I built a music visualization system in Python that maps audio frequencies onto a Fermat spiral — mimicking the frequency layout of the human cochlea.
The approach:
- 381 log-spaced frequency bins via FFT (scipy)
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- ISO 226 equal-loudness normalization
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- Chromesthesia color mapping (frequency to hue)
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- 60 FPS rendering with temporal features: melodic trails, rhythm pulses, harmonic auras
- The fascinating part: harmonic intervals create visually symmetric patterns on the spiral. You can literally see the difference between major and minor chords.
- I think this could be interesting for the TouchDesigner community — especially for anyone working with audio-reactive visuals. The core algorithm could potentially be ported to a GLSL TOP.
- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66RiYBl7aQY
More examples: youtube.com/@NivDvir-ND