Troubleshooting
Fixes for the most common connection and output issues. Still stuck? Email [email protected].
GrandMA2 Telnet works on the same machine but not to a separate console
If GrandMA2 Telnet output works when TimecodeLink and MA2 run on the same computer (loopback, 127.0.0.1) but won't reach a GrandMA2 console on another machine, the connection is almost always blocked by the firewall on the GrandMA2 machine.
- Allow the Telnet port through the console's firewall. TimecodeLink connects to the MA2 host on port
30000by default, and the GrandMA2 machine's firewall has to let that incoming connection through. - Check that the host and port in TimecodeLink match the console's IP and Telnet port.
- It isn't a login problem. It fails the same way with the
Adminuser or any other MA2 login, and toggling "Telnet enabled" won't help while the firewall is in the way.
Serato doesn't appear in Serato's Available Devices
If TimecodeLink is running but Serato DJ Pro doesn't list it under External Control → Available Devices:
- Enable Local Network access for both apps: macOS System Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network, then turn on the toggle for Serato DJ Pro and for TimecodeLink. An app that isn't listed yet usually appears after its first connection attempt.
- Start TimecodeLink first. It has to be running before Serato scans for devices. If in doubt, quit both and launch TimecodeLink before Serato.
- Activate External Control in Serato: Settings → Expansion Packs → External Control.
- Check that the firewall isn't blocking TimecodeLink's incoming connections (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Firewall → Options).
Ableton Link shows 0 peers
If the output banner reads "Ableton Link 0" and the receiving app isn't syncing:
- Restart the receiving program (Resolume, BEYOND, etc.). Link peer discovery can fail on the first connection and recovers on a fresh start.
- Update macOS. Ableton Link discovery was broken in macOS Sequoia before
15.7.3. If peers can't find each other, update to 15.7.3 or later.
Video clip jitters or drifts against the timecode
The clip on the receiving side stutters, jumps back and forth, or slowly runs ahead of or behind the music while TimecodeLink is playing. The most common cause is a receiver set to a different timecode frame rate than TimecodeLink, so it misreads every frame it gets.
- Check the frame rate in TimecodeLink: Settings → General → FPS (24, 25 or 30).
- Set the receiver to the same frame rate. Resolume, grandMA, lighting desks and media servers each have a frame-rate setting for their timecode input or timecode show, and it has to match exactly.
- Make sure you run the latest TimecodeLink version — output timing improved in recent releases.
- Still jumping with both sides on the same frame rate? Email [email protected] and say which receiver you use.
Players are connected but no track or timecode shows up
With the Pro DJ Link input, TimecodeLink finds your CDJs or XDJs and counts them as devices, but the decks stay empty and the timecode sits at zero. The usual cause is a second app on the same computer that also listens to the players. A player sends its track and position data to each computer once, and the other app is the one receiving it.
- Quit the other app: any lighting, video or show-control software on this computer that reads the players directly. The data arrives within a second, and TimecodeLink doesn't need a restart.
- Not sure which app it is? Click the input name at the top of the TimecodeLink window. The device list shows everything on the link, including software running on this computer.
- If you need both apps, run them on separate computers.
- From TimecodeLink 1.0.0 the input status turns amber and reads "Another app is taking player data" when this happens. If it reads "No player data on port 50002" instead, no other app was found on this computer: allow incoming UDP on ports
50000-50002in the firewall, and check the Interface option in Settings. It should be Auto or the adapter your players are plugged into. - Gave your computer a manual IP address? Its subnet mask must match the players'. For addresses that start with
169.254that is255.255.0.0. With a narrower mask such as255.255.255.0, the players never hear TimecodeLink and send it no track or position data, even though beats still come through. Fix the mask (or switch the network adapter back to automatic), then restart TimecodeLink.
TimecodeLink closes a few seconds after starting on Windows
The window opens normally, then the app disappears two or three seconds later, on every launch, and reinstalling changes nothing. This is almost always antivirus software killing the process: a freshly downloaded build has no reputation yet, and some security tools block it on its first few runs.
- Check Protection history: Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Protection history. A blocked or quarantined TimecodeLink entry confirms it. With a third-party antivirus, look in its quarantine or activity log instead.
- Add an exclusion for TimecodeLink, and restore the app from quarantine if it was moved there. Excluding the folder you installed it to is enough.
- Or just launch it a few more times. Most tools clear the file once their cloud analysis finishes, and the blocking stops for good.
Rekordbox crashes on startup after patching on Mac
Rekordbox opens, then closes within a few seconds, on every launch. This happens when Rekordbox is logged in to Apple Music: Apple Music isn't supported with TimecodeLink on Mac. Other streaming services (TIDAL, Spotify, Beatport, SoundCloud) work fine.
- Reinstall Rekordbox from AlphaTheta's website.
- Log out of Apple Music: in Rekordbox's left sidebar, right-click Apple Music → Log Out.
- Quit Rekordbox and run the Rekordbox setup in TimecodeLink again.
- Stay logged out of Apple Music in Rekordbox from then on. On Windows this doesn't apply: Apple Music and TimecodeLink work together there.
Rekordbox input is missing on my Intel Mac
Rekordbox input requires an Apple Silicon Mac or Windows. From TimecodeLink 0.1.7 the Rekordbox option is greyed out on Intel Macs, and an existing Rekordbox setup is switched to Pro DJ Link on the first launch after updating.
- The reason: TimecodeLink reads the running Rekordbox process, and the Intel build of Rekordbox can no longer be verified against each new Rekordbox release. Support that might fail silently mid-show is worse than none, so it was removed.
- What still works on an Intel Mac: Pro DJ Link (CDJ/XDJ), Serato DJ Pro and VirtualDJ inputs, and every output.
- To keep using Rekordbox, run TimecodeLink on an Apple Silicon Mac or a Windows PC. If you play from CDJs/XDJs, switch to the Pro DJ Link input instead.
Related
- Serato Setup Guide: full Serato connection walkthrough
- Rekordbox Setup Guide: requirements and patching walkthrough
- Example Setups: sample IPs and ports for multi-machine rigs
- Ableton Link: how tempo and beat sync works
Ready to sync?
TimecodeLink turns whatever your DJ software is playing into timecode your show control can chase.