Ableton Forum

I think the only good points about the Spectrum Analyser plug-in is:

1. You can see it in full screen
2. Semitone mode

The worse points which makes it almost unusable:

1. It's stuck to one screen. i.e. if you move away from the main drum rack track to a child chain track you lose view of the spectrum thus having to add one to each chain track your working on.
Wouldn't it be better to float the spectrum analysers like a vst window?

2. Most common use of a spectrum anaylzer is to view the the sound and then to adjust the EQ.
It would make the work flow faster if the EQ Eight plugin had an option to analyse the spectrum just like Logic Pro's EQ does.
Then adding full screen support to the EQ plug-in would go one better!

3. You have to press play to clear the analyser max hold line.
Would be nice to have a hold time-out so it clears the line which is common to most Spectrum Analysers

The worse thing for me is not being able to change the colors... I'm red, green colorblind...

I have some ideas for your complaints above:
1) Wouldn't it be better to float the spectrum analysers like a vst window?
2) It would make the work flow faster if the EQ Eight plugin had an option to analyse the spectrum just like Logic Pro's EQ does. Then adding full screen support to the EQ plug-in would go one better!
3) Would be nice to have a hold time-out so it clears the line which is common to most Spectrum Analysers

seriously does it even help?

Yes, improvements to Spectrum would be cool.

H20nly wrote:The worse thing for me is not being able to change the colors... I'm red, green colorblind...

Don't different skins for live change all the colors? Maybe these particular colors aren't changeable with skins but it might work?

outershpongolia wrote:

H20nly wrote:The worse thing for me is not being able to change the colors... I'm red, green colorblind...

Don't different skins for live change all the colors? Maybe these particular colors aren't changeable with skins but it might work?

I'll get right on that!

On a serious note... Thanks for your concern. It seems to be getting better.

3. You have to press play to clear the analyser max hold line.
Would be nice to have a hold time-out so it clears the line which is common to most Spectrum Analysers

Yes, I want more options for the hold line, too:

1. Being able (like the idea of yours) to apply some kind of decay-envelope to it (so it decays slowly or fast -> your choise)
2. It should still be possible to have it behave in the current way (so you have the sum of all frequencies in the end of your Track), but then being able to SAVE the line, give it a colour an start another run, so you can make some before/after comparison (lets say we can have 2 or three fixed lines in there). Doing this with screenshots is really not an easy way.


(And: Of course, everybody wants it: somehow combine spectrum and EQ, please!!)

EQ8 & Spectrum has been requested a number of times, including within the Big Forum Feature Request Thread.

Der_Makrophag wrote:

3. You have to press play to clear the analyser max hold line.
Would be nice to have a hold time-out so it clears the line which is common to most Spectrum Analysers

Yes, I want more options for the hold line, too:

1. Being able (like the idea of yours) to apply some kind of decay-envelope to it (so it decays slowly or fast -> your choise)
2. It should still be possible to have it behave in the current way (so you have the sum of all frequencies in the end of your Track), but then being able to SAVE the line, give it a colour an start another run, so you can make some before/after comparison (lets say we can have 2 or three fixed lines in there). Doing this with screenshots is really not an easy way.


(And: Of course, everybody wants it: somehow combine spectrum and EQ, please!!)

i second both of these, with a big major +1 on request number two.
for me it makes the most sense that if you maximise the spectrum view, it should sticky automatically.
say you maximize fxtrack2, when the spectrum should stay maximized, in view, with the frequency content of fxtrack2 no matter where you are currently located. clicky the minimize button and it jumps back down to normal view and stays inside the track view only.

re.mark wrote:EQ8 & Spectrum has been requested a number of times, including within the Big Forum Feature Request Thread.

indeed. one thing i got an idea for, as the abes don't like floating windows. how about "sidechaining" for the spectrum/eq combination. what would this mean?

an eq8 which shows the spectrum of its current input(andor output?), and optionally sidechained the input from another channel.

this would fit the design of live, and would be reaaaally helpful

(and optionally, we could only display the sidechained spectrum, too.. so on the master, one could 'collect all spectrums of the tracks, and have the master spectrum maximized' f.e.).

just came to mind today.

indeed. one thing i got an idea for, as the abes don't like floating windows. how about "sidechaining" for the spectrum/eq combination. what would this mean?

an eq8 which shows the spectrum of its current input(andor output?), and optionally sidechained the input from another channel.

this would fit the design of live, and would be reaaaally helpful

(and optionally, we could only display the sidechained spectrum, too.. so on the master, one could 'collect all spectrums of the tracks, and have the master spectrum maximized' f.e.).

just came to mind today.

Sounds great!!!
+1 for this, too.

Mr F wrote:


The worse points which makes it almost unusable:

1. It's stuck to one screen. i.e. if you move away from the main drum rack track to a child chain track you lose view of the spectrum thus having to add one to each chain track your working on.
Wouldn't it be better to float the spectrum analysers like a vst window?

2. Most common use of a spectrum anaylzer is to view the the sound and then to adjust the EQ.
It would make the work flow faster if the EQ Eight plugin had an option to analyse the spectrum just like Logic Pro's EQ does.
Then adding full screen support to the EQ plug-in would go one better!

3. You have to press play to clear the analyser max hold line.
Would be nice to have a hold time-out so it clears the line which is common to most Spectrum Analysers

would also like to see this in ableton,i would certainly use the native spectrum analyzer more if this was implemented