Guide · Pro DJ Link → grandMA2 / grandMA3Pioneer BPM to grandMA

Short answer

A grandMA cannot read Pioneer's Pro DJ Link network by itself, so you need a software bridge on a computer in the same network. LJ Link is a free, ready-made bridge: it reads the BPM of Pioneer CDJs and XDJs (and Denon players) and sends it to a speed master – over Telnet to grandMA2 and over OSC to grandMA3. On top, the lightjockey sees the waveform of every deck.

No tap tempo, no MIDI clock, no MIDI interface: one network cable from the computer to the DJ switch is enough.

Older CDJs and mixers work too – not only CDJ-3000 and DJM-A9

Every Pioneer player with a LINK port sends its tempo over Pro DJ Link, the newest and the older ones. So LJ Link also brings the BPM of a CDJ-2000NXS2 or an XDJ to your grandMA, in clubs that have not replaced their booth for years.

The BPM is what the player reports, on older players too. Only the play position between two beats is estimated on the CDJ-2000NXS2 and older; the CDJ-3000 reports it exactly. Pro DJ Link sends no fader positions from any DJM, only which channel is on air.

Tried it with other gear? Report it here →

Pioneer BPM to grandMA: the methods compared

LJ Link is built on beat-link by Deep Symmetry, the same library that powers Beat Link Trigger. It is made for lightjockeys who want the result without programming: Pioneer and Denon at once, presets for grandMA2 and grandMA3, and a view made for the light desk.

How it works

The CDJs share their tempo on the Pro DJ Link network. LJ Link listens on the same switch, picks the leading deck (master and/or on air) and sends its BPM to the desk. When the tempo changes by 0.1 BPM, the desk gets the new value at once; a steady tempo is repeated now and then for safety.

LJ Link only sets the tempo: it starts no cues, changes nothing in your show and sends nothing to the DJ gear.

What you need

• Pioneer CDJs or XDJs and a DJM on one network switch (Pro DJ Link).
• A Mac or Windows computer with LJ Link on that switch, Wi-Fi off.
• A grandMA2, grandMA3 or onPC that the computer can reach. If the desk is in its own light network, the computer needs a second network port (e.g. a USB adapter) in that network.

grandMA2 and grandMA2 onPC: step by step

1. On the desk: Setup → Console → Global Settings → set Telnet to “Login Enabled”.
2. Assign the effects and chasers that should run in time to a speed master, e.g. Speed 16 = BPM.
3. In LJ Link open the LINK tab, choose “grandMA2 / grandMA2 onPC (Telnet)” and press “Search for the desk”. Click the desk it finds (onPC on the same computer: 127.0.0.1).
4. Keep port 30000 and the show user (default of every grandMA2 show: administrator / admin).
5. Choose the speed master. The command sent to the desk is:

SpecialMaster 3.16 At {bpm}

Save and press “Send test (120 BPM)”: the speed master jumps to 120. Tested on grandMA2 onPC.

grandMA3 and grandMA3 onPC: step by step

1. On the desk: Menu → In & Out → OSC. Add a line with Mode UDP, Port 8000, an empty Prefix and Receive Command = Yes, then switch on Enable Input.
2. Assign your effects to the first speed master (Master 3.1).
3. In LJ Link choose “grandMA3 / grandMA3 onPC (OSC)”, enter the IP address of the desk and port 8000.
4. The command sent to the desk is:

Master 3.1 At BPM {bpm}

Save and press “Send test”. The grandMA3 settings follow the MA manual and have not been tried on a real grandMA3 yet – please tell us if it works on yours.

Detailed guide for every desk in the wiki →

Which deck sends the tempo?

The SEND BPM tab chooses the source. Auto takes the deck that is master and/or on air; with CDJs and a Denon in one booth, the master that is also live and playing wins. Or pick one deck by hand. The sending deck shows a green SEND BPM mark.

Nothing moves on the desk?

• The tempo arrives but the effect does not follow: the effect is not assigned to that speed master.
• grandMA2 “Connection refused”: Telnet is off or the IP address is wrong.
• grandMA3 Enable Input never lights up: wrong port, wrong interface or a firewall.

Questions

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