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Support => Tips and Tricks => Topic started by: urfausto on February 11, 2020, 12:08:21 PM

Title: How-to use Winamp as stand-alone visualizer
Post by: urfausto on February 11, 2020, 12:08:21 PM
-download and install winamp
https://www.winamp.com

-optionally download localizations and other visualization perks
https://winampheritage.com

-enable recording mix device
1) control panel -> sound
(https://i.imgur.com/Uxekpx4.jpg)
2) click recording tab
(https://i.imgur.com/J23cGxF.png)
3) right-click anywhere and enable showing all devices
4) optionally disable other devices if not needed. it will automatically set stereo mix as default without other messing.
4) or right click on stereo mix and enable both options to set as default device
5) optionally maximize slider in properties -> levels

-enable input in winamp
1) file -> play url
2) input 'linein://'
3) click open
4) file -> play bookmark -> add current as bookmark
5) click the freshly created bookmark
on opening it will play that location by default
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as visualizer while playing music with MusicBee
Post by: Freddy Barker on February 11, 2020, 05:07:47 PM
Not all presets are as reactive to the beat of the music, but worth checking these settings!

Winamp Menu
• Preferences
• Plug-ins
• Visualization
• Milkdrop c2.25c
• Configure [button]
• Transition [tab]
• Make sure 'Loudness threshold' is set to max   [EDITED]
• Un-check 'Disable hard cuts' checkbox               [ADDED] - (thanks to urfausto)

     ALSO..

Windows 10 Control Panel
• Hardware and Sound
• Sound: Manage audio devices
• Recordings [tab]
• Stereo Mix
• Properties [button]
• Levels [tab]
• Stereo Mix to 100


Regards: Freddy
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as visualizer while playing music with MusicBee
Post by: urfausto on February 12, 2020, 07:05:33 PM
Not all presets are as reactive to the beat of the music, but worth checking these settings!

Winamp Menu
• Preferences
• Plug-ins
• Visualization
• Milkdrop c2.25c
• Configure [button]
• Transition [tab]
• Increase towards max.

     ALSO..

Windows 10 Control Panel
• Hardware and Sound
• Sound: Manage audio devices
• Recordings [tab]
• Stereo Mix
• Properties [button]
• Levels [tab]
• Stereo Mix to 100


Regards: Freddy

thanks, the second one i did too, will check the first.

what do you mean with the latest command? i have as a slider 'loudness threshold' in 'hard cuts' tab and under these 'disable hard cuts' which is checked.
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as visualizer while playing music with MusicBee
Post by: Freddy Barker on February 12, 2020, 07:18:22 PM
thanks, the second one i did too, will check the first.

what do you mean with the latest command? i have as a slider 'loudness threshold' in 'hard cuts' tab and under these 'disable hard cuts' which is checked.

Just make sure that the loudness threshold is on max, I'm not sure if the "hard cuts" checkbox still does anything, but yes probably best to un-check it..i'll amend my check list too.. ???

Freddy
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as visualizer while playing music with MusicBee
Post by: urfausto on February 12, 2020, 09:17:41 PM
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=56775
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as visualizer while playing music with MusicBee
Post by: Freddy Barker on February 12, 2020, 09:30:13 PM
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=56775

That's a pretty good find, especially with a post from  "geiss" the actual Nullsoft Visualization Developer, but I've read through it a  couple of times now and still not sure if 'hard cuts' should be checked or not  :o  
I'll play some Dub-Step tracks tomorrow and try with both and see what happens!

Freddy
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as visualizer while playing music with MusicBee
Post by: urfausto on February 13, 2020, 10:10:16 AM
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=56775

That's a pretty good find, especially with a post from  "geiss" the actual Nullsoft Visualization Developer, but I've read through it a  couple of times now and still not sure if 'hard cuts' should be checked or not  :o 
I'll play some Dub-Step tracks tomorrow and try with both and see what happens!

Freddy
for what i have understood works like this: an hard cut will enable with a given time of low sound and a subsequent sudden sound increase upper threshold, i guess they should be enable for a smoother visualization. i will wait on your tests however :)
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as visualizer while playing music with MusicBee
Post by: Freddy Barker on February 13, 2020, 11:48:54 AM
for what i have understood works like this: an hard cut will enable with a given time of low sound and a subsequent sudden sound increase upper threshold, i guess they should be enable for a smoother visualization. i will wait on your tests however :)
Hey urfausto, thanks for your input

I'm  not so sure about this now, so will be conducting some experiments later..
Here is what the official WINAMP HELP says about those preference setting options:-

WINAMP HELP for LOUDNESS THRESHOLD
Use this slider to adjust the sensitivity of the beat detection algorithm, used to detect the beats that cause hard cuts.
A value close to 'min' will cause the algorithm to be very sensitive (so even a small beat will trigger it)
A value close to 'max' will cause only the largest beats to trigger it.

WINAMP HELP for HARD CUTS
Check this to disable hard cuts; a loud beat will never cause the preset to change.

Kind regards: Freddy  :-X
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as visualizer while playing music with MusicBee
Post by: Freddy Barker on February 13, 2020, 01:06:40 PM
for what i have understood works like this: an hard cut will enable with a given time of low sound and a subsequent sudden sound increase upper threshold, i guess they should be enable for a smoother visualization. i will wait on your tests however :)
TEST RESULTS ARE IN

SETTINGS
Winamp > Options > Preferences > Plug-ins Visualization > Milkdrop > Configure [BUTTON] > common Settings [TAB] > Start in > Fullscreen

PLAY
Winamp > Play > Play Bookmark > Line Input > Visualization (wish I could that to start on launch)

TRACKS
Always - Atlantic Star
Equinoxe Part IV - Jean Michel-Jarre
Long Way Down - Bass Mekanik
Mediocrity Wins - Leprous

VERDICT
Some presets seem to have no reaction to the sound whatsoever, so I picked a few that looked good and kept going back to them (using Backspace key).
Those presets that reacted with the most visual impetus seemed to be when the Loudness threshold was set to about halfway and Hardcuts disabled (checked).

Not sure there is a lot of difference with any combination of settings to be honest..
Freddy
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as visualizer while playing music with MusicBee
Post by: Freddy Barker on February 13, 2020, 04:59:56 PM
ADD TIME RESTORE for WINAMP PLUGIN
https://winampplugins.co.uk/timerestore.html

Winamp > Options > Preferences > Autoplay Options > Autoplay Options [TAB]
✔ Automatically start Winamp playing on startup
✔ Delay autoplay until all plug-ins are loaded

START VIZUALISER ON WINAMP LAUNCH
Winamp > Options > Preferences > Plug-ins >
✔ Auto execute vizualisation plug-in on playback

START IN FULLSCREEN
Winamp > Options > Preferences > Plug-ins Visualisation > Milkdrop > Configure [BUTTON] > Common Settings [TAB] > Start in >
✔ Fullscreen

Regards: Freddy
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as visualizer while playing music with MusicBee
Post by: urfausto on February 13, 2020, 06:00:44 PM
http://wiki.winamp.com/wiki/MilkDrop_Unleashed_Guide

ok so hard cuts are actually sudden changes from one preset to the other driven by a major sensitivity trigger as opposed to soft cuts which change on regular time base.

loudness threshold is the level of sensitivity.

i have enabled hard cuts for the sake of the hype and set the threshold to 15 (max=20) but also increased the avg time between them (120)


edit: well, after a few more tests i've decided to cut in half the delay time between hard cuts and double the soft cuts instead, and i think i will double it a second time. it is getting prettier.

edit2: if you keep on playing with all these values the result will be amazingly trippy :)
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as visualizer while playing music with MusicBee
Post by: Freddy Barker on February 13, 2020, 07:05:37 PM
http://wiki.winamp.com/wiki/MilkDrop_Unleashed_Guide
ok so hard cuts are actually sudden changes from one preset to the other driven by a major sensitivity trigger as opposed to soft cuts which change on regular time base.

loudness threshold is the level of sensitivity.
i have enabled hard cuts for the sake of the hype and set the threshold to 15 (max=20) but also increased the avg time between them (120)

edit: well, after a few more tests i've decided to cut in half the delay time between hard cuts and double the soft cuts instead, and i think i will double it a second time. it is getting prettier.

edit2: if you keep on playing with all these values the result will be amazingly trippy :)

Trippy sounds a bit bohemian and Summer of Love 👀

Please keep us (me) in the loop with your fascinating findings, and between, us we will probably end up with same default setting as it was during the initial installation 🎧
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as visualizer while playing music with MusicBee
Post by: urfausto on February 13, 2020, 08:46:40 PM
so i've gone through like 2 hours of listening and i've noticed some things:
-the activity of the preset depends also on the total volume output of the music and i suspect it is the same for the hard cuts too but, despite all you, need anyway to keep a low sensitivity generally and i have no idea why.
-if you click the question mark in the upper right of the tab and then click on stuff, it will show you an help tip for every thing you clicked on.
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as stand-alone visualizer
Post by: urfausto on February 13, 2020, 08:53:19 PM
ok there seems to be some internal weird dynamics by default: http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=56775
that thread helps a lot with hard cuts though.
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as stand-alone visualizer
Post by: urfausto on February 13, 2020, 09:27:07 PM
3 hours later i think i finally got my definitive settings: https://imgur.com/a/CmeysdO
it is absolute killer to me like that. let me know of possible accurate and tested improvements over that one if there can be any. ;)
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as stand-alone visualizer
Post by: Freddy Barker on February 13, 2020, 09:45:57 PM
3 hours later i think i finally got my definitive settings: https://imgur.com/a/CmeysdO
it is absolute killer to me like that. let me know of possible accurate and tested improvements over that one if there can be any. ;)

i'll be checking it out first thing tomorrow, and will report back my findings 🍺
Freddy

[Late night edit]
Before heading for bedding, I couldn't resist a quick look at your transition tab settings, which are now significantly dissimilar to mine, so theoretically should produce a very different visual experience...
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as stand-alone visualizer
Post by: Freddy Barker on February 14, 2020, 11:12:22 AM
3 hours later i think i finally got my definitive settings: https://imgur.com/a/CmeysdO
it is absolute killer to me like that. let me know of possible accurate and tested improvements over that one if there can be any. ;)
To be honest, I could be fiddling with this until forever, and I have admit that the transition settings you have (from the image) that I tried to today, do make a significant difference to the output, however, I think I will probably stick to my current 'maladjusted' version of the original default, as least for now.
The actual code in the presets, of which there are hundreds, seems effect the reactiveness, a lot..
 If you want to try what I'm using:-

18.0
9.0
2.7
1.8

60.0
About a 1/3rd of the way from 'min'
Disabled hard cuts =  CHECKED

Freddy
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as stand-alone visualizer
Post by: urfausto on February 14, 2020, 12:26:27 PM
To be honest, I could be fiddling with this until forever, and I have admit that the transition settings you have (from the image) that I tried to today, do make a significant difference to the output, however, I think I will probably stick to my current 'maladjusted' version of the original default, as least for now.
The actual code in the presets, of which there are hundreds, seems effect the reactiveness, a lot..
 If you want to try what I'm using:-

18.0
9.0
2.7
1.8

60.0
About a 1/3rd of the way from 'min'
Disabled hard cuts =  CHECKED

Freddy
disabling hard cuts you don't have to adjust sensitivity because it will not be used, instead you are going only with soft cuts at the given time.
presets activity are independent of preset changes.
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as stand-alone visualizer
Post by: Freddy Barker on February 14, 2020, 04:23:30 PM
disabling hard cuts you don't have to adjust sensitivity because it will not be used, instead you are going only with soft cuts at the given time.
presets activity are independent of preset changes.

Maybe I was a little too hasty, I'll go again shorty, this time, with it UN-checked.
I can't always concentrate on the trippy when there's a great tune playing 🎧
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as stand-alone visualizer
Post by: Freddy Barker on February 14, 2020, 05:27:18 PM
There does seem to be a marked improvement in the visuals with Hard cuts OFF.
But then some of the presets have a very low or none reactive setting, and when it's their turn to get a milking, you just see a black screen. So I thought I would see which ones they were, so I get get rid.
By pressing F4 key it shows the current preset name..

I found 552 of them in a folder Users\User\Plugins\Milkdrop\*.milk
Then I found 994 of them in another folder. So I moved (instead of copying) them...
Here's the thing...
Everything still seems to work ok. There are new presets I don't remember seeing before 😯

Freddy
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as stand-alone visualizer
Post by: urfausto on February 15, 2020, 11:23:00 AM
But then some of the presets have a very low or none reactive setting, and when it's their turn to get a milking, you just see a black screen. So I thought I would see which ones they were, so I get get rid.
what does it mean when it it is their turn to get a milking they show a black screen?
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as stand-alone visualizer
Post by: hiccup on February 15, 2020, 04:43:15 PM
You guys are quite buzzzy with this. Out of curiosity: any chance of a gif so we can see how this looks in action?
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as stand-alone visualizer
Post by: Freddy Barker on February 15, 2020, 05:08:44 PM
You guys are quite buzzzy with this. Out of curiosity: any chance of a gif so we can see how this looks in action?

Not one of my videos, but would give you an idea as to what we are looking at, in my case on a 55" TV, while we are enjoying listening to MB playlist..

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=milkdrop+2

Freddy
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as stand-alone visualizer
Post by: Freddy Barker on February 15, 2020, 05:15:31 PM
But then some of the presets have a very low or none reactive setting, and when it's their turn to get a milking, you just see a black screen. So I thought I would see which ones they were, so I get get rid.
what does it mean when it it is their turn to get a milking they show a black screen?

Simply that when some of the presets get randomly selected by 'Milkdrop', I only see a blank (usually black) screen, for the duration of that specific preset, when it should be making nice trippy patterns.
I'm hypothesizing that those presets are lacking some bit of code that controls its reaction to the sound output, so I would like to check those out or delete them..

Freddy
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as stand-alone visualizer
Post by: Freddy Barker on February 15, 2020, 05:20:18 PM
One of the smaller sized 'preset-name.milk' files, if opened in Notepad, looks like this...Makes fascinating reading! 🤨

Code
[preset00]
fRating=3.000000
fGammaAdj=1.000000
fDecay=1.000000
fVideoEchoZoom=1.000000
fVideoEchoAlpha=0.500000
nVideoEchoOrientation=2
nWaveMode=2
bAdditiveWaves=0
bWaveDots=0
bWaveThick=1
bModWaveAlphaByVolume=0
bMaximizeWaveColor=1
bTexWrap=1
bDarkenCenter=0
bRedBlueStereo=0
bBrighten=0
bDarken=0
bSolarize=0
bInvert=0
fWaveAlpha=100.000000
fWaveScale=0.796897
fWaveSmoothing=0.900000
fWaveParam=0.000000
fModWaveAlphaStart=0.500000
fModWaveAlphaEnd=1.000000
fWarpAnimSpeed=1.000000
fWarpScale=1.000000
fZoomExponent=1.000000
fShader=0.000000
zoom=1.000000
rot=0.000000
cx=0.500000
cy=0.500000
dx=0.000010
dy=0.000010
warp=0.010000
sx=1.000000
sy=1.000000
wave_r=0.500000
wave_g=0.500000
wave_b=0.500000
wave_x=0.500000
wave_y=0.500000
ob_size=0.100000
ob_r=0.000000
ob_g=0.000000
ob_b=0.000000
ob_a=0.100000
ib_size=0.000000
ib_r=0.000000
ib_g=0.000000
ib_b=0.000000
ib_a=0.000000
nMotionVectorsX=0.000000
nMotionVectorsY=0.000000
mv_dx=0.000000
mv_dy=0.000000
mv_l=1.000000
mv_r=1.000000
mv_g=1.000000
mv_b=1.000000
mv_a=0.000000
per_frame_1=wave_r = wave_r + 0.25*sin(1.4*time) + 0.25*sin(2.25*time);
per_frame_2=wave_g = wave_g + 0.25*sin(1.7*time) + 0.25*sin(2.11*time);
per_frame_3=wave_b = wave_b + 0.25*sin(1.84*time) + 0.25*sin(2.3*time);
per_frame_4=warp = 0;
per_frame_5=
per_frame_6=wave_x = wave_x + 0.051*sin(1.23*time) - 0.08*sin(0.2*time);
per_frame_7=wave_y = wave_y + 0.01*cos(1.24*time) - 0.05*cos(0.1*time);
per_pixel_1=thresh = above(bass_att,thresh)*2+(1-above(bass_att,thresh))*((thresh-1.3)*0.96+1.3);
per_pixel_2=dx_r = equal(thresh,2)*0.015*sin(5*time)+(1-equal(thresh,2))*dx_r;
per_pixel_3=dy_r = equal(thresh,2)*0.015*sin(6*time)+(1-equal(thresh,2))*dy_r;
per_pixel_4=zoom = zoom + 0.2*sin(ang*(0.5-rad)*rad);
per_pixel_5=dx = dx + dx_r*5*(rad*sin(time+cos(12*ang)*(0.5-rad))*cos(bass))*sin(time);
per_pixel_6=dy = dy + dy_r*5*(rad*cos(time+sin(12*ang)*(0.5-rad))*sin(bass));
per_pixel_7=sy = sy + 0.7*rad*cos(2-(ang*12)*sin(time)/treb)*dx_r;
per_pixel_8=sx = sx + 0.7*rad*sin(2-(ang*12)*cos(time)/treb)*dy_r;
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as stand-alone visualizer
Post by: hiccup on February 15, 2020, 05:42:22 PM
Not one of my videos, but would give you an idea as to what we are looking at, in my case on a 55" TV, while we are enjoying listening to MB playlist..

Thanks Freddy. Are mushrooms included?
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as stand-alone visualizer
Post by: Freddy Barker on February 15, 2020, 11:03:14 PM
Not one of my videos, but would give you an idea as to what we are looking at, in my case on a 55" TV, while we are enjoying listening to MB playlist..

Thanks Freddy. Are mushrooms included?

Only those big flat ones on hot buttered wholemeal toast  ;D
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as stand-alone visualizer
Post by: urfausto on February 16, 2020, 09:36:42 PM
But then some of the presets have a very low or none reactive setting, and when it's their turn to get a milking, you just see a black screen. So I thought I would see which ones they were, so I get get rid.
what does it mean when it it is their turn to get a milking they show a black screen?

Simply that when some of the presets get randomly selected by 'Milkdrop', I only see a blank (usually black) screen, for the duration of that specific preset, when it should be making nice trippy patterns.
I'm hypothesizing that those presets are lacking some bit of code that controls its reaction to the sound output, so I would like to check those out or delete them..

Freddy
on the contrary i get completely white presets sometimes, like an excess of light. but i think your problem could also rest upon os and videocard architecture, i'm on win 7 x64 and didn't see almost any black screen
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as stand-alone visualizer
Post by: urfausto on February 16, 2020, 09:39:21 PM
anyway, there isn't only milkdrop in winamp, avs is another different huge repository of presets.
Title: Re: How-to use Winamp as stand-alone visualizer
Post by: Freddy Barker on February 17, 2020, 01:53:48 PM
anyway, there isn't only milkdrop in winamp, avs is another different huge repository of presets.

So there is !, I never really took much notice of that or ever tried it before - it's not bad at all, thanks for the heads-up.
Freddy