Trigger types
LTCast supports five trigger types, each targeting a different protocol. Choose the type that matches what your target device expects. You can mix types freely within a single song's trigger list — for example, a Note-on to Resolume at bar 1 and an MSC GO to Eos at bar 9. In the add form the type is chosen with the NOTE, CC, PC, MSC and OSC tabs, with a one-line hint under them. For the MIDI types the channel and number fields are behind Advanced ▼.
Note-on
Sends a MIDI Note On message and, 100 milliseconds later, the matching Note Off — equivalent to pressing and releasing a piano key. Parameters: Channel (1–16), Note (0–127), Velocity (0–127).
Used by Resolume Arena for clip triggers, by some lighting consoles that map notes to cue go commands, and by most general-purpose MIDI-enabled software. It is the most broadly compatible trigger type.
CC (Control Change)
Sends a MIDI Control Change message. Parameters: Channel (1–16), CC Number (0–127), Value (0–127).
Used for faders, knobs, and switches — for example, controlling a Resolume effect parameter, adjusting a lighting dimmer channel, or toggling a function on a hardware controller. Unlike Note-on, CC sends a single message with no automatic off; the value stays at whatever you send until the next CC on the same number.
PC (Program Change)
Sends a MIDI Program Change message. Parameters: Channel (1–16), Program (0–127).
Used to switch scenes or presets — loading a new bank of clips in Resolume, switching to a different cue list on a lighting console, or recalling a patch on a synthesizer. Program Change is a single message with no associated value beyond the program number.
MSC (MIDI Show Control)
Sends a SysEx MIDI Show Control GO command. MSC is the standard used by professional lighting consoles including ETC Eos, Strand, and Chamsys for timed cue-go commands. Besides the timecode, an MSC trigger has three fields:
- Dev — the MSC device ID, 0–127. The default, 127, is the all-call that every device accepts.
- Fmt — the MSC command format, 0–127. The default, 1, is Lighting (General).
- Cue# — the cue number. It is the trigger's name: the two are the same field. Name your MSC triggers with the cue number (e.g.,
12.5) so LTCast sends the correct cue reference in the SysEx payload.
MSC uses the trigger name as the cue number, character by character. If the name reads "Lights Q12", the cue number sent is that whole string, which a console will not understand as cue 12. Check your console's MSC cue-number format and name the trigger accordingly. Only plain ASCII characters of the name are sent.
OSC
Sends a custom OSC (Open Sound Control) message over UDP. Parameters: Address (it must start with /, for example /clip/play) and Args, a list separated by spaces: a whole number is sent as an integer, a number with a decimal point as a float, and anything else as text. At most 16 arguments are sent; quotation marks are not interpreted, so text arguments cannot contain spaces. An {n} in the address counts up when you import triggers from markers.
OSC is used by software that does not support MIDI — Resolume Avenue/Arena's extended control surface, disguise (d3), Watchout, Millumin, and others. An OSC trigger has no destination of its own: it is sent to every enabled target in Settings → Outputs → OSC, and nothing is sent unless OSC output is switched on there. A MIDI trigger, by contrast, goes to the Trigger MIDI port in the same section.
If your target device supports both MIDI and OSC, prefer MIDI Note-on or CC for triggers — MIDI timing jitter is negligible, and MIDI is universally supported. Use OSC triggers only for devices that require it.