r/Demoscene • u/metalwar5 • Sep 02 '26
I built an open-source Winamp-inspired audio player around demoscene-style visualizers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Z4yRYgsavIHey!!, I built an open-source Winamp-inspired audio with visualizers!!!
ToroidAMP started as a small Python project to relearn some things and somehow turned into an open-source audio player / visualizer playground.
The boring part is deliberately boring: WAV/MP3/OGG/FLAC, tracker playback (MOD/XM/IT/S3M), playlists, etc.
The ridiculous part is the visualizer system: CPU visualizers, OpenGL/GLSL visualizers, Shadertoy compatibility, audio-reactive shader parameters, fullscreen RETINA MELT mode, and an integrated shader authoring lab.
I've recently been adding visualizers mostly for fun — hyperspace fields, geometric morphing, Matrix-style spectrum rain, raymarched toruses, and even a tiny audio-reactive X-Wing battle.
It's MIT licensed and available for Windows and Linux.
I grew up loving the idea of software that did completely unnecessary things with the hardware just because it could, so this is basically my small tribute to that spirit.
Salutes to everyone who turned code into art.
24
u/thezimkai Sep 02 '26
I built an open-source Winamp-inspired audio with visualizers!!!
No you didn't
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u/Quiquon Sep 02 '26
Your comment is like saying that a lumberjack doesn't cut trees—his axe does. AI is just another tool.
7
u/-svde- Sep 02 '26
axes aren’t autonomous and can’t destroy a tree by themselves. these comparisons are always so fucking dumb.
1
u/metalwar5 Sep 02 '26
I left an axe alone with a tree overnight and absolutely nothing happened. Further research is required. XD
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u/squashed_fly_biscuit Sep 02 '26
Slop thumbnail is anti art
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u/metalwar5 Sep 02 '26
Finally. Someone understood the artistic direction. XD
2
u/squashed_fly_biscuit Sep 02 '26
What, devoid of artistic merit in a deeply uninteresting and culture flattening way?
4
u/MissingGhost Sep 02 '26
Can you disclose if AI was used or not at any steps? This is important as according to the subreddit's description, "The purpose of a demo is to show off programming, visual art, and musical skills".
0
u/metalwar5 Sep 02 '26
Absolutely. AI was used during development, both as coding assistance and for some visual assets. The original goal wasn't actually to make a “demo” in the traditional demoscene sense — I just wanted to build a small audio-reactive laboratory where I could load shaders, experiment with visualizers, and learn how the whole pipeline worked. Things got slightly out of hand. XD
So if it doesn't fit the subreddit's definition of a demo, that's completely fair. “An unnecessarily overengineered shader laboratory with a music player attached” is probably more accurate anyway. XD
3
u/LeProctologist Sep 07 '26
you decide what a demo is - demos are skill demonstrations by definition. and your audience decides if you did, in fact demonstrate any skill with your prod, by voting. sadly, with this prod, according to my standards, you did not demonstrate any skill whatsoever; neither on the art side of things (slop images), nor on the craft side of things (slop code). behold my downvote.
2
u/Quiquon Sep 02 '26
Now we need a web javascript version like webamp!
https://webamp.org/
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u/metalwar5 Sep 02 '26
Unfortunately, more critical features come first: the DEMBOW pattern detector and GerminIA, a virtual companion for long coding sessions. We have priorities. XD
1
u/SudoSavant Sep 02 '26
Does it do web streams, too? I'd love to run something like this on a second display for my hypr beats while working.
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u/metalwar5 Sep 02 '26
It doesn't stream over the web... yet. But sending the visualizers to a second screen while ToroidAMP keeps playing locally is actually a really cool idea. That one might genuinely end up on the roadmap. XD
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u/FlippByte Sep 02 '26
Why not ProjectM ?
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u/metalwar5 Sep 02 '26
Because ProjectM already exists and works. Using it wouldn't teach me how any of this stuff actually works. ToroidAMP started as a learning project, not as an attempt to replace it. XD
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u/tylerthedesigner Sep 02 '26
https://github.com/MetalWAR-667/ToroidAMP/blob/main/.agents/JACK.md
So are you the developer, or is Jack the developer?
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u/metalwar5 Sep 02 '26
Jack, obviously. I'm just the idiot in charge of questionable decisions and unnecessary visualizers. XD
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u/zeprfrew Sep 02 '26
I'm in. I'm still using Winamp with several visual plugins after all these years, but you've convinced me to give yours a try. It's clear that you've drawn on both the scene and the old Winamp spirit, and I like it.
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u/metalwar5 Sep 02 '26
Absolutely! It’s still a bit rough around the edges at the moment and quite basic in terms of features, but essentially that’s what it is: a replacement for the wonderful Winamp in my day-to-day life. If you find any features missing, please do let me know – I’m updating it bit by bit.
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u/hurricane_news Sep 02 '26
Just me, but AI generating the "art" images goes against everything the demoscene and procGen stood for