It’s time to put on a show.
If you’ve tried the new Sparkle Motion boards with WLED, you’ve already seen how easy it is to dive into the world of addressable LEDs. With just a few clicks, you can transform your project into a glowing, animated masterpiece. But maybe you’re ready for more — ready to take your lights beyond instant animations and into full-blown performances.
That’s where xLights comes in.
Think of WLED as a smart remote control: it installs on an Adafruit Sparkle Motion board in minutes, and from your phone or computer, you can change colors, trigger patterns, and get dazzling results right away. It’s simple, satisfying, and perfect when you want instant gratification.
xLights, on the other hand, is more like a movie editor for lights. It runs on your computer and lets you choreograph intricate shows that sync with music, follow a schedule, or span thousands of LEDs in massive holiday or festival displays. It has a steeper learning curve, but gives you far more creative power.
This tutorial walks through setting up both WLED and xLights with three Sparkle Motion boards, then guides you through sequencing your very first light show.
The Sparkle Motion ESP32 line of boards are designed to work seamlessly with WLED and xLights. The costume pieces used as demos in this tutorial are all using Sparkle Motion Mini boards, since they're small and light and easy to hide. For larger projects, the original Sparkle Motion is a great choice, with more GPIO pins available and 12v support. The Sparkle Motion Stick is a great choice for mobile projects, since you can plug it right into a USB battery.
Page last edited September 04, 2025
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