OSC Networks

OSC is transport-independent, meaning it can be sent in a variety of ways in a network without changing the message content or encoding.

Eos settings for OSC networks can be found in Setup under System > Show Control > OSC.

For more information on Eos networked systems, see Eos System Requirements and Setup.

Protocols

The primary protocols used to send OSC are:

  • User Datagram Protocol (UDP) - messages are sent with no true connection to any other devices. This means messages can be sent faster, but also means there is no guarantee that they have been delivered.
  • Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) - messages are sent over a direct connection with error-checking. While TCP may be slower compared to UDP, message delivery is guaranteed.

Messages sent via TCP require matching versions of the OSC specifications mentioned in About OSC. In v1.0, the length of the message is sent first and is the only indication of where the message ends. OSC v1.1 uses start and end tags.

These protocols can be configured during Eos OSC Setup.

Wireless OSC

While OSC theoretically works over wireless connections, this is heavily dependent on the network setup and infrastructure involved.

  • Other devices and protocols on the network may introduce traffic and complexity that affects OSC transmission.
  • Via UDP, packets are likely to be intermittently dropped. TCP guarantees delivery, but packets may arrive later than desired.

As a general rule, using wireless OSC for operations that are precise or time-critical is not recommended.

Ports

Ports are specific endpoints associated with an IP address where network traffic is sent, helping the IP addressed device sort the different types of network protocols it receives.

Ports can be set up for each device in your network so that specific types of information are sent to specific ports.

  • Port numbers 1–1023 are already in use by many applications and should be avoided.
  • ETC has recommended ports 4703-4727, 8000, and 8001.
  • Any port number between 1 and 65,535 is valid.

UDP Ports

UDP connections set different ports for OSC transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx).

Eos UDP port numbers can be managed via Setup > System > Show Control > OSC > OSC UDP RX Port and OSC UDP TX Port.

TCP Ports

In a direct TCP connection, two roles are applied:

  • Server - the receiving device, listening for incoming connections.
  • Client - the transmitting device, sending a request to connect to the server.

Eos TCP port numbers can be managed via Setup > System > Show Control > OSC > OSC TCP Server Ports.