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Lightbridge

Audio Reactivity

Audio reactivity is what makes Lightbridge feel alive. Any parameter in the app can be driven by the music playing through your microphone or audio input.

How it works

Lightbridge listens to your audio input and splits it into six frequency bands frequency band audio One of six ranges the audio is split into — sub bass, kick, low mid, mid, presence, brilliance. Each band's loudness can drive any parameter. :

BandFrequency rangeWhat it catches
Sub Bass20 – 60 HzDeep rumble, sub drops
Kick60 – 250 HzBass drums, bass guitar
Low Mid250 – 500 HzGuitar body, low vocals
Mid500 Hz – 2 kHzSnare, vocal presence
Presence2 – 6 kHzHi-hats, vocal sibilance
Brilliance6 – 20 kHzCymbals, air, shimmer

You can see these in the audio meters panel — they bounce in real time as music plays.

Binding a parameter to audio

  1. Select a source in the chain so its parameters show in the panel.
  2. Right-click the slider for the parameter you want to drive (like Scale).
  3. Choose Add Audio mod from the context menu. The modulation modulation modulation Drives a parameter automatically. Can run from audio, an LFO, or the beat. Learn more → panel opens.
  4. In the panel, pick an audio band — pick Kick to make it pulse with the bass drum.
  5. Adjust the range handles on the slider to control how much the parameter moves.

The parameter now moves with the music. The slider shows a live overlay of the modulated value as it changes.

Common recipes

“Make it pulse with the bass” — Bind Scale or Brightness to the Kick band. Use a narrow range (e.g. 30–60%) for subtle movement, wider for more drama.

“Make colours shimmer with treble” — Bind Color Hue to the Brilliance band. Use a wide range to sweep through colours.

“Make it react to everything” — Bind different parameters to different bands. Scale to Kick, Speed to Mid, Hue to Presence. Each part of the frequency spectrum drives a different visual dimension.

“Punch on the kick, smooth elsewhere” — Since each parameter carries one modulation, layer across different parameters: put a steep easeIn kick mod on Scale, and a gentle sCurve brilliance mod on Sparkle. Each band drives its own parameter, and the combined motion feels layered.

Tips

  • Range controls intensity. A narrow range (40–60%) gives subtle movement. A wide range (0–100%) gives dramatic swings.
  • One modulation per parameter. The mod panel limits each parameter to one modulation — to try a different band, change the source in the existing modulation rather than adding a new one. You can of course bind many different parameters to the same band.
  • Audio gain in the audio meters panel lets you boost or reduce the overall audio sensitivity.
  • Per-band gain lets you emphasise or tame specific frequency ranges without touching the global gain.
  • Modulation gain (in each individual modulation) gives you a third stage of level control for when one modulation needs a bit more room.
  • Reactivity reactivity audio The smoothing stage on audio modulations. Traces the overall loudness shape of the signal so the parameter follows the swell of a sound rather than every spike. Attack controls how fast the signal rises, Release how fast it falls. smoothing turns spiky audio into smooth movement. The global controls are in the Reactivity Controls panel (“Reaction Speed” and “Decay Speed”); each modulation can also override them with its own Attack/Release values for custom per-parameter behaviour.
  • Response curves are how you shape the signal into something more musical than a raw ramp. See the Modulation Curves reference for all sixteen presets.