A slope setting of -4.5 dB is also quite common. Depending on how the slope setting is set, the display of the analyzer can look quite different.Ī slope setting of -3 dB per octave matches pink noise and aims to represents sound the way our hearing works. It defines how steeply the analysis curve falls per octave. The slope (also sometimes called Tilt) is a setting that can be found in most spectrum analyzers. The slope settingīefore you start working with an audio spectrum analyzer, you should familiarize yourself with the concept of slope. There are several situations where spectrum analysis can be extremely helpful. Now that the important basic premise is established, we can go deeper into the why, when and how to use audio spectrum analysis. Using a spectrum analyzer in music production, mixing and mastering After all, all your audience has is what they hear (and how that makes them feel). Make visual feedback work for you and not against you. As a supporting tool to confirm what you hear (or don’t hear).īe tactical.

Visual feedback doesn’t represent the emotional content of your music at all. In reality, sound (and especially music) is always a lot more complex than any visual representation of it.If you’re allocating most of your internal CPU on looking, you’re not listening as well as you could. Our brain has limited processing power. We are only good at focusing on one thing at a time.Subconsciously, we prefer to ground our trust and decisions on what we see. We tend to prioritize our vision over other senses. Plus we have a natural bias for shiny new things. We are very visual creatures by nature.It’s a double-edged sword! Why? In my mind there are three things contributing to it: We’re being treated with ultra-precise visual feedback of most things inside a DAW now. There have been huge developments in computing power, screen technology, and software. The process of making music has become more visual in past times. Spectrum analysis is a double-edged swordīefore we go into how to actually use spectrum analysis, I want to point out something very important. This article explores five different ways of how to use a spectrum analyzer in the music production, mixing and mastering processes. Especially if you’re only starting out in music production! It sure used to confuse me. Spectrum analysis can be a confusing topic.

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