WLED Audio Sync

This plugin makes your WLED lights react to whatever Music Assistant is playing. WLED already has sound-reactive effects that normally listen to a microphone or line-in on the device. This plugin feeds them the music instead, over your network, so they follow exactly what is coming out of your speakers with no microphone needed.

Each sync zone you add shows up in Music Assistant as a light player, which you group with the player the music is coming from. Every WLED device set to that zone’s port joins in, so one zone can light up a whole room. Add the plugin again for each extra zone.

CAUTION

This plugin is marked experimental. Functionality may change and bugs may occur, and the default brightness response is still being tuned.

Requirements

• At least one Sendspin player. Sendspin is built into Music Assistant, and the web player in your browser is one
• WLED devices with audio sync receive support, which is included in the standard builds. This works on ESP8266 as well as ESP32, because the device only receives the audio information from Music Assistant and does not need to process audio itself

Configuration

• In Music Assistant, go to Settings → Plugins → Add a plugin and select WLED Audio Sync
• Pick a port for the zone. The next unused one is filled in for you, starting at 11988. To change it later, run the plugin setup again
• On each WLED device you want in the zone, open Config >> Usermods, and in the AudioReactive section under Sync set Port to the same port and Mode to Receive
• Join the WLED light player with a Sendspin player or group, pick a sound-reactive effect on your WLED devices, and the lights will start reacting to the music

Settings

• Light timing (ms). Makes the lights react slightly earlier so they stay in step with your speaker. Default 100. Increase if the lights lag behind the music.
• Sensitivity. How strongly the lights react to the music. Default 6. Increase if the effects look dim or flat, decrease if they are stuck at maximum.
• Light response. How the lights react to quiet and loud parts of the music:
  • Balanced (default) - a good place to start.
  • Punchy - the most contrast between quiet and loud, but easily maxes out.
  • Smooth - the gentlest, lifting quiet passages the most.

Sensitivity and Light response replace WLED’s own Gain and FFT scaling settings, which WLED ignores when it receives audio sync. Balanced is WLED’s square root option, Punchy is linear and Smooth is logarithmic.

CAUTION

Many of WLED’s sound-reactive effects produce rapid flashing. Avoid them if you or anyone present is sensitive to flashing lights.

Known Issues / Notes

• The music information is sent as multicast on your local network. WLED devices on a different subnet or VLAN, or behind a router or access point that blocks multicast, will not receive it
• Only one source should send to a zone at a time. If another device, such as a second WLED with a microphone, is also sending audio sync on the same port, the lights will jump between the two