Spectrum analyzers

Any VST recommendations specifically free ones?

Am trying to improve the mastering of my tracks.

Hell any advice on get a louder sound would be welcome. I try normalising my tunes to 0db but I dunno they always seem 25% less quite than a lot of folks tunes.

i'd be interested in a standalone one just so i can look at other peoples' musics... perhaps with settable scale etc...

i tried a few for winamp but they're all too mickey mouse for me

titter you said analyzers.....

But anyway, once again Voxengo saves the day: http://www.voxengo.com/product/SPAN/

Yeah voxengo ftw.

Spectrum analyzers are good, though I also like to look at my tracks with a spectral analysis. I don't know if it helps with my mastering, though it does teach you a lot.

Whenever I want to use spectral analysis, I use Cool Edit Pro, while you're recording you can do a spectral analysis, so when I'm working on songs in Ableton Live etc, I just alt+tab to Cool Edit Pro while recording the "What You Hear" track from the soundcard, with spectral view on.

Oh, and the new Ableton has a rather decent spectrum analyzer that doesn't seem to use too much processing power.

yea the new ableton spectrals are pretty great.

i wouldn't necessary recommend normalizing as an end all mastering option. for tricky situations a multipband comp or limiter is good (l3 multimax). for my stuff which is always on the warmer end i usually compress the fuck out of the warmer stuff, then do a simple high notch where it needs it. no normalizing at all.

blue cat.

I recommend Steinberg Free Filter. It's a dated plug in but is a fantastic little tool if you are unhappy with your mastering results. First of all it lets you 'copy' great mastering Eqs from other records. It then takes a look at your own tracks and comes up with a solution eq. The results are simply fantastic. I have had the same problem getting volume without a mashed, over-compressed, dull clipping kind of senario, however mastering is more about eq than anything else. For example, if you remove offense (overly loud but ineffective) bass eqs, you'll find that digital limiters will treat the audio better, and you'll get a cleaner, louder result.

Sav.

  Savage said:

I recommend Steinberg Free Filter. It's a dated plug in but is a fantastic little tool if you are unhappy with your mastering results. First of all it lets you 'copy' great mastering Eqs from other records. It then takes a look at your own tracks and comes up with a solution eq. The results are simply fantastic.

you just tripped me out