How to Make Oscilloscope Music — Beginner Guide (2026)
Oscilloscope music encodes a picture in a stereo audio signal: the left channel drives the X axis, the right channel drives Y. To make it, open BeamTracer's OSC-1 in Chrome or Edge, switch to CREATOR mode, draw a figure with the LISSAJOUS generator, and export a stereo WAV or an ILDA frame.
Hi, I'm Trina with BeamTracer.com, and this guide walks you through drawing pictures with sound — from your first Lissajous figure to laser output.
Oscilloscope music sits right on the line between audio and visual art. Artists like Jerobeam Fenderson and Hansi3D make audio files that, played through an XY oscilloscope, draw shapes, animations, and even recognizable images — all from the sound alone.
Creating oscilloscope art has traditionally meant installing desktop software — OsciStudio and osci-render are both excellent at it. BeamTracer's OSC-1 brings the same medium to your browser — free to start, nothing to install.
What is oscilloscope music?
An XY oscilloscope plots two audio channels as coordinates:
- Left channel → X axis (horizontal position)
- Right channel → Y axis (vertical position)
When you encode specific waveforms in the left and right channels, the beam traces out shapes:
| Waveform Combination | Result |
|---|---|
| Sine (L) + Sine (R), same frequency | Circle or ellipse |
| Sine (L) + Sine (R), different frequencies | Lissajous figures |
| Sawtooth (L) + Audio (R) | Traditional waveform display |
| Custom wavetables (L+R) | Any arbitrary shape |
There is no separate video track
The visual is the audio. The same signal that draws the image is the one that makes the sound — which is why changing the picture always changes what you hear, and why the file you export is just a stereo WAV.
What does oscilloscope music look like in OSC-1?
Trina's getting-started tour of OSC-1 in about a minute — the rest of this guide goes deeper on each step.
Do you need to install anything to make oscilloscope music?
No. OSC-1 runs at beamtracer.com/scope in Chrome or Edge — free to start, no account, no download. The oscilloscope loads and starts drawing immediately, and everything in this guide happens in that one tab.
Which OSC-1 mode should you use?
OSC-1 has three modes, switched from the buttons in the top toolbar or with the
1, 2 and 3 keys. Use OSCILLOSCOPE to watch files, CREATOR to build
your own shapes, and PERFORMANCE to play them live.
| Mode | Best For |
|---|---|
| OSCILLOSCOPE | Viewing oscilloscope art — load audio files and watch the XY beam |
| CREATOR | Making your own shapes — built-in 3-oscillator synth with XY routing |
| PERFORMANCE | Live performance — full control surface with MIDI mapping |
Making your own patterns? Start in Creator
Oscilloscope mode is for watching files. If you want to build a shape rather than load one, go straight to Creator mode — it opens with the synth already routed to X and Y.
How do you draw your first Lissajous figure?
Switch OSC-1 to CREATOR mode, open the LISSAJOUS generator in the Sources panel, and set the two frequency controls to a small whole-number ratio. The figure appears immediately; Phase X rotates it. The whole thing takes under a minute.
- Switch to CREATOR mode — click CREATOR in the top toolbar, or press
2 - Open Generators in the Sources panel and expand LISSAJOUS
- Set Freq X to 4 and Freq Y to 3
- Read the Ratio readout — 4:3 is a fourth
- Nudge Phase X to rotate the figure while the beam draws it
- Open EXPORT in the top header and save the result: EXPORT TRACK → WAV for a 16-bit stereo WAV, or EXPORT ILDA FRAME for an ILDA V5 frame
What does OSC-1's built-in synthesizer add?
OSC-1 includes a 3-oscillator subtractive synthesizer, so you can play the figure from a keyboard instead of setting ratios by hand:
- Oscillators A, B, C: Sine, triangle, sawtooth, square, pulse, noise, each with OCT and LVL
- ADSR envelope: Shape the amplitude over time
- LFO: Low-frequency oscillation for morphing patterns
- Effects chain: filter, delay, and reverb, each of which redraws the figure
The synth has no detune — the Lissajous ratio comes from the LISSAJOUS generator in the Sources panel instead.
How do you get the vintage CRT look?
Pick one of OSC-1's 8 scope presets in the Scope Presets section of the right-hand Properties panel. Each preset simulates a real display's phosphor color, glow and afterglow, so the trace picks up the persistence a hardware oscilloscope has:
- Tektronix 465 (P31 green phosphor)
- HP 1740A (dual-trace classic with a blue tint)
- Amber CRT, and five more
Plus 15 XY effects for creative manipulation: rotation, ripple, kaleidoscope, polygonizer, and more.
How do you watch oscilloscope music you already have?
Drop any .wav or .mp3 file onto OSC-1 and the XY display draws it. Higher
sample rates give sharper figures. Try these well-known oscilloscope music
tracks:
- Jerobeam Fenderson — "Oscilloscope Music" album
- Hansi3D — "Kodo" series
- Chris Allen — "Dots" series
What file formats does OSC-1 export?
Open EXPORT in the top header. The AUDIO tab writes the current track as WAV 16-bit Stereo — ordinary audio, left channel X and right channel Y, so it plays on any XY oscilloscope. The ILDA tab writes the current XY frame as ILDA V5 for laser playback, and the SVG tab saves it as a vector path. Full details are in the export reference.
Can OSC-1 drive a real laser projector?
Yes — OSC-1 offers live output to supported laser DACs. Helios connects directly over USB in Chrome or Edge; supported Ether Dream and LaserCube devices use the free macOS BeamTracer Bridge app. Hardware output requires the Studio plan, with free trial sessions listed on Pricing. Read the laser safety guide before using a projector:
| DAC | Connection | Supported |
|---|---|---|
| Helios DAC | USB (WebUSB) | Direct browser connection |
| Ether Dream | Network (bridge) | Via macOS BeamTracer Bridge |
| LaserCube | Network (bridge) | Via macOS BeamTracer Bridge |
Export your creations as ILDA files for compatible laser software or file players.
How does OSC-1 compare to OsciStudio and osci-render?
All three tools draw with an audio signal; they differ mainly in where they run and what else they plug into. OsciStudio and osci-render are mature, well-liked desktop applications, and if you already live in a DAW or on Linux, they may suit you better than a browser tab.
| OSC-1 (BeamTracer) | OsciStudio | osci-render | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free to start | €42 | Free and open source (GPLv3); premium from $20 |
| Runs on | Chrome or Edge | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Install | None | Desktop app | Desktop app, or VST3 / AU plugin |
| Runs inside a DAW | No | No | Yes — VST3 / AU |
| 3D model import | In the browser, GLTF / GLB | Blender add-on, OBJ | Blender add-on, OBJ |
| Laser DAC output | Helios, Ether Dream, LaserCube | Helios, WickedLaser | — |
| ILDA file export | Yes | — | — |
| MIDI learn on controls | Yes | — | — |
Competitor details checked August 2026 against each project's own site — prices and features move, so check theirs before deciding. A dash means we could not confirm it either way, not that the feature is missing.
The honest summary: osci-render is the one to reach for if you want a plugin in your DAW or you are on Linux, and OsciStudio has a long history with Blender. What OSC-1 offers is browser-based creation without an app install. Supported network laser output additionally uses the macOS Bridge app. For the 3D workflow, see converting a 3D model to oscilloscope or laser art.
Which frequency ratio makes which Lissajous shape?
The ratio of the two frequencies determines the shape:
| Frequency Ratio | Pattern |
|---|---|
| 1:1 | Circle or ellipse |
| 2:1 | Figure-eight |
| 3:2 | Trefoil knot |
| 4:3 | Complex weave |
| 5:4 | Five-petal flower |
| Irrational (e.g., 1:√2) | Never-repeating spiral |
Pro tip: Slowly move Phase X on the LISSAJOUS generator to watch the figure rotate and morph in real time. This is the foundation of most oscilloscope music visuals.
Start creating oscilloscope art — right now, in your browser
OPEN OSC-1 CREATOR MODE →Next up: Learn how to convert your oscilloscope art to laser files using ILDA export.
Have fun with it. beamtracer.com — I'll see you in the next one.