Spectrum Analyzer

Looking for a freebie

I use Winamp a lot and it has that nice spectrum analyzer in its main window. I’ve noticed most commercial mixes have a well-balanced volume distribution over the spectrum, with obvious peaks and valleys as the music changes. However, I’ve noticed on my mixes, not quite that even distribution over the spectrum.

I remember some time ago some discussion on spectrum analyzers. Any one use or know of a freebie?

Val, google for the Rightmark Audio Analyser, or go back a page or two and look for my post in response to the “sine wave” question, I put a link to it there. ( I can’t be bothered! :p)

BUT!!!

I was reading a post in another forum a few weeks back, and it was talking about a mastering plug-in.

What this plug-in did, was analyse the frequency of your mix, then apply EQ so as to “flatten” it.

Or, you could use it to analyse the spectrum of a “professional” mix, and it would then use that spectrum as a template which you could automatically apply to your own mix.

But, I’m buggered if I can remember what it was called, or where I read it.

Give me time and I’ll try to hunt it down again. :)

Ali

Inspector is a free VST spectrum analyser

I chuck it onto the master channel sometimes to see what the overall mix looks like

Seems to work OK

[edit]
Here’s a link

Inspector
[\edit]

Rich

Quote (Ali_T @ May 04 2005,19:42)

I was reading a post in another forum a few weeks back, and it was talking about a mastering plug-in.

What this plug-in did, was analyse the frequency of your mix, then apply EQ so as to “flatten” it.

Or, you could use it to analyse the spectrum of a “professional” mix, and it would then use that spectrum as a template which you could automatically apply to your own mix.

Ali

Curve EQ by voxengo will allow you to do this.Curve EQ

<!–QuoteBegin>

Quote
Curve EQ by voxengo will allow you to do this.


Yup, that’s the one Jeromee, you beat me to it! :D

But, I also just remembered, Ozone 3 will do that too. It’s a new feature that Ozone 2 didn’t have, so I haven’t tried it yet.

Hmm, must have a go, and see if that is the way to make my mixes sound less crap! ???

Ali

The Spectrum analyzer is the main reason I still like to use Samplitude. There are several views offered and I really like the spectrogram. I know you said free but I haven’t found any really good one’s that are free. Here is what the ones in Sam8 look like.

you may find this one better - voxengo soniformer - download demo from (new voxengo site) www.the-air.com -

while you are there load up on all the freebies -

personally i think voxengo plugins are the “bee’s knees” (as they say) and as with N and Flavio, you are directly intouch with the designer Aleksey Vaneev -

i have bought the ‘Elephant’ limiter - ‘HarmoniEQ’ (harmonic equaliser) & ‘PristinesSpace light’ (converlution reverb) so far -

dr j

I stumbled across this about a week ago, thought it might have been the one Ali was refering to:

http://www.har-bal.com/mastering_process.php

Not a priority on my list of things to buy but the article gave some interesting insight.

There appear to be several proggies that will do the job of creating an EQ and/or dynamics template from another master, and using that on your own stuff.

But I’m still looking for something that will copy the “talent” function from a hit tune, and transfer it to my crap! :(

Ali

Use SPAN, it’s free and excellent. It uses the display from CurveEQ minus CurveEQ’s EQ functionality.

Some great suggestions. Some ideas and progies to sink my teeth and time into. Not ready to spend money on what for me is a poor man’s hobby right now. I use it mainly to allow me to jam with myself. As my grandpa once told me: if no one will play with you, play with yourself. Guitar, that is.

I stopped using Inspector some time ago, so used it last night again to review why I stopped using it. It seems to not specifically display the EQ accurately ??

I noticed on a guitar track that Inspector seemed to show a spike in the 200 range, so I used an EQ to reduce that area. I could hear the reduction, but it just didn’t seem to display what I was hearing, that is, not much recuction in that range. And, yes, I placed Inspector last in the list of plugins order to make sure the EQ adjustment happened before the Inspector. I need to spend more time with it.

What’s wrong with the one built into n-Track? It’s more configurable than the one in Inspector. (Right-click on the display to control it.)

Valrecorder, EQ doesn’t always do what we expect visually. Small changes in a spectrum graph can make big changes in what we hear. Also, FFT-based displays are less accurate in the bass region unless you configure them to use a much larger window. (Notice the graphic above, that the green lines in the spectral display are wider at the bottom – a nice feature letting us know this!)

With n-Track, you can configure the window to be wider and get more resolution in the low end. Takes a lot of CPU, though! Fortunately, you can also adjust the display’s update rate to compensate. On a really fast machine, you can set the rate very high and N’s display looks just lovely!

The only reason I suggest SPAN over the N analyzer is that SPAN has quite a bit more tweakability.

learjeff, I know how to get ntrack’s spectrum eqaulized on an individual track, but I am unable to get one for the mix as a whole (master track).

Isn’t there a master EQ now in the 4.x builds that should have this?

Quote (Bubbagump @ May 06 2005,12:23)
Isn't there a master EQ now in the 4.x builds that should have this?

Yep. It's there. Just click the funny lookin' colored dot thingy! :p

TG

Anyway, why do you need to analyse your spectrum? ???

You just hold it between thumb and first finger, and start pickin’!

Don’t analyse, just play! :(

Ali

So, I guess with version 3, which I’m running, I’m out of luck?

Yup, you’re out of luck. Download SPAN and go to town. :)