Visuals played like an instrument.

SMERGE treats visuals like an instrument — mixed and performed live, the way a modular synth rig gets played, not configured in a timeline. It's built by Aorta Apps, an independent studio founded by JSH JR out of a passion for the visual and audio arts, with the goal of offering professional, state-of-the-art features at a fraction of the cost.

Users can patch modular CV/Gate inputs right next to the AI shader generator, bring their own API key, run Syphon both directions, and pack an entire set — clips, shaders, mappings — into one file they can hand to a friend. These aren't roadmap bullet points; they're things that got built because a gig needed them.

Being small is a feature. Bug reports get read by the person who wrote the code. Feature requests from working VJs move the roadmap. If you're playing shows with SMERGE, your feedback is the development process.