Your lights follow the decks

How does HitLight follow Pro DJ Link?

The players supply the beat grid, tempo and position in the bar. HitLight follows tempo changes without estimating the beat from room audio.

HitLight uses on-air and playback status to choose a deck to follow, falling back to a playing deck when on-air information is unavailable.

Can it anticipate builds and drops?

When the player supplies rekordbox track analysis, HitLight uses its beat grid and waveform to shape lighting around phrases, builds and drops. Without that analysis, beat synchronisation still works, with no track-structure lookahead.

The beat grid supplies timing; the waveform supplies evidence of musical structure. HitLight generates the lighting live from that evidence, rather than loading a lighting script authored for each song. Waveform-derived structure is an interpretation, so check how it behaves with the tracks you play.

HitLight fetches available track analysis from the player, so a guest DJ's USB does not need to be mounted on the lighting computer.

How do you connect HitLight to the decks?

DJ Link requires the HitLight desktop app on macOS 14 or later, an Ethernet connection to the players' Link network, and at least one eligible patched fixture. The browser app cannot listen to Pro DJ Link or output DMX.

1. 1

   Join the players' network

   Connect the lighting computer by Ethernet to the same switch as the players. Use a dedicated Link network and allow HitLight through local-network permissions or the firewall when prompted.

2. 2

   Choose the sound input

   Pro DJ Link carries timing and track data, never audio. Choose a microphone or mixer feed for live energy, and check its level before Game On. A built-in microphone needs no extra cable. For a direct mixer feed, use a suitable audio interface or the mixer's USB soundcard with its required driver.

3. 3

   Open Auto Show → DJ Link

   Players are discovered when the panel opens. Check which players are present and which deck HitLight is following.

4. 4

   Check setup, then press Game On

   Patch eligible fixtures and let the setup check finish. Game On takes control of the lights; transport stays on the decks. You can rehearse on the 3D stage before connecting physical DMX output.

Which hardware has been verified?

Discovery, timing, player status and track-analysis retrieval have been verified on two CDJ-2000NXS2 players with a DJM-V10. Other CDJ/XDJ models are not covered by that hardware check; verify your setup before a show.

A compatible protocol does not guarantee every player's firmware or analysis format behaves identically. Start with discovery, check live timing and the audio meter, then rehearse the lighting before using an unfamiliar setup with an audience.

What are the limits?

Pro DJ Link carries timing and track data, never audio. Choose a microphone or mixer feed for live energy, and check its level before Game On.

Track analysis may be unavailable. A mixer may not report on-air channels, in which case HitLight falls back to playback status. DJ Link does not provide Serato or Traktor transport integration, and the browser app cannot listen to the players directly.

Automatic lighting keeps the same safety exclusions and operator controls as other Auto Show sources. HitLight is public beta software.

Pro DJ Link, rekordbox and the player and mixer names are their respective owners' trademarks. HitLight is an independent product, with no official AlphaTheta or Pioneer DJ affiliation implied.

Last verified 16 October 2026.