Start with a sound
You do not need to be a musician or know the physics to begin. Choose a sound source, explore its visual response, then change one thing and see what happens.
- Hear your surroundings. Choose the microphone source and allow microphone access. Try a voice, instrument or sound playing nearby.
- Bring a file. Import a supported, unprotected audio file into Music Library for direct playback and analysis.
- Make a sound. Try a generated tone or open Composer to make your own music.
This guide previews the upcoming update, expected by October 10, 2026 (timing may change). Composer, Liquid Lab and other new features are not in today’s download. Buy Pro before launch for lifetime access to all paid features in that update, without a subscription.
Explore the two labs
Sand Lab
Explore particles on virtual vibrating plates and expressive geometric forms. The seven modes are Square, Circle, Cavity, Lissajous, Quasi, Sphere and Orbital. Each offers a different visual approach.
Liquid Lab
Explore Round, Square, Bubble, Wave Tank and Drop. Shape the surface with sound, then experiment with material, lighting and motion.
Make the look your own
Start in Main, then explore Physics, View, Art and Studio. Try adjusting one control at a time so you can see its effect. Camera, material, physics, audio and visual mode all influence the result.
Mirror and Kaleidoscope are alternative treatments; they do not stack together. Save a Lab setup you like before exploring further.
Make music in Composer
FEEL — start with a vibe
Choose a preset such as Chill Lo-fi, Meditation, Dark Trap or Cinematic to generate a starting point. Adjust Energy, Space, Tone and Drive, or generate another take. “Meditation” describes a musical style.
BEATS — shape your arrangement
Work with Drums, Bass, Lead and Pad. Edit rhythm and notes, then chain A–D sections into a longer arrangement. You are making beats and music, not just choosing a visual pattern.
SOUNDS & PERFORM — find your voice
Choose instrument sounds and shape their character in SOUNDS. Use PERFORM to play pads or the keyboard and record a phrase.
SAVES & PLAYER — keep the idea
Save an editable song in SAVES. Use PLAYER to listen to saved songs while exploring the visuals. Listening to a saved song and loading a project for editing are different actions.
Find your frequency
Choose the Frequency Engine to deliberately explore generated tones. Start with a comfortable volume and change the frequency gradually.
- Single tone: explore how changing pitch changes the response.
- Dual frequencies: combine two tones and adjust their balance.
- Timed sweep: set the start and end frequencies and the time over which the tone moves.
There is no universal one-shape-per-frequency rule. The mode, harmonics, physical parameters and artistic choices also shape what you see.
Play Apple Music or Spotify
Connect and authorize the music service you want to use. For these sources, the Lab visualizes speaker sound picked up by the microphone. Keep the music audible to the phone and allow microphone access.
Headphones alone will not drive these streaming visuals. Supported, unprotected Music Library files use direct internal audio. Composer and generated tones also have internal audio paths.
Downloads from a subscription service can be protected and may not work as imported files. Music-service access and playback features depend on the provider and your account.
Discover, save and remix Waves
- Browse. Open Waves to discover other creators’ sound-and-visual experiences.
- Save. Use Save to Lab to keep a starting point.
- Open and remix. Open the saved Wave in the Lab to explore changes. Keep the creator attribution.
- Share. Publish your own creation with a name, tags and a chosen sound you have rights to share.
The Waves viewer presents a creator’s experience. It is not the Lab editor. Some actions require signing in or access to the relevant paid features. Read the Community Guidelines before publishing.
Take your music with you
Use the music export controls in Composer to create a WAV or M4A mix, separate instrument WAV tracks, or MIDI. Save the files to Files or use the system share sheet to send them to another app or device.
Export All produces a WAV mix, an M4A mix, four instrument WAV tracks and a MIDI file. MIDI is musical information rather than the original rendered sound; its instruments can sound different in another music app.
Save the editable Composer song as well if you want to change it later. Keep an independent backup of anything important.
Give your visuals a bigger screen
- Connect the phone and a compatible AirPlay receiver to the same Wi-Fi network.
- Use iPhone Screen Mirroring to select the receiver.
- Enable presentation mode in Cymatics Lab and adjust the framing.
- Test the visuals and your chosen audio route together before a session.
Display and audio behavior depends on the receiver, network and installed app version. AirPlay support is not a promise that every TV or every audio setup will work. See Apple’s screen-mirroring instructions for receiver setup.
Need a hand?
Visit Support for microphone, music-file, purchase and account help. Include your app version and device model when you contact Kiefer Studio LLC.