SonicSenses
Layer Lab

Layer Lab: build visuals in layers, like mixing instruments

Stack lightweight visual layers on top of one another and let sound drive all of them at once. Start with one wave, add a ribbon, add a glow - the same way you would build up a mix. Demo tracks are made in your browser, your own files never leave this device.

Watch: Layer Lab Basics (2:00)Watch: Layer Lab Present Mode And Sharing (3:00)

Layer Lab Design a visual look, layer by layer.

  • A layer is one visual element - a wave, a ribbon, a glow - that reacts to the sound. Stack them and they become a look.
  • To begin: pick a starting look, choose a demo track or your own file, then add or tune layers.
  • Vs the Visualizer: the Visualizer shows any sound you can play, right now. Layer Lab is where you build and keep a look.
  • The result is saved on this device and can be shared as a link or captured.

Layer Lab: how this works, in words

What it does
Stacks several independent visual layers over one piece of audio, so a single track drives a wave, a ribbon, a glow and a particle field at the same time.
What it accepts
Three audio sources: a demo track synthesised in your browser, a track you saved from the SonicSenses Studio on this device, or an audio file you pick from your own storage. Files are read locally with an object URL and never uploaded.
What you control
A starting look, intensity and motion in Simple mode; in Advanced mode the layer stack itself, plus per-layer opacity, blend mode and colour role, a palette picker, trails and a performance tier (Eco, Balanced, Rich or Ultra).
What changes
The rendered look changes as you add or retune layers, and it moves in time with the audio. Layer names, opacity values, blend modes and the current performance tier are all shown as text alongside the canvas, and your setup is remembered on this device.
What it illustrates
How a complex visual can be composed the same way a mix is: several simple elements, each reading the same audio analysis, combined by opacity, colour and blending rather than by raw detail.
What it does not claim
It is a creative rendering tool. The visuals are driven by measurements of the audio signal, and they are not a spectrogram, a scientific analysis, or evidence of any effect on attention, mood or the brain.
Keyboard and screen readers
Layers, presets and performance tiers are labelled controls in the tab order, with sliders adjustable by arrow key and toggles that expose pressed state. The layer stack is readable as a text list, so a screen-reader user can tell exactly what is being rendered without interpreting the canvas, and the reduced-motion setting from your operating system is respected.

Keyboard shortcuts for this visualization: P Present mode on or off; F Fullscreen on or off; H Hide or show the on-canvas controls; Space Play or pause the track; S Save a still image; R Start or stop recording; ? Show or hide this shortcut list; Esc Close this list, then leave present mode. Shortcuts are ignored while you type in a field. Press Tab to reach the on-screen controls; they reappear when focused during present mode.

Starting...No audio chosen

Choose a demo track, one of your saved tracks, or a file below. The layers move on their own until then.

Now rendering: Glow + Ribbon on the Velvet palette at Balanced quality.

1. Choose your audio

Instant. Made in your browser.

2. Pick a look

Simple keeps presets, intensity and motion. Switch to Advanced for layers.

How strongly the music drives the visuals.

How much things move when the track is quiet.

Save and share your look

Keep the current stack, palette and sliders under a name, or copy a link that recreates it on any device. Saved looks stay in this browser only.

No saved looks yet.

Related tool

Just want to see what is playing?

The Visualizer reacts to a tab, a file, your microphone or a SonicSenses track. Looks built here stay in Layer Lab - the Visualizer has its own look gallery.
Open the Visualizer

How Layer Lab works

Every layer reads from one shared audio analysis pass and draws into one shared rendering environment, so three layers cost far less than three separate visualizers. Complexity comes from how the layers interact - colour relationships, feedback and compositing - rather than from raw particle counts.

Choosing your audio source

Demo track is the fastest way in: each clip is synthesised locally the moment you pick it, so there is nothing to download. My SonicSenses track lists tracks you already saved in the studio on this device. Upload a file reads audio straight off your phone or computer with no network request at all.

Simple and Advanced mode

Simple mode is four looks and two sliders. Advanced mode opens the layer stack, per-layer opacity, blend and colour role, the palette picker, trails and the performance tier. Your setup is remembered on this device.

Performance on phones and laptops

Eco, Balanced, Rich and Ultra each carry a cost budget. Layers declare what they cost, so Layer Lab can tell you when a stack is heavier than the tier allows and scale rendering down instead of dropping frames.

Four steps from silence to a finished look

  1. Choose your audio. Pick a browser-generated demo track, one of your saved SonicSenses tracks, or a file from your own device. Nothing is uploaded.
  2. Pick a look. Start from a preset such as Pure Wave or Aurora Veil, then set intensity and motion to taste.
  3. Stack your layers. Open advanced controls to add wave, ribbon, glow and particle layers, set each one's opacity, blend mode and colour role.
  4. Match your device. Choose Eco, Balanced, Rich or Ultra. Easy mode caps render scale automatically on phones, low batteries and reduced-motion settings.

Where to go next

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to upload my music anywhere?
No. Files you choose are read directly from your device with a local object URL. Nothing is sent to SonicSenses or any other server, and the file is released when you leave the page.
What is a layer?
A layer is one visual instrument - a wave, a ribbon, a glow field, a particle field. Each one reacts to the music on its own, and you mix them together the same way you would mix instruments in a track.
Which tracks can I use?
Three sources: built-in demo tracks that are generated in your browser, tracks you saved from the SonicSenses Composition Studio, or any audio file on your device.
Can Layer Lab visualize Spotify or Apple Music?
Not directly. Streaming apps do not expose their audio to a web page. The existing SonicSenses Visualizer has a tab-audio capture flow built for exactly that, and it stays the right tool for streaming.
Why is it slower on my phone?
Phones have far less GPU headroom than laptops. Layer Lab gives every layer a cost weight and every performance tier a budget, so it can lower render scale or drop the heaviest layer instead of stuttering.
Does Layer Lab change the rest of SonicSenses?
No. It is a separate page with its own audio element and its own settings. The Composition Studio player and the existing Visualizer are untouched.