This project is a fun music visualizer built to run on a massive 21x7 foot screen at North Carolina State University's Hunt Library.
It was built by myself and a friend for the library's first annual "Code+Art" competition over the course of a semester in 2014/2015. We had the idea to make a visualizer for the college radio station we worked for, WKNC, in order to promote the station to students. It also provides a fun visual toy for the library's massive displays that are integrated into its architecture. The project is still in rotation today at the library's theater.
Participants in the Code+Art competition in following years utilized this open source project to learn more about p5.js and to help with their own projects.
The project is hard coded for a certain resolution, but can be viewed by visiting http://pugstreetsoftware.com/harrison/projects/wkncviz/ , zooming out in the web browser, and refreshing the page.
This work of generative art, completed as part of the NCSU Libraries Code+Art Student Visualization Contest, visualizes the live Internet stream of 88.1 WKNC, the student-run noncommercial radio station of NC State University. Boasting 25,000 watts, WKNC can be heard throughout the Triangle and far beyond via their webcast.
Watch as Raleigh’s buildings light up to the frequency of the music and the flying boids pulse to the bass. Each flying boid represents a single online listener. Stream right now and watch your boid come to life at the radio tower! Moreover, keep an eye on the color of the sky as it changes color to fit WKNC’s block scheduling.
There are three ways to listen:
- Tune in to 88.1 FM on your radio
- Stream online at wknc.org/listen
- Download the “NC State Student Media” app for Andriod or iOS
The graphics are made with P5.js by rendering shapes onto an HTML5 element. The main class is js/core.js. This contains the P5.js provided draw() function, which is called 30 times a second to update the frame. The buildings are .gif files made from Adobe Illustrator vectors.