Apps / Downstage

Downstage app icon

Downstage

The stage timer that survives the show. Countdown, count-up and clock for live events — pushed to any display or over NDI, and driven from a phone, a desk, or a single command.

macOS 13+ NDI output UDP & web remote
User guide (PDF) ↗ Mac App Store — soon

It doesn't blink.

The audience display sits at screen-saver window level, joined to every Space — so Mission Control, Exposé and space-switching can't pull the timer off-screen mid-show. It's the one thing every other timer gets wrong, and the reason this one has run live for years.

What it does

  • 01

    Countdown, count-up & clock

    Quick-set 5/10/20/30/60, live ±1 minute, pause and stop. Overtime counts up past zero in red. Plus a clean time-of-day clock mode.

  • 02

    Warning colours

    Amber at five minutes, red at one — both thresholds configurable, or switched off for a constant colour. Custom text and background colours throughout.

  • 03

    Messages, blackout & attention

    A big auto-fitting message overlay, instant blackout, and a one-second strobe to grab the room when you need every eye on the screen.

  • 04

    External displays & NDI

    Mirror the timer to any connected screen, or send it as an NDI source straight into your vision mixer, OBS or Resolume — no second display required.

  • 05

    Phone & lectern remote

    A dependency-free web remote puts big start / stop / message buttons on any phone, and a lectern display turns a spare iPad into a presenter screen.

  • 06

    Running order

    Build a named cue list, step Prev / Next, or let cues follow on automatically. Save and share whole running orders as .dscue files.

A look at it

Downstage full-screen timer output showing a large monospaced countdown on a black audience display.
The audience output — big, monospaced, unmissable.
Downstage showing a full-screen message overlay reading a presenter cue over the timer.
Message overlay — auto-fitting, animated in and out.
Downstage phone web remote with large start, stop and message buttons and a live time readout.
The phone remote — any browser on the same network.

Drive it from anything

Every control is a single UDP datagram on port 6969 (or the matching web-remote URL). Wire Downstage into your show-control, a stream deck, a QLab cue — whatever runs the show.

Remote command reference
CommandAction
GO5Load 5 minutes and start (any number; GO0 counts up)
SET10Load 10 minutes without starting
GO / STARTStart the loaded time
PAUSEPause / resume
+1 / -1Add or subtract a minute live
STOPTIMEStop and reset to 00:00
MSG<text>Show a message overlay (e.g. MSG Doors in 5)
CLEARMSGHide the message
BLACKToggle blackout
FLASHOne-second attention strobe
TIMEToggle the time-of-day clock
NEXT / PREV / CUE<n>Step or jump in the running order
RESETStop and clear message / blackout / flash

Commands are case-insensitive. Example: printf 'GO5' | nc -u -w1 <mac-ip> 6969

Support

Downstage is built and supported by HALF GREY BEAR. The user guide covers setup, outputs, the remote and the running order in full. If you're still stuck — or you've found something we should fix — email the studio and a human will answer.

Download the user guide (PDF) ↗ email support ↗
Which macOS does it need?
macOS 13 Ventura or later, on Apple silicon or Intel.
Do I need to install anything for NDI?
NDI output lights up automatically once NDI Tools or the NDI SDK is present on the Mac. Without it, Downstage runs completely normally and NDI simply stays unavailable. The directly-distributed build bundles everything, so NDI works out of the box.
Why does it ask for local-network access?
So it can listen for the phone / web remote and UDP control on your network, and send the NDI video feed. It's all on your own LAN — nothing is sent to us or over the internet.
Is it on the Mac App Store yet?
Not yet. Two builds are in the pipeline: a Mac App Store version (screens, web remote and UDP) and a notarised direct download that adds full NDI output. Tap Notify me at launch above and we'll tell you the moment it's live.

Privacy

Downstage collects no data. No account, no analytics, no tracking — nothing is sent to HALF GREY BEAR or to anyone else.

The only network traffic is on your own local network: the phone / web remote, UDP control, and (if you enable it) the NDI video output. Your settings and cue files stay on your Mac.

Questions about privacy? email us. Last updated June 2026.