A VJ set with a timeline

Intermediate

Objective — build two contrasting scenes, blend them on a crossfading layer mixer, lock them to a 128 BPM clock, and cue them from a timeline you can trigger live.

What you'll see — a calm scene and an energetic scene sharing one output. A single Crossfade knob wipes from one to the other, a tempo clock keeps everything on the beat, and a small control panel lets you fire the next cue by hand.

The crossfading layer mixer wiping between the calm and energetic scenes on one output.

Before you start

• tdmcp installed for Claude or for Codex.
• TouchDesigner open with bridge running in the Textport (see the TouchDesigner bridge step in Install).
• No hardware needed — the scenes are generated, so this works with nothing plugged in. If you want to VJ real clips later, swap the sources afterwards.
• Skim Show timelines & setlists and the Front-of-house dashboard — this tutorial is the hands-on version of both.

Steps

Type each prompt to your assistant, in order. Each one builds on the last.

1. Confirm TouchDesigner is connected before you build anything.

   Check that TouchDesigner is connected and tell me the project name.

   The assistant reports the bridge status. If it says it can't reach TouchDesigner, fix that first — nothing downstream will work.

2. Make two scenes with opposite energy so the crossfade is obvious.

   Build two contrasting scenes: a calm, slow one and an energetic, fast one.
   Give each its own output so I can blend between them.

   You get two independent looks, each ready to be mixed.

3. Put both scenes on one crossfader so a single knob wipes between them.

   Apply the layer_mixer_crossfade recipe and point source A at the calm scene
   and source B at the energetic one, so 0 is calm and 1 is energetic.

   This lands the layer_mixer_crossfade recipe: one Cross TOP with a 0–1 knob, your two scenes wired in as A and B.

4. Add a tempo clock so the whole set stays on the beat.

   Apply the tempo_sync_clock recipe and set the tempo to 128 BPM.

   The tempo_sync_clock recipe drops in a Beat CHOP and a tempo Null that exposes the bar phase, per-beat pulse and BPM for anything to lock onto.

5. Build the timeline that cues scene A, then scene B.

   Apply the scene_timeline_demo recipe so I have a playhead and a segments table
   that moves from scene A to scene B, and line it up with my crossfader.

   The scene_timeline_demo recipe gives you a Timer CHOP playhead and a segments table (intro / drop / outro) as the show clock for your two scenes.

6. Expose the controls you'll actually touch during the set.

   Give me a control panel with a Crossfade knob, a Tempo (BPM) field, and a
   "Next cue" button so I can trigger the timeline by hand.

   You get a small panel wiring the Crossfade knob, the tempo, and a cue trigger into live controls — no digging in the network mid-show.

7. Preview the result.

   Show me a preview of the final output.

   The assistant captures the mixed output so you can confirm the crossfade wipes cleanly between your two scenes.

8. Get it ready for front-of-house.

   How do I run this front-of-house — full-screen on my output display with the
   control panel in reach?

   Follow the assistant's steps to send the output to your projector/screen and keep the panel on your operator display. The Front-of-house dashboard guide covers this surface in depth.

Expected result

A left-to-right network: two scenes → a Cross TOP → your output. Off to the side, a tempo Null running at 128 BPM and a timeline playhead with a segments table. Your control panel has three live controls — Crossfade, Tempo (BPM), and Next cue. Turning the Crossfade knob wipes from the calm scene to the energetic one; the tempo clock keeps any beat-locked motion on time; the Next-cue button advances the timeline from scene A to scene B.

If it goes wrong

• The Crossfade knob does nothing — check source A and B are wired into the Cross TOP. Ask: "Which two sources feed the crossfader, and are they connected?" See Troubleshooting.
• Cues don't fire when I press Next — the playhead and the crossfader aren't linked yet. Ask the assistant to "link the timeline playhead to the Crossfade control so a cue moves the fade." More on cueing in Show timelines & setlists.
• The beat drifts or feels off-tempo — confirm the tempo is set on the Beat CHOP, not just typed in a field: "Set the project tempo to 128 BPM on the tempo clock."
• No preview appears — this is almost always the bridge. Re-check the TouchDesigner bridge step in Install and the FAQ.