Synaesthesia

[Zero3K]

Description from the website:

Synaesthesia is a program that gives a graphical accompanyment to music. Anyone can make some pretty piece of graphics that flashes in time to the music, Synaesthesia manages a wee bit more sophistication. The screenshots to the right don't really do justice to the display, which writhes in tight synchrony to the music you play.

Synaesthesia's display combines information about the frequency, location and diffuseness of sound. The display is sufficiently detailed to let you distinguish several individual instruments, singers, or special effects on screen by their location, shape and color, and sufficiently fast to distinguish individual drum beats and notes.

Synaesthesia runs under Linux, FreeBSD and Windows.

Homepage: http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/synaesthesia
Download: http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh-files/synaesthesia/winsyn-1-2.zip (doesn't work right unless you enable Windows 95 compatability mode)
Source: http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh-files/synaesthesia/synaesthesia-2.3.tar.gz
License: Freeware

[kfitting]

Sorry, saw this thread and just have to hijack it a little.  Synaesthesia is quite real... I have it.  I have yet to find a program that reacts to music as I "see" it, but the programs do give an idea for what it's like.  There are quite a few sites out there with related articles about it.  Some people are crazy, seeing what they taste and smell, etc.  I just see music and have colors for letters, numbers, and words.  Sometimes I can force a smell to look a certain way but it isnt inherent. 

Like I said, just had to hijack!

Kevin

[mouser]

i could not get this program to display anything remotely interesting.

kfitting that is fascinating to hear - i have somewhat of a background in brain research but have never met anyone who actually had synaesthesia.. it's a fascinating thing.

interesting web page on colors associated with letters -> http://otherthings.com/uw/syn/

q&a on synaesthesia: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/derek_qa.shtml

[kfitting]

Another decent website: http://web.mit.edu/synesthesia/www/synesthesia.html

Never tried the program... did try Geiss v1 and v2 for winamp.  Version 1 came the closest to what I see with music.  That letter/color page looks decent... except the colors are wrong!  

Kevin