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Syncing to music with the Tempo node

The Tempo node connects Scope to an external beat source, either Ableton Link or a MIDI clock device. Once connected, it outputs real-time BPM and beat-phase values you can wire to any pipeline parameter to create music-reactive visuals for live performances, installations, or studio sessions.

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Adding a Tempo node

1

Open the node picker

In Workflow Builder, click the [+] button on the canvas.
2

Search for Tempo

Type Tempo in the search field and click it to place it on the canvas.

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Connecting to a beat source

1

Expand the Source section

In the Tempo node, open the Source dropdown.
2

Choose your source

Select Link (Ableton Link) or MIDI Clock.For MIDI Clock, select your MIDI device from the device dropdown that appears.
3

Enable the connection

Click Enable. The node shows the detected BPM and a pulsing beat indicator when sync is active.
Ableton Link works over your local network. Any app on the same network with Link enabled will be discovered automatically, no manual configuration required.
Link discovery is automatic. Just make sure both Scope and your DAW (or other Link-enabled app) are on the same Wi-Fi or Ethernet network.

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MIDI Clock

Your MIDI device must be connected and powered on before opening Scope. Scope reads the MIDI clock stream and derives BPM from the timing messages.
If your MIDI device is not appearing in the dropdown, try closing Scope, connecting the device, and relaunching.

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Output handles

beat_phase is the most useful output for smooth, music-reactive animation. It produces a 0 to 1 sawtooth wave that resets on every beat, perfect for driving parameters that should pulse with the music.

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Wiring beat values to parameters

Connect any output handle to a pipeline’s numeric parameter to make it react to the beat:
  • Denoising strength on the beat: Wire beat_phase to the denoising slider of a StreamDiffusion V2 node. The strength pulses with each beat.
  • Switch prompts on bars: Connect bar_position through a Math node to threshold logic, then into a Prompt List trigger.
  • Quantized parameter sweeps: Use beat_count to drive a Math node that computes a cycling value.
Use a Math node to remap or invert values before routing them to a pipeline parameter. For example, 1 - beat_phase gives you a value that peaks on the downbeat and decays until the next one.

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Quantization and lookahead

Advanced settings in the Tempo node let you fine-tune how beat values interact with your pipeline:
  • Beats per bar controls how many beats make up one bar (default 4).
  • Quantize mode snaps parameter changes to beat boundaries, preventing changes from landing between beats.
  • Lookahead triggers parameter changes slightly early to compensate for AI inference latency. This ensures that the visual change actually lands on the beat rather than a few frames late.
Start with the default settings and adjust if beats feel late or if parameter changes are not landing cleanly on beat boundaries.
If you need to sync to a tempo without a live beat source, use the Scheduler node instead to set up a fixed-tempo trigger sequence.

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Example: Beat-reactive prompt blending

1

Add the nodes

Place a Tempo node (connected to Ableton Link) and a Prompt Blend node on the canvas.
2

Wire them together

Connect Tempo > beat_phase to Prompt Blend > blend input.
3

Set your prompts

In the Prompt Blend node, enter two different prompts.
4

Start streaming

Press Play. The blend value oscillates between your two prompts in sync with the music.

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See also

Scheduler Node

Set up fixed-tempo trigger sequences without a live beat source

Workflow Builder

Learn the basics of composing node graphs