You’ve probably heard Clams Casino‘s beats thousands of times without realizing it. The mysterious producer behind A$AP Rocky’s “Wassup,” countless Lil B classics, and recent hits with Kid Laroi has been influencing hip-hop for over a decade. When he took a headline slot at FWB Fest in Idyllwild, California, we had the chance to create something special: live AI visuals that matched his legendary sound.
The Challenge: No Mood Board, Just Vibes
Unlike traditional visual projects, this collaboration started with pure trust. No mood boards, no creative briefs—just Clams Casino’s music and the natural amphitheater nestled in the California mountains. As Clams put it: “I hit a lot of unusual peaks and valleys in this more ambient, forest set, as well as play deeper tracks from my catalog. Visually, we tried to align with the setting and let the trees and shadows guide the music.”
Step-by-Step: How to Create AI Visuals for Live Music
Creating live visuals with AI requires a different approach than traditional VJing. Our team had to completely rethink the process: “Can we build something that’s as emotionally relevant, well thought out, and well-directed as stuff that we’ve done in the past with traditional tools?”
Step 1: Collect Visual References
Before touching any AI tools, we gathered inspiration that captured both the Idyllwild forest setting and Clams’ aesthetic. Our reference board included:
• Infrared photography and point cloud scans
• Neural network patterns and organic textures
• Moss-covered ruins and archaeological sites
• Atmospheric lighting through fog and mist
Pro tip: Think about your music’s emotional arc first, then find visuals that match those feelings.
Step 2: Create Static Images for Each Theme
Theme 1: Dreamy, Soft Beginnings
Tracks: “Water Theme,” “Nights Like This Part 2”
Ethereal forest scenes and organic textures matching the venue and Clams’ dreamier production style
Image Tools: Midjourney
Prompts:
• “Soft landscape, pampas grass, lush greens and ambient shimmering light through trees, ethereal muted glow, fisheye lens, soft edges, vignetting”
• “Soft landscape, ethereal muted glow, fisheye lens, soft edges, vignetting”
Theme 2: The Ruins, Dense Energy
Tracks: “One Last Thing,” “Illest Alive”
Ancient underground megastructures for the set’s upbeat, faster drum programming
Image Tools: Midjourney
Prompts:
• “Infrared point cloud footage of a dark misty archaeology dig site with soft pulsating energy, stark rocky landscape, night time, soft atmospheric ambient glowing lights, recursive, 360° video”
• “Vast forgotten world shrouded in emerald mist, structured with symmetrical towers, each with a glowing arc of blue light atop, Minimalist, atmospheric, soft digital noise, low-key color palette, spiritual sci-fi”
Theme 3: Forest, Hazy Sound
Tracks: “Wassup,” “Leaf,” “Drowning,” “Treetop”
Capturing the natural energy of the venue while leaning into Clams Casino’s signature sound
Image Tools: Imagen 4, Recraft (Hard Flash), Runway Gen-3, Midjourney
Prompts:
• “Pacific northwest forest at night, dense forest, condensation, lofi camera. Green forest, mist and red fog, nighttime”
• “Surreal night forest with tall, skeletal conifers glowing pale mint green, symmetrical clearing, ground covered in undulating neon-violet fog, black void sky, volumetric haze, soft bloom, subtle CRT scanline + dither texture, moody, high detail”
• “Aerial drone POV of a dense coniferous forest with towering pine trees bending inward toward a central black void surrounded by fog, natural atmospheric lighting, swirling movement”
Step 3: Animate Your Images
Try out different video tools and prompts to bring static images to life with movement that matches your music’s tempo
Tools:
• Veo 3 for hyper realistic shots
• Kling 2.1 for fast, high-quality generative video clips
• Luma Ray 2 for short looping videos
• LTX Studio for polished visuals and longer clips
Key techniques:
• Slow, hypnotic movements for ambient tracks
• High-speed flythroughs for energetic moments
• Camera movements that feel unnatural but intentional (embracing AI’s current aesthetic)
Video Tools: Luma Ray 2
Prompts:
• “Handheld camera shake, low movement, ambient footage, soft atmosphere, natural footage”
Video Tools: Midjourney, Veo 3, Kling 2.1
Prompts:
• “Slow drone pov flythrough of an ethereal abandoned ruin, soft atmospheric lighting, dynamic movement, 360 video”
• “Slow drone pov flyover across a dark landscape covered in a deep green and blue fog, atmospheric lighting”
Video Tools: Veo 3, Runway Gen-3, Kling 2.1
Prompts:
• “Drone pov, slow motion flythrough of a foggy forest in the pacific northwest at night, heavy fog”
• “Drone pov, top-down over a dense conifer forest at dusk, slow descending glide with a gentle clockwise micro-orbit toward a misty vortex hole in a clearing; fog spirals inward, needles lift and swirl, cool overcast light”
What We Learned: AI Visuals That Don’t Feel Like AI
The key to successful AI visuals isn’t the technology—it’s understanding how to use it as a creative tool. Here are the 5 big lessons we learned from this project:
1. AI isn’t a shortcut—it’s a new pathway. You still need craftsmanship and creative direction.
2. Embrace AI’s unique aesthetic. Don’t try to replicate reality—within these set of tools lies entire genres of undiscovered imagery.
3. Know when NOT to use AI. For emotional moments like Lil Peep’s “4 Gold Chains,” we thought the highest form of reverence would be to simply use his signature Lil Peep pink and strobes.
4. AI gives you flexibility that traditional methods don’t. Unlike 3D workflows where your show is locked in days prior, we could still create entirely new looks hours before during soundcheck.
5. Write prompts like a director. Combine technical camera terms (fisheye, infrared, point cloud) with emotional descriptors (ethereal, mysterious, pulsating) and specific environmental details.
Ready to create your own visuals?
Unlike traditional visual projects, this collaboration started with pure trust. No mood boards, no creative briefs—just Clams Casino’s music and the natural amphitheater nestled in the California mountains. As Clams put it: “I hit a lot of unusual peaks and valleys in this more ambient, forest set, as well as play deeper tracks from my catalog. Visually, we tried to align with the setting and let the trees and shadows guide the music.”
Whether you’re planning a live show, creating music videos, or just experimenting with visual art, AI tools have never been more accessible. The techniques we used for Clams Casino—from prompt crafting to animation workflows—can be adapted for any musical project.
The future of live music visuals is here, and it’s more accessible than you think. What will you create?
The collaboration between Kaiber and Clams Casino was powered by Superstudio, our platform for creating AI-generated visuals.
