Spectroid

Carl Reinke

About this app

Spectroid is a real-time audio spectrum analyzer with reasonable frequency resolution across the the entire frequency spectrum.

💬 FAQ 💬

Q: Why are the dB values negative?
A: Spectroid uses dBFS (Full Scale) where 0 dB is the maximum power that the microphone can measure, so the decibel values are negative because the measured power is less than the maximum power.

Q: Can I zoom in on the spectrum plot?
A: Yes, do a two-finger pinch-to-zoom gesture.

Q: Why are there discontinuities/gaps in the spectrum plot and waterfall?
A: Spectroid uses multiple FFTs overlapped in frequency in order to provide better frequency resolution at lower frequencies than a single FFT. The caveat of this method is varied impulse response and minor discontinuities in frequency. The upside is that it can efficiently produce a spectrum that better matches the frequency resolution of human audio perception. It's still probably not as good as your ears though!

Q: Can I export the spectrum data?
A: Spectroid doesn't make your device a calibrated instrument. If you need the spectrum data then you should be using an actual spectrum analyzer rather than an app on your mobile device.

Ratings and reviews

This is the best spectrum analyzer on Android and I've tried many. It's a very accurate and fast analyzer. And I appreciate the color choices, it make it easy to see peak signal, current signal, clipping, and the heat map. My only gripe I wish the app didn't pause when you turn your phone from portrait to landscape, but that's a minor gripe. That and I wish this app existed for my iPad.

Carl Reinke has as one person put it, gifted the world with his totally free application. Once you figure out how to set it up. It shows the river of sound that surrounds us. There's absolutely zero advertisements. It works online as well as offline. You don't even have to have any internet whatsoever. I will say that it is better to use multiple phones. Because some have better microphones than others. I would tell everyone that uses this to try using all of the phones that you own. Best app.

Looks awesome with certain types of music. Any music with a piano or harmonic type instrument shows up clearly when you use it. Kicks, snares, claps, and hi hats as well, if you know what to look for. Very useful in eyeballing certain melodies of songs if you can't pick which notes are played in your head. Useful and fun. Also note: the quality of the visualization is directly proportional to the microphone quality, distance from sound, and the volume of sound.

What’s new

◆ Improve usability on high-density displays