diff --git a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/playback/PlaybackDiag.kt b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/playback/PlaybackDiag.kt
index c6cd9c9085..ac5c018225 100644
--- a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/playback/PlaybackDiag.kt
+++ b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/playback/PlaybackDiag.kt
@@ -22,9 +22,13 @@ package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.service.playback
 
 /**
  * Shared logcat tag for the playback diagnostic trace (source routing, player lifecycle, error
- * recovery, HLS liveness learning). Emitted with `Log.d`, so it appears only in a debug build
- * (`Log.minLevel = DEBUG`) and is silent in benchmark/release (`ERROR`). To capture a playback
- * investigation, install a debug build and run:
+ * recovery, HLS liveness learning).
+ *
+ * Emitted with `Log.d`, which fires only while `Log.minLevel <= DEBUG`. No shipped variant is
+ * there by default: [com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.Amethyst.DEFAULT_LOG_LEVEL] gives debug AND
+ * benchmark builds `INFO` (the `benchmark` build type counts as `isDebug`) and release `WARN`, so
+ * this trace is silent everywhere until `Amethyst.VERBOSE_LOGS` is flipped to true. To capture a
+ * playback investigation, set that flag, install a debug build and run:
  *
  * ```
  * adb logcat -s PlaybackDiag
diff --git a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/playback/composable/controls/VideoQualityControls.kt b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/playback/composable/controls/VideoQualityControls.kt
index dbc3491464..8acee68d0a 100644
--- a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/playback/composable/controls/VideoQualityControls.kt
+++ b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/playback/composable/controls/VideoQualityControls.kt
@@ -148,9 +148,11 @@ const val VIDEO_QUALITY_TAG = "VideoQuality"
  * Traces which rendition adaptive selection landed on, against the full ladder the manifest
  * offered.
  *
- * The listener is registered only when the trace can actually be emitted — debug builds set
- * `Log.minLevel = DEBUG` while benchmark/release set `ERROR` (see [PLAYBACK_DIAG_TAG]) — so the
- * release path keeps the "no listener per player" property that dropping the old selector bought.
+ * The listener is registered only when the trace can actually be emitted. `Log.minLevel` is above
+ * `DEBUG` in every variant by default — `INFO` for debug and benchmark builds, `WARN` for release
+ * (see [PLAYBACK_DIAG_TAG]) — so this costs nothing until `Amethyst.VERBOSE_LOGS` is turned on,
+ * and every build keeps the "no listener per player" property that dropping the old selector
+ * bought.
  */
 @Composable
 fun LogVideoQualitySelection(player: Player) {
diff --git a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/playback/playerPool/PcmTapRegistry.kt b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/playback/playerPool/PcmTapRegistry.kt
index 62129db719..2fd9ce4a6d 100644
--- a/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/playback/playerPool/PcmTapRegistry.kt
+++ b/amethyst/src/main/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/playback/playerPool/PcmTapRegistry.kt
@@ -27,9 +27,11 @@ import androidx.media3.exoplayer.audio.TeeAudioProcessor
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.audio.AudioWindow
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.audio.Fft
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.audio.Spectrum
+import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.audio.SpectrumTrail
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.audio.normalizeToPeakInPlace
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.audio.toLogBins
 import kotlinx.coroutines.ExperimentalCoroutinesApi
+import kotlinx.coroutines.channels.BufferOverflow
 import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.Flow
 import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.MutableSharedFlow
 import java.nio.ByteBuffer
@@ -65,6 +67,10 @@ class SpectrumAudioBufferSink(
     private var channels = 1
     private var encoding = C.ENCODING_PCM_16BIT
 
+    // Audio time one fft frame covers: fftSize samples per channel at the stream's sample rate.
+    // Zero until the first flush reports a rate, which leaves the frame unpaced rather than wrong.
+    private var frameDurationNanos = 0L
+
     @kotlin.OptIn(ExperimentalCoroutinesApi::class)
     override fun flush(
         sampleRateHz: Int,
@@ -73,6 +79,7 @@ class SpectrumAudioBufferSink(
     ) {
         this.channels = channelCount.coerceAtLeast(1)
         this.encoding = encoding
+        this.frameDurationNanos = if (sampleRateHz > 0) fftSize * 1_000_000_000L / sampleRateHz else 0L
         filled = 0
         output?.resetReplayCache()
     }
@@ -98,7 +105,7 @@ class SpectrumAudioBufferSink(
         // Skip the DC bin (index 0): toLogBins ignores it, so letting a DC/offset component be the
         // peak would scale every audible bin toward zero and wash the spectrum out.
         mags.normalizeToPeakInPlace(fromIndex = 1)
-        output?.tryEmit(Spectrum(mags.toLogBins(binCount)))
+        output?.tryEmit(Spectrum(mags.toLogBins(binCount), frameDurationNanos))
     }
 }
 
@@ -167,7 +174,15 @@ object PcmTapRegistry {
                         if (!fedByLiveSink && !stillCollected) iter.remove()
                     }
                 }
-                MutableSharedFlow(replay = 1, extraBufferCapacity = 1)
+                // Frames arrive in clusters (see SpectrumTrail) emitted within a few ms on the audio
+                // thread, while the collector sits on the main dispatcher and cannot run in between;
+                // a 2-slot buffer kept ~2 frames of each cluster and dropped the rest. Hold as much as
+                // the visualizer's own backlog, which is the real lag bound, dropping the stalest.
+                MutableSharedFlow(
+                    replay = 1,
+                    extraBufferCapacity = SpectrumTrail.MAX_BACKLOG_FRAMES,
+                    onBufferOverflow = BufferOverflow.DROP_OLDEST,
+                )
             }
         }
 }
diff --git a/amethyst/src/test/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/playback/playerPool/SpectrumAudioBufferSinkTest.kt b/amethyst/src/test/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/playback/playerPool/SpectrumAudioBufferSinkTest.kt
index 6e9ce2ea35..7cf470a967 100644
--- a/amethyst/src/test/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/playback/playerPool/SpectrumAudioBufferSinkTest.kt
+++ b/amethyst/src/test/java/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/service/playback/playerPool/SpectrumAudioBufferSinkTest.kt
@@ -24,7 +24,11 @@ import androidx.annotation.OptIn
 import androidx.media3.common.C
 import androidx.media3.common.util.UnstableApi
 import com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.audio.Spectrum
+import kotlinx.coroutines.ExperimentalCoroutinesApi
 import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.MutableSharedFlow
+import kotlinx.coroutines.launch
+import kotlinx.coroutines.test.advanceUntilIdle
+import kotlinx.coroutines.test.runTest
 import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
 import org.junit.Assert.assertTrue
 import org.junit.Test
@@ -33,6 +37,7 @@ import java.nio.ByteOrder
 import kotlin.math.PI
 import kotlin.math.sin
 
+@kotlin.OptIn(ExperimentalCoroutinesApi::class)
 @OptIn(UnstableApi::class)
 class SpectrumAudioBufferSinkTest {
     private val fftSize = 64
@@ -136,4 +141,62 @@ class SpectrumAudioBufferSinkTest {
 
         assertTrue("non-16-bit PCM must not emit a spectrum", out.replayCache.isEmpty())
     }
+
+    // Pacing draws each frame for the audio time it covers, so the sink has to say how long that is.
+    // It is fftSize samples PER CHANNEL: a stereo stream must not report half (or double) the time.
+    @Test
+    fun eachFrameCarriesTheAudioTimeItCovers() {
+        val sink = SpectrumAudioBufferSink(fftSize = fftSize, binCount = binCount)
+        val out = MutableSharedFlow<Spectrum>(replay = 1, extraBufferCapacity = 1)
+        sink.output = out
+        sink.flush(48000, 1, C.ENCODING_PCM_16BIT)
+        sink.handleBuffer(monoPcm(sineShorts(k = 2, n = fftSize)))
+
+        assertEquals(fftSize * 1_000_000_000L / 48000, out.replayCache.last().durationNanos)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun stereoFramesCoverTheSameTimeAsMono() {
+        val sink = SpectrumAudioBufferSink(fftSize = fftSize, binCount = binCount)
+        val out = MutableSharedFlow<Spectrum>(replay = 1, extraBufferCapacity = 1)
+        sink.output = out
+        sink.flush(44100, 2, C.ENCODING_PCM_16BIT)
+        val tone = sineShorts(k = 2, n = fftSize)
+        sink.handleBuffer(interleavedStereoPcm(tone, tone))
+
+        assertEquals(fftSize * 1_000_000_000L / 44100, out.replayCache.last().durationNanos)
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The audio thread emits a cluster of fft frames within a few ms, with no suspension point in
+     * between, while the UI collector sits on the main dispatcher and cannot interleave. Anything the
+     * registry's flow cannot hold at that instant is dropped; a 2-slot buffer kept 2 of every cluster.
+     */
+    private fun deliveredFromOneCluster(framesInCluster: Int): Int {
+        var count = -1
+        runTest {
+            val mediaId = "test://cluster-$framesInCluster"
+            val sink = SpectrumAudioBufferSink(fftSize = fftSize, binCount = binCount)
+            PcmTapRegistry.bind(mediaId, sink)
+            sink.flush(48000, 1, C.ENCODING_PCM_16BIT)
+
+            val received = mutableListOf<Spectrum>()
+            val collector = launch { PcmTapRegistry.spectrumFor(mediaId).collect { received.add(it) } }
+            advanceUntilIdle() // let the collector subscribe
+
+            sink.handleBuffer(monoPcm(sineShorts(k = 2, n = fftSize * framesInCluster)))
+
+            advanceUntilIdle() // only now does the UI collector get to run
+            collector.cancel()
+            PcmTapRegistry.bind(null, sink)
+            count = received.size
+        }
+        return count
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun everyFrameOfAClusterReachesTheVisualizer() {
+        assertEquals("cluster of 8", 8, deliveredFromOneCluster(8))
+        assertEquals("cluster of 20", 20, deliveredFromOneCluster(20))
+    }
 }
diff --git a/commons/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/commons/audio/AudioSpectrum.kt b/commons/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/commons/audio/AudioSpectrum.kt
index 86eb82822c..c074eecc49 100644
--- a/commons/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/commons/audio/AudioSpectrum.kt
+++ b/commons/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/commons/audio/AudioSpectrum.kt
@@ -26,9 +26,16 @@ import kotlin.math.exp
 import kotlin.math.ln
 import kotlin.math.log10
 
-/** One frame of frequency-domain magnitudes, ordered low→high Hz and normalized 0f..1f. */
+/**
+ * One frame of frequency-domain magnitudes, ordered low→high Hz and normalized 0f..1f.
+ *
+ * [durationNanos] is how much audio the frame describes (fft size / sample rate), which is how long
+ * it should stay on screen. Zero — the default — means the producer is not pacing to audio (the
+ * synthetic preview emits one per display frame), so the frame is shown as soon as it arrives.
+ */
 class Spectrum(
     val bins: FloatArray,
+    val durationNanos: Long = 0L,
 )
 
 /**
diff --git a/commons/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/commons/audio/SpectrumTrail.kt b/commons/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/commons/audio/SpectrumTrail.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..08f2afd6be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/commons/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/commons/audio/SpectrumTrail.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.audio
+
+/**
+ * The per-displayed-frame step of the spectrum visualizer: queue incoming frames, release each as
+ * its audio time comes due, apply the decay trail against what is already on screen, and return a
+ * fresh array to draw.
+ *
+ * Why pacing is needed at all: the audio pipeline fills its output buffer in chunks, so frames reach
+ * the UI in clusters — ~15 frames roughly every 330 ms, measured on a Pixel 9a. Drawn on arrival a
+ * cluster collapses into one frame; released one per display refresh it plays out in ~110 ms at
+ * 120 Hz and then freezes (161 stalls averaging 211 ms over 52.8 s). Each frame instead stays up for
+ * the [Spectrum.durationNanos] of audio it describes, so a cluster spreads across the gap to the
+ * next. Time lost while starved is not owed back: after a gap, frames resume from the current frame
+ * time rather than being dumped at once to catch up.
+ *
+ * The backlog is capped at [capacity], evicting the stalest frame, so faster-than-real-time playback
+ * or a stalled UI cannot leave the picture drifting ever further behind the sound.
+ *
+ * The decay gives each bin an instant attack and a gradual release, so bars snap up to a transient
+ * and fall back smoothly instead of flickering.
+ *
+ * This lives here, rather than inline in the Compose collector, so the pacing, starvation and decay
+ * rules are unit-testable without a Compose harness; the composable is left as plumbing.
+ *
+ * Not thread-safe by design: both ends run on the UI dispatcher.
+ */
+class SpectrumTrail(
+    private val decay: Float,
+    private val capacity: Int = MAX_BACKLOG_FRAMES,
+) {
+    private val queue = ArrayDeque<Spectrum>(capacity)
+    private var drawn = FloatArray(0)
+
+    // When the frame at the head of the queue may be drawn, in the caller's frame-clock nanos.
+    private var dueNanos = Long.MIN_VALUE
+    private var starved = true
+
+    /** Queues a freshly decoded frame, evicting the stalest if the backlog is at [capacity]. */
+    fun offer(frame: Spectrum) {
+        while (queue.size >= capacity) queue.removeFirst()
+        queue.addLast(frame)
+    }
+
+    /** True when nothing is queued, so the caller can stop polling until the next [offer]. */
+    fun isEmpty(): Boolean = queue.isEmpty()
+
+    /**
+     * The array to draw at [frameTimeNanos], or null when nothing new is due and the current one
+     * should persist.
+     *
+     * A fresh array each time is intentional: `mutableStateOf` compares by reference, so a new
+     * instance is what signals Compose to redraw. Do NOT switch to in-place mutation.
+     */
+    fun nextOrNull(frameTimeNanos: Long): FloatArray? {
+        if (queue.isEmpty()) {
+            starved = true
+            return null
+        }
+        if (starved) {
+            // Resume from now, but never earlier than the last drawn frame's audio time runs out.
+            dueNanos = maxOf(dueNanos, frameTimeNanos)
+            starved = false
+        }
+
+        var result: FloatArray? = null
+        while (dueNanos <= frameTimeNanos) {
+            val frame = queue.removeFirstOrNull() ?: break
+            result = decayedFrom(frame)
+            dueNanos += frame.durationNanos
+        }
+        return result
+    }
+
+    private fun decayedFrom(frame: Spectrum): FloatArray {
+        val prev = drawn
+        val next =
+            FloatArray(frame.bins.size) { i ->
+                val prior = if (i < prev.size) prev[i] * decay else 0f
+                if (frame.bins[i] > prior) frame.bins[i] else prior
+            }
+        drawn = next
+        return next
+    }
+
+    companion object {
+        // A cluster is ~15 frames, so 24 (~0.5 s of audio) never trims ordinary playback, while
+        // bounding how far the picture can lag the sound (e.g. at 2x playback speed).
+        const val MAX_BACKLOG_FRAMES = 24
+    }
+}
diff --git a/commons/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/commons/audio/SpectrumTrailTest.kt b/commons/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/commons/audio/SpectrumTrailTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8a6ffab71a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/commons/src/commonTest/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/commons/audio/SpectrumTrailTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,183 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Vitor Pamplona
+ *
+ * Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
+ * this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
+ * the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
+ * copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the
+ * Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
+ * subject to the following conditions:
+ *
+ * The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+ * copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+ *
+ * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+ * IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
+ * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
+ * COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN
+ * AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+ * WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+ */
+package com.vitorpamplona.amethyst.commons.audio
+
+import kotlin.test.Test
+import kotlin.test.assertContentEquals
+import kotlin.test.assertFalse
+import kotlin.test.assertNotSame
+import kotlin.test.assertNull
+import kotlin.test.assertTrue
+
+/** Pacing, starvation, backlog and decay rules of [SpectrumTrail]; see its KDoc for why each exists. */
+class SpectrumTrailTest {
+    private val ms = 1_000_000L
+
+    private fun frame(
+        value: Float,
+        durationMs: Long = 20,
+    ) = Spectrum(floatArrayOf(value), durationNanos = durationMs * ms)
+
+    @Test
+    fun yieldsNothingWhenStarvedSoTheDrawnFrameIsHeld() {
+        val trail = SpectrumTrail(decay = 0.5f)
+        assertNull(trail.nextOrNull(0))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun theFirstFrameIsDrawnOnArrivalWithNothingToDecayFrom() {
+        val trail = SpectrumTrail(decay = 0.5f)
+        trail.offer(frame(1f))
+
+        assertContentEquals(floatArrayOf(1f), trail.nextOrNull(0))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aClusterIsSpreadOverTheAudioTimeItCoversNotTheScreenRefresh() {
+        val trail = SpectrumTrail(decay = 0f)
+        trail.offer(frame(1f))
+        trail.offer(frame(2f))
+        trail.offer(frame(3f))
+
+        // 120 Hz refreshes (~8 ms) must not drain a frame that covers 20 ms of audio.
+        assertContentEquals(floatArrayOf(1f), trail.nextOrNull(0))
+        assertNull(trail.nextOrNull(8 * ms))
+        assertNull(trail.nextOrNull(16 * ms))
+        assertContentEquals(floatArrayOf(2f), trail.nextOrNull(20 * ms))
+        assertNull(trail.nextOrNull(33 * ms))
+        assertContentEquals(floatArrayOf(3f), trail.nextOrNull(40 * ms))
+        assertNull(trail.nextOrNull(48 * ms))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun afterStarvingTheNextClusterStartsWhenItArrivesInsteadOfBeingDumpedToCatchUp() {
+        val trail = SpectrumTrail(decay = 0f)
+        trail.offer(frame(1f))
+        assertContentEquals(floatArrayOf(1f), trail.nextOrNull(0))
+        assertNull(trail.nextOrNull(100 * ms)) // starved for a while
+
+        trail.offer(frame(2f))
+        trail.offer(frame(3f))
+
+        // The idle time is not owed: frame 2 shows now and frame 3 a full frame later.
+        assertContentEquals(floatArrayOf(2f), trail.nextOrNull(300 * ms))
+        assertNull(trail.nextOrNull(308 * ms))
+        assertContentEquals(floatArrayOf(3f), trail.nextOrNull(320 * ms))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aFrameArrivingBeforeThePreviousOneElapsedStillWaitsItsTurn() {
+        val trail = SpectrumTrail(decay = 0f)
+        trail.offer(frame(1f))
+        assertContentEquals(floatArrayOf(1f), trail.nextOrNull(0))
+        assertNull(trail.nextOrNull(8 * ms)) // queue momentarily empty
+
+        trail.offer(frame(2f))
+
+        assertNull(trail.nextOrNull(16 * ms)) // frame 1 still covers until 20 ms
+        assertContentEquals(floatArrayOf(2f), trail.nextOrNull(24 * ms))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aSlowFrameClockJumpsToTheLatestDueFrame() {
+        val trail = SpectrumTrail(decay = 0f)
+        trail.offer(frame(1f))
+        trail.offer(frame(2f))
+        trail.offer(frame(3f))
+
+        assertContentEquals(floatArrayOf(1f), trail.nextOrNull(0))
+        // A janky 45 ms frame: frames 2 (due 20) and 3 (due 40) are both due; show the newest.
+        assertContentEquals(floatArrayOf(3f), trail.nextOrNull(45 * ms))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aFrameWithNoDurationIsShownOnArrival() {
+        // Producers that do not declare a duration (the synthetic preview emits one per display
+        // frame) keep the old behaviour: whatever is queued is current.
+        val trail = SpectrumTrail(decay = 0f)
+        trail.offer(Spectrum(floatArrayOf(1f)))
+        trail.offer(Spectrum(floatArrayOf(2f)))
+
+        assertContentEquals(floatArrayOf(2f), trail.nextOrNull(0))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aBacklogIsCappedByDroppingTheStalestFrame() {
+        // Faster-than-real-time playback (2x speed) produces frames faster than they come due;
+        // the cap bounds how far the picture can lag the sound.
+        val trail = SpectrumTrail(decay = 0f, capacity = 2)
+        trail.offer(frame(1f))
+        trail.offer(frame(2f))
+        trail.offer(frame(3f)) // evicts frame 1
+
+        assertContentEquals(floatArrayOf(2f), trail.nextOrNull(0))
+        assertContentEquals(floatArrayOf(3f), trail.nextOrNull(20 * ms))
+        assertNull(trail.nextOrNull(40 * ms))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aRisingBinTakesItsNewValueImmediately() {
+        val trail = SpectrumTrail(decay = 0.5f)
+        trail.offer(frame(0.2f))
+        trail.nextOrNull(0)
+        trail.offer(frame(0.9f))
+
+        assertContentEquals(floatArrayOf(0.9f), trail.nextOrNull(20 * ms))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aFallingBinDecaysFromWhatWasDrawnRatherThanSnapping() {
+        val trail = SpectrumTrail(decay = 0.5f)
+        trail.offer(frame(1f))
+        trail.nextOrNull(0)
+        trail.offer(frame(0f))
+
+        assertContentEquals(floatArrayOf(0.5f), trail.nextOrNull(20 * ms))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun eachDrawGetsAFreshArraySoComposeSeesTheChange() {
+        val trail = SpectrumTrail(decay = 0.5f)
+        trail.offer(frame(1f))
+        trail.offer(frame(1f))
+
+        val first = trail.nextOrNull(0)
+        val second = trail.nextOrNull(20 * ms)
+
+        // mutableStateOf compares by reference; reusing one array would never trigger a redraw.
+        assertNotSame(first, second)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun reportsEmptyOnlyOnceEveryQueuedFrameIsReleasedSoTheCallerKnowsWhenToPark() {
+        val trail = SpectrumTrail(decay = 0f)
+        assertTrue(trail.isEmpty())
+
+        trail.offer(frame(1f))
+        trail.offer(frame(2f))
+        assertFalse(trail.isEmpty())
+
+        trail.nextOrNull(0)
+        assertFalse(trail.isEmpty()) // frame 2 is queued but not yet due
+        trail.nextOrNull(20 * ms)
+        assertTrue(trail.isEmpty())
+    }
+}
diff --git a/commonsUI/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/commons/audio/SpectrumCanvas.kt b/commonsUI/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/commons/audio/SpectrumCanvas.kt
index a3c0b51eca..a89eade52f 100644
--- a/commonsUI/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/commons/audio/SpectrumCanvas.kt
+++ b/commonsUI/src/commonMain/kotlin/com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/commons/audio/SpectrumCanvas.kt
@@ -26,15 +26,23 @@ import androidx.compose.runtime.LaunchedEffect
 import androidx.compose.runtime.mutableStateOf
 import androidx.compose.runtime.remember
 import androidx.compose.runtime.withFrameMillis
+import androidx.compose.runtime.withFrameNanos
 import androidx.compose.ui.Modifier
 import androidx.compose.ui.graphics.drawscope.DrawScope
+import kotlinx.coroutines.channels.Channel
 import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.Flow
 
 /**
  * Collects [spectrum] into a decayed [FloatArray] and optionally runs a monotonic time clock,
  * then calls [draw] inside the Canvas draw lambda. The fast-changing state is read
  * ONLY in the draw lambda, so new frames trigger the draw phase, never recomposition.
- * Pass [animated] = false for non-time-varying styles (bars, radial) to avoid 60fps redraws.
+ *
+ * Frames are released through [SpectrumTrail] as the audio they describe comes due. The pacing loop
+ * only writes state when a frame is due, and parks entirely while nothing is queued (paused, idle),
+ * so on its own it redraws at the ~43-47 Hz the fft produces and costs nothing when silent.
+ *
+ * Pass [animated] = false for non-time-varying styles (bars, radial): that drops the monotonic clock,
+ * whose whole purpose is to redraw every frame even when the spectrum has not moved.
  */
 @Composable
 fun SpectrumCanvas(
@@ -46,18 +54,27 @@ fun SpectrumCanvas(
     draw: DrawScope.(bins: FloatArray, timeSec: Float, palette: VisualizerPalette) -> Unit,
 ) {
     val smoothed = remember { mutableStateOf(FloatArray(0)) }
-    LaunchedEffect(spectrum, decay) {
-        var prev = FloatArray(0)
-        spectrum.collect { frame ->
-            // A fresh array each frame is intentional: mutableStateOf compares by reference, so a new
-            // instance is what signals Compose to redraw. Do NOT switch to in-place mutation.
-            val next =
-                FloatArray(frame.bins.size) { i ->
-                    val prior = if (i < prev.size) prev[i] * decay else 0f
-                    if (frame.bins[i] > prior) frame.bins[i] else prior
-                }
-            smoothed.value = next
-            prev = next
+
+    val trail = remember(spectrum, decay) { SpectrumTrail(decay) }
+    val arrivals = remember(trail) { Channel<Unit>(Channel.CONFLATED) }
+    LaunchedEffect(spectrum, trail) {
+        spectrum.collect {
+            trail.offer(it)
+            arrivals.trySend(Unit)
+        }
+    }
+
+    LaunchedEffect(trail) {
+        while (true) {
+            val next = trail.nextOrNull(withFrameNanos { it })
+            if (next != null) {
+                smoothed.value = next
+            } else if (trail.isEmpty()) {
+                // Park off the frame clock until the next offer. This must follow a nextOrNull that
+                // saw the empty queue: that call records the starvation which stops the next cluster
+                // from being dumped at once to "catch up".
+                arrivals.receive()
+            }
         }
     }