Plugin interface — screenshot pending
Metering

Spectrum

Ableton

Where to get itIncluded with Ableton Live. It is part of that DAW, not a separate download.ableton.com

Spectrum is a real-time frequency analysis and metering tool that displays incoming audio signals as a graph with dB on the vertical axis and frequency/pitch on the horizontal axis. It is not an audio effect but rather a measurement device that does not alter the incoming signal, making it ideal for monitoring and analyzing the spectral content of audio during mixing and production. Spectrum offers flexible analysis controls including adjustable block sizes, channel selection, refresh rates, and averaging options to balance accuracy with CPU load.

Written from the manual and checked against it. How we check

Key Features

01Real-time frequency analysis with dB vs. frequency/pitch graphing
02Adjustable Block size for measurement accuracy vs. CPU load tradeoff
03Channel selection (left, right, or both)
04Refresh slider to control update frequency
05Averaging (Avg) slider for smoothing display over multiple blocks
06Linear, logarithmic, and semitone frequency scaling modes
07Manual Range and Auto scaling for dynamic range display adjustment
08Max amplitude tracking with manual reset capability

Things to Try

  • 01Set Avg to one to display each block individually for finding the spectrum of short peaks
  • 02Increase Avg value to smooth the display and average spectrum over time, which is more consistent with human hearing
  • 03Use linear frequency scaling for detailed analysis of high frequencies
  • 04Toggle Max on to track accumulated maximum amplitude, then click the display to reset

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Spectrum by Ableton | Plugin Library