I’m sure sound designers will see some obvious potential, but I suspect music producers might also find things to explore if they are prepared to experiment. For example, you can change the emphasis between the fundamental of a kick or bass instrument and its higher‑frequency content, but in a fashion that is somewhat different than a simple EQ. ![]() However, as some brief trial and error revealed, within a more complex audio signal, maximum levels often exist in particular frequency ranges, so the process can also provide a method to rebalance the tonal character of a sound in some interesting ways. This is an interesting addition, and you can, of course, simply use it to declutter low‑level noise out of a layer. You can choose between different Threshold Types (absolute power, average power or peak power), set the Threshold Value, and define the resolution of the detection. This allows you to unmix a file or layer based upon the amplitude of the audio, with the results being placed (non‑destructively, of course) into two new layers. SLP9 also adds a new unmixing process, Unmix Level. Steinberg have addressed this in SLP9 and the process dialogue now lets you configure all the potential sources as a single task before processing is initiated. As mentioned, the only downside was that you had to perform the de‑spill process one layer at a time (for example, taking snare, kick and toms out of a hi‑hat mic involved three passes of the De‑Bleed process). For example, when reviewing SLP8, I was impressed by the effectiveness of the De‑Bleed process, which can work really well for removing spill from multi‑miked drum kit recordings. SLP9 also includes some enhancements to some specific processes. ![]() Again, in use, both of these options simply make for a smoother, more user‑friendly workflow. The latter means that you get a selection of starting points included with every process or tool and, of course, the option to save your own settings presets. The former simply means that while you have a process dialogue open, you can pause the preview, interact with other elements in the UI (for example, change the zoom on the spectral display) and then return to the open process to continue your preview. This change is further enhanced by two other operational improvements what Steinberg term non‑modal process dialogues and the addition of presets for both processes and tools. However, its arrival is a big deal and, for regular SpectraLayers users, this is going to represent a massive step forward in terms of speed of use for pretty much every task. Real‑time audio processing is something we simply take for granted within our DAWs so it might be easy to think ‘about time!’ when seeing it within SpectraLayers. So, for example, you can adjust the Reduction Ratio value while previewing a Reverb Reduction process, or change the Tolerance slider while previewing a Noise Reduction process. Steinberg label this dynamic spectral processing and it means you can hear the results of your parameter changes as you make them within all the key spectral processing tools. ![]() In terms of workflow enhancement, the most significant development within v9 is that SpectraLayers now provides real‑time previewing of processes. Like the dialogues for all processes, the revamped De‑Bleed process now offers real‑time previewing of settings changes. So, if you are a SpectraLayers user, should you keep up with the rapid pace of development? Let’s find out. However, Steinberg clearly still have ambitions on this front and further workflow enhancements are the undoubted highlight of the SpectraLayers Pro 9 release. ![]() However, Steinberg have also delivered some very significant improvements in workflow and it’s here that I think they have been most shrewd if the very obvious potential of spectral editing is going to become mainstream, then the mechanics of the sophisticated audio editing processes involved have to be much more accessible.Įach release under Steinberg has taken incremental steps forward in this regard. These updates have added some impressive new processing capabilities to the software. It seems like almost no time since I reviewed SpectraLayers Pro 8 (well, the November 2021 issue to be precise) but Steinberg have kept up a pretty relentless rate of development since they acquired the software from Magix. Steinberg continue to develop SpectraLayers at a remarkable pace.
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