Add option = choose vis. beat detection frequency range

[r0llinlacs]

First of all, I LOVE winamp and have been using it for over 15 years! It is the most comprehensive, option-laden audio program for windows I've come across! Not to mention, the best sounding! Just wanted to say great job on my first post, keep it up!


I love the milkdrop visualization plug-in! Tons of options and fun to watch, especially with the mesh size cranked up on a 4k screen! BEAUTIFUL!

BUT, I've been thinking for a LONG time now that I would love to have an option to select which frequencies the beat detection responds to on the visualization.

I would like the option to select bass only frequencies to be detected by the milkdrop visualization. It seems as though it responds to ALL frequencies, which some visualizations seem like they need in order to work right, but IMHO, others would benefit from responding to only bass frequencies.

Or have a selectable high frequency cut-off or band-pass filter. I realize the beat rides on the bass kicks and snares but some other frequencies seem to muddy up the quality of the beat detections ability to detect the actual bass kicks and snares, and it ends up missing a lot of the beats.

Not sure if it's even possible as far as coding, or if the detection is dependent/coded in each visualization. Doesn't have to be exactly what I said, but some other options to tweak the beat detection would be nice! If there are options that I'm not seeing, please let me know!

[Nitorami]

It's true that some presets seem to react more to the bass, others to treble, this being the preset author's choice. It is your responsibility to choose the presets that best fit your music style, and the selection requires more than just the beat reaction. You'll find a lot of dumb youtube videos showing milkdrop visuals that absolutely do not fit the music.

And no, there is no hidden option that allows you to select whether the preset should rather trigger on the bass or on snares. And, believe me, I worked on beat detection a lot and this would barely work, anyway. In real music, bass and treble cannot be entirely separated in the first place; the main rhythm may be in bass, mid or treble; there are quite often conflicting ryhthms in snares and drums, such as 6 beats in the snare vs. 4 beats in the drum. The variability is sheer endless, and true beat detection is a science of its own.

There is, by the way, no such issue as "beat detection" in milkdrop. All we have is the bass, mid and treb signals, which are not more than some sort of pre-filtered volume signal, and we can use them to make the preset react somehow. This is rather dumb, it is not beat detection, just a reaction to volume, but it is ok for most purposes. Not a lot more is required really for visuals.

I spend a lot of time trying to develop a beat detection that deserves the name, that actually detects the beat, whether it is in the bass or in the snares, and reliably reproduces a strictly rhythmic signal. The algorithm devised works fairly well with most music and is - in terms of predictability and strict rhythm - much better than the simple volume triggered reaction, but that does not mean that it looks good with any preset. Many visuals so in fact look better with a somewhat erratic and irregular, "spontaneous" volume triggered reaction, than with a regular beat. Except however for techno/club streams with constant beat, where a strict and regular beat detection can be quite immersive. You may try this with my later "beamer" presets; they are made for use with projectors and a fog machine, and as such are rather dull when watched on a screen, but they try to follow strict rhythm and are perfect for a dance floor.

Martin