UI Modes
The three OSC-1 modes — Oscilloscope, Creator, and Performance — what each adds, and who each is for.
OSC-1 has three progressive UI modes. Start in Oscilloscope mode and unlock more tools as your workflow demands them.
Switching Modes
Press 1, 2, or 3 on your keyboard, or click the mode buttons in the top toolbar.
The header shows a fourth tab, Export — it's not a mode. Clicking it opens the Export modal (video, WAV, ILDA, SVG, 3D→XY) on top of whatever mode you're in.
Mode 1 — Oscilloscope
The default mode. Everything you need to play and enjoy oscilloscope music.
What's available:
- XY oscilloscope display
- Track library playback
- File import (WAV, FLAC, MP3)
- Live microphone / audio interface input
- 8 scope presets
- 15 XY beam effects
- The visualizer strip (sweep, VU, time, spectrum, and waveform monitors)
- Scope monitor (mini XY overview)
- The Export modal (video, WAV, ILDA, SVG, 3D→XY)
Who it's for: Oscilloscope music listeners, casual users, and anyone who wants to explore the genre without setting up a full performance rig.
Mode 2 — Creator
Adds generation and composition tools on top of Oscilloscope mode.
What Mode 2 adds:
- Signal Generators — Oscillator, Lissajous, Spirograph, Fractal, and Expression generators
- Shape Tools — Morph Sequencer, Shape Synth, 3D Import, SVG/Icon shapes, Tektronix 4051 retro vector library
- Video Source — Webcam or screen capture → edge detection → XY vector output
- Viktor NV-1 Synthesizer — Full 3-oscillator subtractive synth with ADSR, LFO, and 50+ presets
- Virtual Keyboard — Polyphonic QWERTY keyboard for live synth performance
- Audio → Beam Modulator — Audio-reactive modulation of beam parameters
- Beam Transformer — Scale, rotate, and offset the XY display independently of the audio
Tier: The Audio → Beam Modulator (Advanced Modulation) is a Pro feature — every account gets 5 free modulation sessions to try it. See Pricing.
Who it's for: Musicians, composers, and visual artists who want to create original XY content rather than just play back existing tracks.
Mode 3 — Performance
Adds professional live performance tools on top of Creator mode.
What Mode 3 adds:
- Mixer — a dynamic XY layer stack with blend modes and per-layer gain
- Step Sequencer — Shape step sequencer with internal or MIDI clock
- Scene Manager — Save and recall parameter snapshots with crossfade transitions (2 banks × 8 slots)
- Shape Sampler — 16-slot pad-triggered shape library with full APC Mini MK2 LED integration
Who it's for: Live performers, VJs, and laser show operators who need to sequence, mix, and recall XY content in real-time during a performance.
Feature Availability by Mode
| Feature | Mode 1 | Mode 2 | Mode 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Track Library | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scope Presets | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Beam Effects (15) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Viktor NV-1 Synth | Yes | Yes | |
| Signal Generators | Yes | Yes | |
| Shape Tools | Yes | Yes | |
| Video Source | Yes | Yes | |
| Audio → Beam Modulator | Yes | Yes | |
| Mixer (Layer Stack) | Yes | ||
| Step Sequencer | Yes | ||
| Scene Manager | Yes | ||
| Shape Sampler | Yes |
Visualizer Strip
The strip along the bottom of the display hosts toggleable monitor visualizers: SWEEP, SCOPE, VU, TIME, SPECTRUM, and WAVE (SPECTRUM and WAVE each have an S sub-toggle for stereo display).
The spectrum strip shows frequency axis labels (100 Hz, 1 kHz, 10 kHz at their log-scale positions, per channel in stereo). Toggle them with the S button in the display's top-right corner, next to the V/H cursor and G graticule toggles.
There is no "ANALYSIS" visualizer — the ANALYSIS button at the right end of the strip is a performance toggle: it enters Performance Mode and disables the visualizers to save GPU. While disabled, the strip collapses to a PERF button that toggles them back on.
XY Scope controls: per-channel CH1 / CH2 toggles, each with a Gain slider (0.1–5x) and an Offset slider (−50 to +50 px).
VU color presets: L/R, LASER, PHOS, RED, AMBER, CYAN, WHITE — plus AUTO when dynamic visualizer color is enabled.
Sweep trigger: a Trigger level slider (0–100%) plus edge buttons ↗ RISE / ↘ FALL.
Beam Transformer
The Beam Transformer widget (right Properties panel) manipulates the XY display independently of the audio:
- FREEZE — freezes the display (shows FROZEN while active). The transport bar has a matching snowflake button, plus a frame-step button beside it that advances the frozen display exactly one frame per click — step through an oscilloscope-music drawing frame by frame while the audio plays on
- GONIO — 45° rotation for stereo phase-correlation metering
- POLAR — switches to polar vectorscope mode, with a Polar Rotation slider (0–360°)
- SWAP, INV X, INV Y — swap or invert the channels
- LR / MS — switch between Left/Right and Mid/Side channel modes
- View Angle — 0–360° with 0°/45°/90°/180°/270° preset buttons
- Scale (0.1–2x unified), plus per-axis Scale X / Scale Y and Off X / Off Y offsets
- STEREO meters overlay and a RESET button
Triggering
Three trigger systems stabilize the display — every setting is covered in detail on the Triggering page:
XY Trigger — locks the main XY display to a threshold crossing: Channel (X / Y / MID), Slope (RISING / FALLING / ANY), Threshold (−100 to +100%), Holdoff, and Hysteresis. Settings (⌘K) → TRIGGER.
Audio Trigger — triggers time-domain views on amplitude events: ZERO or LEVEL mode, Slope, Level, Holdoff, and Hysteresis. Settings (⌘K) → TRIGGER.
Sweep Trigger — the XY Sweep's trigger: classic LEVEL edge triggering, or FFT-based SPECTRAL / CUSTOM modes that phase-lock the sweep to the detected (or chosen) pitch with a live Hz + note readout. Settings (⌘K) → VISUALIZERS → XY Sweep.