Overview:

The Rhythm Rider is a Microsoft Windows Media Player (WMP) Plug-in that allows you to visualize music being played in an immersed 3D graphically animated environment. It runs in a separate window from WMP, which allows for full immersion 3D graphics. When music is played in the WMP you can ride the musical wave, allowing you to more fully feel the mood of the music. You have several vantage points you can take with respect to the wave. You can ride the musical wave while looking forward (three settings), you can ride the wave while looking backward, you can focus on the fountain in the center, or on the frequency bars. You can also view the wave from a vantage point not on the wave.

Each of these vantage points gives a different experience. You can increase the roughness and speed of the wave. You can toggle head tilt. Head tilt means you feel the ups and downs of the wave more, because you ride closer to the wave, giving you a roller coaster feel. The fire breathing Dragon avatar responds to the music. You also have the option of adding/removing him by simply pressing a key.

The idea is to sit back and enjoy the music. Rhythm Rider should accent your music listening experience. You can play your music CDs, your MP3 and WAV files in WMP.

This plug-in is unique, in that the Rhythm Rider is really a completely separate window from the Windows Media Player. You run the Windows Media Player, select the Rhythm Rider visualization plug-in, and then you run Rhythm Rider.

While enjoying your experience you can move to different viewpoints by single key presses. The keys are: [A] Frequency Bars, [S] Fountain, [D] Forward-Near, [F] Forward-Mid, [G] Forward-Far, [H] Backward, [B] From Center (off wave), [R] Cycle through all viewpoints.

You can toggle "head tilt" by pressing [Y]. Head tilt gives you a fun roller coaster like ride. You can add/remove the "dragon" by toggling [V].

To quickly check "viewpoint", "head tilt", "speed", and "roughness" status press [Q]

You can also change most of these parameters via the menu system. You can change the "speed" and "roughness" of the wave via the menu system.

See "Quick Setup Guide" in Rhythm Rider's menu system for fast setup. Remember, Rhythm Rider is a separate application from WMP. Just run RR, then WMP to play music.

RR works for MP3s, WAVs, AUs, and any file format that WMP's visualization window responds to. It doesn't work for video files, or for MIDIs.

Rhythm Rider is shareware, which means you can try it before you buy it.