Hardware Control

OSC-1 supports MIDI control, bidirectional OSC, and direct laser DAC output. Use Chrome or Edge: laser DAC output needs WebUSB, which no other browser implements. MIDI also works in Firefox after a one-time permission prompt, and is unavailable in Safari — see Browser Compatibility.

MIDI

OSC-1 uses Web MIDI — no drivers needed. Connect your MIDI device before opening the browser.

Enabling MIDI

1. Open OSC-1 with the MIDI device connected
2. Accept the MIDI permission prompt on first use; Firefox also offers a one-time permission add-on
3. Your connected MIDI devices appear in Settings → MIDI Devices
4. Select your controller from the dropdown

MIDI Learn

MIDI-mappable controls have a small M button next to them (enable "Show MIDI Learn Buttons" in Settings → MIDI if you don't see them):

1. Left-click the M button — it shows ... while listening
2. Move a knob or press a button on your controller
3. The mapping is saved automatically — the button now shows the CC number
4. Right-click the button to remove the mapping

MIDI Settings Panel

The MIDI panel in Settings contains:

• Export / Import — save all your MIDI mappings to a JSON file and load them back later
• A clear-all (trash) button that removes all MIDI mappings after a confirmation
• An APC Mini MK2 section with a Test LEDs button and a live "LED Feedback Active" list

There are no built-in controller templates — mappings are whatever you create with MIDI Learn (and export/import as JSON). For the APC Mini MK2 deep-dive, see Performance Mode.

See also: MIDI Setup (Shared)

Using a Real Oscilloscope

You do not need one — but if you want to drive an analog CRT from OSC-1 or from an exported file, here is what matters.

Choosing a scope

The only hard requirement is two inputs and an XY mode. Many analog scopes have it; some do not. If a listing does not say, check the manual for wording like "channel 1 provides horizontal deflection, channel 2 vertical deflection" — that is XY mode by another name. Search secondhand listings for "analog oscilloscope"; the digital storage scopes that replaced them are usually worse at this, because they sample and redraw rather than deflecting a beam continuously.

Connecting

Scope inputs are usually BNC. From an audio interface's outputs you will want ¼-inch TS to RCA cables plus BNC-to-RCA adapters, or the equivalent single cable. A few audio-monitor scopes use XLR instead of BNC.

Use an aggregate or multi-output device so you can monitor on headphones and drive the scope at the same time.

Setup order — intensity down first

Follow this order. A stationary bright dot can burn the phosphor permanently, and at the start of setup a stationary dot is exactly what you have.

1. Turn intensity all the way down before anything else.
2. DC-couple both inputs. AC coupling filters out the constant part of the signal, which is what positions the image — on AC the picture drifts back to centre. This is the single most common first-time failure.
3. Switch to XY mode.
4. Raise intensity slowly until the dot just appears. No brighter.
5. Centre it with the horizontal and vertical position controls.
6. Raise the level from your interface, not from the scope — amplifying at the scope amplifies its noise too.
7. Draw a square and set VOLTS/DIV on both channels so it fills the screen and is actually square.
8. Fine-tune focus last.

If the whole image sits at an angle, older units have a trace rotation trim — usually a screwdriver adjustment on the front panel.

If your graticule is rotated

Some scopes have a graticule rotated 45 degrees, so the grid reads as an X rather than a plus. Artwork intended to line up with the grid needs to be pre-rotated by −45 degrees to compensate.

A note on expectations

An old CRT has real limits. There is a well-known case of someone trying to resolve a detailed commercial oscilloscope-music release on a 1980s scope, working through several high-resolution players and two different outboard converters, getting identical wrong results every time, and eventually concluding the tube itself could not resolve the intended image.

That is worth knowing before you spend money chasing fidelity in the wrong place: a software scope is not a consolation prize for people without hardware. It is frequently more accurate than the hardware, because it is not fighting beam width, phosphor bloom, or thirty-year-old analog deflection circuitry. Use a CRT because you like how a CRT looks — that is a good reason — not because you assume it is more faithful.

OSC (Open Sound Control)

OSC is a networking protocol for real-time parameter control. OSC-1 connects through the bridge shown in the OSC Settings tab.

Setting Up OSC

1. Open Settings → OSC.
2. Start your OSC bridge and enter its address in Bridge URL.
3. Click Connect.
4. Confirm that the tab changes from OSC Bridge Disconnected to a connected state.

OSC Learn

Same workflow as MIDI Learn, using the O buttons next to controls (enable "Show OSC Learn Buttons" in Settings → OSC): left-click the O button, send an OSC message from your source software, and the parameter is mapped. Right-click removes the mapping. A Clear All button in the OSC panel removes all OSC mappings.

Sending OSC from OSC-1

OSC-1 can also broadcast its state as OSC, enabling bidirectional setups with Max/MSP, Pure Data, TouchDesigner, or other visual/audio software.

Laser DAC Output

Stream the XY audio directly to a laser projector in real time. OSC-1 uses the same Laser Output panel as every other BeamTracer laser app, so device selection, arming, power, point rate and color delay all work identically — and a projector you calibrate here is calibrated everywhere.

What follows is what is specific to OSC-1.

Streaming Stats

While the laser is running, the panel shows live Frames, Points/frame, and Actual PPS. A fixed status row reads Within Set Rate when the stream fits your configured ceiling. When it does not, the row shows how many times over the rate it is; open Details to see which controls can bring it down. The longer explanation stays collapsed during playback so changing frame complexity does not resize the panel.

The Actual PPS dot still grades the physical workload: it turns yellow at 30k pps (good galvos required) and red at 60k pps (premium galvos required). The same 30k/40k/60k thresholds are marked on the Point Rate slider.

OSC-1-only output settings

These sit alongside the shared controls described in Laser DAC Output, and exist because OSC-1 streams a continuous audio waveform rather than drawn frames:

• Sync to Canvas — laser color follows the on-screen beam color (default on)
• Laser Color — manual color picker, shown when Sync to Canvas is off
• Auto-Blanking — automatically blanks the beam on large jumps
• Jump Threshold — how large a jump triggers blanking, 1–50% (shown when Auto-Blanking is on)
• Blanking Points — extra blanked points inserted at jumps, 0–20
• Dwell Points — points held at corners so the scanner settles, 0–10
• Lit Dwell — lit points held at the start of a segment, 0–5
• Point Skip — drops insignificant points to reduce scan load