Creative
Silicon City
Fly over a city of numbered glass blocks that rise and roll with the music, with numbers and spectrum bars printed on the board and signal traces that pulse on the beat.
Silicon City looks down on a board of glass blocks with bright edges, each stamped with a digit, laid out in districts with streets between them. Each column of blocks follows one part of the sound, from the bass on the left to the treble on the right, and the music rolls from the front of the city to the back, so the skyline moves like rows of meters. It opens on Blueprint: pale lines on blue glass over a navy board, the digits dealt anew on the beat. Capacitors stand on free plots and rise with their part of the music, copper traces run between plots with bright tracers flowing along them like current, three squares print readouts in dots that type in line by line from the top on the beat, a plaza carries a strip of spectrum bars, signal lines run down the streets and pulse with every beat, and ribbons of fine lines arc overhead, rippling with the waveform. The camera circles the city, or cuts to a new view every few beats. By default the bass raises the city further and speeds the tracers, the mids turn the camera a little faster, and the highs brighten the edges.
Open Silicon City
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
Blueprint · Graphite · Cut Room · Skyline · Flat Plan · Amber · Phosphor · Capacitor Bank · Red Alert · Mono · Ultraviolet · Wafer Stack · Decode · Circuit Lab · Scan Trace
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Density | City | How many plots hold a block; the rest show rows of pads on the board. |
| Block Height | City | How tall the blocks stand when the music is quiet. |
| Height Variety | City | How different the resting heights are; at 0 every block stands at the same height. |
| Capacitor Amount | Board Parts | How many of the free plots hold a capacitor. |
| Capacitor Size | Board Parts | How large the capacitors are. |
| Capacitor Rise | Board Parts | How far the music raises the capacitors. |
| Trace Opacity | Board Parts | How strongly the traces show on the board. |
| Trace Width | Board Parts | How wide the traces are. |
| Trace Amount | Board Parts | How many of the board's routes show, for the traces and the tracers. |
| Tracer Speed | Board Parts | How fast the tracers run along the routes. |
| Tracer Length | Board Parts | How long each tracer's tail is. |
| Board Detail | How bright the pads, outlines and traces on the board are. | |
| Pad Brightness | Solder Pads | How bright the solder pads on the empty plots are; 0 hides them. Assign it the bass or the beat to make them pulse with the music. |
| Pad Size | Solder Pads | How large the pads' marks are drawn. |
| Pad Hue | Solder Pads | The pads' hue when Pad Color is Hue; assign it a source to shift the color with the music. |
| Edge Width | Blocks | How thick the lines along the block edges are. |
| Edge Brightness | Blocks | How bright the block edges are. |
| Face Opacity | Blocks | How solid the block faces are; lower lets the edges behind them show through, like glass. |
| Back Edges | Blocks | How bright the far edges of each block show through its faces. |
| Board Opacity | Blocks | How solid the board under the blocks is; lower lets what lies beneath show through, such as the Layered view's other boards. |
| Glow | Blocks | A soft glow around the bright edges, digits and traces. |
| Rise | Music | How far the music raises the blocks. Each column of blocks follows one part of the sound, from the bass to the treble. |
| Roll Time | Music | How long the music takes to roll from the front of the city to the back, in seconds; at 0 every row moves together. |
| Beat Traces | Music | How brightly each beat lights the signal traces along the streets. |
| Orbit Speed | Camera | Turns a minute around the city; below zero the camera circles the other way. |
| Tile Gap | Camera | How wide the gaps between the tiles are; wider gaps clear the plots along their edges. |
| Tile Thickness | Camera | How thick each tile is, so the tiles read as slabs of board with their own edges. |
| Tile Ripple | Camera | How high each beat lifts the tiles, in a wave from the middle of the board outward. At 0 the tiles ignore the beat. |
| Tile Drift | Camera | How far the tiles drift up and down in 3D, each on its own slow phase, carrying their blocks and parts with them. |
| Layer Depth | Camera | How far the layers spread above, below and around the main board. |
| Layer Angle | Camera | How steeply the layers tilt across the main board. |
| Layer Drift | Camera | Turns a minute each layer slowly turns, alternating direction; 0 holds them still. |
| Depth Fog | Camera | How far the deeper parts of the stack fade into the background. |
| Tilt | Camera | How steeply the camera looks down at the city, from near the horizon to straight down. |
| Distance | Camera | How far the camera stands from the city. |
| Field of View | Camera | How wide the camera sees. |
| Travel | Camera | How fast the city glides toward the camera; 0 holds it in place. |
| Ribbon Wave | Ribbons | How far the sound ripples the ribbon lines. |
Settings reference
City
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Density | 0.05–1 | How many plots hold a block; the rest show rows of pads on the board. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Block Height | 0.1–4 | How tall the blocks stand when the music is quiet. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Height Variety | 0–1 | How different the resting heights are; at 0 every block stands at the same height. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Board Parts
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Capacitors | On / Off | Capacitors standing on free plots of the board, rising with their part of the music, their tops lighting as they do. |
| Capacitor Amount | 0–1 | How many of the free plots hold a capacitor. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Capacitor Size | 0.3–1.6 | How large the capacitors are. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Capacitor Rise | 0–6 | How far the music raises the capacitors. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Traces | On / Off | Copper traces that run between plots and turn at right angles, with a pad at each end. |
| Trace Color | Color | Color of the traces and their pads. |
| Trace Opacity | 0–1 | How strongly the traces show on the board. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Trace Width | 0.02–0.4 | How wide the traces are. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Trace Amount | 0–1 | How many of the board's routes show, for the traces and the tracers. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Tracers | On / Off | Bright pulses that run along the routes like data or current, each trailing a fading tail. They run even with the traces hidden. |
| Tracer Color | Color | Color of the tracers. |
| Tracer Speed | 0–6 | How fast the tracers run along the routes. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Tracer Length | 0.05–2 | How long each tracer's tail is. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Digits | LEVEL, RANDOM, OFF | Level stamps each block with how tall it stands; Random deals new digits on the beat; Off leaves the tops plain. |
| Numerals | On / Off | Readouts printed in dots in three squares of the board; each new reading types in line by line from the top. |
| New Numbers Every | 1–16 beats | Beats between new numbers on the board and, with Random digits, on the blocks. |
| Bar Strip | On / Off | A strip of bars printed on the board that follows the sound from the bass to the treble. |
| Board Detail | 0–2 | How bright the pads, outlines and traces on the board are. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Solder Pads
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Pad Brightness | 0–3 | How bright the solder pads on the empty plots are; 0 hides them. Assign it the bass or the beat to make them pulse with the music. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Pad Size | 0.3–2.5 | How large the pads' marks are drawn. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Pad Color | INK, CUSTOM, HUE | Ink colors the pads like the block edges; Custom uses your color; Hue uses Pad Hue, which can follow the music. |
| Pad Custom Color | Color | The pads' color when Pad Color is Custom. |
| Pad Hue | 0–1 | The pads' hue when Pad Color is Hue; assign it a source to shift the color with the music. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Blocks
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Edge Width | 0.005–0.15 | How thick the lines along the block edges are. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Edge Brightness | 0–2 | How bright the block edges are. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Face Opacity | 0–1 | How solid the block faces are; lower lets the edges behind them show through, like glass. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Back Edges | 0–1 | How bright the far edges of each block show through its faces. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Board Opacity | 0–1 | How solid the board under the blocks is; lower lets what lies beneath show through, such as the Layered view's other boards. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Fade | 0.2–1 | How far from the middle the city starts to fade into the background. |
| Glow | 0–1.5 | A soft glow around the bright edges, digits and traces. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Color
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Ink | Color | Color of the block edges, digits, numerals, bars and ribbons. |
| Faces | Color | Color of the block faces. |
| Accent | Color | Color of the signal traces and the tick under each digit. |
| Board | Color | Color of the board under the city. |
Music
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Rise | 0–8 | How far the music raises the blocks. Each column of blocks follows one part of the sound, from the bass to the treble. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Roll Time | 0s–4s | How long the music takes to roll from the front of the city to the back, in seconds; at 0 every row moves together. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Bass Side | LEFT, CENTER | Left puts the bass at the left edge of the city and the treble at the right; Center puts the bass down the middle and the treble at both edges. |
| Beat Traces | 0–3 | How brightly each beat lights the signal traces along the streets. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Audio
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Sensitivity | 0–3 | How strongly the music drives the city. |
| Response | 0–1 | Higher values smooth the reaction to the music; lower values follow every hit. |
Camera
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | ORBIT, CUTS, STILL | Orbit circles the city; Cuts jumps to a new view every few beats and drifts between them; Still holds one view. |
| Orbit Speed | -6–6 | Turns a minute around the city; below zero the camera circles the other way. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Cut Every | 1–32 beats | Beats between cuts to a new view. |
| View | SINGLE, LAYERED | Single shows one board; Layered adds tilted copies of the board that cut through the city at steep angles and sit at other depths, like sheets of a stack, all moving with the same music. |
| Layers | 1–4 | How many board copies the Layered view adds. |
| Layer Look | SOLID, GHOST | Solid cuts the board into opaque tiles with gaps between them, and the layers below take the same tiles, so they show only through the gaps and past the edges. Ghost shows the layers through a see-through board. |
| Arrangement | REPEAT, RANDOM | Repeat stacks the same board again below, a wave of tilt running down through the repeats; Random scatters the layers at their own angles, slowly turning. |
| Board Tiles | 1 × 1, 2 × 1, 2 × 2, 4 × 2, 4 × 4, 8 × 4, 8 × 8 | How the board is cut into tiles, columns by rows. The gaps run down the streets. |
| Tile Gap | 0–2 | How wide the gaps between the tiles are; wider gaps clear the plots along their edges. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Tile Thickness | 0–2 | How thick each tile is, so the tiles read as slabs of board with their own edges. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Tile Ripple | 0–2 | How high each beat lifts the tiles, in a wave from the middle of the board outward. At 0 the tiles ignore the beat. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Layer Vias | On / Off | Copper links through the gaps from each board down to the next, with tracers falling down them like data passing between the layers. They take the trace and tracer colors. |
| Bars On One Tile | On / Off | Packs the bar strip into one square so no gap splits it; the square it leaves fills with blocks. |
| Tile Drift | 0–2 | How far the tiles drift up and down in 3D, each on its own slow phase, carrying their blocks and parts with them. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Layer Depth | 0.2–2 | How far the layers spread above, below and around the main board. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Layer Angle | 0°–90° | How steeply the layers tilt across the main board. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Layer Drift | 0–2 | Turns a minute each layer slowly turns, alternating direction; 0 holds them still. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Depth Fog | 0–1 | How far the deeper parts of the stack fade into the background. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Tilt | 10°–89° | How steeply the camera looks down at the city, from near the horizon to straight down. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Distance | 0.2–1.5 | How far the camera stands from the city. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Field of View | 25°–90° | How wide the camera sees. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
| Travel | 0–3 | How fast the city glides toward the camera; 0 holds it in place. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Ribbons
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Ribbons | 0–6 | How many ribbons of fine lines arc over the city. |
| Ribbon Wave | 0–2 | How far the sound ripples the ribbon lines. Use Assign modulation to choose a source. |
Background
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Background Opacity | 0–1 | How much of the background shows; at 0 only the city draws. |
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
- Start with Blueprint, then try Graphite for white edges on dark glass with red accents, Cut Room for a camera that cuts on the beat, Skyline for tall towers seen from near street level, or Flat Plan for a view straight down onto the board. Mono keeps every line in grays, Ultraviolet glows violet with cyan current in the traces, and Wafer Stack opens the Layered view on solid tiles: a green board with gold pads over copies of itself.
- Decode, Circuit Lab and Scan Trace also set up the FX Rack: a specimen readout over the city from TRACK (with the circuit widgets in Circuit Lab, and a scan line in Scan Trace), film scanlines and darkened corners. Every layer stays editable in the FX Rack, and choosing any other look clears them.
- Raise Rise to let the music lift the blocks further, and lengthen Roll Time so a hit takes longer to travel from the front of the city to the back. Bass Side puts the bass at the left edge or down the middle.
- Choose Cuts under Camera and set Cut Every to jump to a new view every few beats; Orbit Speed, Tilt, Distance and Field of View shape every view.
- Set View to Layered to stack more copies of the board below it. With Layer Look on Solid, the board is cut into opaque tiles (Board Tiles picks the grid, such as 4 × 2), and the copies below take the same tiles, so you see them only through the gaps and past the edges, each board down a step darker with Depth Fog. Tile Thickness turns the tiles into slabs of board with their own edges, Tile Gap widens the gaps and Tile Drift floats each tile up and down with its blocks. Ghost shows the copies through a see-through board instead.
- In Solid, three extras start off: Layer Vias drops copper links through the gaps from each board to the next, with tracers falling down them in the trace and tracer colors; Tile Ripple lifts the tiles in a wave from the middle on every beat; and Bars on One Tile packs the bar strip into one square so no gap splits it.
- Arrangement on Repeat stacks the same board straight below, a wave of tilt running down through the copies; Random scatters them at their own angles, slowly turning. Layers, Layer Depth, Layer Angle and Layer Drift shape the stack, and Depth Fog sinks the deeper copies into the background.
- Use Density, Block Height and Height Variety to build a sparse or crowded city. Every block stands on the board; Rise lifts it with its part of the music.
- Under Print, Digits can read each block's height, deal new digits on the beat or turn off. Numerals, Bar Strip and Board Detail control what is printed on the board.
- Under Solder Pads, Pad Brightness and Pad Size restyle the rows of pads on the empty plots, and Pad Color takes the ink, your own color or a Pad Hue. Assign Pad Brightness the bass or the beat to make the pads pulse, or Pad Hue a source to shift their color with the music.
- Under Board Parts, turn Capacitors, Traces and Tracers on or off one by one. Trace Color, Trace Opacity and Trace Width restyle the copper, Trace Amount sets how many routes show, and Tracer Speed, Tracer Length and Tracer Color shape the current running along them. Tracers keep running with the traces hidden.
- Lower Face Opacity to see through the blocks like glass, raise Back Edges to show their far edges, and use Edge Width and Edge Brightness for finer or bolder lines.
- Lower Glow or Edge Brightness if the city washes out on your screen, and lower Fade to let the city melt into the background sooner.
- Use Background Opacity when layering Silicon City over another source in Studio.