jmorris
New member
can someone explain a ( wanted to say speculum) spectrum analysis? I think it is used in mastering a bit but I don treally understand..ok I DONT understand it! 
M
Mistral
RyosaMusic
What don't you understand? Its uses?
I can only speak from personal experience but I figure it is intended to a get a sort of "full picture" of the song's EQ spectrum in a single snapshot. It enables you to spot problem frequencies, unnatural spikes and such.. you could also take a snapshot of one song and use it as a reference for mastering your other tracks..
I can only speak from personal experience but I figure it is intended to a get a sort of "full picture" of the song's EQ spectrum in a single snapshot. It enables you to spot problem frequencies, unnatural spikes and such.. you could also take a snapshot of one song and use it as a reference for mastering your other tracks..
R
RDMSstudio
New member
Spectral analysis..... good for calibrating rooms etc. but not really going to help you with music that much...
The trouble with computers in music is that people are judging things by how they look rather than how they sound. If something has too much bass or treble do you need a graph to tell you this? If so then you should try another pastime....
The trouble with computers in music is that people are judging things by how they look rather than how they sound. If something has too much bass or treble do you need a graph to tell you this? If so then you should try another pastime....
M
Mistral
RyosaMusic
You can't ALWAYS trust your ears. Ever hear of fatigue?
D
Dr Biscuits
New member
Mistral said:
Ever hear of taking a break?
M
Mistral
RyosaMusic
Even with breaks I think it takes a while for your ears to really recover from long mixing sessions... when you're the only person working on a mix/master, having the visual aid helps a ton. You've heard the phrase "helps to have a second set of ears".. well spectrum analysis is a good aid in the absence of such..
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
What does good sound look like?Mistral said:
If one's ears are fatigued, it's time to take a break and step away from the desk. One should not drive an audio worksatation with fatigued ears anymore than one should drive a car with drowsy eyes. Granted the car is more critical because lives are at stake, but the effect on the quality of the end result is no different.
Spectrum analyzers, to answer the OP question first, are boxes or software that display a graph in real time of volume by frequency. Frequency is laid out on the X axis left-to-right from low frequency to high. The Y axis represents the volume or energy level.
High-end (expensive) spectrum analysis with calibrated microphones that cost more than most of our entire studios do are used regularly in measuring and analyzing room acoustics in preparation for designing the proper acoustic treatment to turn that room into a studio space. They're great for that.
There can sometimes be specific instances where an off-the-rack RTA (real-time analyzer, another term for spectrm analyzer) might help the engineer find a trouble frequency in his music that may be at the ends of the spectrum where the human ear is weak. For example a buildup of LF sub-bass rumble can sometimes manifest itself on a spectral display before one really hears it, but 98 times out of 100 it's a hell of a lot faster and easier just to do it by ear.
This is of course assuming that one's ears are properly trained and conditioned. RDMS may have put it a bit bluntly, but he was absolutely correct. If one needs to to use an analyzer because their eras aren't up to the task, they really need to work ontheir ears more before they work ontheir music.
G.