I would like to start by making a feature request to add a visualizer feature to Roon. I know that is probably going to be pretty low on the priority list, so I will ask if anyone has a recommendation for a visualizer that will work on the computer running the Roon media server and work with the track currently being played by Roon.
I like the visualizer that comes with the Windows Media Player best because it allows you pick which variants you like and randomly cycle through them. The iTunes classic is my next favorite. I donât like the current iTunes visualizer because it does not have enough variety (whatâs up with those spheres being on the screen all the time?).
Any recommendations for solutions from those of you who like your music âvisualizedâ would be appreciated. Thanks!
If you run your DAC in exclusive mode, its not possible to use external visualizations I think, so a built in solution would be nice. A spectogram or similar could also be useful when you hear something that does not sound right and want to find out the frequencies.
When I used JRiver for music, I bought SoundSpectrum software as it links directly to JRiver running under Windows. SoundSpectrum also has an option to use a different sound source to activate their visualizations. I havenât looked into it because I donât care about it, but it seems like it might work for Roon without Roon, itself, having any knowledge of the SoundSpectrum software. They offer a 30 day trail. If you try it , let me know how it worked for you as I may try it for Roon, now that I no longer use JRiver for music.
Robert / Community - Iâve been out of the loop for a while, but it seems Mr. Fishguttz suggestion is the best. You can use SoundSpectrum G-Force Platinum and use either the microphone or Aux input to drive the visuals. I have my Roon media server running on a laptop and the laptop external monitor is my TV.
James_I
(The truth is out there but not necessarily here)
8
You can zone together the exclusive DAC output and the system output at the same time so as to send the same synced signal to âwhat you hearâ in the system sound devices tab. Iâve done that, and you can use any visualization software that can play âWhat you hear.â Plane9 does this.
This was one of the first innovations where I realized Roon was special and would do things that other software never has.
Excellent point, and I will be trying this. I listen to my headphones using a Roon Bridge running a USB DAC connected to an ODROID XU4, but I browse the Internet from my main PC. Point being, the fact that it can output synchronized music to 2 locations⌠including a PC is incredibly unique & useful.
G-Force is an awesome visualization engine (mentioned above). I want to play to bluetooth headphones from my laptop at work and send to vis engine. There may be a way to do this for windows, but not on Mac. I did this by installing SoundFlower (open source virtual sound card) and then creating a Multi Output virtual device in the MIDI section of Settings. It sounds more complicated than it is, it took me like 2 mins and works easy. So at the moment I am playing Roon and getting G-Force visualizations! (I am just using on board audio not external DAC). (Edit: note this requires the stand alone version of G-Force, so you really have to be into visualizations to buy that for about $30 USD!)
They also have an iOS app called TUNR that visualizes many sources. I think it can visualize off the iPad mic, but I have not tried it
I would love something like this, pulsing and moving to the music.
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James_I
(The truth is out there but not necessarily here)
13
Itâs not that hard in windows. SoundSpectrum offers G-Force and Whitecap, both great visualizers, for stand-alone windows applications.
You just have to configure a two-output zone: one to your DAC/streamer (the high quality sound output) and one to your system sound device. Enable âwhat you hearâ in the control panel, sound devices panel. Then configure the visualizer to pick up âwhat you hear.â Takes less than a minute. You can use the delay sync to match up the music to the bouncing lights as necessary. Easy!
I think your instruction is Windows only. To achieve same on a Mac, I had to download SoundFlower which allows the music to be piped into the visualizer. From Roon, yes you can join the two zones. For non-Roon, you can create a MIDI join as I described below. Iâm a big fan of SoundSpectrum!
James_I
(The truth is out there but not necessarily here)
15
Agreed, my suggestion was windows only. I have seen folks try to use microphones and such to get a similar effect and I just thought that (1) there must be some lag then and (2) it would pick up other sounds, and maybe not even pick up the music very well. So that is why I liked this configuration which keeps everything in the digital realm and within the hardware.
I know this is an old thread, but damn it would be amazing to see some sort of built in visualiser that I can output to a screen. I miss the old Winamp days!
