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

Seems to work very well, very stable and precise. However, you don't know if the source audio speaker and reception mic produce said audio accurately or not. No way to know for sure. Even with whatever source you start with, you still have to trust the author it is what they say. Eg: Said audio on internet is 1150 hz. After played on phone and picked up with another phone, app says 1152 hz. However very steady. You would have to be in a sound studio for something better!

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.

Stop looking through apps, this is the one youre looking for. Period. Great specrum viewer app, I use it on many devices. Works flawlessly on all but the oldest of them(were talking android 2 era devices, so it has a pass). I've been using it for years and I still find neat ways of utilizing it. About the only thing it lacks is a record function, but you can always record the screen or screen cap.

What's new

◆ Improve usability on high-density displays