Introduction

Resolume Arena is the industry-standard VJ software for live visual performances. With Song Overlays Pro, you can send real-time song metadata directly to Resolume via OSC (Open Sound Control), enabling you to create stunning visuals that react to the music.

What you'll achieve:

  • Automatic song title and artist display in your visuals
  • Album artwork integration for dynamic backgrounds
  • Real-time updates as songs change
  • Custom OSC mappings for advanced control

Screenshot placeholder: Resolume Arena with song overlay visual

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

  • macOS 13.0 (Ventura) or later
  • Resolume Arena 7 or later (Avenue works too, but Arena is recommended)
  • Song Overlays Pro — Available on the Mac App Store ($9.99 one-time purchase)
  • Basic familiarity with Resolume's interface

How OSC Integration Works

OSC (Open Sound Control) is a protocol for sending data between applications over a network. Song Overlays Pro acts as an OSC sender, transmitting song metadata to Resolume whenever a new track is detected.

Data sent via OSC:

  • Song title
  • Artist name
  • Album name
  • Album artwork URL
  • ISRC (International Standard Recording Code)
  • Apple Music URL

Resolume receives this data and can display it using text sources, trigger clips, or control parameters.

Step 1: Enable OSC in Song Overlays Pro

First, configure Song Overlays Pro to send OSC messages.

Screenshot placeholder: Song Overlays Pro OSC settings

  1. Open Song Overlays Pro
  2. Click the OSC tab in the sidebar
  3. Toggle Enable OSC to on
  4. Note the default settings:
    • Host: 127.0.0.1 (localhost — same computer)
    • Port: 7000
  5. Keep these defaults if Resolume is on the same machine

Tip: If Resolume is running on a different computer, enter that computer's IP address in the Host field.

Step 2: Configure OSC Input in Resolume

Now set up Resolume to receive OSC messages from Song Overlays Pro.

Screenshot placeholder: Resolume OSC preferences

  1. Open Resolume Arena
  2. Go to Arena → Preferences (or press Cmd + ,)
  3. Click the OSC tab
  4. Under OSC Input, ensure it's enabled
  5. Set the Port to 7000 (matching Song Overlays Pro)
  6. Click OK to save

Resolume is now listening for OSC messages on port 7000.

Step 3: Create a Text Source for Song Info

Let's create a text layer that displays the current song.

Screenshot placeholder: Resolume text source setup

  1. In Resolume, go to the Sources tab
  2. Find Text under Generators
  3. Drag the Text Block source onto a layer
  4. With the text clip selected, look at the Properties panel

You'll see the text content field. We'll map this to receive OSC data.

Step 4: Map OSC to Text Parameters

Now we'll connect the incoming OSC data to the text display.

Screenshot placeholder: Resolume OSC mapping interface

Using the OSC Address

Song Overlays Pro sends data to these OSC addresses:

OSC Address Data
/song/title Song title
/song/artist Artist name
/song/album Album name
/song/artwork Album art URL
/song/isrc ISRC code
/song/appleMusicUrl Apple Music link

Mapping the Title

  1. Right-click on the Text Content parameter
  2. Select Create OSC Map
  3. In the OSC address field, enter: /song/title
  4. The text will now update automatically when songs change

Creating Artist + Title Display

For a combined display, create a Text Animator source instead:

  1. Drag Text Animator onto a layer
  2. In the text field, you can use expressions or multiple OSC mappings
  3. Create separate text layers for title and artist, then composite them

Step 5: Display Album Artwork

Album art adds visual impact to your performance. Here's how to display it.

Screenshot placeholder: Resolume with album artwork

Using the Artwork URL

Song Overlays Pro sends the artwork URL via /song/artwork. Resolume can fetch and display web images:

  1. Add a Web Browser source to a layer
  2. Map the URL parameter to /song/artwork
  3. The album art will update automatically

The artwork URL points to Apple Music's CDN, providing high-quality album art that updates in real-time as songs change.

Step 6: Test Your Setup

Let's verify everything is working together.

Screenshot placeholder: Complete Resolume setup with song data

  1. Ensure both Song Overlays Pro and Resolume are running
  2. In Song Overlays Pro, verify the server is started and OSC is enabled
  3. Play a song on your Mac
  4. Watch Resolume — the text should update with the song information

Troubleshooting:

  • If text doesn't update, check that ports match (7000 on both)
  • Verify OSC is enabled in both applications
  • Try clicking "Test OSC" in Song Overlays Pro to send a test message

Step 7: Style Your Visuals

Now make it look stunning with Resolume's effects and compositing.

Screenshot placeholder: Styled song overlay in Resolume

Text Styling Tips

  • Use Glow effect for neon-style text
  • Add Drop Shadow for readability over busy backgrounds
  • Apply Scale animation when text changes
  • Use Mask to reveal text with transitions

Composition Ideas

  • Place album art as a background layer with blur
  • Use Blend Modes (Screen, Add) for text layers
  • Create Transitions that trigger on song change
  • Add Color Correction that matches album art colors

Advanced: Triggering Clips on Song Change

You can trigger visual clips when songs change:

  1. Map a clip's Trigger parameter to a custom OSC address
  2. In Song Overlays Pro, the OSC message is sent on every song change
  3. Use this to trigger transitions, effects, or new visual themes

Customization Options

Changing OSC Addresses

If you need different OSC addresses for your setup:

  1. In Song Overlays Pro, go to OSC tab
  2. Click Advanced Settings
  3. Customize the address prefix (default is /song/)
  4. Save and restart OSC

Multiple Resolume Instances

To send to multiple computers running Resolume:

  1. Add additional OSC destinations in Song Overlays Pro
  2. Enter each computer's IP address and port
  3. All destinations receive the same data simultaneously

Using with Other OSC Software

Song Overlays Pro's OSC output works with any OSC-compatible software:

  • TouchOSC — Create custom control surfaces
  • QLab — Trigger cues in theater productions
  • Isadora — Interactive media performances
  • Max/MSP — Custom audio-visual patches
  • Ableton Live — Via Max for Live devices

Troubleshooting

OSC Not Receiving

  1. Check firewall settings — Ensure port 7000 is allowed
  2. Verify IP addresses — Use 127.0.0.1 for same computer
  3. Restart both apps — Sometimes connections need a fresh start
  4. Check OSC Monitor — Use an OSC monitor app to verify messages are being sent

Text Not Updating

  1. Verify the OSC mapping is correct (/song/title not /song/Title)
  2. Check that the text source is on an active layer
  3. Ensure the layer opacity is above 0%
  4. Try re-creating the OSC mapping

Album Art Not Loading

  1. Check your internet connection
  2. Verify the artwork URL is being received (use an OSC monitor)
  3. Ensure Resolume's Web Browser source is configured correctly
  4. Try refreshing the source or restarting Resolume

Performance Issues

  1. Reduce text animation complexity
  2. Use lower resolution for album art
  3. Disable effects you're not using
  4. Close other applications to free resources

Next Steps

Now that you have song data flowing into Resolume, explore these advanced techniques:

Create Reactive Visuals

Use Resolume's Audio Analysis combined with song data to create visuals that react to both the beat and the current track information.

Build a Custom Dashboard

Combine Song Overlays Pro with TouchOSC to build a custom control surface that shows song info and lets you control Resolume parameters.

Integrate with Song Requests

If you're using Song Overlays Pro's Song Requests feature, you can also send request data to Resolume — display the requester's name, show the request queue, or trigger special visuals when a request is played.

Learn more about Song Requests

Join the Community

Connect with other VJs and visual artists using Song Overlays Pro:

Join Discord

You're all set! Your Resolume visuals now display real-time song information, creating a more engaging and professional performance. As songs change, your visuals automatically update — no manual intervention required.