Input mode
Drive visuals from a microphone, desktop audio, or a MIDI controller instead of a loaded audio file.
Input mode replaces the file transport with a live input. Visuals then react to whatever is coming through the selected device in real time — your voice, system or tab audio, or note and control data from a MIDI instrument.
Enable input mode#
On the file transport, select Enable input mode (the microphone button at the right end of the player). The player switches to the live panel.
To leave live mode, select Close input mode (the X on the oscilloscope), or load an audio file. Leaving live mode does not restore the previous track; load the file again if you need the timeline. The last input type is remembered.
Choose an input#
A dropdown at the left of the live panel selects the input type. The controls to its right change with the selection:
| Input | Controls | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Microphone | Device picker and the round start/stop button | The browser asks for permission the first time. Devices are listed automatically as they are connected or removed. |
| Desktop Audio | Capture Desktop Audio button | Opens the screen-share dialog. Pick what to share and enable sharing of its sound. |
| MIDI | Device picker and a Connect button | Requires Web MIDI support, which most Chromium-based browsers and the desktop app provide. |
Desktop audio#
To capture something other than a browser tab, choose a full screen and enable system audio in the share dialog. Window-only sharing often provides no sound; if Astrofox receives no audio track it warns you and stays disconnected.
Stopping the capture from the browser's own share bar ends live input automatically, so visuals freeze gracefully instead of reacting to silence.
Start and stop#
Microphone and desktop audio use the round button beside the gain control:
- With no connection yet, it connects the device you picked (Start microphone input or Capture Desktop Audio).
- A glowing border means the input is active; the oscilloscope above shows the incoming signal.
- Stopping a microphone pauses the input but stays in live mode.
- Stopping desktop audio closes the capture and leaves live mode.
MIDI has no round start/stop control and no gain. Use Connect after choosing a device.
The status line in the bottom-left corner reflects the current state, for
example Live: USB Microphone or Live MIDI: Launchpad. Before a device is
connected it names the selected input type.
Loading an audio file always exits input mode. Switch back with Enable input mode — your last input type is remembered, but the previous audio file is not.
Gain#
For microphone and desktop audio, set the input gain from 0% to 300% when a source is consistently too quiet or too loud. Gain applies before analysis, so reactors bound to volume or spectrum ranges respond more predictably after you balance it. The oscilloscope gives immediate feedback while you adjust. MIDI has no gain control.
Reacting to live input#
Everything downstream behaves exactly as with a file: reactors sample the spectrum and volume each frame, so you can bind mic level to layer scale or drive effects from specific frequency bands. Live input has no timeline to seek, and Save video still needs an audio file so Astrofox can render a defined range.
For setup problems — missing permissions, silent captures, or devices that do not appear — see Audio and live input and Troubleshooting.