OSC control
OSC (Open Sound Control) is a message protocol over UDP. ArenaDirector uses it in two directions. It receives OSC messages from a lighting desk or a show-control app, and it runs the same actions as a controller key. It also sends OSC messages when a key runs a Send OSC step.
OSC is available on the Pro and Enterprise plans. Below Pro, the app does not open the port. The OSC pane opens, but its controls are disabled and it shows an Upgrade to Pro button. A Send OSC step that you made before stays in the key but does not send. See Plans and limits.
Set up receiving
osc-01-pane: the OSC pane with all four cards.
- Open Configuration, and then select OSC under Venue.
- In the Receive card, turn on Enabled.
- Set the Port. The default is 8000.
ArenaDirector listens on this UDP port on all network interfaces. The card shows one of these states:
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Listening on port n | The port is open. |
| Port n is in use | Another program uses the port. Select a different Port. |
| Off | Enabled is off. |
| Needs plan | Your plan does not include OSC. |
The state line also shows the time of the last message. If another program uses the port, select Use port n to take the next port. Send to this computer at lists one address and port for each network interface. Select Copy to copy it into the lighting software.
Addresses
All addresses start with /adr/. ArenaDirector matches them exactly. It does not
support wildcards such as * or ?. Messages with an unknown address, or with an
address that has no target, are dropped and logged.
| Address | Does |
|---|---|
/adr/hotbutton/<n>/trigger | Fires hot button n, like Hot button. n is the number of the hot button. The visible page does not change. |
/adr/page/<n> | Goes to page n. |
/adr/page/next | Goes to the next page. |
/adr/page/previous | Goes to the previous page. |
/adr/sequence/<n>/start | Starts sequence n. |
/adr/sequence/<n>/stop | Stops sequence n. |
/adr/sequence/<n>/go | Moves sequence n to the next step. |
/adr/sequence/<n>/pause | Pauses sequence n. |
/adr/sequence/<n>/previous | Moves sequence n back to the previous step. |
/adr/sequence/<n>/select | Selects sequence n in the Sequences view. |
/adr/sequence/selected/play | Starts the selected sequence. |
/adr/sequence/selected/stop | Stops the selected sequence. |
/adr/sequence/selected/go | Moves the selected sequence to the next step. |
/adr/sequence/next | Selects the next sequence. |
/adr/sequence/previous | Selects the previous sequence. |
/adr/bus/<n>/mute | Mutes bus n, or unmutes it. |
/adr/rotation/<n>/start | Starts rotation n. |
/adr/all/fadeout | Fades out all. |
/adr/all/pause | Pauses all. |
/adr/all/stop | Stops all. |
/adr/all/blackout | Blacks out all canvases. |
The actions are the same as the controller actions with the same names.
Numbers
n is a whole number of 1 or higher. The app gives each number automatically. You cannot change a number.
- Sequence, bus and rotation: the number is stable. It does not change when you rename the item or move it in the list. The app never gives the number of a removed item to a new item, so a message for a removed item fires nothing. The number shows in the list of sequences, of audio buses and of rotations.
- Hot button: the number of the hot button on the whole grid, not on its page. Page 2 of a grid with 32 hot buttons on each page starts at 33. If you change the order of the pages, the numbers stay with the hot buttons. If you delete a page, the hot buttons of the later pages move down by one page, and their numbers change.
- Page: the position of the page. A deleted page also moves the later page numbers down by one.
Find an address
The Address finder card builds an address for you. Choose the Action, and then
choose the item (the list shows the number and the name). The Address readout shows
the address, for example /adr/sequence/3/start. Select Copy to copy it.
The edit dialog of a sequence and of a hot button lists their addresses with Copy. In the Sequences view, OSC ▾ in the toolbar lists the six addresses of the selected sequence. For a hot button, the OSC tab of Edit hot button shows its address. The finder has no overlay or stream actions.
Watch incoming messages
The Incoming card shows each message that arrives, with the columns Time, From, Address, Arguments and Result. Select Not handled to show only the messages that did nothing. Pause holds the list while you read it. Clear empties it.
| Result | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Fired hot button n, Page n, Faded out all and similar | The message ran an action. |
| Release · ignored | The message was a release. See Arguments and release. |
| Unknown address | The address is not in the table above. |
| No sequence n (and similar) | The address is valid, but the number does not exist. |
| Bus n not running | The bus is configured, but the audio engine did not start it. The message did nothing. |
The card keeps the last 200 messages in memory. The messages are not written to the Logs pane, and a restart empties the list.
Arguments and release
Arguments are not necessary. The app reads only the first argument, and only to find a release.
A message whose first argument is the integer 0, the float 0, or False is a button
release. ArenaDirector ignores it. Any other message is a press, with any argument or
none. Thus a desk that sends 1 when you push a button and 0 when you release it fires
the action one time.
Send OSC
A key sends OSC with a Send OSC step. A hot button sends OSC with a Send OSC trigger. First add a target in the OSC pane, in the Targets card. Each row shows the name, the host and port, the state and the users of the target.
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sent hh:mm:ss | The last message left the computer at this time. |
| Host not found | The host name does not resolve on this network. |
| Send failed | The last message did not leave the computer. |
| Not used yet | The app sent nothing since it started. |
Select a row to open it. The fields are:
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Name | The name that the key shows in its Target list. |
| Host | The IP address or host name of the desk. |
| Port | The UDP port of the desk. |
| Test message | The address for a test, for example /adr/test. |
| Send test | Sends the test message to the target. |
| Remove target… | Removes the target. |
Send test asks you to confirm while a hot button or sequence is on air. The desk acts on the message at once.
Read the list before you select Remove. Remove target… also removes the steps and triggers that send to the target. The dialog lists them first, for example Key 1 · step 2. Select Cancel to remove nothing.
Select + Add target for a new target. A row that no key or hot button uses shows Not used.
The Send OSC step has these fields:
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Target | The target to send to. Targets… opens the OSC pane. |
| Address | The OSC address, for example /cue/1/go. It starts with /. |
| Arguments | Zero or more arguments. Each one is Integer, Float or String. Select + Add argument to add one. |
| Send now | Sends the message at once. It asks you to confirm while a hot button or sequence is on air. |
| Also send on release | When on, the key also sends a second message when you release it. It has its own address and arguments. |
The step shows Target missing or Address must start with / when a field is not valid.
The app sends OSC messages over UDP, and does not retry. For the procedure, see Fire lighting cues from a controller.