Resolume timecode sync from your DJ set

Each track in your set gets its own SMPTE timecode. While the track plays, TimecodeLink sends it to Resolume Arena as LTC, and the clip you made for that track runs in step with it, even when the DJ pushes the pitch. An OSC trigger starts the right clip when the track comes on, and Ableton Link keeps Resolume's effects at the DJ's tempo.

It suits a VJ working next to a DJ, a DJ who runs their own visuals, or a club with CDJs and a Resolume machine. Resolume's SMPTE input is in Arena only. On Avenue, skip steps 3 to 5: OSC triggers and Ableton Link work in both.

Step 1: Connect TimecodeLink to your DJ software

Set up the input the DJ plays on: Rekordbox, Serato (beta), Pioneer CDJ/XDJ, VirtualDJ (beta) or Denon (beta). Play a track and check that the timecode in TimecodeLink runs.

Step 2: Give each track its own hour

In the Track List panel, number the tracks one hour apart: the first at 01:00:00:00, the next at 02:00:00:00. Align numbers the whole list with a 60-minute interval. Resolume's own SMPTE guide suggests the same one-hour convention, so a clip never plays against the wrong track.

Step 3: Send LTC to the Arena computer

Click OUTPUTS on the master row, switch on LTC Output and pick the Audio Device:

Note the FPS in TimecodeLink's settings. Arena has to be set to the same frame rate in the next step.

Step 4: Set up the SMPTE input in Arena

In Arena, open Preferences and the Audio tab. For SMPTE input 1, pick the input that carries the LTC (the BlackHole or VB-CABLE device, or the line input) and the same frame rate as TimecodeLink.

Open the SMPTE panel from the View menu and play a track. The panel shows the incoming timecode, and it should match TimecodeLink's.

Step 5: Put each track's clip on SMPTE, with its offset

Select the clip you made for a track. In the clip's Timeline dropdown, choose SMPTE 1, and set its Offset to the track's start timecode, 01:00:00:00 for the first track. The clip's playhead now follows the track: 30 seconds into the track, the clip is 30 seconds in.

Arena offers SMPTE only on clips without an audio track. If an LED wall's processor makes the video late, the clip's Delay setting (in frames) pulls it back.

SMPTE moves the playhead but doesn't start the clip: the clip has to be playing in a layer. Step 6 takes care of that.

Step 6: Start each track's clip with an OSC trigger

In Resolume, open Preferences and the OSC tab and turn on OSC input. The top of that tab shows the computer's IP address; the port is 7000 unless you changed it.

In TimecodeLink's settings, switch on OSC Triggers and enter that IP as Host (127.0.0.1 on the same computer) and 7000 as Port.

In the track list, click + Add trigger on a track. Under WHEN, choose On Master; under SEND, enter the clip's address with the value 1, for example /composition/layers/1/clips/3/connect for layer 1, column 3. Press ▶ and the clip should start in Resolume.

On Master fires every time the track's deck becomes the master, so the clip comes back when the DJ returns to a track. At time fires at a point in the track, such as the first drop, and At cue at one of the DJ's cue points. More on OSC triggers.

Optional: Ableton Link for tempo-synced effects

Switch on Ableton Link in TimecodeLink's OUTPUTS. In Resolume, choose Show Ableton Link from the View menu and click the Link button that appears. Effects and BPM-synced clips then run at the DJ's tempo. More on Ableton Link.

Troubleshooting

Arena's SMPTE panel shows no time

Make sure a track is playing and TimecodeLink's LTC Output is on. The Audio Device in TimecodeLink and the SMPTE input in Arena's Audio preferences have to be the same device or cable. Turn the LTC volume up if the signal is too low.

The playhead jumps once a second

The frame rates don't match. Set Arena's SMPTE frame rate to TimecodeLink's FPS.

The clip plays but doesn't follow the track

Check the clip's Timeline dropdown says SMPTE 1 and its Offset is the track's start timecode in TimecodeLink. A clip with an audio track can't follow SMPTE.

The OSC trigger does nothing

Press ▶ in the trigger editor and watch Resolume's OSC preferences, which list the last messages received. If nothing arrives, check the Host and Port and that OSC input is on in Resolume. If the message arrives, check the layer and clip numbers in its address.

FAQ

Does it work with Resolume Avenue?

Partly. Resolume's SMPTE input is in Arena only, so Avenue can't follow timecode. OSC triggers and Ableton Link work in both, so Avenue can still start each track's clip and keep its effects on the beat.

Do I need a timecode audio cable?

Only between two computers. On one computer, LTC goes through a virtual audio device: BlackHole on a Mac, VB-CABLE on Windows. Between two computers, cable a spare audio output into a line input on the Arena machine.

Can each track start its own clip?

Yes. Give each track an OSC trigger that connects its clip. It fires when the track becomes the master, or at a time you pick, and SMPTE then keeps the clip on the track.

Does it work with Serato, VirtualDJ and CDJs?

Yes. Resolume is set up the same way whether TimecodeLink follows Rekordbox, Serato DJ Pro (beta), VirtualDJ (beta), Pioneer CDJs and XDJs, or Denon players (beta).

Can I try it first?

Yes. The free trial runs for 30 days with every feature. Download it and run it; there's no sign-up.

More rigs: example setups with IPs and ports. New to TimecodeLink? Download the free trial.

Comparing DJ timecode tools? See who TimecodeLink is for.