Timeline
Timeline is a precise audio-analysis display in BeamTracer Audio Visualizers, built on Canvas 2D. Settings, audio modulation, presets, and tips.
Timeline is a scrolling record of the audio over time in the Core Analytics category. It draws one of two waveforms depending on what is playing: a whole track decoded up front, or a live roll for anything that has no end.
Open Timeline
Launch the visualizer with its matching left-nav entry selected.
File and live
A track (the demo track or an audio file) is decoded once when it loads and drawn as a single waveform. The red playhead sits at the centre of the canvas: what has played is on the left, what is coming is on the right, and seeking moves the waveform under the playhead.
A live source (internet radio, microphone, tab or system audio, a virtual device) has nothing to decode, so the waveform rolls in from the right edge as it plays. The playhead stays at the right edge, the newest audio is beside it, and the oldest scrolls off the left after Scroll Speed seconds. Changing a color, Stereo Mode, or Bar Markers restarts the roll, because the history was drawn with the previous look.
Both waveforms share the same Color Mode, palette or EQ tints, and Bar Markers grid, so a preset looks the same whichever source is playing. In EQ Color a track is analysed once when it loads, so it paints in the solid color for a moment before the tints appear; a live source is tinted as it rolls. To learn what the colors mean band by band, read Music Frequencies Explained on the blog.
Three ways to color the waveform
Solid is the plain envelope in the Waveform color. Wave Color is the amplitude heat map: the level most of the audio stays under glows at the centre and the rare peaks fade toward the palette's cool end. EQ Color is the DJ-deck tint: bass, mids and highs each carry a color and mix where they overlap, so a kick, a vocal and a hi-hat read differently at a glance. The STYLE grid at the top of the settings panel switches between complete looks in one click.
Quick start
- Start the demo track, choose a local audio file, or enable a live input.
- Try a preset or style first, then open the section for the part of the image you want to change.
- Open the settings sections and adjust the controls that shape this visualizer's built-in response.
- Use Reset to Defaults whenever you want to return to the original look.
Presets and styles
Classic · Heat · Neon · Aurora · Ember · Ice · Hot Pink · Slow Burn · Eq RGB · Eq Deck · Eq Candy · Eq Sunset
Audio modulation
This visualizer uses its Audio or sensitivity controls for its built-in response. Its settings do not currently show Assign modulation on individual sliders.
Settings reference
Core
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo Mode | On / Off | Turns stereo mode on or off. |
| Bar Markers | On / Off | Turns bar markers on or off. |
| Scroll Speed | 1s–20s | Sets how quickly scroll changes or moves. |
Colors
| Setting | Available values | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Background | Color | Sets the background. |
| Waveform | Color | Sets the waveform. |
| Color Mode | SOLID, WAVE COLOR, EQ COLOR | Solid paints the envelope in the Waveform color. Wave Color paints each column as amplitude-density bands, the level most of the audio stays under glowing hot at the centre and the rare peaks fading cool at the edges, the way audio editors color a waveform. EQ Color tints each column by what is loud in it, the way DJ decks do: bass, mids and highs each carry their own color and mix where they overlap, so a kick, a vocal and a hi-hat read differently at a glance. |
| Palette | HEAT, NEON, AURORA, EMBER, WAVEFORM COLOR | Chooses the Wave Color run from core to peak. Heat is yellow through red to blue, Neon cyan through magenta, Aurora lime through teal to indigo, Ember cream through crimson to plum, and Waveform Color shades the Waveform color from solid to faint. |
| Bass (20-250hz) | Color | EQ Color tint for the 20–250 Hz band. Red by convention: baselines, kicks and breakdowns show as this color. |
| Mid (250-4khz) | Color | EQ Color tint for the 250 Hz–4 kHz band. Green by convention: vocals and melodies show as this color, and bass plus mid mixes to yellow. |
| High (4k-20khz) | Color | EQ Color tint for the 4–20 kHz band. Blue by convention: hi-hats and build-ups show as this color, mid plus high mixes to cyan, and all three together read near white. |
Some controls appear only after you enable a related mode or style. The settings panel always reflects the options available for the current selection.
Tips for a better audio visualization
- Use a little smoothing for readable movement, then lower it when you want fast percussion to register sharply.
- Set the overall sensitivity first, then adjust color and motion separately so louder sections remain readable.