Trapcode Form is infamous for audio visualizations, which is why today we will take a look at how I created the RAZOR soundwaves I mentioned earlier this week. We will cover some of the parameters in the Audio React tab within Form and tweak them to create an organic soundwave transition throughout the strings of particles.
Initially, I was stumped on how to achieve this effect nicely with the organic flow. Displacing Form with audio was the easy part, but I didn’t know how I could displace Form from one side and make it flow to the other side. Changing the Flow in X and Displacement effected the whole body of particles instead of one side like I wanted. With the help of Peder Norrby, founder of Trapcode, I was able to achieve this effect using Delay Direction and Delay Max, a section of Audio React I never quite used before.
The Trapcode Form documentation included in the installation of Form gives a really great explanation of what these two parameters do:
Delay Direction
Lets you select the direction in which the audio reactor delay travels or ripples through the form. This is used together with the Delay Max control to allow the system to generate a traveling animation that is offset in the chosen direction over the period set by Delay Max.
Delay Max
Defines the length of the delay buffer, which is the maximum time a sound stays ‘visible’ as ripples in the Delay Direction option chosen above.
By using Delay Direction and Delay Max, we can control the delay of the fractal displacement controlled by the audio, giving us a organic ‘flow’ effect as done in the original promo. Don’t forget that this isn’t limited to Displacement, you can do the same for other reactors as well such as Disperse or Twist. The possibilities are endless so don’t hesitate to tweak around! Many thanks to Peder for the guidance in the right direction, if you guys have any questions, please leave them down below in the comments! I love hearing your feedback.
Really awesome
!!
thanks for the tutorial
Thank you for your support and comment! The site is new so more comments keep the tuts coming!
Awesome!
Thank you for feedback response, it keeps the tutorials coming
good job once again, and nice touch with the vector blur.
would like to possibly see some echospace tutorials for motion design or anything. only one tutorial of echospace on rgtv. or maybe a tutorial on how to display videos on various surfaces like walls: as seen in mazadox here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5poTvpiM-Q#t=21s
Thanks for the feedback! I will definitely kick out some echospace tutorials in the near future, as for videos on walls, that’s simply tracking
hmm yeah, guess foundry’s cameratracker could probably do a good job
What would you track in this audio reaction visualization? Why would you track?
I see that you haven’t done a Cinema 4d tutorial yet. My request would be a tutorial on what technique could be using to pull something like this Nickelodeon ident off:
http://vimeo.com/15693046
Yeah, that’s partly because I’m not so great at Cinema 4D yet but I will be kicking some out soon
Thanks for the heads up and request!
i know this may be more of a photoshop question, but i think trapcode form might be able to do this. i’m trying to make letters resemble lasers being shot. using a precomped text layer as a sprite doesn’t seem to really achieve the look, but maybe i’m missing something. i may have to make the letters from scratch but that would take a while.
Try the “Vegas” effect in AE. Use it with the text layer to achieve a nice laser beam dots
Great tutorial! Thanks Vinh!!
Thanks Ronald! Thank you for your support!
What Program do you use to do all this? I really want to know xD
Adobe After Effects
Is there a way to get Form to work more like the Audio Spectrum effect, where the different sections left to right would be affected by the frequencies of the audio, rather than being displaced randomly all over? In the original Razor video, they are showing the actual waveform of the sound with the lines, whereas in your video the lines seem to displaced randomly throughout Form. Although your version is pretty awesome and helpful, I’m looking to recreate the Razor effect more accurately.
My Razor tutorial already does this. The example may not be 100% clear but take a closer look. It audio reacts and does not just displace randomly throughout Form. It starts in the front and propagates back.
I believe you misunderstand my question, I’m talking about the displacement from left to right in Form, not front to back. Here’s a video that kinda replicates what I am talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Sn2LrsQHBE . I’m only wondering if Form can be used more like the Audio Spectrum effect in the video, so that you can see the true waveform of the audio then have it flow towards the back. That would be closer to what the original Razor video is displaying.
Yes, just rotate the camera so Form flows left to right instead of front to back. Form should visualize the soundwave frequency from audio reaction
Super awesome this was really cool to do.
Thanks for the feedback Joel
Hey VinSohn, great Tutorials. I think I got the same question as Spencer. So is it possible to get the strings to completely remember their status? I mean so that they kind of freeze when they are “drawn” and moving to the back like they are? Because currently the strings in the back/which have already been drawn are still moving to the sound and change their form. But in the native instruments clip only the beginning of the whole wave is drawing the frequency form, then the strings keep their position and move away like they are. I hope you know what I mean. Or to be more precise when a mountain is drawn it should stay a mountain while moving back. A valley should stay a valley over the time.
Thank you,
Max
You may not see it in the demonstration due to the poor choice of audio, but it already is like that. Nothing movies until the noise travels across the audio spectrum. The soundwave STAYS as a soundwave and just travels back rather than displacing everywhere.
thanks for your reply. I thought that, too in the first time. But if you have a closer look you can see that especially the mountains are changing their forms over the time. Not completely into valleys, though. I went through my little test video frame by frame to verify that. But you can also see it in your video with a normal frame rate. Unfortunately the form changing make the whole look a bit more mixed up as in the original Native Instruments clip where the mountains and valleys are frozen and just “transported” into the back . But don’t get me wrong your razor fx still looks great. So if there’s no solution to this, it’s not that bad. Fixing this problem however would be the final touch
Ah, I see. It’s probably due to the displacement evolution. I’m not sure if I used a displacement map or not for that tutorial, but if I did, disable the displacement map, that will the displacement of the waves will not change over time. If it’s just normal displacement through Form (No displacement map) then simply set the Evolution to 0 so there’s no change. Hope that helped
working currently on a foggy trapcode alpha mask based on same sound – really like it! thx 4 inspiring!
I love ur tutorials. They r awesome. Problem is with my AE, audio and graphics dont work together. I cant push play and see video with music. For me its or audio to listen or graphics to look at them. How to make them respond at the same time?
PS
Thank U for Audio and Maya tutorial
Try using a RAM Preview and make sure Audio isn’t set to Mute in AE. Thanks!
LOVE THIS!
Thank you man..i’ve admired the RAZOR waveforms since first using the instrument – now i know how to recreate!