Zounds!

Large version (recommended).

This here's my step into the wonderful world of sound visualizations! What you're seeing is basically the raw data of an .mp3 file. You've probably seen waveforms like this:

This is using the exact same type of data. Basically, each little "slice" of the waveform is a value between 1 and -1. That value is then amplified (if we didn't, the visualization would just look like a little cluster in the center of the screen) and then positioned based on the sin and cos of that value. Imagine a sound wave like the above, but curled around into a circle - that's what this is!

I'm also using the BitmapData object in Flash, which is a very nifty tool to check out. With it, many advanced effects can be created (such as the more detailed glow seen above). Anywho, hope you enjoy!

By the way, my song choice in this was something I dwelled on for a bit. Certain sounds show up much better in the visualization. Specifically, simple songs with long, constant tones, seem to show very cool geometric patterns. Louder, multi-layered songs tend to cause such complex waveforms that the visualization winds up looking like static. I'm particularly happy with the 6th song above ("Don't Let Us Get Sick" by Warren Zevon).