Integration
Auto-Sync Your Lights to Pioneer DJ CDJs
CueSync extends the SYNC concept beyond decks. Your CDJs already auto-sync tracks to each other — CueSync auto-syncs your lighting, visuals, and show systems to your CDJs. Reads PRO DJ LINK natively for tight beat-locked automation.
PRO DJ LINKArt-NetsACNOSCMIDI
What CueSync Enables
Native PRO DJ LINK
Reads CDJ and DJM beat phase, BPM, master tempo, and track metadata directly over Ethernet — no audio analysis latency, no microphone needed.
Beat Phase Precision
Locks to the CDJ's internal beat grid for phase-accurate cue triggering — tighter than mic-based detection alone, and earlier than a human ear can perceive.
Track Metadata
Reads track title, artist, key, hot cues, and waveform data from rekordbox-prepared tracks — different looks per track, automatically.
Dual-Source Intelligence
Combines DJ Link metadata with real-time beat synchronization. When PRO DJ LINK is unavailable (CDJ rebooting, network glitch), CueSync falls back to mic-input beat detection seamlessly.
Multi-Deck Awareness
Sees all decks simultaneously — knows which is master, which is cueing, and handles transitions automatically. AutoPilot follows your set, not the loudest deck.
AutoPilot (DJ Edition)
Hands-free lighting and visual automation that follows energy, builds, and drops using DJ Link plus phrase-aware automation — the LD you don't have to hire.
Quick Setup
- 1Connect CueSync and your CDJs/DJM to the same network — Ethernet via the DJM's PRO DJ LINK port is recommended; Wi-Fi works for testing only.
- 2Launch CueSync. PRO DJ LINK devices auto-discover within ~2 seconds — no manual IP configuration, no Pro DJ Link Bridge needed for lighting/visual output.
- 3Select the master deck source in CueSync's DJ Link panel (or leave on auto-follow to track the player flagged MASTER on the rig).
- 4Map beat, phrase, and track-metadata triggers to lighting cues, OSC commands, or DMX universes in the routing editor. Test in read-only mode before going live.
Compatible Hardware
CDJ-3000CDJ-2000NXS2CDJ-2000 NexusXDJ-XZXDJ-RX3DJM-A9DJM-V10DJM-900NXS2DJM-750MK2rekordbox 6/7 (when exporting to USB)
Engineering facts
Specifics that hold up in production
The load-bearing claims behind CueSync's Pioneer DJ Link integration. Numbers, named subsystems, test references — the things you can verify before the show.
Beat events processed in under 5 ms
CueSync processes beat events from Pioneer PRO DJ LINK in under 5 milliseconds on the cue-evaluation path. End-to-end beat-to-fixture latency depends on the operator's protocol chain and venue network; the CueSync portion of that chain is engineered to a strict sub-5-millisecond budget and continuously regression-tested. The OSC send budget is under 2 milliseconds.
13 output protocols, one application
CueSync ships 13 output protocols from a single desktop application: GrandMA2 (Telnet and OSC), GrandMA3 (TCP OSC and UDP OSC), Avolites Titan, ETC Eos, ChamSys MagicQ, Resolume, disguise (d3), TouchDesigner, Unreal Engine 5, QLab (TCP and UDP), MIDI Show Control, Pangolin Beyond, and Custom OSC. Every CueSync edition includes every protocol.
Two parallel Pioneer-data paths
CueSync ingests Pioneer DJ data via two parallel paths. The network path is PRO DJ LINK: a virtual CDJ joins the Pioneer network and receives beat, tempo, and player-status events at twenty-five hertz per connected device. The USB path is direct rekordbox analysis: PSSI phrase structure (Intro, Verse, Chorus, Drop, Breakdown, Fill, Outro), hot cues A through H with colours, beat-grid for downbeat alignment, per-beat energy curves, loops, and memory cues.
Engineered to live-show reliability standards
Every protocol connection is wrapped in an auto-reconnect layer with exponential backoff and a circuit breaker that fails fast when a console becomes unresponsive. Breaker state is always visible to the operator — there are no silent failures during a show. Thread-safe cue-stack synchronization prevents double-fire from concurrent beat events. Hardware-output rate limiting prevents flicker compounding under fast UI changes. Held-trigger safety timeouts recover from window focus loss mid-flash so a held cue never strands a fixture 'on.'
Pioneer DJ Link Questions
Conceptually yes, mechanically different. The SYNC button on a CDJ aligns one deck's tempo and beat phase to another deck. CueSync reads that same beat phase data over PRO DJ LINK and uses it to fire lighting and visual cues with beat events processed in under 5 ms. Your CDJs handle deck-to-deck sync; CueSync handles deck-to-show-system sync.
No. CueSync works with any audio playing on the CDJs — rekordbox-analyzed tracks unlock track metadata (title, key, hot cues, waveform) for richer cueing, but beat phase and BPM are read from PRO DJ LINK regardless of how the track was prepared.
CueSync's cue-evaluation path processes beat events in under 5 ms. PRO DJ LINK delivers beat events over Ethernet in ~1-2 ms; Art-Net/sACN output adds 1-2 ms. Total is well under one DMX frame (33 ms at 30 fps) on a wired show network.
No. CueSync joins the PRO DJ LINK network as a virtual CDJ (player number 0) over standard Ethernet. Pro DJ Link Bridge is required only when you want PRO DJ LINK over a wireless or routed network; on a flat wired rig, CueSync connects directly.
Anything that speaks PRO DJ LINK: CDJ-3000, CDJ-2000NXS2, CDJ-2000 Nexus, XDJ-XZ, XDJ-RX3, plus the DJM-A9, DJM-V10, DJM-900NXS2, and DJM-750MK2 mixers. Older CDJ-2000 (non-Nexus) is partial — BPM works, hot-cue metadata does not.
No. CueSync replaces the *lighting designer* for setups that don't have one — DJs, mobile rigs, smaller venues. For touring shows with a dedicated LD, CueSync runs alongside as the automation layer for cues the LD doesn't want to hand-trigger.
CueSync's StableConnection layer detects the drop, surfaces a banner to the operator, and reconnects to PRO DJ LINK as soon as the network recovers. Pre-armed AutoPilot fire plans keep dispatching against the last known beat cadence so the lighting does not freeze mid-track. Silent failure is the worst-case outcome for a live show — CueSync won't do that.
macOS 12+ ships at v1.0; the Windows build is in progress. Linux is not currently supported.
Different question? Ask us directly.
How CueSync Compares
Other tools that connect here: ShowKontrol ($1,999+) and SoundSwitch (DMX only). CueSync reads Pro DJ Link natively and outputs to 13 output protocols — not just DMX.
Ready to Automate Your Stage?
Download CueSync free and explore the full interface in read-only mode. Subscribe when you're ready to go live.
CueSync is independent software developed by an independent team. Pioneer DJ®, CDJ®, DJM®, XDJ®, rekordbox®, and PRO DJ LINK™ are trademarks of AlphaTheta Corporation. CueSync is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by AlphaTheta. Compatibility claims describe interoperability via the open PRO DJ LINK network protocol.