PunchyAudio

A macOS menu bar audio visualizer that reacts to system audio in real time.

Features

• Menu bar visualizer — live 6-bar mini spectrum directly in the macOS menu bar
• Full-screen window — four colorful visualization modes:
  • Bars — rainbow gradient frequency bars with glow
  • Wave — layered flowing bezier curves
  • Circles — concentric pulsing rings with radial bars
  • Mirror — symmetrical bars growing from center
• System audio capture — visualizes any app's audio (Spotify, browsers, etc.)
• Auto-gain control — automatically adjusts sensitivity for any volume level

Requirements

• macOS 13 (Ventura) or later
• Swift 5.9+
• Screen Recording permission (required by ScreenCaptureKit for system audio)

Installation

Using .dmg file

Just open Releases, download newest dmg file and drag it into the Applications folder.

Build from source

git clone <repo-url>
cd "Audio Visualizer"
chmod +x build.sh
./build.sh

Run

open PunchyAudio.app

On first launch, macOS will prompt for Screen Recording permission. Grant it in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording, then relaunch the app.

License

MIT