How to Sync Resolume to a DJ Set in Real Time (2026 Walkthrough)

The Problem with Manual VJ Sync

Visual artists and VJs face a fundamental challenge at DJ events: the set is improvised. You can't pre-program timecoded visuals for a mix that doesn't exist until the DJ plays it.

Most VJs solve this by reacting manually — watching the DJ, anticipating drops, and triggering clips by feel. It works, but it's tiring over long sets and the sync is never as tight as timecoded content.

CueSync + Resolume: Real-Time Audio Sync

CueSync connects to Resolume Arena over OSC and drives clips, layers, and effects from live beat-event automation. The result is beat-aligned visual sync that adapts to the DJ's mix in real time. It is not frame-accurate in the timecode sense — nothing derived from a live beat feed can be — so if you are running pre-rendered content that has to land on an exact frame, see Resolume Arena + Timecode instead.

Setup

1. Enable OSC in Resolume

In Resolume, go to Preferences → OSC and enable OSC input. Note the port number (default: 7000). Also switch on Preferences → Web Server (default port 8080): CueSync uses it to confirm Resolume is reachable.

2. Connect CueSync

In CueSync, open Network → Outputs (⌘9), click Add Output, set Category to Video and choose Resolume Arena:

• Name: Resolume
• Host / IP Address: Resolume machine's IP (or 127.0.0.1 if same machine)
• Port: 7000 (it fills in automatically; match Resolume's OSC port)

Click Test Connection, then Add Output.

3. Create Cues

On Cues (⌘2), press +, pick a trigger, then Add Action, pick your Resolume output and choose Resolume. The action editor is kind-first (Clip, Layer, Master, Effect, Deck, Tempo or Raw), so only that kind's fields appear:

• Beat → Clip: a Beat trigger fires a Clip action (layer 1, clip N) on the downbeat of every Nth bar
• Energy Level → Layer opacity: a Layer action, or a Fade (OSC ramp) on layer opacity, fires when the track's energy enters a band
• Phrase Change (drop) → Column: a Master action with a column number switches to a more intense column when the track enters a drop
• Phrase Change → Layer: transition between visual themes when a new phrase type begins

4. Run It

Start a track on your CDJs (or in Local Audio) and watch Resolume respond. CueSync triggers on the beat; what you see on screen also includes Resolume's render and output path.

Advanced Techniques

• Multi-layer control: Point different triggers at different layers (Beat → Layer 1, Phrase Change → Layer 2, Energy Level → Layer 3)
• Effect parameters: Set Resolume effect parameters (blur, color shift, strobe) with an Effect action, by effect name and parameter name, fired by an Energy Level or Phrase Change trigger
• Tempo follow: add a BPM Sync target (Settings → Auto Pilot → BPM Sync → Add Sync Target → Resolume) and the composition's tempo follows the playing deck
• SMPTE timecode: For hybrid timecoded shows, CueSync generates SMPTE LTC, MTC, Art-Net Timecode, or TCNet alongside the OSC triggers — on every edition, including DJ, where the clock is relayed from the CDJ playhead. What Theatre and Production add is the other direction: chasing an incoming timecode master and firing cues against it.
• CuePad overrides: Use CueSync's tap-to-fire grid for manual visual accents over the automated base

Why Not Just Use Resolume's Built-In Audio Reactivity?

Resolume has basic audio-reactive features, but they're per-clip and per-effect. CueSync provides:

• Global beat tracking across all clips and layers simultaneously
• Phrase and structure detection — Resolume doesn't understand song structure
• Multi-protocol output — trigger GrandMA lighting and Resolume visuals from the same analysis
• AutoPilot — hands-free automation that works across your entire rig, not just one application

Download CueSync free and run the demo show and tour the app in read-only mode, then subscribe to drive Resolume from your set; the Resolume integration page has the setup details. Running lighting too? See the grandMA3 guide or the MIDI/OSC integration page.