How to Configure Effects, Scenes, and Playlists in LedFx

Updated

LedFx turns audio input into a real-time light show across one or more LED strips or matrices, and its browser-based front end (served on port 8888 by default at http://localhost:8888) is where you configure everything. Effects, scenes, and playlists are three separate layers of that configuration: effects define what a device or virtual looks like moment to moment, scenes capture a saved combination you can recall, and playlists sequence scenes over time. The documentation organizes these under Configuration, Assets, Workflow, Scenes, and Playlists, with additional how-to guides for virtuals, segments, and dummy devices.

Effects: the building blocks

An effect is the visual transformation applied to a device or virtual based on the incoming audio. LedFx ships with a set of effects and lets you tune them per target.

  • Effects are listed in the Effects section of the docs and applied to a Device (a physical LED controller such as an ESP8266/ESP32 node or Raspberry Pi 4) or to a Virtual.
  • A Virtual is a logical LED target you create and edit independently of the physical device, which is why the docs include "How to: Create and Edit Virtuals." This lets you reuse one physical strip across multiple virtual definitions.
  • Segments let you address only part of a strip or matrix. The "How To: Complex Segments" guide covers splitting a device into multiple addressable regions so different effects can run on different parts.
  • Audio behavior is governed by the Audio Settings and Directing Audio pages, since every effect reacts to the audio stream you feed in.

If you want to test effects without hardware, the docs provide "How to: Create a Dummy Matrix" and "How to: Create a Dummy VuMeter" — these create virtual targets you can preview in the browser.

Scenes: saving and recalling a look

A scene stores a configuration state so you can bring it back without rebuilding it. The docs treat Scenes as both a configuration concept and an API surface (there is a dedicated Scenes API).

Typical workflow:

  1. Configure your devices, virtuals, and effects until the output looks right.
  2. Save that state as a scene.
  3. Recall the scene later to restore the same combination.

Because scenes are exposed through the Scenes API as well as the UI, they can be triggered programmatically — useful if you want external events (not just audio) to switch looks.

Playlists: sequencing scenes

Playlists sit above scenes and let you order them. The docs list Playlists alongside Scenes in both the configuration section and the API reference (Playlists API), so a playlist is a sequence of scenes that LedFx steps through.

  • Build your scenes first, then arrange them into a playlist.
  • Playlists can be managed from the front end or via the API.

Supporting configuration you'll likely need

Area What it covers Where in docs
Configuration Core settings, assets, workflow Configuration, Assets, Workflow
Devices Physical LED controllers Devices
Effects Visual effects and their parameters Effects
Virtuals Logical LED targets How to: Create and Edit Virtuals
Segments Sub-regions of a device How To: Complex Segments
Audio Input source and audio behavior Audio Settings, Directing Audio
Ordering Arranging devices and virtuals How to: Reorder Device and Virtuals

Two smaller guides are worth knowing about: "How to: Load Example Config" gives you a working starting point instead of a blank setup, and "How to: Create a Keybeat gif" and "How to: Enable Alpha Mode" cover specific effect-related tasks.

Installation context

For Windows and Mac, the docs point to the releases page for the latest builds. For Linux, installation is via pip. A bleeding-edge/experimental path exists for those comfortable with the terminal, described in the Installation documentation. Stable docs and latest (repository-built) docs are hosted separately, so check which version you're reading against.

Common sticking points

  • No hardware yet? Use a Dummy Matrix or Dummy VuMeter to validate effects before wiring anything.
  • Effect only covers part of a strip? That's a segment configuration issue — see the complex segments guide.
  • Scene won't restore what you expect? Confirm which device or virtual the scene targets, since virtuals and devices are configured separately.
  • Can't reach the UI? The front end defaults to port 8888 on localhost; network and performance issues are covered in the Troubleshooting section, which also has a "How to: Report an issue" guide.

For anything beyond these, the LedFx Discord community shares working setups in its #projects and #show-and-tell channels, which is often faster than reverse-engineering an effect from scratch.