SignalView

SignalView is a VST3 plugin for stereo sound visualization. It features a time domain view and a frequency domain view with optional linear or logarithmic display. There is also a sonogram (waterfall) view for observing trends in the spectrum. Left and right signals are represented in separate colors that combine to produce white. SignalView is also available as an LV2 plugin on Linux. To keep the implementation simple, there is no graphical user interface. There are no widgets. Instead, the mouse is used to adjust the display.

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• Time domain visualization. Displays the waveform of the audio signal in real-time. It represents the signal's amplitude along the time axis. This view is essential for observing the dynamic envelope and transients of the signal.
• Frequency domain visualization. Presents a spectral analysis of the signal using the Fast Fourier Transform. It shows the energy distribution across different frequency bands, allowing for the identification of tonal components and noise.
• Linear and logarithmic frequency scale. Offers two modes for representing the frequency axis. The linear scale distributes frequencies evenly, while the logarithmic scale groups octaves equally, mimicking human auditory perception.
• Sonogram visualization. Provides a waterfall or spectrogram view that represents the evolution of the spectrum over time. Spectral data scrolls vertically, creating a visual history of spectral changes.
• Stereo color encoding. Uses distinct colors for the left and right channels. The overlap of these channels generates white, facilitating the identification of differences and similarities between the two channels.
• Level limit adjustment. Allows modification of the dynamic range of the display using the mouse scroll wheel. This function controls the sensitivity of the graphical representation of the signal amplitude.
• Frequency scale switching. Toggles between linear and logarithmic representation of the frequency spectrum with a right-click of the mouse. This change affects the distribution of frequencies on the horizontal axis.
• Frequency range adjustment. Modifies the visible frequency interval in linear scale mode. It is activated by holding down the left mouse button and moving it horizontally to compress or expand the spectral range.
• VST3 implementation. Functions as a VST3 format plugin within compatible digital audio workstations. This format ensures stable integration and low system resource consumption.
• LV2 compatibility for Linux. Offers a version of the plugin in LV2 format specifically for Linux operating systems. This version maintains the same functionality as the VST3 implementation.
• Mouse-based control interface. Operates without traditional graphical interface elements like buttons or sliders. All interactions are performed directly on the display area using the mouse.
• Real-time visualization. Processes and displays the audio signal continuously with low latency. The graphical representation updates constantly to reflect changes in the input signal.

Development of SignalView began in 2021. The project's creator is Timothy Krause. The program is written in the C++ programming language. The plugin architecture utilizes the JUCE framework to ensure cross-platform compatibility. The implementation prioritizes audio processing efficiency and stability in production environments.

Alternatives to SignalView: