tesla-light-show

name

tesla-light-show

description

Analyze a .wav audio file and generate a Tesla custom light show (.fseq) that the Tesla Toybox Light Show app can play. Use this skill when the user wants to turn a song into a Tesla light show, create or design an .fseq for their Tesla, choreograph lights/closures to music, or asks about generating Tesla xLights sequences from music. Supports Model 3, Model S, Model X, Model Y, and Cybertruck with model-specific optimization (boolean vs ramping channels, Falcon Doors / Front Doors on Model X, Cybertruck light bars + full-brightness controls + 200-channel extended output).

Tesla Light Show Generator

Turn any .wav file into a compelling, model-tailored Tesla custom light show. The output is a validator-clean FSEQ v2.0 uncompressed binary (.fseq) paired with the original audio, ready to put in a LightShow/ folder on a USB drive.

Inputs and model selection

The skill needs two things:

1. A path to a .wav file (must be 44.1 kHz — warn the user if it is not; output will still be written but may drift on the vehicle).
2. The Tesla model. If the user didn't state it in the prompt, ask which of these they have — do not guess:
   • Model 3 (pre-2024, no interior accent lights)
   • Model 3 Highland (2024+ refresh, has interior accent lights)
   • Model S
   • Model X
   • Model Y
   • Cybertruck

Accept natural variations ("cybertruck", "model s 2022", "3", "Y", "x", "plaid x", "highland", "2024 model 3", "new model 3", etc.) and map them to the six values.

About Model 3 Highland: the 2024+ refresh added a five-segment interior LED accent strip (left front, center front, right front, left rear, right rear) plus keeps the full-RGB center front display. We unlock these with the model_3_highland compose target which generates a 200-channel show. A 200-channel Highland show still plays on older Model 3s — the firmware simply ignores the channels the car's hardware doesn't have, so it's fully backward-compatible.

What the skill produces

For each song it produces two files in the user's current directory (or an output/ subdir, ask if unclear):

• <basename>.fseq — the binary light-show sequence.
• <basename>.wav — a copy of the audio (Tesla requires a filename-matched audio file to live in the same directory).

The .fseq has:

• Magic bytes PSEQ, version 2.0, uncompressed.
• Frame rate 50 fps (step time 20 ms).
• 48 channels for Model 3 / S / Y shows.
• 200 channels for Cybertruck shows (activates front/rear light bars, offroad bar, interior RGB).
• Duration exactly matching the source audio, clipped to 4 h max.

The validator script in light-show/validator.py MUST accept the output (channel count 48 or 200, compression 0, frames × step ≤ 4 h).

How to generate a show

Work in the project directory. The scripts live in this skill's scripts/ folder.

Step 1 — analyze the audio

python3 skill/scripts/analyze_audio.py <path/to/song.wav> /tmp/<basename>.json

This writes a JSON timeline sampled at 20 ms. The analyzer is stereo-aware — it preserves L/R all the way through the FFT and extracts features that depend on the stereo field (panning, width, mid/side). That lets the composer do things like "fire the right-side markers because the hi-hats are panned right in this bar".

Features emitted (all arrays are 0..1 unless noted; one value per 20 ms frame):

• Energy (global): rms, bass (20–200 Hz), low_mid (200–800), mid (800–3200), high (3200+), mel[32] (log-spaced)
• Energy (per-section): rms_local, bass_local, mid_local, high_local — re-normalised within each detected section so quiet verses preserve their own dynamic range
• Mid/Side: mid_energy, side_energy, stereo_width (0 = mono, 1 = fully wide)
• Panning (−1 = hard left, +1 = hard right): pan_bass, pan_mid, pan_high, pan_overall
• HPSS: perc_rms, perc_onset, harm_rms
• Broadband: onset, brightness
• Chroma / harmony: chroma[12], key_tonic (0..11), key_mode (0=minor, 1=major)
• Beats + downbeats: beat_frames, beat_confidence (0.7..2.5), downbeat_frames, strong_beat_frames, tempo_bpm, meter (3 or 4), beat_agreement_pct
• Structure: segments — list of {"start", "end", "label", "energy", "index"} with labels intro/verse/chorus/bridge/outro
• Drops: drop_frames
• Metadata: analyzer_stack — list of libraries in use (e.g. ["librosa", "madmom"])

Optional libraries (auto-detected)

The analyzer works with pure numpy but uses three optional libraries when they're installed. Install any or all for a quality boost:

pip3 install librosa      # chroma, CQT, segmentation, fallback beat tracker
pip3 install madmom       # excellent beat + downbeat tracker
pip3 install scipy        # faster HPSS (pure-numpy fallback exists)

librosa + madmom cross-check: when both are installed, the analyzer runs both beat trackers and cross-checks. Beats confirmed by both (±40 ms) get confidence 2.0, madmom-only beats get 1.0, librosa-only get 0.7, and any beat that coincides with a strong percussive onset gets a further +0.5 bonus. This means the composer can gate its biggest hits on high-confidence beats only — the strong_beat_frames list is derived from real downbeats (madmom) when available, not "every 4th beat" guesses.

Structural segmentation: uses librosa's self-similarity + agglomerative clustering on a chroma+MFCC feature stack. Segment count adapts to song length (3–5 for short, 4–7 for medium, 5–9 for long). Labels are inferred heuristically: low-energy first/last segments become intro/outro, the highest-energy segments become choruses, medium segments between choruses become bridges, and the rest are verses. The composer uses the detected sections to place the narrative arc — the climax now lands on the song's actual highest-energy chorus instead of at a fixed 55–85% time window.

All three libraries are permissive / OSI-approved licences (BSD / ISC / MIT-equivalent) — free for any use.

Step 2 — compose the show

python3 skill/scripts/compose_show.py --analysis /tmp/<basename>.json \
  --model {model_3|model_3_highland|model_s|model_x|model_y|cybertruck} --out <basename>.fseq

Normalize the model argument to one of: model_3, model_3_highland, model_s, model_x, model_y, cybertruck.

The composer binds audio features to model-appropriate channels (see references/model_capabilities.md and references/channel_map.md). It respects closure actuation limits and pre-opens liftgates/charge ports in time for dances at drops.

Step 3 — copy the wav next to the fseq

Tesla requires the audio file next to the .fseq with the same basename. Either copy, symlink, or tell the user to do so — default: copy.

cp <path/to/song.wav> <basename>.wav

Step 4 — validate

The upstream validator ends with an interactive input("Press Enter to exit...") call (meant for the Windows drag-and-drop .exe). When Claude runs it non-interactively, stdin is closed so input() raises EOFError and the script returns exit code 1 even when the .fseq passes validation. Always redirect stdin and judge by the output line, not the exit code:

python3 light-show/validator.py <basename>.fseq < /dev/null 2>&1 | head -n 2

Success = the first output line is: Found <N> frames, step time of 20 ms for a total duration of <H:MM:SS.ffffff>.

Failure = the first line is an error such as Unknown file format, expected FSEQ v2.0, Expected 48 or 200 channels, got <X>, Expected file format to be V2 Uncompressed, or Expected total duration to be less than 4 hours, got <T>.

A trailing EOFError: EOF when reading a line traceback is expected and harmless — it only means the "Press Enter to exit..." prompt couldn't read from an empty stdin. Ignore it.

If you prefer to suppress the traceback entirely:

python3 light-show/validator.py <basename>.fseq < /dev/null 2>/dev/null \
  | grep -E '^(Found|Unknown|Expected|WARNING)' || true

If the validator prints a real error (not the EOFError), fix it before declaring success — a non-clean file will not play on the vehicle.

Step 5 — report

Tell the user:

• Where the files are
• Duration, tempo, channel count
• A short written description of the choreography highlights (which lights fire on which musical features — they will appreciate the intent)
• How to install: put both files under a LightShow/ folder on a FAT32/exFAT USB drive (not NTFS, no TeslaCam/ folder), then Toybox → Light Show → Schedule Show.

Channel binding rules (summary)

Full tables are in references/channel_map.md and references/model_capabilities.md. Quick reference for composition:

• Kick / bass-heavy beats (detected via perc_onset + bass >= mid) → Main beams (outer + inner), front turn signals, all Ch4-6 simultaneously, brake lights, Cybertruck bed lights. On climax kicks also: license + reverse.
• Snare / mid-heavy beats → Signature, Channels 4-6, rear turn signals, front fog (non-CT), tail lights. Model X adds rear fog.
• Hi-hats / high-band onsets → Side markers + side repeaters. Stereo-aware: pan_high < -0.15 → left side only; > +0.15 → right side only; near-center → both. Both-side in climax also lights license + aux park.
• Stereo opening moments — jumps in side_energy or stereo_width above a 3 s baseline → brief fog + aux park wash (mimics a reverb tail or strings spreading out).
• Sustained loudness (RMS) → Interior RGB wash (CT only in 200-ch), Cybertruck light bar brightness envelope.
• Climax peak (guaranteed — loudest sustained 2 s in 55–85% of track, independent of drop detection) → Liftgate opens 14 s before, mirror 3-flap, charge port Dance (rainbow), full-front blast, model-specific reveal (S door handles / X falcon + front doors).
• Audio-detected drops outside climax → Mini front-light blast, no closures (stays subordinate to the climax).
• Brightness / spectral centroid → Hue mapping for interior RGB (warm when dark, cool when bright).
• Yellow blinker layer — front turn signals alternate L↔R on 2× beat subdivisions in build, 4× in climax (the signature "yellow blinker" pattern).
• Narrative arc — intro (0–15%) soft outer-beam ramps only; build (15–55%) every-other-beat; climax (55–85%) full density; outro (85–100%) long 2 s breathing ramps.
• Use ramping variants (70/80/90%) on Model 3 / Y / Cybertruck where smooth fades read better than boolean snaps.

Model-specific reminders

• Model 3 / Model Y — exploit the ramping on Front Turn, Signature, and Channels 4-6. Prefer ramp_pulse over instant pulses for anything lasting > 200 ms. Aux Park / Side Markers are OR'd together — don't stack them continuously or they won't appear to flash.
• Model 3 Highland (2024+) — same exterior behaviour as Model 3 (the two are byte-identical for channels 1–46) but the composer also writes channels 176–193 (the six interior RGB surfaces) with chroma-driven colour. Hue follows the dominant pitch class relative to the song's detected key; saturation follows HPSS harmonic richness with a 0.7 floor so the palette stays visually intense; value follows RMS with a 0.35 floor during harmonic content. Minor keys shift the hue wheel ~0.08 toward warmer. Each of the six surfaces gets a small per-surface hue offset so colours spatial-gradient across the cabin. The show is 200 channels but the extra bytes are all zero outside the RGB range, so it plays fine on older Model 3s too.
• Model S — Signature and Front Turn are boolean only; use crisp hits. Door Handles (4 independent) are a unique accent — pop them 1.2 s before a drop and close 0.5 s after for a cool reveal. 20-actuation budget is generous. No Falcon or Front Doors.
• Model X — Same boolean headlights as Model S (no ramping on Signature / Front Turn) but with Falcon Doors and Front Doors for the most dramatic choreography of any car. Falcon Doors open in ~20 s and close in ~8 s; Front Doors open in ~22 s and close in ~3 s — schedule Opens ~25 s before a drop so doors are fully open for the Dance/Close beat. Only 6 actuations each per show, use them for headline moments. Model X also has Rear Fog (even in NA) — an extra accent channel the other US cars don't have. No Door Handles (those are S-only).
• Cybertruck — Generate 200-channel output. Animate the front/rear light bars (curtain, chase, bars, full styles). Brake + Rear Turn are full-brightness controlled: drive them with the RMS envelope instead of 0/100 values. Bed Lights always ramp 500 ms regardless of request.
• Cybertruck closures — Liftgate is mapped to Powered Frunk; Aux Park is mapped to Frunk Light; Rear Turn Signals are disabled on the car (leave the xLights channels 0). The 48→200 mapping happens in the composer automatically.

Constraints the output must satisfy

• Channel count: exactly 48 or 200 (validator.py rejects otherwise).
• Compression type byte: 0 (uncompressed).
• Max duration: 4 h. Longer audio should be truncated or the user should trim.
• Sample rate: 44.1 kHz. Warn if not.
• Frame interval: 20 ms (supported: 15–100 ms, but 20 ms is every example and recommended).
• Closure actuation limits per show (count only Open/Close/Dance):
  • Liftgate / Frunk ≤ 6, Mirrors ≤ 20, Charge Port ≤ 3, Windows ≤ 6, Door Handles (S) ≤ 20, Front Doors (X) ≤ 6, Falcon Doors (X) ≤ 6.
  • Total dance time ≤ ~30 s per show (thermal).
• Dance only works when a closure is already open — schedule an Open earlier and leave time per references/channel_map.md (Closure Movement Durations).
• Don't close windows during the show — music would be muffled.

If something breaks

• Validator rejects channel count → ensure the writer uses 48 for M3/S/Y and 200 for Cybertruck. No other value is accepted.
• Validator rejects compression → header byte at offset 20 must be 0.
• Validator rejects duration → clip the audio or reduce frame count.
• Show plays but a specific light is stuck on → check the Aux Park / Side Marker OR'ing rules (a single channel staying on keeps the group lit).
• Dance did nothing → the closure wasn't open before Dance was commanded. Insert an Open at least (durations in closure table) before the Dance effect.

Files in this skill

• SKILL.md — this file.
• scripts/analyze_audio.py — audio feature extractor (numpy preferred; pure-Python fallback).
• scripts/fseq_writer.py — minimal FSEQ v2.0 uncompressed writer + level/command constants.
• scripts/compose_show.py — binds audio features to Tesla channels per model and writes the .fseq.
• references/channel_map.md — complete 48/200 channel layout, brightness byte table, closure command bytes.
• references/model_capabilities.md — per-model capability matrix and production recipes.
• references/fseq_format.md — binary layout of the FSEQ v2.0 uncompressed header.