Spectrogram Analyzer

About the Spectrogram Analyzer

New in Acoustica 8, the Spectrogram Analyzer is a real-time analyzer that shows how the frequency content of the output audio evolves over time. Where the Spectrum Analyzer shows the spectrum of the current moment only, the spectrogram analyzer keeps a scrolling history, which makes it much easier to spot events that come and go — a intermittent buzz, a resonance that only rings on certain notes, or noise that appears between phrases.

The analysis is the same in principle as the Spectrogram analysis tool, but it runs continuously on the output signal during playback rather than on a selection.

You can show or hide the analyzer by choosing Spectrogram Analyzer from the Analyzers sub menu in the View menu.

Spectrogram Analyzer settings

Click the settings button () in the bottom left corner of the Spectrogram Analyzer pane to open the settings.

The following settings are available:

• Duration (s)

The length of the history shown, in seconds. Shorter durations give a more detailed view of the recent past, longer durations more context.

• Level scale

Selects how the analyzed levels are scaled. You can choose between Amplitude spectrum and Spectral level.

• Block size (samples)

The duration in samples of the time slices used to create the spectrogram. Longer time slices give a better frequency resolution at the cost of time resolution (see Time and Frequency Domains).

• Frequency scale

You can choose between different scales for the frequency axis: Mel scale, Bark scale, Logarithmic or Linear. The Mel and Bark scales are optimized according to our perception of sound.

• Minimal frequency (Hz)

The lowest frequency to show in the analyzer.

• Maximal frequency (Hz)

The highest frequency to show in the analyzer.

• Minimum level

The lowest level to show in the analyzer. Levels below this value are drawn with the darkest colour of the palette.

• Maximum level

The highest level to show in the analyzer.