Soundflower is a Mac OSX system extension that’s been used in the community for a long time to solve exactly this problem - it’s designed to create a virtual audio output device that can also act as an input. Essentially, you have to create a way to route the sound source to both the visualizer and your speakers simultaneously. It seems like this should be a simple problem to solve - to have the visualizer tap into the sound going to your headphone jack - but it’s not the case. The software is not inexpensive at $30, but you can use that version as long as you want until you need an OS upgrade.The only problem was getting it to work with Spotify.

I downloaded the latest G-Force (Platinum) version and it was as good as I remembered, with very beautiful mathematical types of visualizations and a lot of ability to customize. I found a few other programs that were geared more to smart home bulbs that might be able to be repurposed, but it was a surprisingly shallow result to my efforts. I also uncovered another standalone visualizer called Discobrick. When I looked up G-Force on the web, I found it was being actively updated to new versions of the Mac OS and that development and fixes were still underway. If I could get a visualizer that could work with any sound source, I’d have what I wanted. To my surprise, it looked like one of the better solutions. I knew that it had a standalone component, but I’d never really paid that much attention to it.

Way back I had occasionally used a terrific visualizer plug-in for iTunes called G-Force. A few years ago Spotify had its own visualizer built in as a hidden Easter Egg, but that no longer exists. I scoured the web, I looked at the App Store, and I looked in Spotify’s user forums. Since I was particularly interested in Spotify, I Googled around to see if I could find a good visualizer and I was truly surprised that I turned up almost nothing. These directions would also work for any Mac laptop hooked up to a flatscreen. The thought of running some cool visual effects on this TV was motivating, so I went to the trouble of figuring out some solid solutions, and I’m sharing it with the community so others can have the same fun I’ve had.

The display is amazing and since I use a Mac Mini as a music server in my setup, anything I can show on the Mac I can show on the TV. I recently upgraded the TV attached to my home audio system to a brilliant Sony 4K 65” unit. iTunes itself provides some built-in ones that have gotten better and better over time.

A visualizer provides animated visual effects based on the music being played. But, ever since the days of Winamp, I’ve liked running a music visualizer for some eye candy while I’m working. I love the exploration, I like the daily mixes. Like many people, I find myself using Spotify more and more.

Visualizer spotify mac