Magnetosphere, the iTunes music visualizer

Magnetosphere, and other music visualization programs are fantastic to display while playing music at parties, or simply to relax and unwind. Many use a considerable amount of computing power, so are less suited to multi-tasking, as they can slow program response times unbearably.

I like having the visualizer running when I am listening to music and studying on paper (not actively doing anything on the computer). I like that there is something visual that I can look at in a quick break, or when I need to think deeply about something. For me, zoning out, letting my eyes focus on something that is not my textbook or notes, helps me remember facts that I had forgotten.

I also like to having it running while I am listening to music and reading a novel. It provides me with more of a sense of time passing. It encourages and reminds me to take the occasional break to drink, change where my eyes focus, and move around a little. Otherwise I'd spend all day immersed in my book, without any breaks!

Magnetosphere was launched by software company thebabariangroup in 2007. It was later sold to Apple and, after a few tweaks, it was incorporated into the iTunes music visualizer, and is available on both the Windows and MacOSX versions.

Magnetosphere features beautiful 'space' like animations, as well as wire frame models, clearly showing how the graphics are synchronized to the music. Dots, ribbons and lights are sent dancing, while planets and nebulae show magnetic and gravity forces, much like how particles react to the earth's own magnetosphere. Light pulses with the beat, and the amount of movement varies according to the fullness and volume of the music.

First, start playing music (not videos), as the visualizer takes over the iTunes window.

Enable the iTunes visualizer via the menu:

 View -> Show Visualizer 

or type the keyboard shortcut

 Command-T  on MacOSX
 Control-T  on Windows

You can make the visualizer take up the full screen by using the keyboard shortcut:

 Command-F  on MacOSX Control-F  on Windows

Hint: control iTunes using keyboard shortcuts to stay in the visualizer, and avoid using the mouse! (MacOSX iTunes shortcuts, Windows iTunes shortcuts).

You can control how the visualizer appears using the keys in the table below. You can change the type of animation, colour palettes, brightness, movement, how many particles appear, and if there is a background fog (nebula effect).

Note: Whenever you start and stop the visualizer, all settings revert to their defaults.

Tip: Many of these options work with the other iTunes visualizations.

Music visualization is when images are generated in real-time, and animated to music. Most modern media players across Windows, MacOSX and Linux, include support for visualization plugins.

Basic music visualizers have been around almost since music players have existed on computers. A blocky oscilloscope display, mimicking those on older amplifiers, is on the simple end of the music visualization scale. More complex visualizations animate multiple effects according to changes in beat, loudness, harmonics, pitch and even the 'shapes' of sounds (the harmonic spectrum).

Other popular music visualization plug-ins are:

• iTunes Jelly
• Morphyre (Winamp)
• Plane9 (Winamp)
• Synaesthesia (Linux)
• Neon (XBox)
• VSXu - audio visualizer and real-time graphics design program
• Cthugha - described as "an oscilloscope on acid"

Which is your favourite music visualization in iTunes, or any other music player?
When do you like to use music visualizers?
Let us know in the comments below!