The Geiss Visual Plugin for Winamp

The only thing better than really good music is really good music with very pretty dancing colors. At least, that's what Ryan Geiss (www.geisswerks.com) thinks. After downloading his plugin for Winamp, I'm inclined to agree.

I've always heard that the mathematical side of a person's brain (the part used for programming) and the artsy side (for music and.. uhh.. art) are one and the same. The Geiss plugin most definitely supports what I've heard. Ryan Geiss is a computer science senior at Ohio State University and has succeeded in writing the most incredible program I have ever seen. It is small, relatively simple, and has more of an impact on people than any other piece of software I ever show them.

Art Set to Music?: Most people have seen visual representations of sound waves. These sine waves are the basis for the Geiss Winamp plugin. If the plugin is enabled, it produces and manipulates sine waves based off the music playing through Winamp. This music set to visuals produces some awe inspiring effects and color combinations. But the sine waves are not the only part of this plugin... oh no, there's much more.

Eye Candy- or, Instant Addiction Visuals: Sine waves are neat and all, but it's been done. What set's the Geiss plugin apart from all the rest however, is a conglomeration of post sine wave (sounds technical doesn't it. I just made it up though) effects and several completely unrelated "events" that are programmed in.

...Post Sine Wave Disorder: It's not a medical condition, but another term I made up. Each change in music produces a sine wave (how quickly is determined by computer speed and settings). However, the older sine waves don't just disappear. They remain, but become distorted and move around. It's quite a nice effect that needs to be seen, not explained.

...Unrelated Effects: There are several effects built in that are completely unrelated to these sound wave visualizations. There are pulsing orbs for different frequencies of bass, a firefly looking thing that flies around and a pulsing distorted grid that can appear in the background. Very very nice touches that only contribute instead of appearing too busy like they potentially could have.

This plugin earns the "Go download it now while it's still free" award. It works great, even on older systems, and only contributes to the enjoyment of music. The author of this plugin is going to create some incredible software and I can see his name popping up again in the future.



Recommended: Yes