In class, we were learning how to make an amplifier using a piezo sensor to turn acoustic sound into an electric signal. I thought it would be fun to experiment with the new skills I gained and to tinker around and see what I could do! I was really into reactive lighting at the time (just look at my computer that I built in that video!) so I decided to make a reactive LED strip for my ceiling! The amp project involved a breadboard, cables, an audio jack and an Arduino Uno, so I thought to just buy some addressable LEDs! After looking into the FastLED Arduino library, I engineered a setup seen below where I would mirror my PC audio output (create a duplicate channel in the sound card) to react with the lights. This took a lot of research and help from forums, this was before the time of GenAI! I also figured out how to filter my audio output on the computer side of things. Tweaking with an equalizer, I was able to make only drum and bass frequencies to be sent through to the Arduino.