# Free audio spectrum visualizer and waveform video maker

Canonical: https://phasevoid.com/guides/audio-spectrum-visualizer/
Updated: 2026-10-15

Soundwave opens a free Program layer with frequency Spectrum bars, a radial Ring or an instantaneous Waveform. Choose color, position, size, response, opacity and background darkening without replacing or starting audio. The layer uses the existing MP3/WAV or supported live-input signal, sits above Program video/worlds and below titles/artwork, and reaches the composed projector and realtime recording. File-render first-frame review, causal storyboard and encoded films consume the current decoded signal with frozen layer settings at each actual output size. Local/settings-only sessions retain the layer; legacy sessions default off. Freeze/Blackout cover the complete output. Independent mapped world sources and shared procedural-look links exclude this global layer. This is not a whole-track waveform, calibrated meter, lyric generator, source separation or physical latency correction.

## Add the layer

1. [Open Soundwave controls](https://phasevoid.com/studio/?panel=spectrum). The link opens controls without enabling the layer, playing audio or requesting access.
2. Load MP3/WAV or deliberately connect a supported live source in Audio. Muted video clips are not the music input.
3. Choose Soundwave, or Output → Audio spectrum on a compact layout. A compact output preview stays with the controls on smaller screens. Choose Spectrum, Ring or Waveform to enable the style; compare using Enable audio spectrum.
4. Pick a swatch/custom color, position and size. Response changes display strength, not audio volume or BPM. Opacity blends the layer; Darken background fades the underlying Program picture toward black while preserving spectrum/title/artwork.
5. Inspect loud and quiet passages. No source produces a quiet baseline rather than an invented beat.

## Actual output examples

- **Spectrum · 16:9** — Frequency bars move from low to high across the picture. [Actual Studio WebM](https://phasevoid.com/examples/audio-spectrum/bars.webm), 960 × 540. [Decoded poster](https://phasevoid.com/examples/audio-spectrum/bars.webp).
- **Ring · 9:16** — The frequency bands wrap clockwise around an open center. [Actual Studio WebM](https://phasevoid.com/examples/audio-spectrum/ring.webm), 540 × 960. [Decoded poster](https://phasevoid.com/examples/audio-spectrum/ring.webp).
- **Waveform · 1:1** — The line follows a short window of the actual audio signal. [Actual Studio WebM](https://phasevoid.com/examples/audio-spectrum/scope.webm), 540 × 540. [Decoded poster](https://phasevoid.com/examples/audio-spectrum/scope.webp).

Original 160 BPM test soundtrack; actual separately composed file renders. The guide’s players start muted. [Dated checks and limits](https://phasevoid.com/evidence/audio-spectrum-2026-10-15.json) describe bounded engineering evidence, not hardware latency or endurance.

## Frame your title and artwork

Use Output → On-screen title for the track/event name, artist/subtitle and position; Add logo/artwork accepts a local supported image. These paint above the spectrum. Avoid overlap, leave important clip/scene features readable and inspect 16:9, 9:16 and 1:1 independently. Ring does not automatically place cover art in its center.

Program-mapped surfaces inherit the layer through their normal crop/warp/mask. Independent mapped world sources keep their own source and exclude this global layer. It is not a per-surface audio plugin.

## Export a music video

Use Record video → Render from MP3/WAV for the loaded soundtrack. Select a passage, Current composition or Show sequence and a current frame / delivery set. Review captures the layer settings, title and a copied artwork before rebuilding each picture from decoded sound. First frames check framing, not motion. Render, download and reopen the actual file to inspect motion, crop and sound. For live input or performed changes, use realtime recording and inspect a short take.

Spectrum/Waveform follow signal analysis independently of a scene’s manual pulse. [Track beat alignment](https://phasevoid.com/guides/music-visualizer/#file-beat-grid) and [full file-render instructions](https://phasevoid.com/guides/youtube-visualizer/#file-render) are separate tasks.

## Choose the signal display

| Style | Signal | Use |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Spectrum | Relative log-spaced frequency magnitudes, low to high | Wide visible bass/mid/high activity |
| Ring | Those frequency bands clockwise from the top | Circular accent with an open center |
| Waveform | A short current time-domain signal window | Actual signal shape, not a whole-track timeline |

The bars/ring are visual values, not calibrated dB/loudness readings or isolated stems. Display covers roughly 35 Hz–16 kHz within the available sample-rate range. Live browser and causal file analysis are different paths, not guaranteed pixel-identical output. MDN explains [frequency data](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/AnalyserNode/getByteFrequencyData) and [waveform data](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/AnalyserNode/getByteTimeDomainData).

## Save and recover

Local/settings-only sessions retain the complete layer. Legacy sessions default off. A saved session does not bundle audio, video or artwork bytes; reattach files where needed and start sound explicitly. Shared procedural-look links exclude this global layer. Freeze holds the complete picture, Blackout covers it; neither pauses a recording.

## Practical answers

- Public Studio, this layer and supported exports are free without an account. Codec support varies by browser. This requires the loaded web app, not an application/source download or cloud-render subscription.
- A flat waveform can mean silent/paused music or the wrong input. The layer cannot use muted clip sound. [Check source and meters](https://phasevoid.com/guides/troubleshooting/#silent) before raising Response.
- This does not calibrate physical projector, browser-capture or speaker/interface delay.
- Selected music stays in the local Studio processing path; this layer adds no upload or durable media cache. Existing hosting requests/counters are described in [Privacy](https://phasevoid.com/privacy/).

Custom visual direction for a release or live stage is a separate project: [prepare a brief](https://phasevoid.com/custom-visuals/).