Acidik – Wearable Audio Visualizer for iOS is perhaps one of the most bizarrely unique apps you will come across. It’s not everyday that the instructions for an app ask you to lay back in a dark room and balance your phone across your eyes. However it is this unique method of use that enables this audio visualizer to be used not only with your eyes open… but also with your eyes closed whilst still experiencing an immersive light show that pulses and changes to the beat of your choice of music (or ambient audio from your surrounds, but we’ll get to that later). You may be wondering how it’s possible to see something with your eyes closed. It’s not rocket science, any sufficiently bright light is able to shine through the thin skin of your eyelids, and it’s possible to not only distinguish between changes in intensity but also colour.
If you have ever been close to the stage at a rock concert and closed your eyes whilst the music and stage lights wash over you, you would have experienced this effect. Likewise, imagine yourself meditating on a beach as the sun drops low on the horizon and you close your eyes to soak in the last golden rays of the day. It is these types of experiences that Acidik is designed to emulate, the effect is mesmerizing and can be very relaxing. However, don’t expect to get a lot of joy from using Acidik in a brightly lit office environment… it needs to be used in a comfortable laying position in a dark room with no distractions (or under the stars).
Traditional Audio visualizers are nothing new, I have fond memories of using “Milkdrop” with Winamp many moons ago. There are also several visualizers that can be used with VR Goggles, such as the upcoming “Harmonix Music VR” for Sony’s Project Morpheus. However I believe that Acidik is the first “wearable” audio visualizer that doesn’t require VR Goggles to function and can be effectively used with your eyes closed (a feature that makes it unique).
This also makes the app accessible to a far wider audience including users that are partially blind. Even with the user’s eyes open, the design of the visualization itself enables the user to experience the visual effect at close range without the need to be able to focus on the screen. This natural defocused effect actually adds to what is already a very immersive experience. A function of Acidik allows it to be used in microphone capture mode, whereby it will react to external ambient sound. It’s sensitivity even allows it to react to your own breathing patterns and this particular scenario is not unlike watching fireflies dancing in the darkness. See the following video for an example of the firefly effect:
Acidik can be used with music files you have stored on your device, however please note that it is not compatible with DRM, cloud stored files or streaming audio services due to technical limitations. If you wish to play a song from the cloud you must first download it locally to your device. If you are someone who loves music and want to enhance that enjoyment via the medium of light, then Acidik is sure to be of interest. The app was developed with the idea that it would appeal most to lovers of electronic music styles (if you love raves you will love Acidik), however it has become apparent that practically all music styles can be enhanced by it’s use. Likewise Acidik’s appeal for meditation and light/colour therapy have been exciting offshoots and have had reports from users that it has helped greatly with stress relief, relaxation and in some cases has eased insomnia. Acidik is the brainchild of Graham Jupp, an Australian “stay home dad” that created the app together with a small team of freelancers over a period of around 9 months. This is Graham’s first app to actually make it to market.
Acidik is free to download and is ad supported. You can disable ads via an in-app purchase for a few dollars. It should be noted that Acidik is not suitable for epileptics or anyone suffering from light sensitivity. Remember to use Acidik in the dark, it is compatible with iPhone 4 and higher, however the larger screen of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 6 helps greatly to increase the immersive effect., you can also download for iPad however we don’t think that too many people will want to balance that device on their face, but it can still be used at arms length as a regular visualizer.
