Form
The Audio React group lets you use audio tracks to affect the animation of the particle form. Form can extract loudness data from audio files and automatically create keyframes to drive other controls in the plug-in. Form's five Reactors offer controls that let you specify frequency ranges (such as bass, midtone, or treble) that then drive a specific parameter based on the loudness of that frequency range over time.
Audio Layer pop-up
Select the audio layer to use. Note: When working in Windows, we recommend using 44.1 kHz, 16-bit WAV files. These process much faster than other audio formats. MP3 format seems particularly slow. You can use Adobe Audition, QuickTime Player Pro, or another audio processing tool to convert other formats to WAV files.
Example of a Reactor
All five Audio Reactors offer the same set of controls. It's helpful to have multiple controls that can drive different values with the Map To command.
Before we get into the controls, let's look at an example of using Audio Reactor controls. Feel free to adapt with your own files.
Imagine we have an audio layer selected, FIRE_007.wav, as the source file that drives the animation. All Form settings stay at their defaults except those mentioned below.
Reactor 1 is open and the Time Offset is 0.00, making the current playhead time grab the audio sample. Next, we set Frequency and Width to choose a sound band centered at 800 Hz with a width of 75 Hz. This means Form will only listen to a selected midtone range centered around 800 Hz.
Within that specified range, Form will evaluate the loudness and assign a number to drive the Particle Size as designated in the Map To pop-up. In the Particle group, we set the Particle Size to 2. Form computes the loudness, multiplies it by the Strength factor, multiplies that by the Particle Size, then draws each particle at that multiplied size.
The settings for our hypothetical animation.
If Delay Max is set to 0, Form will simply change the Particle Size across the entire grid at that instant in time. But what if we want a ripple effect, or a movement that seems to travel across the grid in time with the music? That's where Delay Direction and Delay Max come in. To create an effect over time, Form must specify where and when the reactor will apply the Particle Size. We set the Delay Direction to move inward (from the outer edges of the form shape in 3D space) over a Delay Max period of 0.2 seconds, which creates a rippling change in the Particle Size.
Whew! It sounds crazy, but these simple steps can let you generate dynamic visuals in just a few seconds.
Map To pop-up
The Audio Reactor can drive other controls in Form. For example, choose Particle Size from the Map To menu to alter the current Particle Size setting in the Particle group. To define which controls will be affected, choose from the pop-up menu.
Time Offset [sec]: Adjusts the timing of the Reactor. Time Offset basically slides the time sampling forward or backward from the current Timeline indicator.
Frequency: Defines the active frequency for the Reactor. For example, roughly 50-500 Hz is the bass, 500-5000 Hz is the midrange, and above 5000 Hz are the highs/trebles.
Width: Defines how wide the Frequency response is that Form uses to sample audio loudness. A Width of 100 means the Frequency is wide. A Width of 1 is a very narrow, specific Frequency response. To select only the sound from a bass drum, for instance, you would want to select a low Frequency and a relatively narrow Width.
Threshold: This value is subtracted from the output so that a minimum level is required for any visible effect. Threshold is useful when dealing with a lot of background noise in a recording or wide-frequency sounds that interfere with the desired sounds.
Strength: Defines how strong the effect is and functions as a multiplier of the property selected in the Map To pop-up. Large Strength values can cause huge image changes, so use this control carefully.
Since this value is a multiplier, you will need to set some value in the control that the Reactor is affecting. For example, if the Map To is set to the Disperse value, you'll need to set a Disperse value that is greater than 0.
Strength Over pop-up: Sets the axis for how the Strength Curve will map over the Form. This allows you to selectively choose which form areas will be affected by the Audio Reactors. See the Using Curves page for more information.
Strength Curve: Allows you to control the strength of the audio reaction across the form. See the Using Curves page for more information.
Strength Curve Offset: Universally adjusts all values of the Strength Curve and allows you to animate the curve's values. See the Using Curves page for more info about curves.
Delay Direction pop-up: Lets you select the direction in which the audio reactor delay travels or ripples through the form. This is used together with the Delay Max control to allow the system to generate a traveling animation that is offset in the chosen direction over the period set by Delay Max.
This example shows an X Left to Right Reactor used to drive Disperse with a Delay Max of 0.25 seconds. From left to right: no dispersion, dispersion starts on the left, dispersion moves across midpoint, dispersion completes one traversal in 0.25 seconds.
Delay Max: Defines the length of the delay buffer, which is the maximum time a sound stays "visible" as it ripples in the Delay Direction option chosen above.
X/Y/Z Mid: Defines the position in 3D space inside the particle grid where the sound is first/last seen. This is the point sounds ripple from or toward. This is active for the Delay Directions of Outwards and Inwards.