Creative
Laser Show
Run a laser show in your browser, with a three-head beam rig in haze, a graphics projector playing laser cues and your own ILDA files, a lighting-console strobe, flash and freeze, and live cueing from the beat, MIDI notes or OSC.
Laser Show puts a symmetrical rig of laser beams over a reflective stage in haze. The beams move like a real beam show: fans spread open from the center and close, tilt up and down, pan from side to side and rotate about their own axes, locked to the beat or running free, with the outer heads mirroring each other. You can also send the live waveform along every beam as an option. Above them, a graphics projector throws a laser cue into the haze: you see the cone of light leaving the projector and the graphic itself where it meets an invisible scrim. Sixteen cues are built in, from tunnels and Lissajous figures to spirographs and waves, and you can add your own ILDA files. Cues change on the beat, on a timer, from any modulator, or live from NEXT CUE, MIDI notes and OSC, and the Console gives you a flash, a strobe, a freeze and a speed master like a lighting desk. Start with Arena, try Beam Sweep and Propeller for the classic movements, Tunnel Vision or Liquid Sky for the projector, and Live Trigger to play cues from a controller.
Open Laser Show
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
Arena · Tunnel Vision · Liquid Sky · Strobe Chase · Spiro Bloom · Live Trigger · Auto Sequence · Red Alert · Aurora · Oscilloscope · Dot Storm · Beam Sweep · Propeller · Orbit Cam
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cue | Cues | Chooses the cue to start from. Assign a modulator to sweep through the cues. |
| Cue Trigger | Cues | Steps to the next cue each time this fader plus its assigned modulator rises past the middle. It follows LFO A by default; assign any audio, LFO or MIDI source. |
| File Frame Rate | Cues | Sets how fast your ILDA files play, in frames per second. |
| Graphic Level | Graphics | Sets the overall brightness of the graphics projector. |
| Cone | Graphics | Sets the brightness of the cone of light between the projector and the graphic. |
| Scrim | Graphics | Sets the brightness of the graphic itself, drawn where the cone meets the scrim. |
| Scan Size | Graphics | Sets how large the projected graphic is. |
| Projector Tilt | Graphics | Tilts the projector up or down. |
| Spin | Graphics | Spins the graphic. Negative values spin it the other way. |
| Pulse | Graphics | Sets how much the graphic grows on the beat. Its audio signal follows the bass and sweeps from nothing up to this value. |
| Graphic Waveform | Graphics | Ripples the outline of the graphic with the live waveform. Off by default. |
| Outer Heads | Rig | Sets the brightness of the two outer heads. |
| Center Head | Rig | Sets the brightness of the center head. |
| Center Star To Fan | Rig | Blends the center head from a star pointing at you into a horizontal fan like the outer heads. |
| Truss Height | Rig | Sets the height of the heads above the stage. |
| Rig Spread | Rig | Sets how far apart the outer heads are. |
| Aim | Rig | Tilts the outer fans away from straight down. |
| Lean | Rig | Leans the outer fans toward the audience. |
| Fan Spread | Rig | Sets the width of each outer fan. |
| Head-On Cone | Rig | Sets the width of the center head's star. |
| Brightness | Beams | Sets the overall brightness of the beams. |
| Core Width | Beams | Sets the width of each beam's bright core. |
| Halo Width | Beams | Sets the width of the glow around each beam. |
| Halo | Beams | Sets the brightness of the glow around each beam. |
| Core Heat | Beams | Sets how far the beam cores whiten from their color. |
| Beam Waveform | Beams | Sends the live waveform along every beam, outward from the heads. Off by default, so the beams stay straight. |
| Glow | Beams | Sets the bloom around bright beams. |
| Hue Shift | Colors | Turns every laser color around the color wheel together. |
| Hue Drift | Colors | Cycles every laser color continuously. |
| Bass Clap | Audio Layers | Sets how much the music opens the outer fans. Its audio signal follows the bass and sweeps from nothing up to this value. |
| Mid Cone | Audio Layers | Sets how much the music opens the center head. Its audio signal follows the mid range and sweeps from nothing up to this value. |
| High Weight | Audio Layers | Sets how much the music thickens the beams. Its audio signal follows the high range and sweeps from nothing up to this value. |
| Layer Width | Audio Layers | Sets how much beam width varies from the edge of each head to its middle. |
| High Flicker | Audio Layers | Sets how much the beams flicker when the high range is loud. |
| Flicker Rate | Audio Layers | Sets how quickly the beams flicker. |
| Speed Master | Console | Speeds up or slows down every movement together. |
| Spread | Spread | Sets how far the outer fans spread open from the center and close. |
| Spread Rate | Spread | Sets how often the fans spread open and close. |
| Center Spread | Spread | Sets how far the center head spreads open and closes. |
| Center Lag | Spread | Sets how far the center head lags behind the outer heads as they spread and close. |
| Tilt Sweep | Tilt | Sets how far the fans tilt up and down. |
| Tilt Rate | Tilt | Sets how often the fans tilt up and down. |
| Pan Sweep | Pan | Sets how far the beams sweep from side to side. |
| Pan Rate | Pan | Sets how often the beams sweep from side to side. |
| Rotate | Rotate | Spins each fan about its own axis. Negative values spin the other way. |
| Chase | Chase | Switches beams on in a running sequence across each head. |
| Chase Rate | Chase | Sets how often the chase runs across each head. |
| Camera Speed | Camera | Sets how far the Audio camera travels for each moment of sound. Follows the mid range by default. |
| Camera Swing | Camera | Sets how widely the Audio camera swings around the stage. |
| Fog | Room | Sets how much haze hangs in the room, lit by the beams. |
| Beam Falloff | Room | Sets how quickly each beam fades along its length. |
| Floor Reflection | Room | Sets the brightness of beam reflections in the floor. |
| Contact Pool | Room | Sets the brightness of the hot spot where a beam meets the floor. |
Settings reference
Cues
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Graphics Projector | On / Off | Turns the graphics projector on or off. |
| Cue Set | BUILT-IN, YOUR FILES, ALL | Chooses which cues play: the built-in cues, your ILDA files, or both with your files after the built-in cues. |
| Cue | 1–32 | Chooses the cue to start from. Assign a modulator to sweep through the cues. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Previous Cue | Action | Steps to the previous cue. |
| Next Cue | Action | Steps to the next cue. |
| Advance | MANUAL, BEAT, TIMER, MODULATOR | Chooses what changes the cue on its own: nothing (Manual), the beat, a timer, or a modulator. |
| Beats Per Cue | 1–32 | Sets how many beats each cue plays when Advance is Beat. The beat follows the session tempo, including tap tempo. |
| Seconds Per Cue | 1s–30s | Sets how long each cue plays when Advance is Timer. |
| Cue Trigger | 0–1 | Steps to the next cue each time this fader plus its assigned modulator rises past the middle. It follows LFO A by default; assign any audio, LFO or MIDI source. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Order | FORWARD, BOUNCE, RANDOM | Chooses how cues step: in order, back and forth, or at random. |
| File Frame Rate | 1fps–60fps | Sets how fast your ILDA files play, in frames per second. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Your Ilda Files | Choose an option | Adds your own ILDA files as cues. They stay in this browser and come back after a reload. |
Midi & Osc
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Connect Midi | Action | Asks the browser for access to your MIDI devices. |
| Notes Play Cues | On / Off | Lets MIDI notes play cues: the base note plays cue 1 and each note above plays the next cue. The three notes below the base note flash, strobe while held, and freeze while held. |
| Base Note | 0–127 | Sets the note that plays cue 1. |
| Midi Channel | 0–16 | Sets the MIDI channel to listen on. 0 listens on every channel. |
| Notes | Live readout | Shows the current notes. |
| Osc Cues | On / Off | Lets OSC messages play cues, flash, strobe and freeze. |
| Osc | Live readout | Shows the current osc. |
Graphics
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Graphic Level | 0–1.5 | Sets the overall brightness of the graphics projector. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Cone | 0–2 | Sets the brightness of the cone of light between the projector and the graphic. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Scrim | 0–1.5 | Sets the brightness of the graphic itself, drawn where the cone meets the scrim. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Scan Size | 0.05–0.8 | Sets how large the projected graphic is. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Scrim Depth | 1–12 | Sets how far from the projector the graphic is drawn. |
| Projector X | -2.4–2.4 | Moves the graphics projector left or right. At 0 it sits on the center head. |
| Projector Height | -2–2 | Raises or lowers the graphics projector. At 0 it sits on the center head. |
| Projector Depth | -3–3 | Moves the graphics projector toward the audience or back. At 0 it sits on the center head. |
| Projector Tilt | -0.8–0.8 | Tilts the projector up or down. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Spin | -2–2 | Spins the graphic. Negative values spin it the other way. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Pulse | 0–1 | Sets how much the graphic grows on the beat. Its audio signal follows the bass and sweeps from nothing up to this value. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Graphic Waveform | 0–1 | Ripples the outline of the graphic with the live waveform. Off by default. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Dot Beams | 0–24 | Draws the graphic as that many separate beams instead of a full outline. 0 draws the full graphic. |
| Graphic Color | CUE COLORS, TINT, RAINBOW | Chooses the graphic colors: the colors of the cue or file, one tint, or a rainbow. |
| Tint | Color | Sets the graphic color when Graphic Color is Tint. |
Rig
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Beams Per Head | 2–8 | Sets how many beams each of the three heads has. |
| Outer Heads | 0–1 | Sets the brightness of the two outer heads. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Center Head | 0–1 | Sets the brightness of the center head. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Center Star To Fan | 0–1 | Blends the center head from a star pointing at you into a horizontal fan like the outer heads. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Truss Height | -1.5–2 | Sets the height of the heads above the stage. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Rig Spread | 0–2.4 | Sets how far apart the outer heads are. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Rig Depth | -6–1 | Moves the rig further back on the stage or closer. |
| Aim | -1.75–1.75 | Tilts the outer fans away from straight down. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Lean | 0–1.5 | Leans the outer fans toward the audience. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Fan Spread | 0.05–3 | Sets the width of each outer fan. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Head-On Cone | 0.6–3 | Sets the width of the center head's star. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Beams
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Brightness | 0.05–6 | Sets the overall brightness of the beams. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Core Width | 0.8–6 | Sets the width of each beam's bright core. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Halo Width | 1–8 | Sets the width of the glow around each beam. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Halo | 0–1.5 | Sets the brightness of the glow around each beam. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Core Heat | 0–1 | Sets how far the beam cores whiten from their color. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Beam Waveform | 0–1 | Sends the live waveform along every beam, outward from the heads. Off by default, so the beams stay straight. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Glow | 0–1.5 | Sets the bloom around bright beams. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Colors
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Outer Heads | Color | Sets the color of the outer heads. |
| Center A | Color | Sets the first color of the center head. |
| Center B | Color | Sets the second color of the center head. |
| Hue Shift | 0–0.5 | Turns every laser color around the color wheel together. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Hue Drift | 0–2 | Cycles every laser color continuously. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Audio Layers
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Bass Clap | 0–2 | Sets how much the music opens the outer fans. Its audio signal follows the bass and sweeps from nothing up to this value. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Mid Cone | 0–2 | Sets how much the music opens the center head. Its audio signal follows the mid range and sweeps from nothing up to this value. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| High Weight | 0–4 | Sets how much the music thickens the beams. Its audio signal follows the high range and sweeps from nothing up to this value. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Layer Width | 0–1 | Sets how much beam width varies from the edge of each head to its middle. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| High Flicker | 0–1 | Sets how much the beams flicker when the high range is loud. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Flicker Rate | 0–40 | Sets how quickly the beams flicker. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Audio
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Sensitivity | 0–3 | Sets audio sensitivity. It scales the waveform on the beams and graphic and every assigned audio signal. |
| Response | 0–1 | Sets how quickly the assigned audio signals respond. |
Console
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Flash | Action | Flashes the whole rig: every beam and the graphic flare, the fans snap open and the haze lifts, then everything settles back. |
| Flash Level | 0–1 | Sets how strong Flash is. MIDI note velocity scales it further. |
| Strobe | On / Off | Strobes the beams and the graphic on and off. The haze stays steady, so the room does not flash. |
| Strobe Rate | 1Hz–12Hz | Sets how many times per second Strobe flashes. |
| Freeze | On / Off | Holds every movement where it is: the fans, pan, chase, graphic spin, camera and automatic cue changes. The music still drives brightness and weight. |
| Speed Master | 0x–3x | Speeds up or slows down every movement together. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Motion
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Motion Sync | BEAT, FREE | Chooses how the movements are timed: Beat locks every rate to the tempo, so a rate of 0.25 is one stroke every four beats; Free counts strokes per second. |
| Motion Shape | SMOOTH, PING-PONG | Chooses Smooth, where each stroke eases in and out, or Ping-Pong, where the beams travel at a steady speed and turn sharply at each end. |
| Mirror | On / Off | Moves the left and right heads as mirror images. Turn it off to move them in parallel. |
Spread
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Spread | 0–1.5 | Sets how far the outer fans spread open from the center and close. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Spread Rate | 0–2 | Sets how often the fans spread open and close. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Center Spread | 0–1.5 | Sets how far the center head spreads open and closes. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Center Lag | 0–3 | Sets how far the center head lags behind the outer heads as they spread and close. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Tilt
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Tilt Sweep | 0–1.6 | Sets how far the fans tilt up and down. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Tilt Rate | 0–2 | Sets how often the fans tilt up and down. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Pan
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Pan Sweep | 0–1.2 | Sets how far the beams sweep from side to side. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Pan Rate | 0–2 | Sets how often the beams sweep from side to side. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Rotate
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Rotate | -1–1 | Spins each fan about its own axis. Negative values spin the other way. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Flip On Beat | On / Off | Reverses the spin on every beat. |
Chase
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Chase | 0–1 | Switches beams on in a running sequence across each head. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Chase Rate | 0–4 | Sets how often the chase runs across each head. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Camera
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | STAGE, AUDIO | Chooses Stage, a view you set, or Audio, a camera that travels around the stage with the music and holds still in silence. |
| Camera Speed | 0x–3x | Sets how far the Audio camera travels for each moment of sound. Follows the mid range by default. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Camera Swing | 0–3.14 | Sets how widely the Audio camera swings around the stage. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Orbit | -1.57–1.57 | Moves the view around the stage from one side to the other. |
| Height | -1.45–1.45 | Raises or lowers the view. |
| Roll | -1.57–1.57 | Tilts the view. |
| Distance | 0.5–40 | Moves the view closer to the stage or further away. |
| Lens | 0–1 | Changes the lens from wide and close to long and far, which flattens the perspective. |
| Auto Orbit | -2–2 | Circles the view around the stage. Negative values circle the other way. |
Room
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Background Opacity | 0–1 | Fades the haze and background while keeping the beams, the graphic and their floor reflections, so the show can be layered over other media. |
| Fog | 0–2.5 | Sets how much haze hangs in the room, lit by the beams. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Fog Pooling | 0–3 | Sets how strongly the haze pools near the floor. |
| Fog Absorption | 0–0.4 | Sets how much the haze dims light passing through it. |
| Beam Falloff | 0–2 | Sets how quickly each beam fades along its length. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Floor Height | -2–0.5 | Sets the height of the reflective floor. |
| Floor Reflection | 0–1 | Sets the brightness of beam reflections in the floor. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Reflection Falloff | 0–8 | Sets how quickly reflections fade below the floor. |
| Floor Gloss | 1–6 | Sets how soft and wide the floor reflections are. |
| Contact Pool | 0–3 | Sets the brightness of the hot spot where a beam meets the floor. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Floor Opacity | 0–1 | Sets how much the floor stops the beams that hit it. |
Some controls appear only after you enable a related mode or style. The settings panel always reflects the options available for the current selection.
Tips for a better audio visualization
- For the classic beam-show movements, set Motion Shape to Ping-Pong and raise Pan Sweep, or turn on Flip On Beat with Rotate for fans that reverse on every beat.
- Play cues from a keyboard or groovebox: open MIDI & OSC, press Connect MIDI, and play from the base note up. Hold the note two below the base note to strobe and three below to freeze.
- In the Performer, every Laser Show slider, switch and button can be learned to a knob or pad with MIDI Learn, including Next Cue, Flash, Strobe and Freeze.
- From TouchDesigner, QLab or TouchOSC, send
/beamtracer/viz/lasershow/cue 3to play cue 3,/nextand/previousto step, and/flash./strobe 1and/freeze 1hold until you send0. - Set Advance to Modulator to let LFO A change cues, or assign Cue Trigger to any audio or MIDI source.
- Add your own ILDA files under Cues, set Cue Set to Your Files, and use File Frame Rate to set their speed.
- Use Background Opacity at zero to place the show over a Studio backdrop. Presets keep your chosen background opacity and your files.