A free tool · Acoustic physics laboratory
Cymatics visualizer & harmonic wave studio
Watch sound take physical form. Fine particles vibrate on a resonant acoustic plate, migrating away from antinodal vibration and settling into geometric nodal lines where displacement is zero. Or switch to three-dimensional Lissajous interference to see how musical intervals fold space into symmetrical knots.
Nothing here is uploaded and nothing requires an account. The simulation, dual sine audio synthesis, microphone analysis, and artwork export run entirely on your device using client-side Web Audio and Canvas physics.
- Free
- No account
- Runs in your browser
- Pure sine synthesis
- High-resolution PNG export
Three steps to explore
- Choose a ratio or frequencySelect a musical ratio like 3:2 or dial precise frequencies from 20 to 1,000 Hz.
- Observe the geometry emergeWatch sand particles gather along nodal lines, or rotate the 3D harmonic knot.
- Audition or export the artworkListen to pure dual sine synthesis or save a high-resolution 2048px PNG snapshot.
Cymatic studio
Acoustic Presets & Resonance Modes
The physics of Chladni plates
In 1787, German physicist and musician Ernst Chladni published Discoveries Concerning the Theory of Sound. By spreading quartz sand across a thin brass plate and drawing a violin bow across its edge, Chladni demonstrated that sound produces distinct geometric patterns of stillness and motion.
When an acoustic plate resonates, standing waves form across its surface. In regions called antinodes, the plate oscillates with maximum amplitude, violently tossing sand into the air. In regions called nodal lines, vibrational displacement is zero. Sand grains bounce until they fall into these tranquil nodal zones, where they come to rest.
For square plates with free edges, the classical Ritz-Rayleigh solution combines orthogonal cosines: w(x, y) = a cos(n pi x / L) cos(m pi y / L) - b cos(m pi x / L) cos(n pi y / L), allowing nodal lines to intersect the plate perimeter. On circular plates, standing waves follow polar Bessel functions J_m(beta r) cos(m theta), producing the concentric nodal rings and radial star mandalas famously photographed by Hans Jenny.
This simulation calculates the exact analytical spatial gradient of the wave equation for each particle on every frame, pushing grains away from antinodal peaks toward nodal equilibria at 60 frames per second.
Lissajous curves & sensory consonance
In 1857, French mathematician Jules Antoine Lissajous developed an optical apparatus using mirrors attached to vibrating tuning forks. By bouncing a beam of light off both mirrors onto a screen, he projected the visual interaction of two sound waves onto a wall.
When the frequency ratio between two tones is a simple rational number (such as 1:1 for unison, 2:1 for an octave, or 3:2 for a perfect fifth), the curve retraces itself and forms a stable, closed geometric knot. When the ratio is microtonal or detuned, the curve precesses at the exact audible acoustic beat frequency (Delta f = f2 - f1).
Nineteenth-century acoustician Hermann von Helmholtz and later researchers Plomp and Levelt demonstrated that musical consonance correlates with reduced sensory roughness in the human cochlea. When two frequencies share a simple harmonic ratio, their mechanical wave interference produces minimal auditory beating, perceived as acoustic calm.
The visual visualizer and the audio synthesizer work in unison: what your eyes observe as closed geometric symmetry, your ears perceive as consonant acoustic harmony.
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