Docs & FAQ
Everything from first launch to your first show.Installing
NOVIQ runs on Windows. Download the installer from the releases page and run it. There is no account to create and nothing to configure first — NOVIQ opens straight into an empty library. A macOS build is coming; if you want to know when it lands, email us.
A first-run warning is expected. The installer is not yet code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen will ask you to confirm the first time — choose More info → Run anyway. It only happens once.
Building a setlist
- Drop your files in. Drag mp3 or wav files onto the setlist and each one becomes a song, in the order you dropped them.
- Drag to reorder. Grab the handle on the left of a line and move it. The order on screen is the order it plays.
- Add notes and colours. Double-click a line to add “capo 2” or “half-time feel”. They show up in Show Mode, where you'll actually read them.
- There is no Save. Every edit is written to disk as you make it, atomically. Closing the window loses nothing.
Setting up your outputs
Open Setup › Outputs. There are two mixes:
- PA — what the audience hears. The backing track always plays here, and the click never does.
- Band monitors — one shared mix for the whole band. You choose whether backing, click and guide are each included.
Routing belongs to the rig, not to a song: set it once and every song in the library plays through the same sockets, including ones you add later. If a mix points at an output your interface does not have, NOVIQ tells you at soundcheck rather than at 8 p.m.
Mapping a footswitch
Open Setup › Controllers, choose a command from “Learn a switch for…”, then press the switch on your controller. That's the whole flow. Control Change, Note and Program Change all work.
The mapping is saved with your library, so copying the folder to a backup laptop brings your pedalboard layout with it. Every command is mappable on the free version too — a switch that worked in rehearsal must work at showtime, whether or not you have paid.
Activating your licence
Open NOVIQ, go to Setup › Licence, and paste the key from your confirmation email. It takes effect immediately — no restart.
Your key covers two machines. If you need it moved to a new one, reply to your confirmation email or write to paulogomestw@gmail.com with the machine identity shown at the bottom of that same Licence panel.
Licence checks never touch the network. Your key carries its own cryptographic proof and is verified on your machine, which is why it works in a basement with no signal.
Show Mode
Press Enter Show Mode before you play. The screen becomes the set: the current song in very large type, the countdown, the next song, and the rest of the night below it.
It also locks the application. While Show Mode is on, nothing can create, delete, rename, reorder or reroute anything — not from the screen, not from a keyboard shortcut, and not from a footswitch. That is deliberate: the only things that still work are the ones you'd want to work mid-song.
If something goes wrong
- PANIC stops all audio immediately and resets the MIDI port. It is available at all times, including in Show Mode.
- After a crash, reopen NOVIQ. It returns to the song you were on, stopped, waiting for you. It never starts playing by itself.
- Logs are written into your library folder, under
logs/. Attach the newest one if you email about a bug.
Frequently asked questions
Is the free version really free forever?
Yes. It is not a trial and there is no countdown. It holds one active setlist of up to five songs; everything else — Show Mode, separate outputs, footswitch mappings, crash recovery — is identical to the paid version.
What audio formats can it play?
wav, mp3, flac, ogg and aiff.
Does NOVIQ need an internet connection?
No — not for anything, including checking your licence. It makes no network requests during normal use at all.
Can I use one interface for everything?
Yes. Point both mixes at the same interface and give them different output pairs — for example PA on outputs 1–2 and monitors on 3–4. To practise alone, point both at the same outputs and switch everything into the monitors.
Where are my songs stored?
In a plain folder on your own disk — one folder per song, with your audio files in it and a small metadata file beside them. Back it up or copy it to another machine like any other folder.
Is there an automatic updater?
No, deliberately — that would mean the application reaching the internet. To update, download the new installer and run it. Your library and licence are untouched.
What if I want a refund?
Email us within 14 days and we refund it, no questions asked. See the refund policy.
Has this been tested on real hardware?
Everything below the hardware adapters is covered by an automated test suite that runs on every change. The audio and MIDI adapters themselves are the newest part of the product — if you hit a problem with a specific interface or controller, email us and we will treat it as a priority.
Still stuck?
Write to paulogomestw@gmail.com. Support goes straight to the developer, not a queue.