Use an Ableton Push 2 as a hands-on controller for Resolume Arena. Launch clips from the pads, change clip and effect parameters with the knobs, dial in colours, mix layers and tap the tempo, all with a custom interface on the Push's own display.
It was built for live concert lighting (Resolume pixel-mapping LED bars behind a band), but it works with any Resolume deck.
- Clips: your Resolume deck appears on the 8×8 pads, one colour per layer (dim = loaded, bright = playing, pulsing on the beat). Tap a pad to select a clip, hold Play + pad to launch it, hold Record + pad to stop the layer, hold Play + a button below the display to launch a whole column.
- Live controls: Stop Clip is a blackout button, the buttons right of the pads flash their layer to full while held, Mute / Solo + pad mute or solo a layer.
- Parameters: the selected clip's parameters (generator, effects, transport) show on the display with live values. Turn them with the 8 knobs, flip pages with the buttons below the display, and move the parameters you use most onto page 1.
- Colors: red / green / blue and hue / saturation / brightness knobs for the clip's colours, your own palette on the buttons below the display, a master colour for the whole show, and paste a colour to many clips at once.
- FX: switch the clip's and the layer's effects on and off, with their amount on the knobs.
- Mix: one knob per layer master, plus the composition master; mute and solo per layer. Mix, Mute and Solo open their screen on a click, or only while held.
- Tempo: Tap Tempo (Resolume's own tap), resync, a BPM knob, and a beat indicator.
- Step sequencer: a drum-rack style chaser for LED bars. Up to 4 textures flash across the bars in
16-pattern step sequences with ADSR envelopes, edited on the pads like Push's own drum sequencer. The
flashing itself is done by the Bar Chaser effect (included,
plugin/) on your own layers.
It talks to Resolume through Resolume's own REST API and WebSocket (live updates), so there is nothing to install in Resolume and your deck stays unchanged. Other MIDI controllers mapped in Resolume keep working alongside it.
For people who already have Homebrew and Python:
brew install libusb cairo pkg-config git
git clone https://github.com/Mastanka/Resolume_Push2.git && cd Resolume_Push2
python3 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
python push_resolume_bridge.pyBefore you run it: in Resolume, Preferences → Webserver → Enable Webserver & REST API (port 8080).
Tested on macOS (Apple Silicon) with Resolume Arena 7.23. Windows and Linux may work, but haven't been tried.
1. Turn on Resolume's web API Resolume Arena → Preferences → Webserver → tick Enable Webserver & REST API. Leave the port at 8080.
2. Install Homebrew (skip if brew --version already works). Open Terminal and paste
the install command from brew.sh.
3. Install the system libraries
brew install libusb cairo pkg-config gitlibusb lets the bridge draw on the Push display, and cairo draws the interface.
4. Download this project
cd ~/Documents
git clone https://github.com/Mastanka/Resolume_Push2.git
cd Resolume_Push2(Or use Code → Download ZIP on GitHub, unzip it, and cd into the folder.)
5. Create a Python environment and install the packages
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txtPython 3.9 or newer is fine; macOS's built-in python3 works. This installs push2-python,
pycairo, numpy, requests and PyYAML into the project folder only.
6. Connect the Push Plug in the Push 2 with its power supply (the display needs it), and make sure Ableton Live is closed, because Live takes over the Push.
7. Run it
source .venv/bin/activate # each time you open a new Terminal window
python push_resolume_bridge.pyThe Push display shows your deck. Press Ctrl+C to quit.
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Display says Waiting for Resolume | Check step 1, and that Resolume is running on the same Mac (or set host in config.yaml). |
| Push 2 MIDI port not found | The Push is off or unplugged, or Ableton Live is still running. |
| Pads work, display stays black | The Push isn't on its power supply, or libusb is missing (brew install libusb). |
pip install fails on pycairo |
brew install cairo pkg-config, then run pip install again. |
Clips and live
| Control | Does |
|---|---|
| Pads | Select a clip (it opens in Resolume's clip panel too) |
| Play + pad | Launch the clip |
| Play + button below the display | Launch the whole column above that button |
| Record + pad | Stop that layer |
| Hold Mute / Solo + pad | Mute / solo that pad's layer (muted layers turn grey) |
| Buttons right of the pads | Flash: hold = that row's layer at 100 %, release = back |
| Stop Clip | Blackout: composition master to 0, press again to restore (blinks red, banner on the display) |
| ▲ ▼ ◀ ▶ | Scroll layers / columns (Shift = jump 8) |
Two views. Session = the pads show clips (CLIP view). Note = the pads show the step sequencer (SEQUENCER view). Each view has its own menus on the buttons above the display (white in CLIP, red in SEQUENCER) and remembers the last one you used.
CLIP view menus
| Button above the display | 8 knobs | Buttons below the display |
|---|---|---|
| 1 CLIP PARAMS | The clip's parameters (source, clip effects, speed). Convert + touch a knob = move a parameter: change page, touch the target knob, the two swap | Page 1–8 |
| 2 CLIP COLOR | Red, Green, Blue, Hue, Saturation, Brightness; last knob = which colour | Your palette. Shift + button = save the current colour there. Hold Duplicate + pad / button right of a row / button below = paste the colour to that clip / layer / column |
| 3 CLIP EFFECTS | The clip's effects: amount | Effect on / off (Page < > for more effects) |
| 6 LAYER PARAMS | The layer's opacity and its effects' parameters (Convert works here too) | Page 1–8 |
| 7 LAYER EFFECTS | The layer's effects: amount | Effect on / off |
| Master button | COLOR for the whole show (the composition's Colorize effect); 7th knob = amount, 8th = on / off | Your palette |
MIX, MUTE, SOLO (Mix, Mute and Solo buttons) work in both views. Click = the screen opens and stays; click the same button again = back to the previous screen. Hold = the screen shows while you hold the button and goes back when you let go.
| Screen | 8 knobs | Buttons below the display |
|---|---|---|
| MIX | Layer masters, top layer first (Master knob = composition master) | Mute; hold Solo = solo |
| MUTE | Layer masters | Mute (red = muted) |
| SOLO | Layer masters | Solo (yellow = soloed) |
Knobs and tempo
| Control | Does |
|---|---|
| Shift + knob | Fine steps |
| Master knob (far right) | Selected layer's opacity, or the composition master in MIX |
| Tap Tempo | Resolume's tap tempo. Shift + Tap Tempo = resync (beat 1 = now). Flashes on the beat |
| Tempo knob (far left) | BPM ±1, Shift ±0.1 |
| Metronome | Pads pulse on the beat on / off |
Step sequencer (SEQUENCER view) — press Note; Session goes back to the clips. Menus (red): 1 ENVELOPE = knobs Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release, Gate. 2 SETTINGS = knobs Direction, Length, Level. 3 PRESETS = ready-made patterns (the Techno bank: 16 presets) that fit your rig: the buttons below the display are the presets (Shift = 9–16). Press one (it blinks, and so does the pattern row), then a pattern pad: an empty slot gets the preset, a used one asks Overwrite? with button 7 = NO and 8 = YES. The preset places kicks on the long bars and hats on the short ones of whatever rig is mapped (4–24 fixtures); if the rig changes, the bridge re-fits preset patterns when a composition loads, and asks in PRESETS when it changes during the show. 4 MAPPING = which DMX fixture each pad lights, shared by all tracks: the top four pad rows show the fixtures (L1F1, L1F2, L2F1 … = lumiverse / fixture, in Arena's order), row 5 is red, rows 6–8 are pads 1–24. Hold Select and press a fixture (it blinks), then press a pad to store it there (both blink twice). Delete + pad = no fixture. Octave ▲ ▼ = more fixtures.
It needs the Bar Chaser effect (in plugin/, built with plugin/build.sh, installed with
python push_resolume_bridge.py --install-plugin, then restart Arena). Save your Advanced Output as a
preset once (Arena → Output → Advanced → Presets → Save): the effect reads it and lists every DMX
fixture ("Lumiverse 1 / 1 - 423 141 RGB"), then every whole lumiverse, in its Pad 1 … Pad 24
dropdowns. New pads start on fixture 1, 2, 3 … Put one Bar Chaser on each layer whose clip you want to flash,
as the last effect on the layer (or press Shift + Note with a clip of that layer selected),
and set its Track (1–4) — or hold Browse and press track button 1–4 on the Push.
rows 1–4 32 steps of the selected track on the selected pads (green = playhead)
row 5 patterns 1–8 (Shift = 9–16)
rows 6–8 pads 1–24, bottom-left = pad 1, each = a slice chosen in the effect
| Control | Does |
|---|---|
| Pad | Select only that pad and flash it |
| Select (dim in SEQ) | Tap = multi-select on (lit) / off; then each pad adds to / removes from the selection. Hold + pads works too |
| Tap a step | On / off for every selected pad; tap harder for a brighter flash (Accent = always full) |
| Hold a step + Gate knob (ENVELOPE) / Level knob (SETTINGS) | That step's gate / level on the selected pads |
| Repeat on + hold a pad | Strobe at the grid rate |
| Buttons below the display 1–4 | Select the texture track; Browse + button = the selected clip's layer joins that track |
| Pattern pad (row 5) | Switch at the next bar; press it again to switch now |
| Play | Run / stop |
| Layout → buttons right of the pads | Pad groups 1–8. Select + button = store the selection for this track; Select + Shift + button = store it for all tracks (global). Tap = select that group's pads. Delete (+ Shift) + button = clear. Track group = track colour, global group = white; dim = stored, bright = current, off = empty. A track's own group hides the global one on that button |
| Scale → buttons right of the pads | Grid 1/4 … 1/32t (white = current) |
| Delete + step / pad / track / pattern / group | Clear |
| Duplicate + pattern → pattern | Copy |
| Double Loop / Fixed Length + button 1–8 | Double the pattern / length 4–32 |
| Knobs | See ENVELOPE / SETTINGS above; Swing encoder = swing |
Isolation: a group only selects pads. Steps belong to the track you made them on, so a global group used on track 2 only flashes track 2's layers.
One pad mapping for all tracks: every Bar Chaser uses the same Pad 1–24 settings, remembered in
chases.yaml. Change a pad in Arena on any layer and all layers follow; a new Bar Chaser gets the
mapping within a few seconds. Opening a composition takes T1's mapping and gives it to the others.
In the effect's panel: Preset (empty = newest), Reload, Track, Master, Edge (soft edges), Outside (transparent / black / pass through), Mode (Texture / Solid white / Show pads = numbered rectangles for setup), Pad 1–24 (which slice), Level 1–24 (the live levels, also a manual test).
Everything is in config.yaml: Resolume address, knob step sizes, and optionally
your own list of parameters per layer. To see which parameters a layer has:
python push_resolume_bridge.py --dump 3 # layer 3
python push_resolume_bridge.py --dump 3 --clip 2 # layer 3, clip 2The parameter order you set with Convert is saved in pins.yaml, your own colours in
colors.yaml, sequencer patterns in chases.yaml. Delete any of them to go back to the defaults.
| Command line | |
|---|---|
python push_resolume_bridge.py |
Run the bridge |
--sim |
Browser simulator of the Push at http://localhost:6128, no hardware needed |
--dump LAYER [--clip COLUMN] |
List parameter paths for config.yaml |
--config FILE |
Use a different config file |
--check LAYER |
Test every Resolume command on a spare layer (each change is undone) and print OK / FAIL. Add --check-columns to also launch a column |
--install-plugin [BUNDLE] |
Copy the built Bar Chaser effect into Resolume's Extra Effects folder (then restart Arena) |
Got an idea for a new feature, a workflow that would help your show, or found something that doesn't work with your Resolume setup? Open an issue and tell me about it. Every suggestion is read. Some things already on the list:
- Clip thumbnails on the display and Resolume's clip colours on the pads
- Touch strip for the crossfader
- Pad pressure for intensity
- Deck switching
MIT. Free to use, change and share.