The Attendant now has the capability to sync your PAL or DMX lights to the beats of the music or other audio that you play on Spotify®!
This document is intended to help you understand and configure this new functionality so that you can further enjoy your poolside oasis!
What Do You Mean By Syncing Lights?
What this means is that you can make your lights change color, pulse, or shift based on the music you play within the Spotify® app!
Syncing lights to Spotify is only compatible with DMX-controllable lighting. Legacy lighting – the kind that you turn off and on to change colors – is not supported.
Linking Your Spotify® Account to The Attendant
To begin, you will need to link your current Spotify® account with the Poolside mobile app. This allows it to see what is currently being played and at which point in the audio the playback is. The Attendant takes this information and applies it to the lights you select.
Open the Poolside mobile app and click on the hamburger menu (3 horizontal lines) in the top-right corner of the screen. Select Account then scroll to the bottom of the next screen.
There you will see a button labeled “Link Spotify Account.”
Click that button and you will be prompted to log into Spotify®. Follow the instructions to log into (or create) your account with Spotify®. Once logged in, you will also need to agree and permit The Attendant to access your account.
You will see an alert from the Poolside app telling you that you’ve linked the account. You will also see the blue button text change to read “Spotify Account Linked.”
Configuration of The Attendant
After you’ve linked your Spotify® account, you are able to start syncing your lights! Let’s dive in, and take a look at the options.
To access the options, from the main screen of the Poolside mobile app, click on the hamburger menu (3 horizontal lines) in the top-right corner of the screen and select “Maintenance”, then “Light Settings”, and finally “Sync Lights to Music.”
Configuration Options
The options on this page will help you fine-tune your light sync to your personal preferences.
Lights Included
This option will show you all of the available PAL or DMX lights configured in your system. You can press to select each one or set of lights you want to turn on and sync music to.
Color Selection
- From Lights – This uses the currently selected color, palette, or show that you already have set for this light.
- Manual – This allows you to select a custom color or list of colors to use for your lights.
Color Change Pattern
- Off – The color or colors will not change per beat or by section.
- By Section – Colors will change by the section in each song. Sections are akin to each line of a song.
- By Beat – Color change is based on the beat of the music.
Beats Per Color Change
This tells the sync engine to change colors every N number of beats or sections. You will only see color changes if you have selected multiple colors or have a multi-color show set for the lights. For example, change colors every 3 beats or every 2 sections, etc.
Homogeneous
This option will only be available if you have more than one light selected and have multiple colors selected to sync to. What this does is allows the different light controls to not only sync to the music, but do so in an alternating way.
Let’s say you have two lights and you configured two colors to sync to – red and blue. When the music is playing, one light will be red while the other is blue. The colors will swap when the next beat or section changes!
Sync Offset
Depending on your network environment, you may experience audio delays or lag compared to how the lights sync. If you have trouble similar to this, you can adjust the “Sync Offset” value. This will delay the syncing of the lights by the value you select. Valid ranges are from -3000ms to 3000ms. Start small using a value of 50ms or -100ms before trying higher offsets.
WARNING
During the initial sync process – before the selected color(s) is displayed, no illumination may occur. This operating mode is normal during the syncing process. During this period the pool and spa will be dark and precautions should be taken to avoid unforeseen accidents. Failure to observe this warning may result in serious injury or death to pool and spa users.
Strobe Effect
This setting controls the flashing effect that happens with each beat of the music you are listening to.
- Auto – The flashing intensity is determined by the music playing. Stronger beats will result in stronger flashes.**
- Off – Disables flashing entirely.
- Low – Keeps flashing at a minimum.
- Medium – Keeps flashing at a mid-range value.
- High – Keeps flashing at the highest possible brightness. **
** Please be aware that certain combinations of these settings can have a negative effect on some people and be harmful. Always be aware of those who will be exposed to the light shows, and never leave children unattended.
WARNING!
A small percentage of people may experience seizures when exposed to certain lights, patterns, or images, even with no history of epilepsy or seizures. IMMEDIATELY DISCONTINUE use and consult a physician if you or anyone else experience any of the following symptoms: dizziness, altered vision, eye or muscle twitching, involuntary movements, loss of awareness, disorientation, or convulsions. Parents should watch for and ask their children about the above symptoms.
Starting and Stopping the Light Sync
Pressing the Save action at the top-right of the Light Sync configuration page will start the Spotify® sync. The Attendant will now begin to sync your music to your lights.
It will continue to do so until you press the “Stop Syncing” button or if it detects you have not played anything on Spotify® for 15 minutes.
Video Demonstration
Want to see how the Spotify light sync can look? Check out this clip from our YouTube channel – produced by one of our clients, Steele’s Signature Pools!