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| SpectraFoo Standard Features |
| SpectraFoo was designed
to provide all of the tools you need for a powerful suite of digital
meters, with all of the resolution of hardware meters at a fraction
of the price. With more than 15 individual metering tools, SpectraFoo
gives you all of the information you need to analyze and prepare
your audio, for production, performance, mastering, or broadcast. SpectraFoo was
created for live sound engineers, musicians, post-production houses,
and broadcast facilities. |
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Digital Level Meter |
| This three–in–one
digital level meter can simultaneously display Peak,
RMS, and VU levels. The meter uses color to distinguish
the different modes. The Peak and RMS meters each have
independent, resettable peak hold functions. The meter
also contains a numerical counter that indicates the
largest number of consecutive samples surpassing 0dBFS.
The calibration of the meters is referenced against
0dBFS. |
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| Lissajous
Phase Scope |
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| The Lissajous Phase
Scope shows you the amplitude of the first input signal
versus the amplitude of the second input signal. This
instantly lets you know if a mix has polarity problems
and allows you to see the width of the stereo field
of the material being monitored. |
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Power Balance History |
| Compare the power balance between
the two input channels as a function of time. The
Power Balance History meter is very helpful for precisely
identifying the aspects of mixes that don’t
have a natural flow of energy between the left and
right channels. It is also great for power-balancing
natural stereo recordings and two channel measurements
of equipment. |
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| Spectragraph |
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See spectral performance
with widths as small as 2/3 Hz with Foo's realtime,
high resolution spectrum analyzer. SpectraFoo
creates a new analysis up to 84 times per second,
allowing you to see musical structure even at
the highest tempos.
Customizable with Peak, Instantaneous,
and Average traces, the Spectragraph is fast
enough to create a highly detailed, animated
“movie” of sonic events. Visualize
your audio with the Spectragraph and see details
of your recordings you've never seen before
- like phase structure, overall spectral balance,
dynamic range, frequency range, and low frequency
roll-off.
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Spectragram |
| This Real–Time
Spectral Power History Analyzer utilizes the
same FFT resolution and scale as the Spectragraph
to correlate not only frequency and power, but
also time. The result is a visual “sonic
fingerprint”. Like the Spectragraph, the
true power of this instrument lies in its synchronization
with the live audio signal. After spending some
time “calibrating your eyes to your ears”
by watching the Spectragram while listening
to music, the instrument literally becomes a
waterfall of musical information. |
| This
tool is very effective for precisely identifying
frequency overlap and masking effects, such
as a bass drum track and a bass track occupying
the same frequency range and obscuring each
other. It gives you a good picture of the rhythmic
aspects of program material and is very helpful
in pinpointing timing problems in dense arrangements.
The Spectragram represents the power of frequency
events through a color scale. |
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| Correlation
History |
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Correlation
Meter |
| The
Correlation History provides you with a time history
of the correlation meter. See how the phase correlation
evolves over time and track down specific problems
while you're listening to the events. If the correlation
dips every time the snare drum hits, it is very
likely that the channels that contain the snare
are causing the problem. |
The
Correlation Meter reduces the relative phase information
between two channels to a number between -1 and
1.The centerline corresponds to a correlation
of 0 while the top edge corresponds to +1 and
the bottom to -1. Dock the Correlation Meter to
the left side of the History Meter and provide
both instantaneous and historical data in one
composite instrument. |
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| Band Power History |
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| This
instrument allows you to see the history of the
amount of power in a specified band of the spectrum.
Just set the center frequency and the bandwidth
of the power band that you are interested in monitoring,
down to 1/12 of an octave at 6kHz and use the
Band Power History tool as a very effective sibilance
meter. |
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Phase Torch™ |
| This revolutionary tool compares
the phase difference between two channels as a
function of frequency, independent of power. The
radius from the center is determined by the frequency
and the angle is determined by the phase difference
between the left and right channels. The center
of the graph represents DC while the outer radius
represents 22 kHz . In order to help you intuitively
identify the frequencies, the phase points are
also colored according to their frequency. A mono
(in-phase) signal is indicated by what looks like
a torch precisely aligned with the Y axis of the
scope. An out–of–phase signal appears
as a negative version of a mono signal. Delays
appear as spirals within the scope. This meter
is very useful when recording a musical instrument
with multiple microphones to identify the frequency
ranges in which phase cancellations are occurring
as a result of the comb filter created by the
use of multiple mics on a single source. |
The
Phase Torch can also be used as a very quick and
elegant troubleshooting tool for identifying phase
anomalies in studio wiring, and a number of other
applications including:
• Setting azimuth on analog tape recorders
• Checking for time alignment in complex
PA systems
• Frequency sensitive mono compatibility
analysis
• Identifying frequency dependent phase
and polarity problems (such as an out of polarity
high frequency driver in a sound reinforcement
system). |
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| Envelope
History |
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| Calibrate your
eyes with this sample–editor style scrolling
envelope overview. The Envelope History tool is
useful for identifying large level changes when
the average level is high. It should be used in
conjunction with the Peak and Average History
display to obtain a good view of the overall dynamics
of program material. |
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| Peak and RMS Power
History |
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| See the history of the information
displayed by the Peak and RMS meters. The light
grey “tick” marks indicate the passage
of one second of time, and the height of the each
color for each time “slice” indicates
the Peak (yellow) & RMS (purple) power levels
of the program. The ratio between these two levels
is responsible for the “perceived”
volume” of program material. When there
is a large difference between the Peak and RMS
levels of program material, the perceived volume
will be low as compared to the peak levels on
the tape. Conversely, when the difference between
Peak and RMS levels is small, the perceived volume
will be louder. This instrument can help you determine
how much compression and limiting is needed for
specific program material. |
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Triggering Oscilloscope |
See the wave shape characteristics
of very low level signals with the full featured
oscilloscope. The oscilloscope can trigger and
hold the wave form of the signal being monitored.
There are are seven available trigger modes:
• Free: automatically retriggers
on the internal clock;
• Normal: triggers the drawing trace
once channel input matches your trigger settings
• Hold: triggers a drawing trace
and holds the signal until rearmed
• Hold and Retrigger: same as Hold,
but the trigger is automatically rearmed
• Timed Hold: same as Hold, but
the trigger is automatically rearmed after the
desired
"retrigger time"
• Polarity Check: same as Hold,
but displays all the data prior to the trigger
point and triggers
on either polarity and either slope
• Timed Polarity Check: rearms after
the desired "retrigger time"
• Clip Capture: same as Polarity
Check but triggers when signal reaches full scale
• Timed Clip: Capture rearms after
the desired "retrigger time"
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| Audio professionals are using SpectraFoo
every day to solve real world problems. Whether you have to match
the EQ of two different tracks, create a synthetic sound to match
an original sample, or tune a room, SpectraFoo will help you get
it done faster and better. You can use Foo in tracking, recording,
mixing and mastering sessions as well as during the setup and mixing
of live shows. |
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