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Guides on audio-reactive visuals.
Practical guides on audio-reactive visuals in Ableton Live, and the science of people who see sound. For quick definitions, the glossary covers 169 terms from FFT to lumia, and the software map plots the main visuals programs.
- SUPPORT
How to update Photism
Every update is free. Open the download link from your purchase email, install the new build over the old one, and you are current. Lost the link? Get it re-sent.
- BLOG
Introducing Tactism: every dial in Ableton, on your hands
Tactism Modulate is out. A Max for Live device that maps hand gestures onto any parameter in Ableton Live, using the webcam you already have. $19.
- GUIDE
How to control Ableton Live with hand gestures
Use your webcam to move any dial in Ableton Live. Install Tactism, map a pinch to a filter, shape the response, save a rig. The full setup, step by step.
- BLOG
Five hand gesture mappings to try first in Ableton Live
Pinch a filter, raise a reverb, clench a mute. Five Tactism mappings for Ableton Live that sound good on the first try, with the range and curve for each.
- BLOG
How to map Serum, Vital or any plugin to hand gestures in Ableton
Plugin knobs are hidden from Max for Live until Live knows about them. Two ways to map Serum, Vital or any VST or AU to Tactism hand gestures.
- BLOG
Tips for performing live with hand gestures in Ableton
Light, framing, holding a sound, recording, and what to rehearse. Practical tips for playing Ableton Live with Tactism hand control on stage or on camera.
- BLOG
Why Tactism is a Max for Live device and not a VST plugin
A VST plugin can only move its own knobs. Max for Live can reach every dial in an Ableton set. Why Tactism needs Live Suite, and what that buys you.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to Ableton Live
Three ways to get audio-reactive visuals out of Ableton Live, with VST3 setup steps for Live Standard, Intro, and Lite, where Max for Live is not installed.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to Mixcraft
Add audio-reactive visuals in Acoustica Mixcraft 10 with a VST3 visualizer on the Master Track, then record a music video and layer it over footage, step by step.
- GUIDE
3D logo file formats: GLB, USDZ, OBJ and STL explained
Which 3D file to use for your logo. GLB for most apps and the web, USDZ for iPhone AR, OBJ for older software, STL for 3D printing, plus PNG renders and SVG.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to Bitwig Studio
How to add audio-reactive visuals to Bitwig Studio with a VST3 visualizer on the Master track, plus automation and modulators to change the look.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to Cubase
Two ways to get video out of Cubase, the Video track for scoring to picture and a VST3 visualizer on the Stereo Out, with the steps for each.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to GarageBand
Two ways to put a GarageBand song on video, the Movie track and an Audio Unit visualizer on the master track, with the steps for each.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to Logic Pro
Two ways to work with video in Logic Pro, the Movie track for scoring to picture and a visualizer Audio Unit on the Stereo Out, with the steps for each.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to LUNA
How to get audio-reactive visuals out of LUNA with a visualizer plugin on the Main Output track, as an Audio Unit on a Mac or a VST3 on Windows.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to Maschine
How to get audio-reactive visuals out of Maschine with a VST3 or Audio Unit visualizer on the Master, and record your beat as a video, step by step.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to MPC
Get audio-reactive visuals out of the Akai MPC desktop software with a VST3 visualizer on the main output, with the steps to scan, load, and record.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to Pro Tools
Pro Tools hosts AAX only, so audio-reactive visuals run in the Photism app beside it. Route the mix with BlackHole or a loopback and record the video.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to REAPER
Two ways to get audio-reactive visuals out of REAPER, the Video processor and a VST3 visualizer on the Master, with the steps for each.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to Reason
How to get audio-reactive visuals out of Reason with a VST3 visualizer in the Master Section, record the video, and change scenes from the sequencer.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to Cakewalk Sonar
Two ways to add visuals in Cakewalk Sonar, formerly Cakewalk by BandLab, its video track for scoring and a VST3 visualizer on the Master bus, with steps for each.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to Studio One (Fender Studio Pro)
Audio-reactive visuals in Studio One, now Fender Studio Pro, with a VST3 visualizer on the Main Out, plus where the Video Track fits, with the steps for each.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to Tracktion Waveform
Two ways to put visuals in Tracktion Waveform, its video window and a VST3 visualizer on the master track, with the steps for each.
- GUIDE
How to put your logo in your music visuals
Three ways to put your artist logo in audio-reactive visuals with Photism: refracted into the patterns, as the source image, or as a 3D logo on a turntable.
- GUIDE
How to make a 3D logo from a PNG or SVG
Turn a flat PNG or SVG logo into a 3D model in a few minutes. What file to start from, how depth and bevels work, and which 3D files to export.
- GUIDE
How to make a chrome logo for album art and merch
Make a 3D chrome logo from your PNG or SVG. Why chrome looks the way it does, which edges catch the light, and how to get transparent renders for your artwork.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to FL Studio
Two ways to get audio-reactive visuals out of FL Studio, ZGameEditor Visualizer and a VST3 visualizer on the Master, with the steps for each.
- GUIDE
How to send Photism into Resolume, OBS or TouchDesigner with Syphon and Spout
Photism outputs Syphon on Mac and Spout on Windows. Five steps to get audio-reactive visuals into Resolume, OBS, VDMX or TouchDesigner as a live source.
- GUIDE
The 28 best music visualizer software tools in 2026
Every music visualizer worth running in 2026, ranked by a published score. Prices, platforms, and the job each one is good at.
- GUIDE
The 18 best music visualizer software tools under $50 in 2026
Eighteen music visualizers that cost $50 or less. The two worth paying for, sixteen that are free, and the exact catch on each one.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to live guitar
Feed a guitar, pedalboard, or amp mic straight into Photism with no DAW and no routing tricks. Setup for direct input, modelers, and looper rigs.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to vocals
Turn any microphone into audio-reactive visuals with Photism. No DAW, no plugin host, just a mic and a browser tab.
- GUIDE
How to add visuals to rekordbox
Route rekordbox, Serato, or any DJ software into audio-reactive visuals using a free virtual audio device. Full macOS and Windows walkthrough.
- GUIDE
Synesthesia examples: what it is actually like
Real, documented examples of synesthesia: what letters, music, and words actually look, taste, and feel like to the people who have it.
- GUIDE
Types of synesthesia: the full list
Every documented type of synesthesia, organized by trigger: color forms, spatial forms, taste and touch forms, and the rare ones, with what each is like.
- GUIDE
The best Ableton Live visualizers in 2026
Every real way to run a visualizer inside Ableton Live, compared. Max for Live devices, video engines, and external apps, with honest tradeoffs.
- GUIDE
DJ visuals software: what actually works in 2026
The software DJs run for visuals, organized by setup. CDJs, Serato, Rekordbox, or Ableton, with what each option costs you in money and plumbing.
- GLOSSARY
What is a photism?
A photism is an involuntary visual sensation triggered by sound. The term comes from 19th-century synesthesia research. Definition, history, examples.
- GLOSSARY
What is chromesthesia?
Chromesthesia is sound-to-color synesthesia, where hearing music produces involuntary colors and shapes. How it works, who has it, how it is verified.