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Set the music and lights on a college fest invitation

4 min read · Updated 2026-12-02

Retro Arcade is the fest card that you can set up like a show: the songs, the lights, and the words on the ticket that guests tear to get in. This guide goes through each setting in the editor so your fest card sounds and looks the way your fest does.

What guests see

They open the link and see a festival ticket under sweeping lights. A tap tears it on a bass drop, and the card opens on a dark page with glowing blocks drifting behind it. The music plays, the lights move with it, and there is a soundboard page where they can play a kick, a snare, a hi-hat and a horn.

Choose the music

  1. In the editor, find "Music for each tab" under the look settings.
  2. Leave it on Random and the first page plays the song you pick under "First tab starts with". Each other page starts a different song from the middle of it.
  3. Or choose "Choose for each tab" and give every page its own song from a dropdown.
  4. Press the play button next to a song to hear it. The card's own music pauses while you listen.

Set the lights

Under "Lights and music" you decide how the glowing blocks behave. They can fall or rise, and they can glow and change colour with the sound. All of them use your card's accent colour, so changing the accent changes the whole stage.

Sensitivity goes from Low to Max. Higher means the lights react to softer beats and loud parts light everything up more. If the lights feel lazy, raise it; if they flash too much, lower it. You can also turn the music following off and keep a steady rhythm. "Moving effects" (Calm, Normal, Lots) changes how many blocks there are.

Change the words on the ticket

The opening has its own words: the heading, the ticket label, the button, the line under it and the name written on the ticket. Under "Words on the opening" every box already holds the standard text, so change what you like, press "Preview the opening" and see it. The name box only changes the ticket; the card keeps its name.

Before you share

  • Play the card from the start on your phone, with the sound on.
  • Check that each page has the song you meant.
  • Press play on the soundboard page: it is the first thing students will try.
  • Say in your message that the card has sound.

Questions

Do the lights work without music?

Yes. When no music plays, or when you turn the following off, the blocks keep their own slow rhythm.

Can I keep my settings if I switch templates?

The song and light settings belong to Retro Arcade. If you switch to another template, you can keep your texts and dates, and the editor asks you before it changes anything.

Will it look the same on every phone?

Yes. A phone that struggles with effects draws a lighter version of the same card, so it stays smooth.

Is there a free fest template?

Yes. Campus Pop is free to use. Retro Arcade is one of the paid templates, and you can build and preview a card with it before you buy.