Christmas lights -Synced (running alongside) music

Projects General Guidance
1

Hi guys, I need some guidance..

I have set up an 8 port relay with power points. This is all working great, and I can program the arduino to run a loop that turns lights on and off. I even have a big range of loops I can play in a row to give the impression of being in time with a song (I have measured BMP and can keep in time).

What I need to somehow do, is play an MP3 at the same time, this is not something I know how to do... I am assuming I can send a start signal from a PC, but not sure how. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Coding examples of starting an MP3 from a PC and also starting the arduino running its program would be great. (or a suitable alternative).

2

Have you looked into the program "Processing"? There is a library for mp3 playback, and the program can be interface with your Arduino via serial. If you post the code, that would help immensely.

3

That certainly looks like it might be what I want.... thanks for that...