Send beat pulses to a lighting desk

TempoSense sends one MIDI note per detected beat (÷1) and one each for ÷2, ÷4 and ÷8. On the desk each note becomes the tap ("Learn") of a separate speed or rate master, and you assign chases and effects to those masters. One detector, four tempo layers — at 140 BPM that is 140, 70, 35 and 17.5 — and the desk keeps running on its own clock between beats.

In TempoSense

1. Open Output ⚙ and pick the port (see Send the tempo to Ableton or LiveProfessor for the virtual-port setup).
2. Tick Send beat pulses as notes. Defaults: ÷1 = note 36 (C1), ÷2 = 37, ÷4 = 38, ÷8 = 39, velocity 100.
3. Keep Only while locked (or held) on so a breakdown does not re-tap the masters. Hold keeps the pulses going at the held tempo.
4. Press Set 1 if the bar dots are half a bar off — then the ÷4 note is a true bar pulse and ÷2 falls on 1 and 3.

Cabling

• Hardware desk — laptop → USB-MIDI interface → the desk's MIDI In (5-pin DIN). Choose that interface as the port.
• Software desk on the same laptop (grandMA3 onPC, MagicQ PC, QLC+, Lightkey, Resolume) — use the IAC / loopMIDI port directly.

Set the Channel to the one the desk listens on.

grandMA2

1. Setup → Console → Global Settings (or Local Settings): set MIDI In to the port and enable it.
2. Setup → Show → Remote Inputs Setup → MIDI Remotes: add a line per note — type Note, the channel and the note number (36, 37, 38, 39).
3. Set each line's type to CMD with Learn SpecialMaster 3.1 for ÷1, and 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 for ÷2, ÷4, ÷8 (speed masters are Special Masters group 3).
4. Assign each chase or effect to one of those speed masters and turn Remote Inputs on.

grandMA3

1. Menu → In & Out → MIDI: enable MIDI In for the port.
2. Menu → In & Out → MIDI Remotes: add a line per note — trigger Note, channel, index = note number.
3. Target: Command with Learn Speed 1 for ÷1, Speed 2 and so on for the layers. Check the Learn keyword in your software version's help; older releases use Speed masters under Master objects.
4. Assign phasers and chases to those speed masters and enable the remotes.

ChamSys MagicQ

1. Setup → View Settings → MIDI Timecode / MIDI: set MIDI In type so notes are accepted (for example Any) and the MIDI in channel.
2. Macro → Autom: add an event per note — type MIDI note, the note number, and as function the tap to time of the playback or rate master running that layer. Where a function is not offered for notes, use a macro that presses the playback's tap.
3. Set each chase's Speed to follow that playback's tap or the rate master.

QuickQ accepts MIDI notes to trigger playbacks on models with a MIDI in; tap tempo over MIDI depends on the firmware. Otherwise treat it as visual-only and read the number.

Other desks

Avolites Titan: Setup → Triggers → MIDI, map the note to Tap tempo of a master. Hog 4: MIDI notes via comment macros on a rate master. Onyx: MIDI Trigger → Tap of a speed master. QLC+: input profile → the note as a Tap button. Lightkey / Resolume: "Learn" the note on the tap-tempo control.