VZL Scope.
Your MIDI. Your beat. Your visuals. Straight from Live.
VZL Scope is a free Max for Live visualizer for Ableton Live 12. It turns your master into black-and-white, audio-reactive visuals and records 16:9 or 9:16 videos with sound for Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube, right from Live. Every kick pushes the picture forward, the bass lifts it, every note raises a ridge.
Video for Reels, TikTok and YouTube
16:9 or 9:16 at 720 or 1080 lines. Rec writes picture and master audio as an H.264 movie to your Desktop, starting on the next bar. No screen recorder, no audio routing, no editing.
Four scenes
Lines, a landscape that rushes towards you; Tunnel; Blob, a liquid shape that turns and breathes over two bars; City, a flight between buildings. Black or white background.
Locked to your beat
VZL Scope follows Live's transport: kicks push the picture forward, glitch slices land on sixteenths, the Thoow T in the centre pulses on every bar. Strobe is off by default and never flashes more than three times a second.
Every note a ridge
Put VZL Scope Send on your tracks: each note raises a ridge at its pitch, low notes left, high notes right. Without Send, it reacts to the master alone.
Micro details
Small labels appear, type themselves in on the grid and flicker away: bar and tempo, the last note, levels, a barcode, short lines of text. Detail sets how many, Text switches them off.
Visuals for your live set
Drag the window to a projector or second screen and press Full. Every control is a Live parameter, so you can automate the picture with your arrangement.
Questions.
Is VZL Scope really free?
Yes, and it stays free. Enter your email and we send you a download link, for the devices now and for every update. The picture carries a small "Made with Thoow.com VZL" in the corner.
Does Ableton Live have a built-in visualizer?
No. Live shows meters and a spectrum, but no visuals for a video or a projector. VZL Scope adds one as a free Max for Live device: drop it on the master and open the picture in 16:9 or 9:16.
How do I make a visualizer video for Instagram Reels or TikTok from Ableton?
Put VZL Scope on the master, choose 9:16 and 1080, press Rec and play your track. Recording starts on the next bar. Press Rec again to stop: an H.264 movie with your master audio lands on your Desktop, ready to post.
Why does my screen recording have no audio?
The macOS screen recorder and QuickTime do not record the sound of other apps without an extra audio driver. VZL Scope records picture and master audio itself, inside Live, so you need neither.
Can I use it for live visuals on a projector?
Yes. Drag the picture window to the projector or a second screen and press Full. Esc leaves fullscreen.
What do I need?
Ableton Live 12 with Max for Live: Live 12 Suite, or Live 12 Standard with the Max for Live add-on. Mac (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Windows. It draws with your graphics card; 1080 needs more of it than 720.
How do I install it?
Unzip VZL Scope.zip. Drag VZL Scope.amxd onto your master track, then choose 16:9 or 9:16. For notes, put VZL Scope Send.amxd in front of the instrument on the tracks you want to see.
Does it cost CPU?
Very little: the picture is drawn by the graphics card at a fixed size, 30 frames per second. Recording reads every frame back, so keep an eye on the CPU meter while you record a busy set.
Is the strobe safe?
Strobe is off by default and limited to three flashes per second. Keep it off if anyone watching is sensitive to flashing light.
What makes it different.
VZL ScopeFree, and it stays free.
Records video with audio inside Live, in 16:9 and 9:16, up to 1920 × 1080.
Follows Live's beat and the notes of each track, not only the volume.
Black and white with micro typography, made for dark techno, house and ambient.
Mac and Windows, Ableton Live 12 with Max for Live.
Ready to try VZL Scope?
Get VZL Scope · FreeVZL Scope by Thoow, two devices: VZL Scope for the master and VZL Scope Send for your tracks. Videos carry a small "Made with Thoow.com VZL". Early access.