The History of Music Visualizers
By Mark Beziaev, co-founder
Music visualizers have always been a cool way to mix sound and visuals, and I want to break down what they are and why they matter for me. Essentially, a music visualizer is anything that turns audio into something you can see. There are two main types: real-time animations that react as the music plays, or pre-made videos that pair with a song to promote it.
Back in the 2000s, when I was growing up, I'd spend hours messing around with Winamp on my old PC. The MilkDrop plugin was my favorite - those wild, colorful patterns shifting with every beat were hypnotic. That early love for music visualization stuck with me and eventually inspired me to help build banger.show. It's amazing how something from my teenage years still influences what I do today.
Fast forward to now, and "audio visualizer" often means those short, looping videos you see on YouTube. Channels like TrapNation and Dub Rebellion have racked up millions of views with them. These videos aren't full-blown music videos with actors or big budgets - they're simpler, usually featuring cool graphics that pulse to the music. But they're way more eye-catching than just a still image, which is why they've become so popular.
Making Visuals Easy
At banger.show, we've built a music video maker to help you create these promotional videos without breaking a sweat. It's packed with templates and simple features, so you don't need to be a video editing pro. Just upload your track, pick a style, and you've got a polished video ready to go. Unlike those real-time visualizers from back in the Winamp days, ours are ready-to-use clips you can share anywhere - from your Instagram stories to a live gig setup.
Whether you need a quick Spotify Canvas or a full-length YouTube visualizer, music visualizers are a solid way to make your tracks pop and connect with more people. I've always loved how they bridge sound and sight, and with banger.show, we're just trying to make that magic accessible to everyone.