Sources Reference
This page lists all 30 built-in source types in FXCanvas, in alphabetical order. macOS excludes three of them. Each source has a table of its parameters, ranges, and defaults. For an overview of sources, and how to use them, see the Sources guide.
Shared source controls (Speed, Direction, Opacity)
Three controls belong to the engine, and not to one single source. FXCanvas pins them above the parameters of the source:
- Speed: a 0.0 – 10.0x multiplier on the authored rate of the source, default 1.0x. It multiplies with the global Speed knob in the Live panel, so 1.0x always means "this source as authored". A source with no continuous motion of its own has no Speed control. These are the beat-synced sources.
- Direction: degrees of travel over a full circle, 0 – 360. The content moves toward the angle, 0 = right, 90 = down, 180 = left, 270 = up. Only a source that travels has this control, and each one has its own default. The table for that source gives the default.
- Opacity: 0.0 – 1.0, default 1.0. Every source has one.
The table for each source lists its Speed control and its Direction control, so you can read every default in one place.
Beat-synced controls (Every, envelope, phase, Color Map)
The BPM sources all share one beat engine: Bounce, Bricks, Chase, Explosion, Flash, Ripple Pop, Shape Expand, Shockwave, and Sweep. The controls of that engine appear on every one of these sources. This page describes them one time here, and the table for each source lists only its own parameters.
- Every — the retrigger period. It sets how often the source fires again. The period snaps to musical values (1/4 beat, 1/2 beat, 1 beat, 3/2 beats, 2 beats, 3 beats, 1 bar, 2 bars, 4 bars).
- Envelope — an editable curve that shapes the intensity across each Every window. FXCanvas draws the curve over a beat grid. Preset chips give the classic shapes (Sine, Triangle, Saw, Ramp, Square, Pulse, Random). You can also drag the points to build your own curve.
- Phase — moves the window against the beat. Drag the slider to move the window. You can also type a value from 0 to 359 degrees in the field beside it. An Inv chip inverts the phase.
- Color Map — how the source takes colors from the palette on each hit. Space uses the position in the frame. Energy starts the hit at the hot end and decays down the palette. Cycle sweeps the palette across the window. Beat Step moves one palette color forward on each retrigger.
The same strip holds a play and pause control for the animation.
Bars
Bars scrolls horizontal, vertical, or diagonal bar patterns across the canvas.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Scroll speed |
| Direction | float | 0 – 360 | 0 | Scroll direction in degrees (0 = right, 90 = down). The bars run perpendicular to it |
| Count | int | 2 – 12 | 4 | Number of bars |
| Thickness | float | 0.1 – 1.0 | 1.0 | Bar width within its slot. At 1.0 the bars touch. Below 1.0 a black gap opens between them |
| Softness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.5 | Edge softness. At 0 the edges are hard. At 1 the bars blend fully into their neighbors |
| Wave Amount | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.0 | Amount of wave distortion |
Each bar takes the next color from the palette. An n-color palette therefore repeats every n bars, at any Count.
Blobs
Blobs draws raymarched metaballs with refraction and palette colors.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Animation speed |
| Zoom | float | 1.0 – 4.0 | 2.0 | Camera zoom level |
| Refraction | float | 1.0 – 2.0 | 1.33 | Index of refraction (glass-like effect) |
| Blob Count | int | 1 – 10 | 3 | Number of metaballs |
| Blob Size | float | 0.5 – 2.0 | 1.0 | Size of the metaballs |
| Spread | float | 0.3 – 2.0 | 1.0 | How far apart the blobs move |
| Absorption | float | 0.0 – 0.2 | 0.05 | Color absorption inside the blob |
| Rotate X | float | -1.0 – 1.0 | 0.3 | Camera rotation around X axis |
| Rotate Y | float | -1.0 – 1.0 | 0.0 | Camera rotation around Y axis |
Bounce
Bounce drops a ball that strikes the floor on each beat window. The ball squashes, rebounds, and makes a flash at the impact. Bounce is beat-synced — see Beat-synced controls.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball Size | float | 0.02 – 0.25 | 0.08 | Radius of the bouncing disc |
| Bounce Height | float | 0.1 – 0.8 | 0.55 | How high the ball rebounds above the floor |
| Squash | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.5 | Squash-and-stretch amount as the ball hits the floor |
| Floor | float | 0.5 – 0.95 | 0.8 | Floor line position on screen (top to bottom) |
| Impact Spread | float | 0.05 – 1.0 | 0.35 | Horizontal reach of the floor flash on the strike |
| Ball Brightness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.85 | How bright the ball is. This value is constant, because the ball is a solid object. It does not pulse with the beat, and the floor flash carries the hit |
Bricks
Bricks draws a brick-wall grid. The bricks strike on the beat, and they go dark between the hits. Bricks is beat-synced — see Beat-synced controls.
| Parameter | Type | Range/Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | enum | Cell Flash, Row Chase, Column Chase, Wall | Cell Flash | Cell Flash wipes a ragged dissolve front across the grid on each hit. Row Chase and Column Chase sweep one line across the grid on each hit. Wall is the legacy wash that stays lit |
| Wipe | enum | Right, Left, Down, Up, Radial | Right | Cell Flash: which way the dissolve front travels |
| Edge | float | 0.05 – 1.0 | 0.3 | Cell Flash: width of the ragged band the front dissolves through. Low is an almost clean edge, high scatters the bricks across the whole sweep |
| Columns | int | 2 – 20 | 8 | Number of brick columns |
| Rows | int | 2 – 16 | 6 | Number of brick rows |
| Gap | float | 0.0 – 0.2 | 0.05 | Mortar gap between bricks |
| Roundness | float | 0.0 – 0.5 | 0.1 | Corner roundness of bricks |
| Color Layout | enum | Sequential, Checkerboard, Random, Diagonal, Radial | Sequential | How the source distributes the palette colors across the grid |
Chase
Chase is the classic lighting-console chase. A lit runner crosses the whole bar of segments one time per beat window, and it drags a glowing tail behind it. You can point the runner at any angle. The envelope carries the runner from end to end, then snaps it back on the hit. Chase is beat-synced — see Beat-synced controls.
| Parameter | Type | Range/Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direction | float | 0 – 360 | 0 | Which way the runner travels, in degrees (0 = right, 90 = down) |
| Segments | int | 2 – 32 | 8 | Number of segments (cells) in the bar |
| Ping-Pong | enum | Off, On | Off | Reverses the runner on each hit, instead of one constant direction |
| Tail | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.35 | Wake behind the runner. Each segment keeps this fraction of the segment ahead of it, so a higher value smears the wake further back. At 1.0 the pass reads as a progressive fill |
| Softness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.25 | Feathers the edges of each lit segment |
| Gap | float | 0.0 – 0.5 | 0.1 | Insets each segment and leaves a dark gap between the cells |
Clouds
Clouds draws soft fractal cloud cover that drifts. The density maps onto the palette for a slow ambient sky wash.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Drift speed |
| Scale | float | 0.6 – 4.0 | 1.0 | Cloud feature size |
| Direction | float | 0 – 360 | 30 | Drift direction in degrees |
| Coverage | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.5 | Amount of cloud against open sky |
| Detail | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.5 | Fine high-frequency structure |
| Softness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.6 | Palette transition softness |
Curvature
Curvature traces a 3D parametric curve in glowing line segments. The color follows how tightly the curve bends, so the palette runs from the straight runs to the tightest turns. Curvature is based on the curvature shader by Inigo Quilez.
Windows only — not available on macOS. See FXCanvas on macOS.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Animation speed |
| Curve Scale | float | 0.5 – 2.0 | 1.0 | Size of the curve |
| Glow Intensity | float | 0.5 – 3.0 | 1.0 | Brightness of the glow effect |
| Line Width | float | 0.2 – 1.5 | 1.0 | Thickness of the curve |
| Camera Distance | float | 2.0 – 6.0 | 3.5 | Distance from the curve |
| Color Spread | float | 2.0 – 80.0 | 20.0 | Which curvature sits at the middle of the palette. Low puts the whole palette on the gentle bends. High spreads it out to the tightest turns |
| Orbit | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.35 | Camera orbit rate around the curve. 0 holds a fixed viewpoint |
Data Patterns
Data Patterns streams rows of lit cells past in ragged runs, and each row has its own speed. Run Length sets the length of a packet of cells. Trail fades the brightness and the color back from the leading edge. Polar Mode wraps the rows into rings that rotate.
At Speed 1.0 a row crosses the frame in 4 seconds, independent of Cells, Rows and Direction.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Animation speed (1.0 = one frame crossing every 4 s) |
| Direction | float | 0 – 360 | 0 | Travel direction in degrees (0 = right, 90 = down) |
| Cells | float | 4.0 – 44.0 | 12.0 | Cells across the frame along the stream (spokes per turn in Polar Mode) |
| Rows | float | 3.0 – 56.0 | 32.0 | Rows across the frame (rings in Polar Mode) |
| Density | float | 0.1 – 1.0 | 0.42 | How much of each row is lit, from scattered cells to a solid field |
| Run Length | float | 1.0 – 12.0 | 5.0 | Mean length of a lit run, in cells |
| Trail | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.45 | How far the brightness and the color fall away behind the leading cell of a run |
| Thickness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.5 | Bar depth as a fraction of the row pitch (1 closes the rows) |
| Softness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.2 | Feather on the row edges (0 = cut, 1 = fully graded) |
| Scatter | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.7 | Spread of scroll speed between rows |
| Polar Mode | bool | — | false | Wraps the rows into concentric rings that rotate |
| Origin | point2D | 0.0 – 1.0 (X/Y) | (0.5, 0.5) | Center of the rings in Polar Mode. In linear mode it shifts the phase of the pattern |
Drift
Drift shows regions of color that push against each other and drift like ink in water. Each zone takes one color from the palette and holds its own territory. The borders billow and rearrange as the field travels along Direction.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Multiplier on the authored rate. At 1x a territory crosses the frame width in about 60 s, and its neighbor replaces it in about 12 s |
| Direction | float | 0 – 360 | 30 | Degrees of travel (0 = right, 90 = down) |
| Scale | float | 0.4 – 2.5 | 1.0 | Size of each color territory — 0.4 is a fine mottle, 2.5 is a handful of broad regions |
| Blend | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.3 | Width of the seam where two territories meet — 0 is a cut border, 1 is a broad crossfade |
| Zones | int | 2 – 6 | 4 | How many color territories compete for the frame |
| Detail | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.5 | Fine structure on the borders — sweeps from smooth lobes to wispy tendrils |
| Palette Spread | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.6 | How much of the palette each territory ranges across — 0 gives every zone one flat color, 1 lets neighboring gradients meet |
Presets: Slow Tide (broad soft regions that slide right), Cut Patches (two flat colors with hard borders), Shifting Ground (mid-size territories with cut edges that move fast), Marbled Ink (fine brush-stroke marble in six colors), Rising Mist (soft low-contrast haze that travels up).
Explosion
Explosion fires bursts on each beat window at random locations. A trail of past bursts decays behind them. Explosion is beat-synced — see Beat-synced controls.
| Parameter | Type | Range/Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Particle Mode | enum | Fireworks, Blob | Fireworks | Explosion style |
| Trail Length | int | 1 – 8 | 4 | How many past bursts stay on screen as a decaying trail |
| Location Randomness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.3 | How much locations vary (0 = center only, 1 = full screen) |
| Decay Speed | float | 0.15 – 2.0 | 0.5 | How quickly bursts fade across retrigger windows (higher = shorter trails) |
| Burst Size | float | 0.2 – 2.0 | 0.8 | Maximum size of each burst |
| Particle Density | float | 4 – 24 | 12 | Number of particle rays per burst |
| Intensity | float | 0.1 – 3.0 | 1.0 | Brightness of explosions |
| Softness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.6 | Edge softness |
| Rotation | float | -1.0 – 1.0 | 0.0 | Spin speed as the particles expand |
| Twist | float | -1.0 – 1.0 | 0.0 | Amount of spiral twist |
Fire
Fire replaces the former Flames source. A saved show that refers to Flames loads as Fire, and Body 1.0 gives the old look.
Fire draws fire, from one contained flame to a full-frame turbulent wall. Domain-warped 3D simplex noise rises through an analytic flame mask, and every flame starts at the bottom of the frame. Body spans the whole range. At 1.0 you get separate flames on transparency, and at 0.0 the mask opens into an edge-to-edge blaze. Heat maps onto the palette from the cold outer edge to the hot core. A fire, lava, or sunset palette therefore reads as classic flames, and any other palette reads as stylized fire.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Animation rate. At 1.0 the fire climbs about half the frame height per second |
| Body | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.3 | 0 = a full-frame wall of fire, 1 = separate contained flames |
| Count | int | 1 – 6 | 1 | How many flames stand across the frame — size is independent of this |
| Scale | float | 0.2 – 1.6 | 0.55 | Flame height, and with it the size of the noise features |
| Width | float | 0.25 – 1.8 | 0.6 | Horizontal spread of each flame |
| Sway | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.35 | How far the flame leans side to side. The lean grows toward the tip |
| Turbulence | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.45 | Finer structure and stronger curl together — 0 is smooth tongues, and 1 roils |
| Flicker | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.35 | Depth of the brightness pulse — the outline pulses with it |
| Heat | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.5 | Where the palette sits — low keeps the hot colors in the core, high floods the body |
| Softness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.35 | Edge falloff of the flame (0 = cut, 1 = feathered) |
Presets: Wall of Fire, Coal Bed, Blown Torch, Candle Row, Lone Flame, Pilot Light.
Flash
Flash pops the full frame with palette color on each beat window. It is the distilled lighting hit, and it stays dark between the hits. Flash is beat-synced — see Beat-synced controls.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vignette | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.0 | Darkens the edges radially for a center-weighted pop (0 = flat full-frame) |
| Grain | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.0 | Per-pixel shimmer scaled by the hit energy, re-seeded on each hit (0 = clean) |
Flow
Flow travels bands of palette color along a heading. A noise field streams with the bands, and it bends and buckles their fronts. At 1.0x a color front crosses the frame in about 10 s, and every point cycles the whole palette every 5 s.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Animation speed. At 1.0 a color front takes ~10 s to cross the frame at the default Scale |
| Direction | float | 0 – 360 | 0 | Direction of travel in degrees (0 = right, 90 = down). The bands, the noise and the fine ripples all travel this way |
| Scale | float | 0.5 – 6.0 | 2.0 | How many palette sweeps fit across the frame. Low is a few broad fronts, and high is fine stripes |
| Warp | float | 0.12 – 1.0 | 0.45 | How hard the noise bends the color fronts. 0.12 is an almost straight sweep, and 1 buckles the fronts like a liquid |
| Complexity | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.5 | Octave count and noise frequency together. Low is long smooth curves, and high is fine ripple detail on the fronts |
| Softness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.4 | Shape of the color fronts. 0 is flat color blocks with cut edges, and 1 is a straight linear gradient |
| Breathing | float | 0.0 – 0.5 | 0.08 | Slow swell of the band spacing, ~13 s per breath at 1.0x, centered on the frame |
Gradient
Gradient travels one straight palette ramp across the rig. It is the simplest wash: no seam, no cells, no noise, and a linear blend between the palette colors. At 1.0x the pattern crosses the frame in about 6.6 s at any Spread.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Animation speed. At 1.0 the wash takes ~6.6 s to cross the frame, at any Spread |
| Direction | float | 0 – 360 | 0 | Direction of travel in degrees (0 = right, 90 = down) |
| Spread | float | 0.25 – 4.0 | 1.0 | How many times the palette repeats across the frame. Below 1.0 only part of the palette is on screen at one time. 4.0 is a tight color ladder |
Lighthouse
Lighthouse puts a lamp at the center of the frame. The lamp throws one, two, or four wedges of light that rotate together and reach out into darkness. Each beam carries its own color from the palette.
| Parameter | Type | Range/Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotation | enum | Counter-Clockwise, Clockwise | Counter-Clockwise | Which way the beams sweep. Speed cannot be negative, so this setting reverses them |
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Animation speed. At 1.0 a full revolution takes 10 s, so a Double Beam passes a given point every 5 s |
| Beam Mode | enum | Single Beam, Double Beam, Quad Beam | Double Beam | How many beams the lamp throws, evenly spaced around the circle |
| Beam Width | float | 0.06 – 0.98 | 0.3 | Angular width of each beam as a fraction of its share of the circle, so it means the same at any beam count. At 1.0 the beams touch edge to edge |
| Beam Softness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.5 | How gradually a beam fades from its spine to its edge (0 = a cut wedge, 1 = a spine with no flat core) |
| Reach | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.7 | How far the light gets before it is fully dark. 0 is a tight pool at the lamp. 0.7 dies exactly at the corners, and 1 fills the frame |
| Lamp Glow | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.3 | Haze the lamp spills between the beams. 0 is beams on darkness, and 1 is beams on a lit pool |
| Color By | enum | Beam, Sweep, Distance | Beam | Beam gives every beam its own color from the palette. Sweep colors the room in fixed sectors that the beams reveal. Distance ramps the palette from the lamp out to the edge |
| Color Scale | float | 0.5 – 3.0 | 1.0 | How many times the palette repeats across the sweep, or from the lamp to the edge in Distance |
Octopus
Octopus coils arms out of a core that breathes. The arms writhe as they travel. A radial wave bends them sideways, and pulses run outward along their length to swell and brighten them. The core inflates and dims on its own slower cycle.
| Parameter | Type | Range/Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotation | enum | Counter-Clockwise, Clockwise | Counter-Clockwise | Mirrors the whole figure. This reverses the rotation and the coil |
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Animation speed. At 1.0 one arm sweeps past a given point every 3.6 s (a full revolution takes 29 s at 8 arms) |
| Tentacles | int | 2 – 16 | 8 | Number of arms |
| Swirl | float | 0.0 – 3.0 | 0.9 | Turns of coil per unit radius. 0 gives straight spokes |
| Wiggle | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.6 | How far the arms undulate sideways as they travel outward |
| Thickness | float | 0.08 – 0.85 | 0.35 | Arm width as a fraction of the spacing between arms |
| Softness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.35 | Edge falloff of the arms (0 = cut, 1 = feathered) |
| Glow | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.35 | Halo that fills the gaps between the arms. 0 is arms on darkness, and 1 is a lit disc |
| Center | point2D | 0.0 – 1.0 (X/Y) | (0.5, 0.5) | Where the core sits in the frame |
| Edge Fade | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.0 | Vignette. Any value above 0 reaches darkness exactly at the frame edge, and a higher value starts the fade further in |
Oncoming
Oncoming raises glowing bars, discs, or hexagons out of a horizon. They sweep down past the viewer in perspective, and each element takes its own color from the palette. Oncoming is based on a shader by XorDev. Oncoming replaces the former Rainbow Road source. A saved show that refers to Rainbow Road loads as Oncoming.
Windows only — not available on macOS. See FXCanvas on macOS.
| Parameter | Type | Range/Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shape | enum | Bar, Disc, Hexagon | Bar | Element silhouette |
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Animation speed. At 1.0 an element takes about 4.8 s to travel from the horizon to the bottom edge |
| Count | int | 2 – 16 | 10 | How many elements are in the stack. They always fill the depth run evenly |
| Size | float | 0.15 – 1.6 | 0.38 | Element size, from small markers to elements that overrun the frame |
| Sway | float | 0.0 – 2.5 | 1.0 | How far the stack snakes side to side. 0 holds a straight, level column |
| Glow | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.22 | Halo spread around each element. Low is a hard edge, and high is a soft bloom |
| Brightness | float | 0.3 – 2.2 | 1.0 | Exposure of the whole stack |
| Color Spread | float | 0.15 – 3.0 | 1.0 | How much of the palette one full stack traverses. Low is two-tone, and high cycles the palette several times |
Presets: Level Rungs (six crisp bars in a straight centered ladder), Fast Lane (sixteen tilted streaks that drive past), Broad Bands (huge soft color bands that fill the frame), Stepping Stones (a chain of glowing discs that wanders), Honeycomb Run (hexagons that descend through the whole palette).
Plasma
Plasma interferes coherent waves into a regular standing lattice. It superposes eight waves of equal wavelength on evenly spaced axes. The frame therefore carries repeating cells, nodal lines, and contour rings, and not the irregular structure of the noise-based washes (Clouds, Drift, Flow). Plasma is a full-frame ambient source, and every pixel carries palette color, so it lights a whole rig.
The whole lattice drifts along Direction while the individual waves beat against each other. At Speed 1.0 the pattern crosses the frame in about 11.5 seconds horizontally and 6.5 seconds vertically, and the fastest wave beats once every 6.9 seconds.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Rate the lattice drifts and beats. 1.0 crosses the frame in about 11.5 seconds |
| Direction | float | 0 – 360 | 0 | Which way the lattice travels, in degrees (0 = right, 90 = down). It also sets the grain of the wave axes |
| Scale | float | 1.0 – 8.0 | 3.5 | Wave cycles across the frame height. 1 is a few huge color zones for a wide rig. 8 is a fine mosaic |
| Complexity | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.0 | How many wave axes interfere. 0 is two axes and a plain square lattice. 1 is eight axes and a quasiperiodic rosette |
| Ripple | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.3 | Wavefront shape. 0 is straight plane waves. 1 puts the emitters near the frame center, so the frame becomes concentric rings |
| Softness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.45 | How wide the blend is where one color band meets the next. 0 is cut contour edges (still antialiased), 1 is a continuous gradient |
Presets: Standing Grid (a huge soft diamond checkerboard that drifts down), Pond Rings (broad concentric rings that rise up the frame), Hard Panes (flat cut-edged color cells), Rolling Rings (nested rings with a moiré across them), Fine Mosaic (a fine crisp symmetric mosaic that travels diagonally).
Pulse
Pulse travels concentric color rings outward from a center you can move, and the rings breathe in and out. Pulse is a full-frame ambient wash. Every pixel carries palette color, so it lights a whole rig and not single shapes.
The rings travel at a constant rate at any density. At Speed 1.0 a ring front takes 2.5 seconds to reach the top or bottom edge from a centered origin. It takes 5.1 seconds to reach a corner.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Rate the rings travel outward. 1.0 is 5.1 seconds from the center to a corner |
| Rings | float | 1.0 – 8.0 | 3.0 | How many times the palette repeats from the center out to the frame corner. 1 is one broad radial wash, 8 is tight concentric banding. It does not change how fast the rings travel |
| Softness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.75 | How wide the blend is where one color ring meets the next. 0 is cut edges (still antialiased), 1 is a continuous gradient with no visible boundary |
| Center | point2D | 0.0 – 1.0 (X/Y) | (0.5, 0.5) | Origin the rings travel out from |
| Breathing | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.25 | Depth of the slow in-and-out pump of the whole ring field. One breath every 10 seconds at Speed 1.0. When Speed stops, the pump stops |
Presets: Wide Halo (one huge soft color halo that spreads from the middle), Bullseye (bold flat-edged concentric rings), Tight Ripples (fast fine ripples that stream out), Corner Swell (broad arcs from an off-center origin, with a deep breath), Ground Swell (crisp arcs that rise from a low origin).
Rain
Rain travels streaks of palette color in any direction, without a stop. Each droplet takes its own color from the palette, and a new lane on every pass. The shower therefore remixes all the time, and it does not settle into fixed colored columns. From Beat Engine v2 this source is continuous, and not beat-synced.
Droplets composite over the content below them, so the gaps are empty and not tinted. At Speed 1.0 a droplet crosses the frame in exactly one second, at any Direction and any Length.
| Parameter | Type | Range/Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Screen traverses per second |
| Shape | enum | Circle, Diamond, Hexagon, Triangle, Streak | Streak | Droplet outline |
| Blend Mode | enum | Normal, Additive, Screen | Normal | How overlapping droplets combine. Additive is tone-mapped, so overlaps brighten without clipping to white |
| Count | float | 1 – 48 | 28 | Number of droplets on the frame |
| Thickness | float | 0.004 – 0.12 | 0.012 | Droplet width across the direction of travel, in frame heights |
| Length | float | 0.02 – 1.2 | 0.22 | Droplet extent along the direction of travel, in frame heights |
| Softness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.25 | Edge feather, as a fraction of droplet thickness. 0 is crisp but antialiased. 1 leaves no hard core |
| Spread | float | 0.05 – 1.2 | 1.0 | How much of the frame the droplets fill across travel. 1.0 is exactly the frame at any Direction |
| Direction | float | 0 – 360 | 90 | Movement direction (0=right, 90=down, 180=left, 270=up). Droplets stretch along travel at every angle |
| Randomness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.45 | Variation in droplet speed and size |
Presets: Downpour (fine fast threads that fall straight), Slow Deluge (thick soft bars that lean), Ember Lift (small additive dots that rise), Sideways Squall (long thin streaks that drive across), Diamond Drift (small diamonds that settle slowly).
Ripple Pop
Ripple Pop collides overlapping ripple waves into a sustained wash that interferes with itself. The beat breathes through the newest drop. Ripple Pop is beat-synced — see Beat-synced controls.
| Parameter | Type | Range/Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | float | 0.1 – 3.0 | 1.0 | Wave strength and amplitude |
| Wave Length | float | 0.1 – 1.0 | 0.5 | Size of the ripple waves |
| Decay | float | 0.1 – 1.0 | 0.5 | How quickly waves fade (lower = slower fade, more overlap) |
| History | int | 1 – 8 | 4 | Number of past drops to keep visible (deepens the wash) |
| Drop Mode | enum | Center, Random, Sequence | Center | Where droplets appear |
| Pitch X | float | 0.1 – 0.5 | 0.25 | Horizontal spacing for sequence mode |
| Pitch Y | float | 0.1 – 0.5 | 0.25 | Vertical spacing for sequence mode |
| Reflection | bool | — | false | Reflects the waves at the frame edges |
| Displacement | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.0 | Amount of visual distortion |
Shape Expand
Shape Expand expands a shape on each beat window, as an outline band or as a solid fill. Filled mode with wobble replaces the former Bubble source. A saved show that refers to Bubble loads as Shape Expand. Shape Expand is beat-synced — see Beat-synced controls.
| Parameter | Type | Range/Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shape | enum | Circle, Square, Rectangle, Diamond, Hexagon | Circle | Type of shape |
| Fill | enum | Outline, Filled | Outline | Outline expands as a band. Filled expands as a solid (the former Bubble) |
| Thickness | float | 0.02 – 0.5 | 0.15 | Outline thickness (Outline fill mode) |
| Softness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.3 | Edge softness |
| Center | point2D | 0.0 – 1.0 (X/Y) | (0.5, 0.5) | Shape center position |
| Max Size | float | 0.3 – 2.0 | 1.0 | Maximum expansion size |
| Wobble | float | 0.0 – 0.5 | 0.0 | Radial wobble on the hit. It decays across the window |
| Wobble Speed | float | 5 – 50 | 25 | Speed of the wobble oscillation |
| Aspect Ratio | float | 0.5 – 3.0 | 1.0 | Stretch ratio of width to height (works with all shapes) |
Shockwave
Shockwave hits on each beat window with a radial luminance wave. The wave races outward, widens, and dies dark. Shockwave is beat-synced — see Beat-synced controls.
| Parameter | Type | Range/Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center | point2D | 0.0 – 1.0 (X/Y) | (0.5, 0.5) | Origin the wave radiates from |
| Reach | float | 0.3 – 2.0 | 1.2 | How far the wave front travels by the end of the window |
| Wave Width | float | 0.02 – 0.5 | 0.12 | Base thickness of the luminance band (grows as it travels) |
| Falloff | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.6 | How much brightness the wave loses as it travels outward |
| Distortion | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.0 | Subtle radial wobble of the band edge, unique to each hit |
| Softness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.5 | Edge softness of the band |
Sphere Cavern
Sphere Cavern flies through an endless lattice of lit spheres. The lattice rolls, and it fades into fog. This is a full-field source. At the default settings about 92% of the frame is lit surface, so it works as a wash and not as a figure on black. A lower Sphere Size thins it to a field of scattered beads. A higher Fog reduces the cavern to a few shapes in the dark.
Spacing sets the lattice period across and along the tunnel. It is not a tempo control. At Speed 1.0 the camera advances one cell every 4 seconds at any spacing. Sphere Size is a fraction of the cell, so a sphere can never grow large enough to swallow the camera.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Travel rate. 1.0 crosses one sphere cell every 4 seconds |
| Zoom | float | 0.5 – 2.2 | 0.75 | Field of view. Higher is tighter and flatter. Lower opens to a wide tunnel |
| Sphere Size | float | 0.2 – 1.0 | 0.75 | Sphere radius as a fraction of the lattice cell, from scattered beads to a packed wall |
| Spacing | float | 2.0 – 10.0 | 5.0 | Lattice spacing across and along the tunnel. Smaller packs more spheres into the frame |
| Vertical Spacing | float | 2.0 – 10.0 | 5.0 | Lattice spacing up and down. Raise it to stretch the cavern into layered decks |
| Roll | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.25 | How fast the cavern rolls around the flight axis. At 1.0 a quarter turn takes 2.6 seconds |
| Glow | float | 0.0 – 2.0 | 0.6 | Emissive lift on the sphere surfaces, from shaded and moody to fully self-lit |
| Fog | float | 0.04 – 0.35 | 0.06 | How quickly distance swallows the cavern |
Presets: Bead Tunnel, Packed Wall, Stacked Decks, Deep Dive, Out of the Dark.
Spiral
Spiral coils a full-frame color swirl out from a center point. Spiral fills the whole frame. No setting leaves any black, so every fixture stays lit and in motion. Definition runs the look from a smooth wash at 0 to flat, defined color bands at 1. Every other control works at both ends.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Rotation speed (1.0 is one full revolution every 6.7 seconds) |
| Arms | int | 1 – 8 | 1 | How many times the palette wraps around the center per revolution |
| Twist | float | 0.0 – 3.0 | 1.2 | Turns of coil from the center to the frame edge. 0 gives straight spokes |
| Definition | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.0 | 0 is an unbroken smooth gradient. 1 snaps each band onto one palette color with a crisp transition |
| Depth | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.12 | How far the color dips between bands. 0 is flat brightness. 1 takes the dip to 30%, which is dim but never off |
| Thickness | float | 0.1 – 0.9 | 0.6 | Share of each band held at full brightness. Low is a narrow bright ridge, high leaves only thin grooves |
| Spin | int | 0 – 1 | 0 | Rotation sense: 0 winds the arms inward, 1 unwinds them outward |
| Center | point2D | 0.0 – 1.0 (X/Y) | (0.5, 0.5) | Point the swirl coils out from |
The number of bands per revolution is Arms × the number of colors in the palette. Definition quantizes onto the entries of the palette, so at Definition 1 every band is exactly one of your colors.
Presets: Slow Turn, Wide Curl, Soft Ribbons, Solid Coils, Whirlpool.
Swarm
Swarm drifts soft glowing particles across the frame. Each particle wanders around its own home position while the whole field travels. A particle that leaves one edge enters again at the opposite edge. Each particle takes its own color from the palette, and an overlap blends without a wash to white.
Windows only — not available on macOS. See FXCanvas on macOS.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Multiplier on both the wander orbits and the drift |
| Direction | float | 0 – 360 | 20 | Travel direction in degrees (0=right, 90=down, 180=left, 270=up) |
| Count | int | 4 – 64 | 44 | Number of particles |
| Blob Size | float | 0.015 – 0.18 | 0.055 | Radius of each particle, in screen heights |
| Spread | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.9 | How much of the frame the swarm fills — 0 is a tight central cluster, 1 the whole frame (independent of size) |
| Wander | float | 0.0 – 0.45 | 0.16 | How far each particle roams from its home |
| Drift | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.45 | How fast the whole swarm travels along Direction (0 holds it in place) |
| Softness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.45 | Edge softness of each particle — 0 is a crisp disc, 1 a soft glow |
Presets: Rising Sparks, Hard Bokeh, Soft Descent, Heavy Bloom, Tight Cluster.
Sweep
Sweep sweeps a soft bar across the frame on each beat window, at any angle. It also has ping-pong, a decaying trail, and segments. Sweep replaces the former Scanner source, and a saved show that refers to Scanner loads as Sweep. Sweep is beat-synced — see Beat-synced controls.
| Parameter | Type | Range/Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direction | float | 0 – 360 | 0 | Sweep direction in degrees (0=right, 90=down, 180=left, 270=up) |
| Width | float | 0.05 – 1.0 | 0.3 | Bar width |
| Softness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.3 | Edge softness of the bar |
| Ping-Pong | enum | Off, On | Off | Alternates the sweep direction on each hit |
| Trail | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.0 | Length of the decaying wake behind the bar (0 = none) |
| Segments | int | 1 – 10 | 1 | Number of bar segments across its length (1 = solid) |
Voronoi
Voronoi tiles the frame into cells around sites that wander. Fill and Relief shape the cell bodies, from flat tiles to domed stones to an unlit web. Edge Width draws the seams in pixels, so a seam keeps its thickness at any Scale. Contours rings the interiors, and Blend melts neighboring cells into each other. Color By switches between one palette color for each cell and a palette ramp from the seams into the interiors. The lattice drifts along Direction at about one cell every nine seconds at Speed 1.0, on top of the six-second wander of the sites.
| Parameter | Type | Range/Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Color By | enum | Cell, Depth | Cell | Cell gives every cell its own color from the palette. Depth ramps the palette from the seams into the cell interiors |
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Animation speed |
| Direction | float | 0 – 360 | 0 | Lattice drift direction in degrees (0=right, 90=down, 180=left, 270=up) |
| Scale | float | 3.0 – 24.0 | 7.0 | How many cells fit across the frame height |
| Fill | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 1.0 | Brightness of the cell bodies — at 0 only the seams and rings are lit |
| Relief | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.5 | How far each cell darkens toward its borders, from flat tiles to domed stones |
| Edge Width | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.35 | Thickness of the seam line in pixels, so it means the same at any Scale — 0 draws no seam |
| Contours | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.35 | Strength of the concentric rings inside each cell |
| Blend | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.15 | How far neighboring cells melt into each other — 0 is hard tiles, 1 is merged blobs |
| Irregularity | float | 0.2 – 1.0 | 1.0 | How far the cell sites wander from a regular grid, and with it how much they move |
Presets: Cut Glass, Contour Steps, Leaded Glass, Melted Tiles, Tile Wall.
Warp Speed
Warp Speed draws a hyperspace tunnel of palette-colored stars that streak out of a vanishing point. Star Count sets how many lanes fan out around the circle. Trail Length sets how much of its lane each streak fills, and Star Width sets its thickness. At the top of all three ranges the streaks touch into a solid tunnel of color blades. At Speed 1.0 a star crosses from the vanishing point to the corner in about one second.
| Parameter | Type | Range/Options | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Rate the stars travel. At 1.0 a star crosses from the vanishing point to the corner in about a second |
| Star Count | float | 12 – 240 | 100 | Streak lanes around the full circle |
| Trail Length | float | 0.08 – 0.95 | 0.5 | How much of its lane each streak fills, from short dashes to unbroken lines |
| Center | point2D | 0.0 – 1.0 (X/Y) | (0.5, 0.5) | Vanishing point position |
| Star Width | float | 0.1 – 1.0 | 0.4 | Streak thickness as a fraction of its lane. At 1.0 neighboring streaks touch |
| Travel | enum | Outward, Inward | Outward | Whether the starfield rushes outward from the center or inward toward it |
Presets: Slow Approach, Star Rush, Blade Fan, Debris Field, Closing In.
Wave
Wave draws a sea surface that travels. It sums several wave trains with the same heading into a height field, and that height drives the palette. The frame therefore carries long crest lines. The crests bow and slither as they come, they rise and die along their own length, and the true surface slope shades their flanks. The trough color and the crest color stay distinct at both ends of the palette. Wave is a full-frame ambient source, and every pixel carries palette color, so it lights a whole rig.
The crests travel at a constant rate at any spacing. At Speed 1.0 a crest crosses the frame in about 14 seconds. At the default Frequency, crests pass a fixed point every 4 seconds.
| Parameter | Type | Range | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | float | 0.0 – 10.0 | 1.0 | Rate the crests travel. 1.0 crosses the frame in about 14 seconds |
| Direction | float | 0 – 360 | 0 | Which way the crests travel, in degrees (0 = right, 90 = down). Crests run perpendicular to it |
| Frequency | float | 0.8 – 6.0 | 2.0 | Wave cycles across the frame height. 0.8 is a long ocean swell, 6 is fine ripples. It does not change how fast the crests travel |
| Steepness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.55 | Wave shape. 0 is a smooth rolling swell. 1 gives peaked crests over broad flat troughs, with strong shading on the flanks |
| Complexity | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.45 | How confused the water is. 0 is a clean swell with even crests. 1 adds fine chop on the swell, and it breaks each crest along its length |
| Softness | float | 0.0 – 1.0 | 0.55 | How wide the blend is where one color band meets the next. 0 is a cut contour map of the surface (still antialiased), 1 is a continuous gradient |
Presets: Open Water (a long slow swell that bows across the frame), Rolling Crests (mid-scale crests that march down the frame in sets), Cut Swell (tight hard-edged contour bands that run left), Fine Chop (fast fine diagonal chop), Heavy Swell (big steep crests that lift up the frame, with bright ridges and dark flanks).
Related Topics
- Sources — Learn how to use sources in FXCanvas
- Effects Reference — Complete reference for all effect types
- BPM Sync — Synchronize parameters to the beat