Cymatics Visuals for Musicians and Video Creators

Why cymatics works so well for music

Cymatics is literally a picture of sound, which makes it an unusually honest visualizer: the image changes because the audio changes, not because an effect was keyed to the beat. Musicians have used it in music videos for years — Nigel Stanford’s 2014 video “Cymatics” famously combined Chladni plates, water and fire with a single track.

Physical setups are fiddly, though. A simulator lets you get a similar look in minutes, repeat it exactly and record it straight to a file.

Workflow: from track to video in five steps

1. Pick a look. In the Chladni simulator, choose a pattern mode (Chladni, Polar, Hexagonal, Lissajous…) and a color theme. Use a steady tone in the Slider tab to preview.
2. Save it. Press Share link. The copied URL reopens exactly the same frequency, mode and color, so you can return to it later or send it to collaborators.
3. Load your music. Switch to the File tab and choose your track. The pattern now follows the dominant frequency and loudness of the music.
4. Record. Press Record video before the section you want, then Stop & save. You get a WebM file with the audio (up to two minutes per clip).
5. Edit. Import the clip into your editor, replace or re-sync the audio with your master if needed, and cut to the beat.

Converting WebM to MP4

Browsers record video as WebM. Most editors (DaVinci Resolve, Premiere, CapCut) and platforms accept it, but if yours does not, convert it to MP4. With the free tool FFmpeg:

Graphical converters such as HandBrake work too.

Vertical video for TikTok, Reels and Shorts

The canvas records in a 4:3 frame. For 9:16 vertical video, crop the center of the frame in your editor, or with FFmpeg:

Symmetrical modes such as Polar, Star and Hexagonal survive cropping best because their detail is concentrated in the middle.

Live shows, streams and projections

• Projection or second screen: press Fullscreen; the canvas scales to fill the display while keeping its shape.
• Live input: use the Mic tab to react to a room, a band or a DJ set. Microphone audio is analyzed locally and is not recorded.
• Streaming: capture the browser window in OBS as a source behind or beside your camera.
• Your website: press Embed to copy an iframe code and put an interactive widget on your band or label page.

Using the results

Images you save with Export PNG and videos you make with Record video are yours to use in personal and commercial projects — album art, lyric videos, thumbnails, merch mock-ups. A small cymavis.com mark appears in the corner of the canvas; a credit in your description is appreciated but not required. See the terms of use for details.

Want the look of a specific frequency? The frequency pages open the simulator pre-set to popular tones like 432 Hz and 528 Hz.