Expected Mute / Clear behavior in SongShow Plus

Applicable SongShow Plus Versions: 
This article applies to all versions of SongShow Plus

*NOTE: Mute/Clear controls will only be applied to the main projection output.  Use the Blank Slide button if ALL displays need to be impacted.

The Mute and Clear buttons in the SongShow Plus toolbars are designed to temporarily hide or "blank" the displayed content leaving a black screen (Mute) or to temporarily hide or "blank" the displayed text leaving the displayed background visible (Clear).  

The Mute and Clear buttons are both toggle controls in the SongShow Plus control panel, meaning they are enabled by selecting it and disabled by selecting it again.  When this is done the displayed content resumes exactly where it left off. 

In the case of an audio or video file when Mute or Clear is invoked, the file pauses and remains paused when Mute or Clear is toggled again.  The user must click the play button in the Media Control Panel to resume playback of the file.

In the case of other content, such as songs, scriptures and slides, when Mute or Clear is invoked the background and/or foreground objects are hidden and become visible when Mute or Clear is toggled again. 

NOTE:  Clicking/selecting the same object that was Muted/Cleared will not restore it - that is what the toggle on the Mute/Clear controls are for.  This is expected behavior.

An important distinction between Mute/Clear and Blank Slide is that the Mute/Clear operations are done before any transitions occur on the objects so if the user is invoking Mute or Clear and then presenting a different object rather than toggling the Mute/Clear, the user will see the tail end of the former object when transitioning to the new object that is presented.  This is expected behavior.  This behavior may differ from previous editions of SongShow Plus, however, the previous incorrect behavior was corrected in the May 2012 Edition.

If the users wishes to change objects rather than toggling back to the original object, they should invoke a Blank Slide rather than Mute or Clear.

TIP: In cases where users wish to have this applied to all screens (usually main and stage) users can utilize a splitter to send the projection output to both main screen and stage (other) location.  This way, the exact same content goes to both screens, including Clear/Mute, and this will also simplify user operation.  If disparate information or treatments are needed for the stage (other) location, this will not work.

If this article does not address the issue, contact the Support Team.

(SSP96)