1. Load FOAM
Open FOAM as a standalone app, or load it as a plugin in your DAW.2. Play Some Notes
FOAM responds to MIDI input. If you don’t have a MIDI controller, use the computer keyboard:| Row | Notes |
|---|---|
| Number row (1-0) | Bass octave (C1-E2) |
| QWERTY row | Low octave (C2-E3) |
| ASDF row | Mid octave (C3-D4) |
| ZXCV row | High octave (C4-B4) |
3. Explore Presets
Use the Preset dropdown in the header to browse 99 factory presets organized by category:- Bass & Sub — deep, low-end focused
- Cinematic — atmospheric, evolving textures
- Extreme — aggressive, dense cascades
- Musical — melodic, tonal bubbles
- Nature — organic, realistic water sounds
- Percussion — rhythmic, transient-focused
- Texture — ambient, layered soundscapes
- Tonal — pitched, harmonic content
4. Shape Your Sound
The two most important controls:- Rate (Bubble Physics card) — sparse pops to dense foam cascades
- Size (Bubble Physics card) — large/low bubbles to tiny/high pops
5. Change the Medium
Try different Material presets in the Fluid Dynamics & Acoustics card — Water, Soap Solution, Honey, Mercury, Molasses. Each produces dramatically different tones.6. Pick a Resonator Body
Right next to Material is the Resonance dropdown — choose a physical body for your bubbles to resonate inside (Glass Jar, Metal Pipe, Cave, Cistern, Skull). Then turn up the Resonance amount knob to mix it in. This is one of the fastest ways to get a totally new sound from any preset.7. Add Motion
Once you have a base sound you like:- Chaos — randomizes parameters on each note (or right-click to switch to continuous LFO mode)
- Drift — slow, evolving parameter changes over 30-120 seconds
- Scatter — per-bubble random variation for natural ensemble feel
- Surge — physics-based envelopes that trigger on each note
8. Try Melodic Mode
Switch the Flow Type dropdown (Bubble Physics card) to Melodic or Harmonic. Now FOAM responds melodically to your MIDI notes — and the Resonator body retunes itself to whatever pitch you’re playing. Combine with the Cave or Cistern preset for tunable cinematic textures.Next Steps
Explore each card in detail:- Bubble Physics — emission, size, ring, flow type
- Fluid Dynamics & Acoustics — liquid materials and resonator bodies
- Enhancers — spatial, chaos, drift, surge
- Pitch Gravity — scales and ADP psychoacoustics
- Voicing Dynamics — mixing, compression