# Find the right visual tool
Canonical page: https://phasevoid.com/compare/
Reviewed: 2026-10-07. Product version: 1.71.0. Written by the maker of PHASE//VOID.

Choose a workflow before choosing software. This is a documented feature comparison, not a ranking, vendor benchmark or guarantee for a venue.

## Browser workflows
- [Make a music video](https://phasevoid.com/studio/?flow=video&file-render=1&from=compare): local MP3/WAV selected once → current composition or reviewed acts → file render → inspection/save/reopen. [Full instructions](https://phasevoid.com/guides/youtube-visualizer/#file-render). File render uses this browser/device, not a server or offline installation.
- [Run a live visual set](https://phasevoid.com/studio/?flow=live&from=compare): browser-permitted audio, A/B, cues, optional MIDI. [Live guide](https://phasevoid.com/guides/live-visuals/).
- [Map one projector](https://phasevoid.com/studio/?flow=live&panel=mapping&from=compare): up to eight independently styled corner/mask surfaces in one final raster. [Mapping guide](https://phasevoid.com/guides/live-visuals/#mapping). Eight surfaces are not eight physical output routes.

Captured cues can recall both Program clip layers, desired playback and master FX, preparing incoming files before full-composition transitions. Missing media blocks a whole cue; restored layers stay paused until deliberate playback or cue fire. Older cues retain their behavior until explicitly recaptured or enabled/copied in Edit cue and saved. Master FX is applied before mapping; independent surfaces use their own FX. Manual A/B banks still share global clips and FX. [Build and reopen a complete clip show](https://phasevoid.com/guides/live-visuals/#clip-deck) with the four-cue kit: source loops, session JSON, synthetic audio and a [performance WebM](https://phasevoid.com/examples/clip-show/performance.webm). This does not establish native media-server parity or long-set performance. Live input and performed MIDI remain [real-time capture tasks](https://phasevoid.com/studio/?flow=video&realtime=1&from=compare).

## Tool comparison
| Tool | Useful for | Processing / output | Limits | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| PHASE//VOID | Local music-video files, live visuals and one projector. | File render of a local MP3/WAV segment/current composition or reviewed acts; two muted video layers, FX and mapping. Explicit complete-example loading and in-tab soundtrack handoff; separate real-time live/MIDI capture. | Browser/device rendering, not server rendering or offline installation. One raster with up to eight surfaces. No mesh/3D calibration, edge blending, native protocols, OSC or timed lyric editor. Codec/GPU/memory limits apply; no universal sync or speed guarantee. Free, no account. | [Details](https://phasevoid.com/product-facts.md) |
| Resolume Avenue | Live audiovisual performance with clips, cameras, sources and effects. | Native application; MIDI/OSC and NDI, Spout or Syphon video exchange. | Arena adds advanced output and show capabilities. Demo watermarks and a voice reminder apply; this project has not benchmarked Resolume. Commercial software; limited demo. | [Details](https://resolume.com/support/en/avenue-arena-difference) |
| Resolume Arena | Live performance with projection mapping, edge blending, mesh warping and show integration. | Native AV application; video exchange, OSC, SMPTE and DMX. | Hardware, routing and the actual venue need testing. Demo restrictions apply. Mesh warping does not imply 3D camera calibration; that capability is not established here. Commercial software; limited demo. | [Details](https://resolume.com/support/en/avenue-arena-difference) |
| Synesthesia | Audio-reactive scenes, shader import and live shader authoring. | Native graphics; documented NDI, Spout and Syphon exchange. | OSC requires Pro. Trial output is watermarked. Check imported shader compatibility and rights. Multi-projector mapping is not established here. Commercial editions; watermarked trial. | [Details](https://synesthesia.live/features) |
| MadMapper | Projection and light installations with several outputs and complex surfaces. | Mesh/Bezier surfaces, 3D calibration, soft-edge blending, native video exchange and OSC/Art-Net. | Projector capacity depends on your computer/GPU. ISF file import is documented; this does not establish Shadertoy import or live coding. Vendor claims do not certify your venue. Commercial software. | [Details](https://madmapper.com/madmapper/features) |

## Chooser method
The [HTML chooser](https://phasevoid.com/compare/#chooser-title) matches all selected requirements to documented feature sets. It does not send your answers, media or selected tool names as analytics fields. Requirements: NDI, Spout or Syphon; OSC control; Shadertoy import / live shader coding; Several projector outputs / edge blending; Mesh warping; 3D camera calibration; SMPTE timecode input; DMX / Art-Net control; Timed lyric editing; Server-rendered video.

Documented sets used in this review:
- PHASE//VOID: the browser workflows above; no specialist requirements in this selector. Source-verified product scope; the published WAV/WebM is bounded renderer evidence, not a universal device test.
- Resolume Avenue: NDI, Spout or Syphon; OSC control. Official documentation; not runtime-tested here.
- Resolume Arena: NDI, Spout or Syphon; OSC control; Several projector outputs / edge blending; Mesh warping; SMPTE timecode input; DMX / Art-Net control. Official documentation; not runtime-tested here.
- Synesthesia: NDI, Spout or Syphon; OSC control; Shadertoy import / live shader coding. Official documentation; not runtime-tested here.
- MadMapper: NDI, Spout or Syphon; OSC control; Several projector outputs / edge blending; Mesh warping; 3D camera calibration; DMX / Art-Net control. Official documentation; not runtime-tested here.

Unverified features are not labelled absent from a competitor. There is no complete match for timed lyrics or server rendering in this reviewed selection. Combined requirements without a fully documented match show a limitation and partial alternatives, not a winner. Ordinary browser-permitted MIDI is supported by PHASE//VOID and is not an exclusion. Check the exact edition and full signal path before a show. No prices, affiliate links, rating scores or native performance parity are claimed.

## First-party evidence and next steps
[Watch the actual four-act WAV/WebM](https://phasevoid.com/examples/file-render/performance.webm) and [read its bounded independent report](https://phasevoid.com/examples/file-render/decode-check.json): two clips, two mapped surfaces, Program/surface FX, 360 distinct decoded pictures on a 12-second timeline; about 26 seconds processing with deliberate 6× CPU throttling in one desktop Chrome run. The small Opus tail makes the container about 12.02 seconds. Waveform alignment in three windows is not a general reaction/physical-sync verdict, and native-browser download completion was not certified.

[Open the complete example setup](https://phasevoid.com/studio/?file-render=1&render-example=1&from=compare), then explicitly press **Load four-act example**. The known session, both original loops and WAV validate/decode before settings change; current frame/size/motion stay. **Undo example setup** restores prior settings and loaded clips paused. The link itself does not load, play or render. A local track already selected in Studio is handed off silently; choosing your own track keeps the composition. [Follow the complete film workflow](https://phasevoid.com/guides/youtube-visualizer/#file-render). The public fixture is synthetic; media and session downloads remain available as a manual fallback.

[Compare moving techno examples](https://phasevoid.com/guides/techno-visualizer/), [explore 108 scenes](https://phasevoid.com/scenes/) or [prepare a separate custom-work brief](https://phasevoid.com/custom-visuals/). Selected files remain local. The public PIP — TARSAN demo is streamed only after a start action.

Chooser completion, Studio link, arrival and first audio activation are separate aggregate counts. Silent File render has separate opening/starting/result-ready/user saved-confirmation milestones; those do not certify browser download completion or establish a joined visitor conversion rate. [Privacy](https://phasevoid.com/privacy/). Capabilities can change; recheck the linked official documentation.
Additional protocol and edition sources:
- [Resolume — NDI input/output](https://resolume.com/support/en/NDI_inputs_and_outputs)
- [Resolume — Spout / Syphon](https://resolume.com/support/syphonspout)
- [Resolume — OSC control](https://resolume.com/support/en/osc)
- [Arena — mesh output transformation](https://resolume.com/support/en/output-transformation)
- [Arena — DMX input](https://resolume.com/support/en/dmx-shortcuts)
- [MadMapper — media / ISF import](https://docs.madmapper.com/madmapper/6/3.-media/media-bin)


## Perform a moving mapped show

PHASE//VOID supports moving surface transitions and manual A/B surface-bank mixing within one raster. [Watch and load the first-party mapped show](https://phasevoid.com/guides/live-visuals/#mapped-show-kit). This is not native media-server parity or a physical-projector benchmark.