- I connected my keyboard but it doesn't appear in the I/O menu

On Windows 10/11, other software (such as Ableton) accessing the midi ports must be closed before opening SpectralPiano.

- Can my computer run this software?

This software should run on most modern cpus with integrated graphics (intel 3rd gen and up). If you have an older processor or do not have a discrete gpu you may need to reduce the number of visual effects and disabling 'screen effects'. To be certain you can download the trial version and try it on your computer.

- Can I test the software before purchasing?

Yes, a trial version is available. It is watermarked and has mostly full functionality. Visit the `download` page to download it it.

- How can I reduce the audio latency in Windows 10/11?

If you are using a Windows pc click the application settings menu, select 'audio driver' and choose 'wasapi'. This option has been preconfigured to have the lowest possible latency which is preferable if you are live recording music with a connected keyboard.

- Midi/MXL

This software supports midi and musicxml files. Mxl file loading is currently in beta mode and does not support rolling chords and jumps (coda, dc, fine, ds). There is no option to edit notes so it is recommended to edit mxl files in musescore if needed. If you encounter an issue loading an mxl file please email us.

- Mode

There are two modes: Continuous, and Burst. Continuous spawns particles at a constant rate throughout the duration of the note, whereas burst spawns particles only at the start of the note

- Threshold

Sets the key pressure required for activation. This allows particles to be launched based on dynamics, which can give more interesting and varied effects. Keep it at zero if you want particles to always be emitted

- Rate

The rate at which the particles are created. Higher values means more particles

- Life span

The duration of particle until it disappears

- Velocity

Particle speed - slow or fast

- Brightness

The brightness of the particles

- Width

The width of the spawn area the particles are created

- Color Type

Choose between three color options: default colors, custom mono color, or random colors

- Unlit Particles

Unlit particles are not self illuminating, and require a light source (sky lights, or spot light). This is useful for making more realistic smoke effects for example (unlit smoke)

- Style

Surface material (solid, smokey, wavey etc..).

- Rotation

Orientation of the visuals (horizontal, vertical) If its vertical it will fall at 90 degree angle to the keyboard

- Color Type

Type of color scheme for the notes (hands, gradient, solid, etc.) Hand mode is only available for musicxml files

- Left Hand

Color for the left hand (e.g., yellow)

- Right Hand

Color for the right hand (e.g., blue)

- Brightness

Adjusts the brightness level of the notes

- Width

Adjusts the width of the notes

- Speed

Speed of note animation

- Roundness

Roundness of the note's corners

- Top Fade

Fade effect intensity

- Fade Distance

Distance over which the fade effect applies

- Delay At Start

Delay in seconds before the first note is played (e.g., 2.93 seconds)

- Hide On Impact

Hides the note upon impact of keyboard

- Display Pitch

Shows the pitch or tone of the note as a text object (checkbox)

- Spawn Distance

Distance at which the pitch spawns

- Text Size

Size of the text (pitch) on the note

- Thickness

Thickness of the text (pitch)

- Border

Tickness of the text's (pitch) border

- Accidental

Accidental note style of pitch (sharp, flat)

- Exposure Intensity

Controls the overall brightness and exposure level of the screen

- Color Filter

Applies a color overlay to the entire screen

- Color

Selected color for the filter overlay

- Bloom

Adds a glow effect to bright areas of the image

- Intensity

Strength of the bloom effect

- Scatter

Amount of scattering for the bloom, which affects its spread and softness

- Vibrant

Enables more vivid colors in the bloom effect

- Flare

Simulates lens flares from bright light sources

- Intensity

Strength of the flare effect

- Threshold

Brightness threshold to trigger flare rendering

- Spread

How widely the flare spreads across the screen

- Aberration

Simulates chromatic aberration—color fringing at the screen edges

- Intensity

Amount of chromatic aberration applied to the screen

- Export Folder

The folder where the video will be saved

- File Name

The name of the exported video file

- Codec

The video codec used for export. (Windows: h264, h265) (macOS: h264, h265, ProRes 422, ProRes 4444)

- Frame Rate

The frame rate of the exported video. 60fps is recommended for youtube uploads.

- Audio

Audio options for the video (No audio, App Audio, Custom Audio). Note that app audio uses the current volume of the app, so adjust it accordingly before exporting (you may need to reduce it to avoid sound clipping)

- Resolution

The resolution of the video (4K, 2K, 1080p, 720p, Vertical (for yt shorts))

- Bit Rate

The bit rate determines the video quality and file size

- Duration After Final Note Off

Set how much time to wait after the final note is played before the video ends or fades to black

- Fade In/Out

Add a black fade to the start and end of the video (Fade In Duration, Fade Out Duration)

- End Black Screen

Add a black screen to the end, useful for YouTube end screens (Black Screen Duration)