Date and Time
Daft Time
Daft Time is a clock and time-based visual in BeamTracer Audio Visualizers, built on WebGPU. Settings, audio modulation, presets, and tips.
Daft Time is a clock and time-based visual in the Date and Time category. Open it from the left visualizer list, start an audio source, and use the settings panel to shape its response.
Open Daft Time
Launch the visualizer with its matching left-nav entry selected.
Quick start
- Start the demo track, choose a local audio file, or enable a live input.
- Try a preset or style first, then open the section for the part of the image you want to change.
- On a control with Assign modulation, open the source picker, choose a signal, and watch the slider's live fill.
- Use Reset to Defaults whenever you want to return to the original look.
Presets and styles
Clock · Default · Daft Time · Neon Shatter · T-Rex · Countdown
Clock is the opening look: a chrome time readout on a dark stage. Default shows the wordmark as clean chrome lettering, and Countdown swaps the clock for a timer with the same styling.
Daft Time
The Daft Time preset opens as a clean chrome logo with Liquid Drops off and Drop Coverage at 0. Enable Liquid Drops when you want to add rounded drops to the surface. Its optional colored Tip Flares appear at the strongest lit edges, grow and fade in place, and can be tuned without moving the logo.
Neon Shatter carves glowing chips out of the chrome shell while colored wire lights orbit it, and T-Rex switches to the skeleton model framed from below so it towers over the camera.
Audio modulation
On a control with Assign modulation, select the activity icon to open Modulate with. Choose a named source, or choose — None to leave the control unmodulated. After you assign one, its name appears below the slider; select that name to edit the route, or use Clear modulation to remove it. The slider track shows the live signal reaching the control.
| Modulated control | Section | What the route changes |
|---|---|---|
| Key 1 Position X | White Key Lights | Controls key 1 position x; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Key 1 Position Y | White Key Lights | Controls key 1 position y; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Key 1 Position Z | White Key Lights | Controls key 1 position z; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Key 1 Intensity | White Key Lights | Sets the visible key 1 intensity. |
| Key 2 Position X | White Key Lights | Controls key 2 position x; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Key 2 Position Y | White Key Lights | Controls key 2 position y; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Key 2 Position Z | White Key Lights | Controls key 2 position z; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Key 2 Intensity | White Key Lights | Sets the visible key 2 intensity. |
| Emitter Position X | Colored Emitters | Controls emitter position x; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Emitter Position Y | Colored Emitters | Controls emitter position y; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Emitter Position Z | Colored Emitters | Controls emitter position z; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Emitter Spread | Colored Emitters | Controls how far elements separate from the center or from one another. |
| Emissive Brightness | Colored Emitters | Sets the visible strength of emissive brightness. |
| Emissive Beam Width | Colored Emitters | Sets the visible emissive beam width. |
| Flare Size | Tip Flares | Changes the size of the strongest edge highlights. |
| Flare Brightness | Tip Flares | Changes the visible intensity of the strongest edge highlights. |
| Background Hue Speed | Colors | Sets how quickly the backdrop colors cycle. |
Settings reference
Core
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Mesh Mode | FONT, MODEL, TIME | Chooses the mesh mode or style. |
Time Display
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Clock Font | DAFT PUNK, HELVETIKER, ORBITRON, BEBAS NEUE, MONTSERRAT, OSWALD, RIGHTEOUS, BLACK OPS ONE | Chooses the clock font mode or style. |
| Display | CLOCK, COUNTDOWN, DATE | Chooses the display mode or style. |
| Time Zone | ACCOUNT DEFAULT, UTC, BERLIN, PACIFIC, NEW YORK, HONG KONG, LONDON, TOKYO, PARIS, MOSCOW, SYDNEY, MANILA, ROME, CAIRO, ANCHORAGE, DUBAI, DALLAS | Chooses the time zone mode or style. |
| Format | 12H, 24H | Chooses the format mode or style. |
| Show Seconds | On / Off | Shows or hides seconds. |
| Hours | 0–99 | Controls hours; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Minutes | 0–59 | Controls minutes; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Seconds | 0–59 | Controls seconds; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Start / Stop | On / Off | Turns start / stop on or off. |
| Play Alarm Sound | On / Off | Turns play alarm sound on or off. |
Model Source
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Model | BEAM, T-REX SKELETON, POOL FLOAT, PALM TREE, STORMTROOPER, CRYSTAL JELLYFISH, MY MODEL (UPLOADED) | Chooses the model mode or style. |
Mesh Transform
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Mesh Scale | 0.1–2 | Sets the visual mesh scale. |
| Mesh Scale X | 0.1–2 | Sets the visual mesh scale x. |
| Mesh Scale Y | 0.1–2 | Sets the visual mesh scale y. |
| Mesh Scale Z | 0.1–2 | Sets the visual mesh scale z. |
Geometry & Droplets
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 0.001–1 | Sets the visible thickness. |
| Smooth | 0–2 | Controls smooth; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Liquid Drops | On / Off | Turns liquid drops on or off. |
| Drop Coverage | 0–10 | Controls drop coverage; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Drop Size | 0.2–3 | Sets the visible drop size. |
| Drop Roundness | 0–1 | Controls drop roundness; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Drop Variation | 0–1 | Controls drop variation; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Drop Lift | 0–1 | Controls drop lift; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Invert | On / Off | Turns invert on or off. |
| Seed | 0–1000 | Controls seed; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Carve Radius | 0–20 | Sets the visible carve radius. |
| Carve Count | 0–50 | Sets how many visible elements are drawn. |
Text Layout
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Text | Sets the text used for text. |
| Font Size | 1–50 | Sets the visible font size. |
| Font Depth | 0.1–20 | Sets the visible font depth. |
| Curve Quality | 1–36 | Trades visual detail against performance. |
| Letter Spacing | -50–100 | Sets the spacing between visible elements. |
| Line Spacing | 0.1–3 | Sets the spacing between visible elements. |
Bevel
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Bevel | On / Off | Turns bevel on or off. |
| Bevel Thickness | 0–5 | Sets the visible bevel thickness. |
| Bevel Size | 0–5 | Sets the visible bevel size. |
| Bevel Smoothness | 1–20 | Controls bevel smoothness; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Bevel Offset | -2–2 | Controls bevel offset; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Bevel Curvature | 0–1 | Controls bevel curvature; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
White Key Lights
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| White Key Lights | On / Off | Turns white key lights on or off. |
| Key 1 Position X | -100–100 | Controls key 1 position x; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Key 1 Position Y | -100–100 | Controls key 1 position y; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Key 1 Position Z | -150–150 | Controls key 1 position z; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Key 1 Intensity | 0–5 | Sets the visible key 1 intensity. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Key 2 Position X | -100–100 | Controls key 2 position x; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Key 2 Position Y | -100–100 | Controls key 2 position y; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Key 2 Position Z | -150–150 | Controls key 2 position z; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Key 2 Intensity | 0–5 | Sets the visible key 2 intensity. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Colored Emitters
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Colored Emissive Lights | On / Off | Turns colored emissive lights on or off. |
| Emitter Position X | -100–100 | Controls emitter position x; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Emitter Position Y | -100–100 | Controls emitter position y; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Emitter Position Z | -150–50 | Controls emitter position z; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Emitter Spread | 0.1–3 | Controls how far elements separate from the center or from one another. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Emissive Brightness | 0–10 | Sets the visible strength of emissive brightness. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Emissive Beam Width | 0–1 | Sets the visible emissive beam width. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Emissive Beam Focus | 0–1 | Controls emissive beam focus; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Show Light Sources | On / Off | Shows or hides light sources. |
| Wireframe Lights | On / Off | Turns wireframe lights on or off. |
Chrome Surface
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome Contrast | 0.5–2 | Controls chrome contrast; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Chrome Specular | 0–1.5 | Controls chrome specular; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Material Roughness | 0–1 | Moves the surface from polished toward matte. |
| Surface Bulge | 0–1 | Controls surface bulge; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
| Liquid Scale | 0.25–3 | Sets the visual liquid scale. |
| Surface Ripple | 0–1 | Controls surface ripple; higher values increase the effect and lower values reduce it. |
Tip Flares
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Tip Flares | On / Off | Shows or hides small colored highlights at the strongest lit edges. |
| Flare Count | 0–12 | Sets the maximum number of visible highlights. |
| Flare Size | 0.2–3 | Sets the visible size of each highlight. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Flare Brightness | 0–1 | Sets the visible intensity of each highlight. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Ray Length | 0–1 | Stretches or shortens the flare rays. |
| Twinkle | 0–1 | Sets how much each anchored highlight gently pulses. |
Colors
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Background Top | Color | Sets the color at the top of the backdrop. |
| Background Bottom | Color | Sets the color at the bottom of the backdrop. |
| Background Hue Animation | On / Off | Slowly cycles the backdrop colors around the color wheel. Turn it on to reveal Background Hue Speed. |
| Background Hue Speed | 0.01–1 | Sets how quickly the backdrop colors cycle. Appears when Background Hue Animation is on. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Audio
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Master Gain | 0x–5x | Sets how strongly the input signal affects master. |
| Bass Intensity | 0x–3x | Sets the visible bass intensity. |
| Mid Intensity | 0x–3x | Sets the visible mid intensity. |
| High Intensity | 0x–3x | Sets the visible high intensity. |
| Smoothing | 0.01–0.8 | Balances immediate audio response against steadier motion. |
Camera
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Distance | 60–320 | Sets the spacing between visible elements. |
| Height | -120–120 | Sets the visible height. |
| Cinematic Orbit | On / Off | Turns cinematic orbit on or off. |
| Orbit Speed | 0.1–5 | Sets how quickly orbit changes or moves. |
| Camera Position | On / Off | Turns camera position on or off. |
Some controls appear only after you enable a related mode or style. The settings panel always reflects the options available for the current selection.
Interesting fact
The chrome Discovery wordmark was a physical studio object, not a computer-generated render. Exhibition documentation says the letters were made by hand, chromed, and carefully lit with a rainbow of real lights—with no CGI or retouching—before Mitchell Feinberg photographed them. The finished cover remains in Feinberg’s Covers portfolio, and the making-of account appears in photographs from the 9321 Daft Punk exhibition.
Tips for a better audio visualization
- Keep the clock face readable; route audio to the surrounding material, particles, or glow rather than every time element.
- Try assigning Bass to Key 1 Position X, then compare Mid, High, and Volume while the demo track plays. The slider's live fill shows the signal reaching that control.