🔊 Music show
How the show follows a song, Epic mode, sync and song lookup.
How the music show works
GlowBop listens to the sound coming out of your computer, the same sound you hear. It doesn't matter what app plays it: Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, a DJ program, a video. Nothing to log into.
- Kick and bass push bursts, pulses and color hits.
- Melody moves the flowing parts.
- Song sections: GlowBop tracks loudness over time to tell a verse from a build-up, a drop, or a breakdown.
- Drops get a big move and usually a look change. A short gap between drops keeps it from feeling repetitive.
Show controls
- Pace: Chill slow and dreamy, Normal, Hype fast changes for a dance floor.
- Sparkles: Off, Auto (on the high notes), Lots.
- Brightness for the whole wall, and Blend for how smoothly effects cross-fade.
- Next effect skips ahead. Pin keeps the current one going. Shuffle lets GlowBop choose.
Sync with Bluetooth speakers
Bluetooth speakers play sound about 150 to 300 milliseconds late, so the lights can look early. Slide Sync to the right until a kick drum and its flash land together. GlowBop remembers the setting for each speaker.
Epic mode 🎬
Movie and trailer music works differently from dance music: a long crescendo, then one huge peak. GlowBop spots these songs on its own and switches to Epic mode.
- Through the build, the wall swells: more light, more motion, warmer color.
- Only the real climax gets the big moment, and it must top everything before it.
- Harsh strobes are left out of Epic songs.
Song memory
The first time a song plays, GlowBop learns its shape. Next time, it already knows where the drops and the climax are and can set up for them.
Song lookup (optional)
When GlowBop knows a song's name, it can look up its genre, tempo and key. An "orchestral" song starts in Epic mode right away; "house" stays in dance mode. You need two free keys:
- Last.fm (genres): sign in at last.fm, go to last.fm/api/account/create, fill in a name and description, and copy the API key.
- GetSongBPM (tempo and key): request a key at getsongbpm.com/api and click the activation link in your email.
- In GlowBop open Light setup → 🔎 Song lookup, paste each key, and tap Save.