MIDI notes trigger the EG (envelope generator) in the Modulation Sources, which then control the Layer’s alpha. This makes the visuals appear when notes are played.
In this example, we’ll make a shader respond to MIDI input from a MIDI controller. If you don’t have a MIDI controller, you may use one of the included factory MIDI files instead.
Load a Shader Material onto a Layer
Open the Mixer panel and select Layer 1. Double click it to open the Material Browser.
Navigate to Shaders → Factory. You should see a selection of factory visualizers. We’ll use the Wobbly Ring shader for this example.
Enable MIDI Trigger mode
In the Layer Parameters, change the Trigger mode to MIDI. This allows the shader to respond to MIDI note input and display multiple visual “voices.”
Note: The shader will disappear from view. This is expected. It only appears when MIDI notes are played.
Provide MIDI input
If you have a MIDI controller: Connect it and play a few notes. You should see the shader react.
No MIDI controller? Open the Audio Player. Open the browser and load one of the factory demo files. These demos include preloaded MIDI tracks that will trigger visuals when played.
Adjust EGs (Envelope Generators)
Open the EGs tab under Modulation Sources.
Adjust the Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release times to change how the shader appears when you play a note. For instance, high attack and release values will make it fade in slowly while you hold the note, and disappear slowly once you let go. Small values will make it snappy.
Note: These envelopes are triggered by the MIDI notes. EG 1 is assigned to modulate the Layer’s Alpha by default in the Matrix. Removing this modulation will deactivate the reactivity. There are two separate EGs.
Optional: Adjust Layer Input settings
With your Layer selected, open the Input tab in the Layer Properties panel (right side of the interface).
In the MIDI section, you can:
Filter by Channel — useful if you want different layers to respond to different MIDI tracks.
Set Note Range — limit which notes will trigger the shader.
Set Voice Mode to Poly (up to 4 voices shown at once) or Mono (only the most recent note is shown).