Spectro
by Stillwell Audio · Restoration · Real-time spectral editor
Not rated yet
Spectro is a real-time, non-destructive spectral editor that runs as a plugin inside your host.
You draw boxes around frequencies over a time window to remove noises, tame sibilance or rebalance notes, for $59.
Best for: Vocals, Guitars, Acoustic Instruments, Drums. Genres: all genres.
Keywords: corrective, spectral, vocals, dialogue, electric guitar, repair, CPU-light, drums, mixing, perpetual licence, surgical.
What it does
Spectro is a real-time spectral editor that runs as a plugin, "built for practical cleanup and detail work" without leaving the host. You draw boxes over frequency ranges in a time window, and the edit plays back live, non-destructively, as the track runs.
- Box editing: draw boxes around specific frequencies over a specific time range, then add or subtract gain, mute or solo that region.
- Audio errors: target and mute accidental noises quickly.
- Incidental noise: tame lip noise, sibilance and pick clicks without processing the rest of the signal.
- Harmonic bleed: isolate overtone bands and rebalance specific notes, which also makes it a surgical, time-limited EQ.
- Low CPU: KVR's listing describes its CPU use as extremely low.
This is version 4.1.5. Updates are free with no subscription, and a free evaluation copy is available.
Source: Stillwell Audio product page
When to use it
Spectro is the better pick for small spectral fixes you want to make inside the DAW timeline, in real time, without bouncing audio out to an editor. Compared with RX 12 and SpectraLayers Pro 13 it does far less: there is no automatic de-click, de-noise or unmixing, and every edit is a box you draw by hand. In exchange it is much cheaper and its edits stay live and adjustable on the track. Unlike UNVEIL, which reduces reverb automatically across the whole signal, Spectro only changes the regions you mark.
- Best for: clicks, lip noise, stray sibilants, odd ringing notes and other one-off problems on vocals, guitars and dialogue.
- Genres: any; also useful for podcast and voice-over cleanup.
- Look elsewhere if: you need broadband noise reduction, de-reverb or heavy restoration; RX 12 is the rated choice, with DNS One or Clarity Vx for dialogue noise.
What producers say
Feedback is sparse but positive.
- KVR users rate it 5 out of 5 from 1 review (2017), which calls it "a one-of-a-kind EQ" and a "secret weapon" for de-essing and intermittent EQ problems.
Where to buy
- Stillwell Audio: $59
Similar plugins
- RX 12 by iZotope · Audio repair suite · $129
- SpectraLayers Pro 13 by Steinberg · Spectral editor and AI unmixing · $359.99
- Retouch by CEDAR · Spectral editor · $396.09
- CEDAR Studio by CEDAR · Pro restoration suite
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