Help
FAQ
Common questions about Prest, Prest Server and PresTools.
What is Prest?
A desktop app for the show. It opens your songs and DAW projects, prepares them with PresTools built in, plays them with your MIDI rig, and puts lyrics and chords on every phone and tablet on stage through Prest Server.
Do I need a DAW?
No. Prest plays the show itself. If you already play from REAPER or Ableton Live, Prest Server runs there too, and PresTools runs in REAPER.
Which computers does Prest run on?
macOS 13 or later on Apple silicon or Intel, Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), and Linux with WebKitGTK 4.1, GTK 3, and ALSA. PresTools' models use the GPU on Apple silicon and on an NVIDIA card; elsewhere they run on the processor, more slowly. Systems has the details.
Can we change a song's form on stage?
Yes, in Prest. Once a song has sections, you can jump to another one while it plays, at the end of the section, on the next bar or beat, or at once; repeat or skip a section; hold one as a vamp; and stop after a section. Play a show explains how.
Does Prest record, or host plug-ins?
No. Prest plays audio and sends MIDI: it does not record, and plays no effects, instruments, or plug-ins. MIDI tracks drive your keyboards, processors and lights instead.
Does it need the internet?
Not on stage. The internet is only needed to download the app and the PresTools tools and models you choose. Stage screens connect over your local network.
Can I use venue Wi-Fi?
Use a network your band controls instead: your own router or a phone's hotspot. Stage screens do not ask for a password yet, so every device on the network can follow and control the show.
Which devices can be stage screens?
Phones, tablets, and computers with a current browser, on the same network as the computer running the show. Nothing to install on them.
Are REAPER and Ableton workflows the same?
Close. Both use a folder of projects, REAPER projects or Live Sets, and in both one project can hold several songs, each starting at a marker or locator named S\ and the song's name. They differ in how the host opens a project, and Live in its tempo and time signature limits. The Prest Server page compares them.
Where do I get it?
Prest, Prest Server, and PresTools are with a small group of testers before their public releases. Ask for access through the feedback form, and say which product you want and what you use it with. Every package comes with a SHA-256 checksum.
What does a Prest Server backup contain?
Your songs and setlists. Importing one adds copies next to what you already have, so nothing is overwritten.