AcusMagic has launched Figura, and this thing turns live audio into moving patterns shaped by sound. It works as both a plugin and a separate app. Music makers can watch their tracks take shape, while stage acts and visual artists can put the results on a big screen.
Three display styles give it some range. Sand draws the shapes that grains make on a plate as it shakes. Liquid creates ripples with light effects, while Lissajous maps left and right audio channels into curves that users can view in 3D.
Here's the nerdy bit. Figura does not just make shapes dance when a kick hits. Its physics model uses as many as 32 sound partials to drive natural modes of motion. Studio works with a tight, rigid sheet, while Lab models a plate with free edges using Kirchhoff-Love theory.
Lab gets quite deep, for anyone into that stuff. Plate size, mass density, depth, stiffness, and Poisson's ratio all help set the result. Grains settle where motion stops, much like classic Chladni tests. Change the plate's form, build, or pull, and the same audio can make a new design.
And the sound itself stays intact under the stock setup. Figura can sit on a single mixer track, an audio bus, or the final mix output without changing what anyone hears.
Live use gets a nice perk. Figura Live can send its visuals to a second display or projector, even with its main control panel shut. Users can also save pictures at sizes as large as 4096 pixels or record MP4 clips in 4K with sound.
Automation is covered as well. All 93 controls can respond to commands from a DAW, which gives producers a way to change the visuals as a song plays. The separate app also handles audio from other sources, with no music production software required.
As for the damage to the wallet, Figura Studio costs €59. The Live edition goes for €75 and adds the extra display feature. Windows and macOS users get VST3 and CLAP support, while Mac users also have AU and AAX options. Anyone keen to try it first can grab the free demo.
Three display styles give it some range. Sand draws the shapes that grains make on a plate as it shakes. Liquid creates ripples with light effects, while Lissajous maps left and right audio channels into curves that users can view in 3D.
Here's the nerdy bit. Figura does not just make shapes dance when a kick hits. Its physics model uses as many as 32 sound partials to drive natural modes of motion. Studio works with a tight, rigid sheet, while Lab models a plate with free edges using Kirchhoff-Love theory.
Lab gets quite deep, for anyone into that stuff. Plate size, mass density, depth, stiffness, and Poisson's ratio all help set the result. Grains settle where motion stops, much like classic Chladni tests. Change the plate's form, build, or pull, and the same audio can make a new design.
And the sound itself stays intact under the stock setup. Figura can sit on a single mixer track, an audio bus, or the final mix output without changing what anyone hears.
Live use gets a nice perk. Figura Live can send its visuals to a second display or projector, even with its main control panel shut. Users can also save pictures at sizes as large as 4096 pixels or record MP4 clips in 4K with sound.
Automation is covered as well. All 93 controls can respond to commands from a DAW, which gives producers a way to change the visuals as a song plays. The separate app also handles audio from other sources, with no music production software required.
As for the damage to the wallet, Figura Studio costs €59. The Live edition goes for €75 and adds the extra display feature. Windows and macOS users get VST3 and CLAP support, while Mac users also have AU and AAX options. Anyone keen to try it first can grab the free demo.
