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Feature

A flashlight that breathes with the bass

Room Light drives the iPhone flashlight from the low-frequency envelope of the track. A kick drum lifts it, the decay lets it fall. It is a lamp that breathes, not a strobe.

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The MP95 Room Light caution plate: a riveted metal panel with a hazard stripe explaining that the camera flash becomes a lamp that breathes with the bass, is not a strobe, runs hot and puts itself out, with NOT NOW and LIGHT IT UP keys

How it works

The sound chain already analyses the audio for the visualizers. Room Light takes the envelope of the bass, applies a fast attack and a slow release, and writes it to the torch about twenty times a second. The result is a light that swells with the kick and sinks between beats, like a lamp wired to the bass amp.

MP95 turntable on iPhone: a black record with the album art on its label, the tonearm on the groove, 33⅓ RPM indicator and transport keys

Deliberately not a strobe

The light never goes below a floor of about sixteen percent, so it never blacks out. That is a deliberate design decision: full-off flicker in the 3–30 Hz range is the range that affects photosensitive people, and a lamp that never goes dark stays outside it. It is still a light that moves, so MP95 shows a warning plate before the first use and asks you to acknowledge it. If you or anyone in the room is sensitive to light, leave it off.

MP95 cassette deck with the small Room Light flashlight button in the top row next to the FX chip

It looks after the phone

The LED is a heater. Room Light switches itself off when you pause, when the app goes to the background, when iOS reports the torch unavailable because of temperature, and after thirty minutes regardless. It never turns on by itself: the state is not saved between launches, and every session starts with the light off.

MP95 click-wheel player on iPhone: a green LCD with album art, track info, what plays next and a bar equalizer above a brushed-metal wheel

Where to find it

The small flashlight button sits in the top row of the player next to the FX chip. It only appears on devices that have a flash; iPads without one do not show it. Put the phone face down on a table with the flash pointing at the ceiling and the room follows the music.

The MP95 Room Light caution plate: a riveted metal panel with a hazard stripe explaining that the camera flash becomes a lamp that breathes with the bass, is not a strobe, runs hot and puts itself out, with NOT NOW and LIGHT IT UP keys

Frequently asked questions

Does the flashlight flash to the beat?

It rises with the beat and falls between beats, following the bass envelope. It does not switch fully off, so it is a breathing lamp rather than a strobe.

Will it damage my iPhone?

iOS manages the torch and disables it if the device gets warm; MP95 listens for that and turns the light off. It also stops on pause, in the background, and after thirty minutes.

Is it safe for photosensitive people?

MP95 keeps the light from ever going dark, which avoids the full-off flicker range associated with photosensitive reactions, but any moving light can be uncomfortable. The app shows a warning before first use. If you are sensitive to light, do not use it.

Does it work on iPad?

Only on iPads that have a flash. The button is hidden on devices without one.

Hear it on your own music

MP95 is free to start. No account, no ads, no internet.

App StoreGoogle Play · soonMac App Store