Big Audio Spectrum Analyzer with Arduino UNO+MSGEQ7+WS2812 LED Strips

I have finally been able to get the combination of a MSGEQ7 and WS2812 LED strips to work together.  The trick was to not use any machine language code.  Instead, to access the WS2812 I just used parallel output commands like this:
  PORTD= 0xFF;  // turn on
  PORTD= 0xFF;  // delay
  PORTD= 0xFF;  // delay
  PORTD= 0xFF;  // delay (add more for faster processors)
  PORTD= bits;  // send data
  PORTD= bits;  // delay
  PORTD= bits;  // delay
  PORTD= bits;  // delay
  PORTD= 0x00;  // Turn off;
Sending the same command over and over just results in a delay.

This setup gives 90 steps to the top.  I am missing one LED strip for the needed total of 14.  I will add three more strips as soon as they arrive from China.

Here are some links to the videos on YouTube.  For some reason they don't embed the videos like they used to?  I think they are working now.







This is the code for the right channel only, but blogspot might remove all of the < and > from the code.....

// BOB Davis Enhanced Version for sending data to 8 Parallel WS2812 strings
// Removed Assembler and simplified the code
// Changed to VU meter with MSGEQ7

// PORTD is Digital Pins 0-7 on the Uno change for other boards.
#define PIXEL_PORT  PORTD  // Port of the pin the pixels are connected to
#define PIXEL_DDR   DDRD   // Port of the pin the pixels are connected to

// MSGEQ7 pins
#define PIN_STROBE 9
#define PIN_RESET 10
#define PIN_LEFT 4 //analog input
#define PIN_RIGHT 5 //analog input

//band arrays
int left[7];
int right[7];
int col=0;

void readMSGEQ7() { //reset the chip
  digitalWrite(PIN_RESET, HIGH);
  digitalWrite(PIN_RESET, LOW);
  for(int band=0; band < 7; band++) {  //loop thru all 7 bands
    digitalWrite(PIN_STROBE,LOW);      // go to the next band
    delayMicroseconds(30);             // gather data
    left[band] = analogRead(PIN_LEFT); // store left band reading
    right[band] = analogRead(PIN_RIGHT); // store right band reading
    digitalWrite(PIN_STROBE,HIGH);     // reset the strobe pin
  }
}

// Actually send the next set of 8 WS2812B encoded bits to the 8 pins.
// The delay timing is for an Arduino UNO.
void sendBitX8( uint8_t bits ) {
  PORTD= 0xFF;  // turn on
  PORTD= 0xFF;  // delay
  PORTD= 0xFF;  // delay
  PORTD= 0xFF;  // delay (Add more for faster processors)
  PORTD= bits;  // send data
  PORTD= bits;  // delay
  PORTD= bits;  // delay
  PORTD= bits;  // delay
  PORTD= bits;  // delay
  PORTD= 0x00;  // Turn off;
}

// Set default color for letters
int red=1;
int green=1;
int blue=1;

void sendPixelRow( uint8_t row ) {
  // Send the bit 8 times down every row, each pixel is 8 bits each for R,G,B
    for (int bit=0; bit <8; bit++){     
      if (green==1)sendBitX8( row );
      else sendBitX8( 0x00 ); }
    for (int bit=0; bit <8; bit++){     
      if (red==1)sendBitX8( row );
      else sendBitX8( 0x00 ); }
    for (int bit=0; bit <8; bit++){     
      if (blue==1)sendBitX8( row );
      else sendBitX8( 0x00 ); }
 }
void setup() {
  PIXEL_DDR = 0xff;    // Set all row pins to output
  pinMode(PIN_RESET, OUTPUT); // reset
  pinMode(PIN_STROBE, OUTPUT); // strobe
}
void loop() {
  red=0;
  green=1;
  blue=0;
    readMSGEQ7();                   // collect samples
    cli();                          // No time for interruptions!
    for (int b=1; b > 90; b++){
      if (b > 60) {red=1; green=0;}
      else       {red=0; green=1;}
      col=0;
      if (right[0]-64 >= b) col=col+1;  // Send bytes as VU meter data
      if (right[1]-64 >= b) col=col+2;  // Send bytes as VU meter data
      if (right[2]-64 >= b) col=col+4;  // Send bytes as VU meter data
      if (right[3]-64 >= b) col=col+8;  // Send bytes as VU meter data
      if (right[4]-64 >= b) col=col+16;  // Send bytes as VU meter data
      if (right[5]-64 >= b) col=col+32;  // Send bytes as VU meter data
      if (right[6]-64 >= b) col=col+64;  // Send bytes as VU meter data
      sendPixelRow(col);
      }
    sei();                        // interrupts back on
    delay (50);
//  }
}