iTunes 8's new default music visualizer, based on the beautiful Magnetosphere plug-in, has several keyboard shortcuts that customize its look and behavior—not listed in the iTunes help file. Macworld lists them:

+ and -: Increase or decrease the intensity (brightness) of the particles; multiple presses further increase or decrease the intensity.

A and S: Add or Subtract particles to the visualizer. You can make the visualizer as complex (or sparse) as you wish.

R: Reset the intensity and particle count to their default values.

E: When in nebula mode (press N), this greatly accentuates the nebula clouds, making them very easy to see. (If you've used the M key to change modes, you may find that the nebula clouds aren't visible; it seems they're only used in certain modes.)


See what the original Magnetosphere plug-in looked like in this mesmerizing clip.


What's your favorite iTunes visualizer option or customization? Lower the lights, put on your favorite tunes, hit Cmd+T, and let us know.

Secret controls for the new iTunes 8 visualizer [Macworld]