Audio Visualizer Software for Mac: A Challenge in Optimization

The concept of creating an audio visualizer software for a vintage Macintosh computer has piqued my interest, particularly when considering the technical challenges involved. To achieve this, one would need to write and compile code in highly optimized C, with no shortcuts possible.

In theory, it could be done using entirely original hardware, which is intriguing. I have been planning to create a similar program on an old Macintosh computer, but my initial plan was to use external hardware for sampling purposes. The idea of creating a visualizer that can display waveforms or other cool graphics in real-time is indeed alluring.

However, it appears that most existing audio visualizers are non-live, with the exception of some software that requires powerful processors like the Intel Pentium. I have been searching for a free audio visualizer that can be launched while mixing and provide a nice video output to vibe with. Given our current knowledge of oscillographs and DFT/FFT on RISC microcontrollers, it seems possible to create such a program.

In the past, I used CD Spectrum Pro on Windows, which worked decently but required a Pentium processor. The sampling process takes up most processing power and RAM. Did software exist that could perform this task back then? Yes, there were programs that utilized FFT and spectrum analyzer visualization.

One possibility is to use optimized routines targeted for 8-bit MCUs like the Atmel AVR/PIC, which rely on table-based math. With a certain degree of error, integer-only math can be used, followed by painting the graph on screen. To create such an audio visualizer, one would need to sample the audio at a given frequency and record dB levels for each sample over a specific time period.

It's possible to use integer-based math to display an 'oscilloscope' waveform on the screen, but it wouldn't be fast. Creating these kinds of visualizations requires immense processing power, making optimization in C crucial to achieving success.

Audio visualizer software mac