Music visualization

Audio visualization is the calculation of graphics that are generated on the basis of music data. The simplest versions are the representations by oscilloscope. In the simplest case, the waveform of the audio signal is applied over the time course of the audio signal. This means that it leaves the electron beam of an oscilloscope in a certain frequency run across the screen and see the waveform of the audio signal.

Technical application

Another variant is the panoramic display (also called correlation display ) between the left and right audio channels. In this case, the audio signal for the left side controls the horizontal deflection of the electron beam, while the right audio signal modulates the vertical deflection (left and right can also be reversed). This type of audio visualization is typically used in music studios or in the TV or radio technology to which belonged also signal to an optical assessment. On the waveform display can visually assess the amount of noise during quiet signals. In the panoramic display, you can see how an audio signal is arranged in the room. The most common case is a diagonal line. In rare cases, the display is Circular. In this case, the impression that the audio signal rotates a formed. In the song " The Robots" the Düsseldorf electronic band Kraftwerk, the panoramic display shows the beginning of the song for a short time a square.

Another common indicator is the so-called peak meter. It displays the volume in the form of a bar. The classic that is still used today in radio studios is the peak meter of RTW. Also very well known are the variants of the company NTP. Peak meters are used to judge whether one is within a certain volume range. Especially on the radio, it is important to keep the volume level, since large fluctuations would disturb the listener. A peak meter is the moderators to check whether the volume is set correctly and that really audio signals are transported to the station. Otherwise possibly a control on the mixer was not pulled up. Important for the evaluation is the so-called correlation. If a channel is twisted (left and right audio signal swing in the opposite fashion ), the signal when mixed together can ( switching to mono, radios only play mono ) a complete loss. The result would be that you do not hear anything more, even though a signal is present. The human ear can not perceive phase shifts. Such rotator can only visually assessed. In older consoles radio signals via operational amplifiers have been mixed. The operational amplifiers used in it tended to shift the phase of audio signals. So-called correlation meter make such rotator optically visible and are integrated into modern peak meters. Previously rotator were observed with oscilloscopes, or with an additional peak meter which indicated the sum of both signals ( mono). Did not move the bar for the left and right side, but the bar for the mono signal or only barely so was a phase shifter in the signal. The presenters is in this case a key is available, the copies the right audio signal on the left channel and vice versa. The audio signal is in such a case, only " pseudo- stereo ", but can also be heard on mono- radio. This effect is (for example, the company BurrBrown ) whittled away by modern high quality operational amplifier. Since audio signals are digitally (using DSP) mixed, the effect no longer occurs.

Audio visualization as an entertainment medium

The audio visualization fascinated many people. In the 1970s, light organs were popular.

In 1976, the company ATARI sold a product called Atari Video Music System C -240 Mint. This device has been connected to the TV or stereo and figured colorful images that simultaneously moving to the music or their colors changed. The device had to first be connected to the power outlet and then to the stereo, otherwise the stereo system could carry a defect.

For the legendary Commodore 64, which was used in mid -to late 1980s as a game console, there were a large number of games, many with copy protection. Cracker cracked the copy protection, and left as a calling card a so-called cracktro on the disks. Today this " Cracktros " known under the name " demo ". It has its own scene formed around these demos around ( demo scene). Very early to were moving beams and optical representations of the essential component of these running in the background music demos. Around 1985 this demo scene was continued on the Amiga Commodore of the company. The series Amiga computer possessed four audio channels, the corresponding formats were SID or Mod In many demos, but also in computer games, the four beams (peak m ) were used for each of the audio channels as an optical effect. Around 1987 appeared increasingly disks with small collections of songs on ( MusicMags ), such as the group of cactus. These disks were loaded within a few seconds from the AMIGA and showed a colorful universe of little hectic graphics on. Moreover, it was selected from a list of hundreds of songs a piece. Depending on the music ran various greeting messages to other groups across the screen that have been distorted by the different elements of the music, or be modified in speed. This song collections were the first programs of its kind, the abbildeten the elements of music to graphics and ultimately served only that purpose. The presentation of the music was celebrated by the graphics almost.

Since the computer is fast enough to be calculated by the Fast Fourier Transform, the frequency spectrum of an audio signal in real time. This began for the PC platform with MS- DOS in the early 90s, the software was brought about, for example, the IntertiaPlayer or CubicPlayer, which reached a sufficient computing power to the still weak PC Hardware by assembler programming.

Soon after the invention of the mp3 data format was released an audio player called Winamp in May 1997, with a plugin based audio visualization concept (see also # Winamp visualization plug -ins ). Winamp was one of the first free mp3 player for PCs, reached a large spread and shaped in design, and GUI look and feel of the audio player genre. A well-known audio visualization plugin, which was the first time of his abilities, was the Geiss plugin from 1998, which generated a fractal- based visualization of music.

Since Winamp virtually all audio and media players are equipped with an audio visualization, eg iTunes from Apple.

Audio Visualization in Art

On Friday, 30 November 2001, installed the Viennese sound artist sha GTT and a steel construction of 14 huge sound monolith on Dornerplatz in Vienna. It was the largest sound-art plant in Europe. These monoliths were equipped with so-called NXT flat speakers. These speakers bring plates to vibrate up and transfer the sound. The 14 huge sound monoliths should now act as an integration test for urban problem zones. The term "Audio Visualization" falls into this context in the metaphorical sense. The problems of the city and the shadows will fall on this ' audiovisualizes '. Analogously, with this term semantics refers to the effect of sound and music on the perception of the people. The sound, the music visualized in the minds of people the problem.

Audio visualization in design

Especially in the design of corporate logos has done much in recent years. There were writings developed and expanded by logos. This combination is moored for a company once and then lives in the company's history as a corporate identity on. Many design firms to offer an additional "Audio Visualization" of corporate identity. This is the design of signature tunes or melodies in addition to the logo. Very well known are the five tones of the T -Com, the four tones, which always occur in the Intel commercials or the start-up tone of the Windows operating system from Microsoft. The consumer is confronted with the logo and the Audio logo always at the same time. So the subconscious mind of the consumer connects the sequence of notes ( the sound logo ) with the company name and logo. Nowadays, therefore, speaks of " Identity Mix" or " brand communication ", rather than just corporate identity.

Other examples

  • Car radios use today as a small optical gimmick volume bar ( peak meter ) or a small frequency spectrum as an audio visualization.
  • Some stereos show the frequency spectrum.
  • Video recorder with adjustable recording volume indicate two peak meter.
  • Laser Shows in discos can be understood as an audio visualization.
  • Video Jockeys ( VJs ) show in discos images to music.
  • Music videos can be understood as an extension of the audio visualization.

List of visualization programs

(Annual data refer to the introduction )

  • Music Animation Machine (1985, MAM)
  • ZMusic (1987, Stephen Nachmanovitch )
  • Virtual Light Machine (1990, Jeff Minter )
  • Cthugha (1993, Kevin " Zaph " Burfitt, PC ( DOS) )
  • Inertia Player 1995 (Stefan Danes, Ramon van Gorkom et al. / Inertia Productions ) real-time spectrum visualization
  • Sound Spectrum / G -Force (2000, Andy O'Meara, Sound Spectrum)
  • R4 (2003, Gordon Williams)
  • Vsxu (2003, Vovoid )
  • Neon (2004, Jeff Minter and Ivan Zorzin )
  • TronMe (2006, 3D Solar )
  • ITunes (2006, Apple)
  • Advanced Visualization Studio ( Justin Frankel )
  • NoiseCradle ( NoiseCradle )
  • Windows Media Player (Microsoft)
  • Fish (2001-2013, Marcel Ebmer ), also known as XBMC plug-in ( fishBMC ) Official website
Module file Demoscene MS-DOS OpenGL Diagramming software Computational visualistics
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