Glossary

Plain definitions of the words that come up: audio-reactive, spectrum, waveform, visualizer, Canvas, motion artwork, audiogram, loop, safe zone and more.

The words in this corner of the world are used loosely and often interchangeably. Here is what each one means here.

Audio-reactive

Motion driven by the sound itself rather than looping independently of it. The picture changes because the music changed.

Spectrum

The level of each frequency band at a moment in time. Bars rising and falling across a frame are a spectrum: bass on the left, treble on the right.

Waveform

The actual shape of the sound over time, rather than its frequencies. A waveform reads louder and quieter; a spectrum reads deeper and brighter.

Visualizer

A video where a graphic moves with the music, usually over artwork. It is not a music video, because nothing is filmed, and not a lyric video, because there are no words.

Lyric video

A video where the words appear in time with the vocal. It can be audio-reactive as well, but the words are the point. See lyric videos.

Music video

Filmed footage cut to a track. A visualizer is what artists make when there is no footage, which is most of the time.

Canvas

Spotify's name for the short looping visual that plays behind a track in its mobile app. Silent, vertical, 3 to 8 seconds. See Spotify Canvas size.

Motion artwork

Apple's name for animated album art. Silent, delivered as a square and a portrait file through your distributor. See motion artwork specs.

Audiogram

A short clip of audio, usually from a podcast, turned into video with a moving waveform and often captions, made for social feeds. The word also means a hearing test, which is why searching for it is confusing.

Seamless loop

A clip whose last frame flows into its first with no visible jump, so it can repeat forever. See Canvas, the Spotify Canvas studio.

Safe zone

The part of the frame that no interface covers. Every platform puts its own controls and captions over your video, and anything important has to stay inside the safe zone.

Aspect ratio

The shape of the frame. 16:9 is landscape, 9:16 is vertical, 1:1 is square, 3:4 is portrait. See export formats and sizes.

Frame rate

How many pictures a second. 60 is smooth and is what visualizers want; 30 is standard video; Apple motion artwork will not take 60 at all.

Render

Turning a project into a finished video file. Here it happens on our machines rather than yours. See rendering and downloads.

Speaker detection

Working out who is talking and when, from the audio alone, without a script. It is what lets a podcast video animate the right person. See speakers and voice detection.

Last updated 2026-09-15

LimePulse is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by Spotify AB or Apple Inc. Product names are used only to describe what the software makes files for.