PHOSPHOR
Thanks for using Phosphor. If something isn't working or you have a question, email [email protected] — I read every message and try to reply within a day or two.
QUICK ANSWERS
"I don't see any visuals reacting to my music."
Phosphor needs to capture the audio you're playing. Open Settings (⌘,) → Audio Source and make sure TAP is selected. The first time you toggle to TAP, macOS will ask permission to record system audio — approve it. If you denied it previously, revoke + re-grant it from System Settings → Privacy & Security → Audio Capture.
"The BPM display shows '— BPM'."
Phosphor only locks onto a tempo when there's a clear rhythm. Ambient tracks, speech, or silent passages won't trigger a lock. On a song with a strong beat, you should see the number appear within ~2 seconds. Scenes react to bass and onset signals even when the BPM display hasn't locked.
"I can't find the menu bar icon."
On notched Macs (MacBook Air/Pro with the camera cutout), status items can get pushed behind the notch when too many apps are running. Hold ⌘ and drag existing menu bar items to reorder them, or install Ice (free) to manage overflow.
"Phosphor is frozen after my Mac woke from sleep."
This should be auto-recovered within a second of wake. If it isn't, quit (⌘Q) and relaunch. If it happens repeatedly, please email me — that's a bug worth chasing.
"Where are my recordings saved?"
~/Movies/Phosphor Recordings/. Each file is named by timestamp. MP4 with h.264 video + AAC audio.
"How do I get back the welcome tour?"
Settings → Help → Show Welcome Tour, or Help → Show Welcome in the menu bar.
KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
- 1–9 — jump to scene by index
- ← → or ↑ ↓ — previous / next scene
- F — star the current scene (adds to favorites)
- R — toggle AI Director (auto-cycle)
- V — pause visuals without quitting
- ⌘, — open Settings
- ⌘F — fullscreen
- ⌘D — wallpaper mode
- ⌘/ — keyboard shortcuts overlay
- ? — show shortcut cheat sheet
- Esc — close cheat sheet / exit fullscreen
- ⌘Q — quit
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Phosphor requires macOS 14.4 or later, Apple Silicon (M1 or newer).
REPORT A BUG
Email [email protected] with:
- The scene you were running
- What you were playing
- What you did to trigger it
- macOS version + Mac model
If possible, attach the log file from ~/Library/Containers/com.littleknifelabs.phosphor/Data/Library/Logs/Phosphor.log — it helps a lot.