Beat Sheet for Mac Last Updated 06 July 2023 by Michael Forrest

Plan & Run Better Shows

Live Streams • Video Production • Zoom Calls • Lesson Plans

Already using Beat Sheet? Here is the User Guide and YouTube Channel.

Beat Sheet is the cornerstone of your live video workflow on Mac.

Turn your talking points into a simple sequence
Reduces mental overhead when you are on-camera
Add simple titles and graphics
Runs your teleprompter
Navigate with your keyboard, mouse or Stream Deck
Pros can easily navigate complex shows that use many Ecamm Live, mimoLive or OBS scenes

What is a beat sheet?

A "beat sheet" is an outline for a show.

If you're running a live stream with guests and graphics, or you need a way to structure your Zoom lessons or video shoots, a beat sheet is a great way to prepare.

Beat Sheet gives you a simple editor to plan out your segments. Plan and iterate until you're ready to go live or shoot another take.

Video: What Is Beat Sheet? Video: Plan & Run Professional Live Streams

Beat Sheet is your Producer

It's tough to be a show host when you're also the camera operator, sound engineer, producer, director, teleprompter operator and the person responsible for titles, graphics and transitions, ready to roll VT.

With Beat Sheet, you don't have to juggle all this in your head.

With a finger on the "next" button, you can breeze through your show with confidence.

Titles and graphics

Beat Sheet is much more than a text editor.

Add titles and graphics to your segments, and when you press "play" these graphics are sent directly into your streaming software over NDI or Syphon.

With the free Video Pencil Camera app you can use this in your Zoom and Teams calls and QuickTime recordings. No need for OBS or Ecamm!

Working with scenes

Ecamm Live, mimoLive and OBS are powerful live broadcasting apps that let you set up various scenes with different camera angles, layouts and overlays framing multiple video sources (e.g. host and guest cameras), screen captures, videos, graphics and titles.

Beat Sheet lets you map each segment in your show to a specific scene.

Using Beat Sheet with Ecamm Live

How To Control mimoLive with Beat Sheet

How To Control OBS With Beat Sheet

Power your teleprompter

A teleprompter is more than just a way to remember your lines. It lets you maintain eye contact with your camera lens, so your conversations more personal and your presentations more trustworthy.

With Shoot Pro Webcam your text will appear on your iPhone's screen with no additional hardware
Or download Beat Sheet HUD to place directly into your hardware teleprompter
If you have an external display in your teleprompter, Beat Sheet gives you a transparent window which can float on top of your other previews.

Beat Sheet is integrated

You don't need a mouse in your hand to use Beat Sheet.

Use the bundled plugin to navigate from your Stream Deck
Integrate with anything else on your Mac with a set of Shortcuts actions
QuickLook and Thumbnail previews make it easy to find your documents
Beat Sheet intelligently handles scripts from Notes, Google Docs, Word and Final Draft Pro
With "Copy All" you can export an entire document in one go

Getting started

Beat Sheet gives you a template library to get started.

Suggest a template

Testimonials

As a trainer, I deliver 8-hour sessions per day. I’m using Ecamm to facilitate all the different screens and demos needed during that time. Adding Beat Sheet into the picture makes everything much easier! Now the most important notes and topics are right in front of me! Also automatically changing scenes in Ecamm, triggered by a new card in Beat Sheet is powerful. With the touch of a button, everything changes as needed. I’m preparing a new course now. I’m feeling much more confident now because all the notes will be in front of me!!! Thanks Michael for the great product! - Luis Mesquita, Trainer & Consultant

Beat Sheet will surprise you. It looks like an outliner but soon you find yourself managing titles, links to web pages, graphics and more from within that simple structure. Then, you update your presentation, point to new elements, maybe change a sequence, without tearing your hair out. It even displays on monitors and teleprompters so sticking with the script, recording re-takes, or remembering what you wanted to say is never in question. Finally, the Stream Deck connection makes it possible to produce like a pro without hiring one!- John Duhring - Smell The Coffee

Beat Sheet is the easiest and most efficient tool for creating and managing scripts for your live streams and recorded videos. It’s a breeze to create a run of show, and with its built-in Ecamm Live integration, it makes running your stream application a breeze. No need to mess with Google docs, PDFs, or other flat files – Beat Sheet does it all, and has a heads up display for teleprompters too. It just works. - Craig Grella - OrgSpring

Beat Sheet has enabled me to produce my video podcast in a fraction of the time it used to take. All without having to hire a producer! This is essential software for anyone producing content using Ecamm Live -Reagan Rose - Redeeming Productivity