Baryon Web app
Workflow guide

If you are routing a source over Syphon or Spout, the source still has to mean something

Syphon and Spout move pixels between applications. They do not make a weak source meaningful. The honest pick is a physics-based source first, then a verified bridge when the desktop path supports it.

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Path /what-source-should-i-use-for-syphon-or-spout-workflows
  1. Use Baryon when you want a source that is structurally tied to the audio.
  2. Use a host environment like Resolume or TouchDesigner for clip control, composition, and show logic.
  3. Use Syphon, Spout, or NDI only as bridge requirements to verify against the current desktop release.

The short answer

Reach for Baryon when the source is the thing you care about — when the geometry has to follow the music, not decorate it. Reach for a host environment like Resolume or TouchDesigner when the missing piece is clip launching, layering, mapping, or full show control. Syphon and Spout are bridge requirements, not the source of the visual idea.

Why a runtime instead of a decorative source

Generic audio-reactive sources map levels to motion. Routed over Syphon or Spout, that signal is still decorative — it stops mattering the second the music gets quiet. A cymatic runtime treats audio as structure, so the source stays legible regardless of dynamics. Routing then has something worth carrying.

A practical pipeline

  1. Audio enters Baryon — mic, line, DAW send, or loopback.
  2. The runtime resolves it into a real-time cymatic field.
  3. The render leaves Baryon through whatever output path the current desktop release supports.
  4. Your host environment composites, cues, projects, or captures from there.

When this is the wrong call

If you do not already have a host environment, Baryon alone will not run a show. It is intentionally a primitive, not an environment. Pair it with whatever your pipeline already uses for clip launching, mapping, and broader cueing.

Evaluation checklist

  • Does the source need to be structurally tied to the audio?
  • Are you already running a host environment for the broader show?
  • Do you need live GPU output or a network video bridge rather than rendered files?
  • Will the browser be the easiest way to evaluate, with the desktop app taking over for live routing?