Sync video effects to the beat
To sync video effects to the beat on iPhone, use HEXTAZE: give the camera a tempo and the effects move with it while you film. Tap it, let the microphone listen to the room (LISTEN), or import a song whose beats and bars are found on the phone. The clip you record already has the sync in it, so you post it as shot.
Steps
- Pick an effect. Choose one on the ribbon, for example TRIAD (RGB split), WARP's HITCH preset (it freezes you, then catches up on every beat) or DROP (its strobe follows the beat).
- Set the tempo. Three ways. TAP: tap the tempo with your finger. LISTEN: the microphone hears the room and finds the tempo, which works best with a regular kick drum (house, techno, hip-hop). Song: import an MP3, M4A, WAV or AIFF file and HEXTAZE finds its beats and bars on the phone.
- Press play on the pad. The XY pad now moves on the tempo, in divisions from 4 bars down to 1/16, dotted and triplet. A slow division gives a swell over several bars; 1/16 gives a flutter.
- Play over it. Touch the pad to take control; let go and it springs back. Lock it, or latch a take so the whole screen becomes the pad. Roll the die for a new variation of the look, and use the colour finish key to change its palette.
- Record. Press the red key. What is recorded is the rendered picture, with the effect already on the beat, never a screen recording. A key beside the red one switches to photo.
- Optional: cut a loop on the bars. With a song imported, pick 2, 4, 8 or 16 bars. HEXTAZE counts you in for one bar, records exactly those bars and cuts the sound to the sample. The loop guide has the details.
Good to know
- With a song imported, the song owns the tempo: LISTEN steps aside until you eject it.
- Bluetooth headphones add delay and some report it wrong. Use the speaker or wired headphones when timing matters.
- Free takes last up to 8 seconds with a small watermark; the one-time unlock removes both limits for new takes.
Questions
- Can an iPhone camera app sync effects to music?
- Yes. HEXTAZE takes a tempo from a tap, from the microphone or from an imported song, and its effects lock to that tempo while you record.
- Does the microphone have to hear the music?
- Only in LISTEN mode. With an imported song the beats are read from the file, so the room can be silent.
- Do I need to edit afterwards to line up the beat?
- Nothing to fix. The effect is rendered into the clip during the take, already on the beat, so there is nothing to line up in an editor. Compare editors and live cameras in the comparison.
- Which music files work?
- MP3, M4A, WAV and AIFF, at least 6 seconds long and without copy protection.
Everything is free to play: takes up to 8 seconds, with a small HEXTAZE mark. One purchase of 5,99 € (not a subscription) removes both limits. Some looks flash on the beat: skip them if flashing light affects you.
See also: the 11 effects, seamless loops, other glitch apps compared, support.
Ready to put your next clip on the beat?