Real time spectrum analyser software

[Dave2002]

I wonder if there are any good real time spectrum analyser programs - preferably for use with Macs.

I have found I can analyse the timbres of instruments using recordings by making recordings and importing them into Audacity. I think slightly better results are obtained by doing a noise removal step to filter out any background noise, and then doing the spectral analysis on selected samples in the audio window.

Whether such spectral analysis is really of much help to most musicians I rather doubt, but some might find it an interesting curiosity.

There are of course hardware spectrum analysers for anyone who wants a more professional measurement.

[MrGongGong]

Do you want to spend money?

[Dave2002]

Do you want to spend money?

Love it!

[MrGongGong]

I would try this

http://www.roomeqwizard.com/index.html

[Dave2002]

I would try this

http://www.roomeqwizard.com/index.html

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll think about whether I want to follow that up.

One mistake I've made while trying to obtain spectra of instruments is to ignore the effect of room acoustics and resonances within them. To a first order it probably doesn't matter, but taking room characteristics into account may give better results.

Looking at my spectra for the Ecodear alto recorder shows that it may have very pronounced second and third (**) harmonics, which might actually be stronger than the fundamental. However, it occurred to me afterwards that those harmonics could be exaggerated by the room environment, which contains several loudspeakers and a piano. The piano can definitely resonate depending on what's played, and although it's mostly not obvious, the loudspeakers will do as well to a small extent.

I don't have access to an anechoic room, but there are probably other ways to offset the effects of room resonances when trying to estimate the spectral characteristics of instruments - such as doing the measurements outside - but that will possibly lead to more background noise, or by doing a sweep measurement (low to high) within the listening room to try to identify any significant resonances, and then cross checking against the spectra of instruments to see if there is likely to be significant modification of these due to room resonances.

However, the spectra which I've obtained so far, do definitely show differences between different instruments of the same type, even if those might be affected by resonances within the room.

Whether many musicians would really find spectral analysis useful is probably still open to question, though instrument makers and repairers possibly will. Perhaps being able to do do such analysis dynamically in "real time", might be more convenient.

Here's a Youtube about guitar overtones - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-Z4kndewSw

This one show the use of a real time analyser - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBKs...ature=youtu.be

(**) In some previous posts I confused overtones with harmonics - the first overtone is the second harmonic, the second overtone is the third harmonic etc. I'll go back and fix some of those posts.

[MrGongGong]

I don't have access to an anechoic room, but there are probably other ways to offset the effects of room resonances when trying to estimate the spectral characteristics of instruments - such as doing the measurements outside - but that will possibly lead to more background noise, or by doing a sweep measurement (low to high) within the listening room to try to identify any significant resonances, and then cross checking against the spectra of instruments to see if there is likely to be significant modification of these due to room resonances..

This might work if you are able to calibrate things (calibration is one of the key things in doing things in rooms)

https://www.studiospares.com/Microphones/Windshields/Studiospares-IsoCube-Vocal-Mic-Isolator_465780.htm

and so on

https://www.studiospares.com/Microphones/Mic-Accessories/Studiospares-RED50-Mic-Filter_465210.htm

[Dave2002]

Thanks - you've given me some more ideas.

[johnb]

A bit tangential, but talking about calibration and rooms - this is an example of the frequency measurement at a (compromise) listening position in my living room - "as is".