Magcube: the dancing ferrofluid lamp where technology meets art in visible music

Before Magcube existed, visible sound lived only on lab benches and oscilloscope screens. We wanted to bring that same sense of wonder to your desk – a living sculpture that moves with every beat. Magcube is our answer: a ferrofluid lamp that turns playlists into motion and makes technology feel a little more human.

From lab experiment to living sculpture

Magcube started as a simple question in our studio: what if sound could be watched, not only listened to? We were already working with ferrofluid in our visual audio projects, watching the liquid react to magnetic fields and form other-worldly shapes. The moment we synced those shapes to music, the idea for a desktop-sized “music sculpture” was born.

Early prototypes lived on a crowded workbench next to oscilloscopes and test rigs. The ferrofluid responded beautifully, but the form factor didn’t. It was too industrial, too sharp, too “lab.” We wanted something that would feel at home in a bedroom, a studio or a creator’s streaming setup – clean lines, soft reflections and a quiet visual presence until the music starts.

How Magcube turns sound into motion

At the heart of Magcube is a sealed chamber of ferrofluid – a liquid infused with microscopic magnetic particles. Around and beneath that chamber sits a carefully tuned magnetic drive system. When your music plays, Magcube converts the audio signal into dynamic magnetic fields that push and pull on the liquid in real time.

To you, it doesn’t look like electronics and physics. It looks like a dark, glossy liquid that dances, stretches and breaks into spikes as your tracks rise and fall. Slow ambient tracks create smooth, breathing waves. Hard-hitting beats cause sharp, dramatic shapes that feel almost alive. It’s sound, but in a form your eyes can follow.

Designed for your desk, camera and space

Magcube is compact enough to sit beside your keyboard, monitor or turntable without stealing the whole show. The viewing window, aspect ratio and internal lighting were all tuned so that the ferrofluid is clear and readable from typical desk distance – usually 50–80 cm away.

For creators and streamers, Magcube also works as a visual signature on camera. Place it on the edge of your frame and it becomes a subtle, animated element that reacts to your audio in real time. No plugins, no overlays – just a physical object moving with your voice, your game or your playlist.

Art, not just an accessory

We don’t think of Magcube as a gadget you hide when guests arrive. It’s meant to be a piece of functional art – industrial design, material choice and motion language all working together. The enclosure feels solid, the edges are softened, and the window is large enough that the liquid never feels cramped or cheap.

Most of the time, Magcube is a quiet object on your desk. But the moment the music starts, it becomes the one thing people can’t stop looking at. That tension – between stillness and motion – is exactly what we wanted from the beginning.

Who Magcube is for

Magcube is built for people who care about how their space feels: music lovers, desk setup enthusiasts, streamers, gamers, designers and anyone who loves objects with a story. If you’ve ever wished your speakers, headphones or playlists could be “seen” as well as heard, Magcube was made with you in mind.

Pair it with your favourite playlists, dim the lights and watch the liquid sculpture inside come to life. It’s the kind of small, everyday magic that never gets old.