Pro Effect

Star Burst

Every drop is a supernova.

Try it free

About Star Burst

Star Burst creates explosive particle detonations synchronized to the most impactful moments in your music. When the beat drops, thousands of particles erupt from a central point in a spectacular starburst pattern, radiating outward with trails of light before fading into the void. Between explosions, residual particles drift and shimmer, building anticipation for the next blast. The effect analyzes your track for high-energy transients -- kick drums, snare hits, and dramatic transitions -- and maps each one to an explosion with intensity proportional to the audio energy. Bigger hits produce larger, brighter bursts with more particles and longer trails. The color of each explosion can be tied to the spectral content of the triggering sound, creating a visual spectrum of detonations. Star Burst is pure audiovisual spectacle. It is the effect you choose when you want maximum visual impact, when every beat needs to hit the viewer's eyes as hard as it hits their ears. Festival visuals, drop compilations, and hype videos all benefit from Star Burst's unrelenting kinetic energy.

How it works

Explosion events are triggered by onset detection with an energy threshold filter. When triggered, a configurable number of particles (100-2000) are spawned at the center point with radially distributed initial velocities and a velocity magnitude proportional to the onset energy. Each particle follows a ballistic trajectory with configurable gravity and drag. Particle trails are rendered using a motion blur technique that stretches point sprites along their velocity vector. Between explosions, ambient particles orbit slowly using a simple attractor force. All particles use GPU instancing for efficient rendering.

Audio Features

  • ▸ Onset Detection
  • ▸ Transient Energy
  • ▸ Beat Detection
  • ▸ Dynamic Range

Best For

  • ▸ EDM Drops & Buildups
  • ▸ Festival Visuals
  • ▸ Trap & Bass Music
  • ▸ Fireworks-Style Content

MusicMind Engine

L1SectionsL5BuildsL8Spatial

Section Detection (L1) reserves maximum burst intensity for chorus sections, Build Detection (L5) scales explosion size based on detected buildup energy, and Spatial Intelligence (L8) distributes burst origins across the stereo panorama.

Learn how MusicMind analyzes music →

Science Behind This Effect

Star Burst triggers on beat transients detected by the onset analysis system. The explosion intensity maps to the song's tension model — higher harmonic tension produces larger bursts.

Learn more: Tension & Resolution Science →

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I control how often explosions happen?+
Yes. You can set a minimum interval between explosions and adjust the energy threshold that triggers them. This prevents visual overload during very busy passages.
Do the particles have gravity?+
Configurable gravity and drag are available. You can create upward fountains, downward fireworks, zero-gravity starburst patterns, or anything in between.
Can I use multiple explosion colors?+
Yes. Each explosion can use a random color from your palette, a color mapped to the triggering frequency, or a sequential color cycle for rainbow effects.
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