FAQ

Adapted from the project's own FAQ of 2013, with the answers brought up to date. Questions that only the authors could answer — custom features, help with a show — are left out, because this site is not them.

What is Minotor?

Free software for VJing on LED matrices. On stage it produces animations synchronised with the music, for a light show built from low-resolution pixels rather than video.

How does the sync work?

Through MIDI clock. Minotor appears as a MIDI device in your setup; your music software — Ableton Live, Traktor, any sequencer — sends it clock, and it follows. Nothing else has to be configured. The details, including how it finds the first beat, are in rhythm theory. Without an external clock it can run on its internal one.

Is it free to use?

Yes. Minotor is released under the GNU GPL version 3. You can use it for anything, including paid shows, and modify it as you like. The obligations start only when you distribute it: anyone you give a modified build to must also get its source under the same licence.

Editor's note, 2026 The original FAQ said you could use and modify Minotor “unless you share your modifications with the community”, which reads as the opposite of what was meant. The GPL never forbids sharing; it requires that shared versions stay free.

Can I use a TV or a projector instead of an LED matrix?

Yes. It was designed for LED-matrix resolutions but renders to any display. Keep the resolution low — its animations are drawn for a few hundred pixels, not full HD.

What hardware does it support?

Serial output to an LED matrix, through the team's LEDuino firmware on an Arduino, and standard video output. The team's own matrix used WS2801 pixels; the build guide covers that setup end to end. Any class-compliant MIDI controller works as input, with mappings for the Korg nanoKONTROL, nanoKONTROL2 and a generic piano keyboard in the repository's mappings/ folder.

Is Minotor still maintained?

No. The last commit is from February 2017, and the last packages were built in 2017 for Ubuntu releases that are now all out of support. The code is still public and still GPL, so anyone can pick it up — see download for the state of the builds.

How can I contribute?

The original answer still holds: new animations, support for new hardware, documentation and tutorials were all wanted, and none needed permission. Today that means forking the repository. The animations page is a good map of the code to start from.

Is this the official Minotor site?

It is the site at the official address, but not the official project. The domain lapsed in 2017 and was registered again in 2026 by someone unconnected with the authors. The about page has the details.