Connecting DJ equipment

Connect Time-line Live to supported Pioneer DJ and AlphaTheta equipment over Ethernet.

Time-line Live connects directly to compatible AlphaTheta (Pioneer DJ) equipment. Once connected, it automatically detects the DJ players, follows the live performance, and displays track metadata and waveforms in real time.

This guide explains how to connect your Mac to your DJ setup.

Supported Hardware

Time-line Live currently supports the following AlphaTheta (Pioneer DJ) equipment:

CDJ-3000
CDJ-3000X
DJM-A9
DJM-V10

Hardware support

Support for additional AlphaTheta hardware may be added in future releases.

Before connecting Time-line Live, please ensure that:

Pro DJ Link Mode is enabled in Settings of your DJ equipment.
Your equipment is running a recent firmware version.

Recommended Network Setup

Connect your Mac to the same local network as the DJ equipment.

A wired Ethernet connection is recommended for maximum reliability, but Wi-Fi is also supported provided both your Mac and the DJ equipment are connected to the same local network.

We recommend using a Gigabit Ethernet switch.

Typical setup:

While more complex network topologies are supported, keeping the network as simple as possible generally provides the most reliable operation.

Connect Time-line Live

Connect your Mac to the same local network as the DJ equipment.

Launch Time-line Live.

Wait a few seconds while Time-line Live detects the DJ equipment.

Within a few seconds, you should see:

DJ players appear
Track titles update as tracks are loaded
Live waveforms appear
The active deck changes automatically during playback

If no players or waveforms appear, continue to the Network Troubleshooting section.

Network Settings

Most users will never need to change these settings. Time-line Live automatically detects the correct network configuration.

Network Provider

Time-line Live offers two ways to connect to the DJ equipment:

Direct (recommended) — Time-line Live connects directly to the AlphaTheta (PioneerDJ) equipment. This is the recommended mode for almost every setup.
TCNet — If your setup already includes ShowKontrol, Time-line Live can receive playback information from ShowKontrol instead of communicating directly with the DJ equipment.

To change the network provider, to go Settings > Network and choose a Provider from the dropdown menu.

Note: When using ShowKontrol and Time-line Live on the same network:

ShowKontrol must be running on a separate computer. Time-line Live cannot run on the same computer as ShowKontrol.
Configure ShowKontrol to use Link ID 1.

Network Interface

By default, Time-line Live automatically selects the correct network interface.

If your Mac has multiple network interfaces (for example Ethernet, Wi-Fi, VPNs or USB ethernet adapters), you can manually choose the interface from Settings > Network.