Resolume Arena + Timecode: Syncing Video to the Show Clock

Why Timecode for DJ/VJ?

Timecode is the way to lock pre-rendered video content to a musical performance. When you need a specific visual cue to hit on a specific beat — the title card to appear on the drop, the lyric video to roll when the verse starts, the logo animation to land on the downbeat — you need a shared clock that both CueSync and Resolume follow.

Without timecode, you rely on operator reflexes or audio-reactive triggering. Both work, but neither is frame-accurate for pre-rendered content. Timecode is.

CueSync's approach to timecode is to be the master clock for the entire rig. CueSync generates 4 timecode formats on every edition — LTC, MTC, Art-Net Timecode, and TCNet — and Resolume Arena locks to whichever format you prefer. CueSync can also follow an Ableton Link session for tempo sync and share its own tempo out (available in every edition). The result: tight sync between your lighting automation and your video playback, with drift protection built in.

This guide covers timecode, which every edition generates; Theatre and Production add chasing an incoming master. For beat-driven Resolume workflows using the DJ Edition, see the real-time Resolume sync guide.

Resolume Arena's Timecode Support

Arena supports three timecode inputs:

1. SMPTE LTC (Linear Timecode) — audio-based timecode delivered through a hardware audio input
2. MTC (MIDI Timecode) — same concept but over MIDI
3. Ableton Link — peer-to-peer tempo and phase sync over the local network

Each has trade-offs.

SMPTE LTC is the timecode standard video workflows expect (SMPTE ST 12). Frame-accurate (at 24/25/30 fps), audio-delivered (it needs only an audio output at the sender and an audio input at the receiver), and widely understood. Latency is ~1 frame.

MTC is the same concept but over MIDI cables or virtual MIDI. Easier to route on a single machine, no audio interface needed. Frame-accurate.

Ableton Link is peer-to-peer beat/phase sync over UDP — multicast discovery on the local network, then UDP unicast between peers. Tight tempo and phase alignment on a wired local network, with nothing to configure beyond switching Link on in each app. This is the best option for tight musical sync between Resolume and CueSync when both run on networked Macs.

Setup: SMPTE LTC from CueSync to Resolume

Every CueSync edition generates LTC.

Step 1: Enable LTC generation in CueSync

1. Settings → Timecode → LTC Output
2. Switch on Enable LTC Output
3. Choose frame rate (24, 25, 29.97, 30)
4. Pick your audio interface's physical output as the LTC output device

Step 2: Route the LTC signal to Resolume

Your audio interface sends the LTC signal out as a normal audio channel. Route that channel back into Resolume's machine (or the same machine) via:

• Physical loopback: audio out → audio in via a cable
• Aggregate device: macOS aggregate device exposing CueSync's output as Resolume's input
• Virtual audio: BlackHole or Loopback virtual audio driver

Step 3: Configure Resolume

1. Open Resolume Arena → Preferences → SMPTE
2. Select the audio input carrying the LTC signal
3. Arena displays the incoming timecode when CueSync starts transmitting

Step 4: Lock clips to timecode

In Arena, each clip can be configured to trigger at specific timecode values. Right-click a clip → Trigger → Timecode → set the target time. When CueSync's generator reaches that value, Arena fires the clip automatically.

Alternative: Ableton Link for Tight Tempo Sync

If you're running CueSync and Resolume on the same machine or on the same local network, Ableton Link is the fastest path to tight sync and requires zero configuration.

Setup

1. In CueSync: Settings → MIDI & Sync → Ableton Link → enable
2. In Resolume: Preferences → Link → enable
3. Both apps immediately join the local Link session

What Link gives you

• Shared tempo (BPM)
• Shared beat phase (where in the bar each app thinks it is)
• Shared quantum (larger phrase boundaries — bars, 4-bar cycles)

What Link does not give you

• Frame-accurate clip triggering (you still need OSC or timecode for that)
• Multi-day absolute timecode (Link is musical-time only, not wall-clock)

For DJ sets where you want Resolume clips to sync to CueSync's beat, Link is the right choice. For pre-rendered show content that must hit specific timecode positions, use SMPTE LTC.

Drift Protection

The whole point of using CueSync as the master clock is drift protection. In a typical rig:

• Lighting runs on one clock (CueSync's internal)
• Video runs on another (Resolume's internal)
• Audio runs on a third (the DJ software or mixer)

Even tiny clock drifts compound over a multi-hour show, and by the end nothing lines up. Using CueSync's timecode generator as the source of truth for Resolume means Resolume follows CueSync's clock, so drift between lighting and video is kept in check.

For touring shows where video content is tightly pre-rendered, this is the difference between a show that still lines up at song 15 and one that needs a re-sync every few tracks.

Hybrid Workflow: Timecode + Audio-Reactive

CueSync Production Edition, which carries the DJ and Theatre feature sets together, is designed to run reactive and timecoded workflows simultaneously. A common pattern:

• Timecoded: pre-rendered visual content (title cards, artist animations, specific music video clips) fire off LTC positions
• Audio-reactive: background layers (particle effects, audio-reactive shaders, energy-tracking color fills) react to live beat-event automation over OSC

The audio-reactive layer runs on top of the timecoded layer, so you get tight synchronization on the pre-built content and live responsiveness on the ambient background. This is how festival stages handle artist-specific visual content while still reacting to the live mix.

Drift Test

Before going live, run a drift test:

1. Start CueSync's LTC generator
2. Start a clip in Resolume locked to LTC
3. Let it run for 30 minutes
4. Verify the clip is still on-time against a wall clock

If drift is happening (rare on modern gear but possible with sample-rate mismatches), check your audio interface's sample rate, Resolume's frame rate setting, and any aggregate device configurations.

Try It

Every edition ships the complete timecode generator, Art-Net Timecode included, for video server lock; Theatre Edition adds the Show Editor, Run Mode and the timecode chase that run the show against it. For DJ-focused audio-reactive Resolume work that doesn't need frame-accurate clip triggering, the DJ Edition Resolume guide covers the OSC workflow available today.

Download CueSync and check the Resolume integration page for deeper setup references.