Spectrum Analyzis Help

[clubzero]

I don't have a "decent" spectrum analyzer which makes it hard for me to equalize. I need something which I could use to monitor the final mix (.WAV) to tell me clearly which frequencies need boosting and which don't.


One other question, how come in Winamp when playing mp3's the frecuency equalizer works fine but when playing .wav not..?



Thanks.


Club Zero

[Blue Bear Sound]

...but your ears will tell you much more......!

Bruce

[Kendog]

Yeah - try not to depend on meters for anything. It's too easy to try to do things by sight. How many times have you caught yourself setting compresstion by the lights? Too many, probably.

A spectral analyser won't be an accurate way anyway, because there are far too many factors involved, especially in a final mix.

Ken Rutkowski
Outer Limit Recording Studio

[clubzero]

Thanks for the replies. That kind of relieved me..



CZ

[cordura21]

Maybe I'll get flamed for this, but I find spectral analyzers very useful for people who don't have the chance to be in touch with someone who knows about how to use eq.
I guess that it'll help you to associate different sounds in your ears with their respective frequencies. Of course I'll prefer to have a real person to tell me "see, what you're hearing is the boominess of the kick drum at xx Hz", but sometimes you don't have that chance. And the worst thing -like I did- is that you start making assumptions that can or cannot be correct.
For me sonograms are like those little wheels that children use in their bikes when they are learning, as they are not forever. But they help you recognize frequencies much like the layout on a keyboard lets you recognize notes intervals.
I find it similar to using reference cds.

Check for a program that does McAulay-Quatieri (MQ) analysis. At least you'll have some fun with it.

Oh, and for more fun try this program that converts bitmap files to wav files. Hear what your picture sounds like!

Cheers, Andrés

[clubzero]

Thanks Andres. And cheers 4 the link


CZ

[LooneyTunez]

Clubzero,

If you're using Sound Forge, there is spectrum analysis included. It's not the greatest analyser, but it will get the job done. My personal take is that spectrum analysis is good for pinpointing the energy on individual tracks. Doesn't work all that well on a final mix, as you can have two totally differnt sounding mixes, but they will still appears similar when viewed through a SA. Reason: A spectrum analyser will only tell you how balanced the frequency response of your mix is, but it will tell you nothing about the actual balance or quality of said mix.

[clubzero]

Thanks I'll try the one in SF under tools. Like Kendog mentioned, like some, I have a little fixe that the track has to "look good" on top of sounding good. I've gotta get over it and start trusting my ears more..



CZ

[cordura21]

try also some program that does sonograms, it's great when you want to 'sculpt' short sounds like a kick, snare, etc.