prism docs · Hands-on lessons · A show to one song

A show to one song

Put a song and a lighting change on one timeline. The included original practice rhythm has a steady 120 BPM beat.

Download the example project (.pmproj). Import it from the studio home page. It is a practice starting point; align it to your own space before projecting.

1 · Choose a scene and song

Switch to Advanced to edit timelines. In Design, save a scene, select it in the timeline and choose Add a song. Pick a file from this computer, or drag a song onto the lane. The example already contains a short, synthetic rhythm; it is safe to use for practice.

2 · Set the beat grid

  1. Click Detect beats. The lane displays BPM and the ruler shows bars.
  2. Listen while watching the bar lines. In Song options, halve or double tempo if necessary and move Beat 1 earlier or later by a beat.
  3. Drag the waveform to move the song relative to the timeline. Use its volume control for level; this does not set your computer's speaker volume.
Play the example, pause and inspect its song lane and beat grid. Recorded in the desktop simulator with synthetic example content; no private room or provider output is shown.

3 · Add a visible change

Select a surface and a numeric setting such as layer opacity. Add it with the timeline's Animate control, place a low value at the start and a higher value on a later beat, then play. The example includes an opacity rise you can inspect and change. Read editing keys for exact gestures.

4 · Run and back up

Play, GO, the scene tile or Shift + Space starts the timeline and song together. Sound comes from the editor computer; projectors follow its clock. Pause, seek and loop before your show to check the result. A song timeline uses seconds even when its ruler shows bars. Simple mode can play an existing song scene; Advanced exposes its editing tools. Export the project and test the imported copy.

If playback is blocked, click Play in the editor. If the lane says Missing song, replace the song or restore the backup that contains it. Beat detection can fail on music without a steady beat; use a manually prepared visual sequence instead of trusting an unsuitable grid. See the song reference.

Reviewed for prism 2026.09.29.1 · 29 September 2026. Release notes.