Visualizers are special shaders designed to directly respond to audio input, unlike regular shaders which can only be controlled by modulators (like AMs or LFOs).
Important Note: Some visualizers are waveform-based, while others are spectrum-based. The factory visualizers are named accordingly, including ‘waveform’ or ‘spectrum’ in their names. The difference between them is that waveform visualizers will display the audio waveform, while spectrum visualizers display the frequency data (FFT bins).
The Buffer Size control under Layer Properties → Input applies only to waveform shaders. It controls how much of the waveform is shown, up to 2 seconds. It has no effect on spectrum visualizers.
Likewise, the Spectrum Speed control applies only to spectrum visualizers, and controls how quickly the visual reacts to incoming audio. It has no effect on waveform visualizers.
For this example, we’ve used a spectrum-based visualizer. Explore both types and the Buffer Size / Spectrum Speed controls to understand them better.
Visualizers, like regular shaders, may also have additional parameters — position, height, etc. These can still be modulated through the Matrix. See Loading your track and making visuals react to it for more details on how to use the Matrix.
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