Cloud Player
Play synchronized audio straight from the cloud — no show player required.
The Cloud Player is a show source that runs entirely in the cloud: upload your soundtrack, then start playback from the dashboard. There is no plugin to install and no hardware on site, which makes it a good fit for drone shows, fireworks, and one-off events — or for trying out PulseMesh before your show player is set up.
Like any show source, the Cloud Player sets the clock. Every connected device locks to it the same way it would to an FPP, xSchedule, or Light-O-Rama connector — within ±10ms of the source.
Creating a Cloud Player
A Cloud Player is a type of connector:
- Go to the Connector section of the dashboard and click "Create new connector"
- Choose Cloud Player as the connector type
- Once created, a Cloud Player entry appears in the dashboard sidebar whenever that display is selected
Connector limits from your subscription plan apply to Cloud Players like any other connector.
Uploading songs
The Library tab of the Cloud Player holds the audio available for playback.
- Click Upload Song and drag and drop an audio file, or click to browse. The maximum file size is 200 MB.
- Optionally fill in the song title and artist — this is what viewers see in the app while the song plays, and you can edit it later from the library.
- After the upload completes, the file is transcoded for playback. Its status shows Processing until it's done and Ready once it can be played.
The library also lets you search your songs, edit their title and artist, and remove songs you no longer need.
Running a show
From the Now Playing tab:
- Select a song from your library (only songs with a Ready status can be played).
- Preload (optional but recommended): downloads the song to connected viewers' devices without starting playback, so every phone is buffered and ready before showtime. The player shows how many viewers are ready.
- Start Show: playback begins on every connected device, locked to the shared clock. Viewers who connect mid-show join in sync at the current position.
- While the show runs, the player shows the playback position and the number of active viewers.
- Stop Show ends playback for all viewers immediately — you'll be asked to confirm first.
The Cloud Player runs one show — one audio track — at a time. To play another track, stop the current show and start a new one.
If your dashboard loses its internet connection while a show is running, the show keeps playing for viewers — playback is driven from the cloud, not from your browser.
How viewers connect
Exactly like any other display: by geo-radius, QR code, or display code, using the mobile app or web player.
Tips
- Upload early. Transcoding takes time after upload — get your soundtrack to Ready status well before showtime.
- Preload before the show. A preloaded audience starts in perfect sync from the very first beat.
- Do a dry run. Connect a phone or two, preload, and start a short test show before the real event.
Related Topics
- Connector Overview - How connectors link show sources to PulseMesh
- Subscription Plans & Limits - Connector limits by plan
- Song Metadata - How title and artist appear to viewers