill, Stretch).

Audio Controls

• Enable/Disable: Toggle clip audio output for the selected pad using the speaker icon button.
• Volume: Adjust the audio level for this pad (0–100%).
• When a clip is imported with "Include Audio" enabled, assigned pads inherit that setting automatically.
• Each pad's audio is independent — you can have some pads with audio on and others off.
• Clip audio is mixed with backing audio (if present) during playback and recording.

Transition Controls

Add visual transitions when a pad is triggered:

• Enable/Disable: Toggle transitions on or off for this pad.
• Type: Choose from:
  • Fade — crossfade between previous and new content
  • Wipe Left — wipe from right to left
  • Wipe Right — wipe from left to right
  • Wipe Up — wipe from bottom to top
  • Wipe Down — wipe from top to bottom
• Duration: Set the transition length as a percentage of the chop duration (0–100%).

Note: Transitions apply only when you trigger a pad, not on loop boundaries or ping‑pong bounces.

Saving Changes

Changes made in the editing panel are applied immediately to your current session. However, changes are not automatically saved to disk. You must explicitly save your project using the Project Manager to persist your work (see Section 10).

8. Backing Audio: Import, Trim, and Preview

BeatCut lets you add a backing audio track that plays alongside your pad performance.

Open Audio Settings

• Tap the audio button in the bottom toolbar to open Audio Settings.
• If no audio is present, you'll see the import screen. If audio already exists, you'll see management controls and a preview player.

Import Audio

1. Tap "Import from Files."
2. Pick an audio file from the Files app.
3. Trim the audio using the trim interface and confirm. The trimmed range is stored as metadata.

Drag and Drop Audio

You can also drag and drop audio files directly onto the app:

• Supported formats: MP3, M4A, WAV, AIFF
• The audio goes through the same trimmer workflow as file picker imports.

Manage Audio

• Preview: Play/stop the audio to audition your selection.
• Re‑Trim: Open the trimmer again to refine the in/out points.
• Replace: Import a different audio file. (Replacing clears the previous audio.)

The audio track can be played or stopped from the bottom toolbar while you rehearse and record.

9. Play Modes Explained

Each pad has independent play behavior:

• Trigger vs Hold (Requires Hold)

  • Trigger: A tap starts playback; the pad continues until the chop completes (or loops/ping‑pongs if enabled).
  • Hold: Playback only continues while you keep pressing the pad. Releasing stops playback immediately.

• Loop

  • Repeats the chop indefinitely until stopped (by background tap or changing pads depending on your performance).

• Ping‑Pong

  • Alternates direction at each loop boundary (forward then reverse, and so on). The first iteration starts forward.

• Reverse

  • Plays backward. For presets or pads that rely on reverse/ping‑pong, BeatCut manages reversed media under the hood. If a reversed source is required, the app creates it automatically.

10. Recording Your Performance

Capture your performance as a video, with pads and FX baked in and your backing audio mixed into the final export.

Start Recording

1. Tap the record button in the bottom toolbar. If you're in Edit Mode, BeatCut switches to Play Mode first, then starts the recording flow.
2. If needed, grant permission to save videos to your Photos library.
3. Recording begins after a short countdown. Perform by tapping pads; adjust FX live if you like.

Stop and Save

• Tap the record button again to stop. BeatCut automatically saves the resulting video to your Photos library.
• A toast appears confirming the save with options to:
  • Open Gallery: Jumps to the Photos app.
  • Share: Opens the iOS share sheet for quick sharing.

What's Included

• The on‑screen video output (with live FX and transitions), backing audio, and clip audio from pads with audio enabled are all mixed into the exported file.
• Export specifications: Resolution is determined by the Resolution setting (720p, 1080p, or 1440p) and your device orientation (portrait or landscape). 30fps, H.264 codec. Bitrate scales with resolution: 4 Mbps at 720p, 6 Mbps at 1080p, 10 Mbps at 1440p.
• After a successful save, the temporary local file is cleaned up to conserve space.

11. Project Management

Organize your work with the Project Hub, accessible from the projects button in the bottom toolbar. The Project Hub has three tabs: Projects, Settings, and Support.

Projects Tab

The Projects tab is your central hub for managing saved projects and factory presets.

Presets and Projects

• Factory Presets: Explore built‑in projects (they load as "Untitled Project" so you can tweak safely).
• Your Projects: Save, duplicate, and delete your own projects.

Saving Your Work

Important: Changes are not auto-saved to project files. Your edits are held in memory during your session, but you must explicitly save to persist them.

To save your project:

1. Open the Project Hub and ensure you're on the Projects tab.
2. Tap the Save button.
3. Enter or confirm the project name.
4. Tap confirm to save.

Projects are stored as .beatcut files in the App Group container shared by the standalone app and AUv3 extension.

New Project

• Create a new project from the toolbar. If your current project has unsaved changes, you'll be prompted to save first.

Duplicating and Deleting

• Duplicate: Copy a project to branch your ideas or create variations.
• Delete: Removes the project file and attempts to clean up associated media.

For Settings and Support features, see Sections 12 and 14.

12. Settings

The Settings tab in the Project Hub provides configuration options for pad display, recording resolution, MIDI controllers, and automatic clip distribution.

Accessing Settings

1. Tap the projects button in the bottom toolbar to open the Project Hub.
2. Navigate to the Settings tab.

Hide Pads

In the Display section, enable Hide Pads to hide the 4×4 pad grid during Play Mode. This gives the video more unobstructed screen space while you perform with a MIDI controller or external keyboard.

• The setting applies only to Play Mode.
• The 1×16 pad row always remains visible in Edit Mode, so you can select and configure pads.
• Hiding the on-screen grid does not disable the pads or change their keyboard and MIDI mappings.
• The setting is remembered across sessions.

Recording Resolution

Choose the video output resolution for your recordings:

• 720p (720×1280 portrait / 1280×720 landscape) — 4 Mbps bitrate. Smaller file size, suitable for quick sharing.
• 1080p (1080×1920 portrait / 1920×1080 landscape) — 6 Mbps bitrate. Default setting, a good balance of quality and file size.
• 1440p (1440×2560 portrait / 2560×1440 landscape) — 10 Mbps bitrate. Higher quality for detailed footage.

The orientation (portrait or landscape) is automatically determined by your device orientation at the time recording starts. The resolution setting is remembered across sessions.

MIDI Configuration

Control external MIDI devices for pad triggering. See Section 6 for complete MIDI setup details.

Quick Overview:

• Start Note: Choose the first MIDI note in your 16-note range (default: C2/note 36).
• Note Range Display: Shows your current mapping (e.g., "C2 - D#3").
• MIDI Channel: Select Omni or a specific channel (1-16).
• Hardware Inputs: Toggle connected MIDI devices on/off.

Auto-Cut Features

Quickly distribute your imported clips across all 16 pads with automatic chop assignments. Both methods are available in the Clips section of Settings.

Auto-Cut by Clip Count

Evenly distributes clips across all 16 pads based on the number of clips:

• Single clip: Divided into 16 equal parts, one per pad.
• Multiple clips: Each clip receives an equal number of pads. If 16 doesn't divide evenly, extra pads go to the first clip.
• Example: 3 clips → First clip gets 6 pads, second and third each get 5 pads.

Auto-Cut by Duration

Allocates pads proportionally based on clip duration:

• Longer clips: Receive more pads automatically.
• Algorithm: Uses the Largest Remainder Method (Hamilton method) for fair distribution.
• Example: A 30-second clip receives approximately twice as many pads as a 15-second clip.

Common Behavior

• Both auto-cut buttons are disabled when no clips are present.
• Auto-cut operations preserve: play modes, FX settings, and speed settings.
• Auto-cut operations clear: reversed clip assignments (you must re-enable Reverse if needed).
• Changes take effect immediately, assigning new chop boundaries to all pads.
• Each pad receives a portion of its assigned clip with automatically calculated start/end points.

13. AUv3 Extension

BeatCut includes an AUv3 Music Device extension for use as an instrument inside compatible iOS and iPadOS audio hosts. The extension receives MIDI notes from the host and sends enabled pad audio through the host's mixer while keeping BeatCut's video performance interface available in the plug-in window.

Loading BeatCut in a Host

The exact menu names vary by host:

1. Install BeatCut and open the standalone app at least once.
2. In your AUv3 host, create an instrument or MIDI-controlled track.
3. Add an Audio Unit Extension or AUv3 Instrument and choose Cem Olcay: BeatCut.
4. Open the BeatCut plug-in interface.
5. Import clips or load a project within the extension, then configure the pads in Edit Mode.
6. Enable audio for the pads you want the host to hear.
7. Route MIDI to the BeatCut track and trigger the 16-pad note range. The default range is MIDI notes 36–51 (C2–D#3 in BeatCut).

AUv3 Performance Notes

• Use Play Mode when performing or sequencing BeatCut from the host.
• Note-on triggers a pad; note-off releases it for Hold behavior.
• The MIDI start note and channel settings work the same way as in the standalone app.
• Hide Pads can clear the 4×4 grid from the plug-in's Play Mode view without disabling MIDI input. The pad row remains available in Edit Mode.
• Only pads with their audio enabled produce audio at the AUv3 output.
• The host records and mixes BeatCut's audio output. To export BeatCut's composited video performance, use the recording workflow described in Section 10.

Projects in the Extension

The standalone app and AUv3 extension share the same saved project library and imported project media. Save a project from either version, then open or refresh the Project Hub in the other version to access it.

When updating from a version released before AUv3 project sharing, open the updated standalone app once. BeatCut copies its existing projects and media into the shared library, after which they become available to the AUv3 extension.

Display, MIDI, and other app preferences remain specific to the standalone app or extension. Save project changes before switching between them, and avoid editing the same project in both at the same time.

14. Support

Access help and support options from the Project Hub's Support tab.

Available Options

• Send Feedback: Opens an email composer to contact the developer directly.
• Start Tutorial: Relaunches the guided walkthrough from the beginning, loading the first preset project to demonstrate features.
• User Manual: Opens the online documentation at keybudapp.com.
• Review the App: Opens the App Store page to leave a rating and review.
• Other Apps: Browse the developer's other apps on the App Store.

Version Info

The current app version is displayed at the bottom of the Support screen.

15. Tips and Shortcuts

• Background Tap: In Play Mode, tap empty space to stop playback quickly.
• Unobstructed Performance: Enable Settings → Display → Hide Pads to remove the Play Mode grid while keeping keyboard and MIDI triggering active.
• Keyboard Shortcuts: Use an external keyboard to trigger pads with the 1-4, q-r, a-f, z-v keys (see Section 5).
• MIDI Controllers: Connect external MIDI controllers via Settings → MIDI to trigger pads with notes (see Section 6).
• Quick Setup: Use auto-cut features (Settings → Clips) to instantly distribute your clips across all pads (see Section 12).
• Note Mapping: Default MIDI range is C2-D#3; customize start note in Settings.
• Project Limits: Maximum 8 clips per project, 60 seconds per clip. Plan your edits accordingly.
• Speed Range: Experiment with extreme speeds – go as slow as 0.1x for dramatic slow-motion or as fast as 4.0x for rapid effects.
• First Clip Auto‑Setup: When you import your first clip, BeatCut auto‑assigns and auto‑chops it across all 16 pads for instant playability.
• Live Speed Updates: If a pad is playing while you adjust speed in the editor, the change applies immediately.
• Preview in Edit Mode: Use the Preview control to audition a pad without switching to Play Mode.
• Drag and Drop: Quickly import videos or audio by dragging files onto the app.

16. Permissions and Storage

• Photos Permission: Required to save your recordings to the Photos library. If you deny access, you can enable it later in Settings.
• Project Files: Saved as .beatcut JSON files in storage shared by the standalone app and AUv3 extension. Imported media is organized in project‑specific folders in the same shared container.
• Recordings: Saved to the Photos app. After saving, the temporary export file is removed from the app's storage.

17. Troubleshooting

• "Save to Photos failed": Ensure Photos access is granted. If denied, BeatCut offers to open Settings so you can allow access.
• Missing Clips: If you move files around outside the app or migrate devices, BeatCut attempts to repair project references and recover reversed clips when possible.
• No Sound: Make sure a backing audio track is imported and that audio playback is enabled from the toolbar while rehearsing and recording. Also check that clip audio is enabled for the relevant pads in the editing panel (Section 7 → Audio Controls). Note that clip audio and backing audio are independent — having one does not require the other.
• Keyboard Not Working: Ensure BeatCut is the active app and the keyboard is connected. The keyboard input is only active in Play Mode.
• MIDI Not Working: Check that your MIDI device is connected and enabled in Settings → MIDI. Verify the note range matches your controller's layout. MIDI input is only active in Play Mode.
• AUv3 Not Listed in the Host: Confirm the host supports AUv3 Music Device instruments, then launch the standalone BeatCut app once and restart the host.
• Standalone Projects Missing in AUv3: Launch the updated standalone app once to migrate existing projects into shared storage, then close and reopen BeatCut in the host.
• No AUv3 Audio: Enable audio on the relevant pads, confirm the host is sending MIDI notes within BeatCut's configured range and channel, and check that the instrument track is monitored and audible.

18. Guided Tour Map (Tutorial Steps)

Use the built‑in tutorial to see on‑screen highlights for these areas:

• Welcome
• Play Mode (Pad Grid)
• Mode Switch (toggle Play/Edit)
• Editing Panel
• Clip Selector and Clip List
• Clip Import
• Chop Controls: Start, End, Speed, Duration
• Play Mode Controls: Trigger, Loop, Ping‑Pong, Reverse
• FX Controls: Flip H, Flip V, Color, Scale
• Transition Controls
• Pad Visuals (grid overview)
• Back to Play
• Audio Settings and Audio Import
• Record Button
• Project Manager: Project List, Save, New

Each tutorial step can perform small actions (like opening a panel or selecting a pad) to help you visualize the workflow.

19. What's Next

We're continually improving BeatCut. Planned enhancements include expanded audio management and additional FX. If you have feedback, use the Support screen to send us a message!

Enjoy creating with BeatCut!

20. Links

• BeatCut Website
• BeatCut on the App Store
• All Cem Olcay Apps