SpectraLayers’ Spectrograms
Most sounds, with the exception of sine waves, consist of different frequencies that vary in amplitude over time. The standard waveform graphs we’re familiar with show only two dimensions of this information: time and the overall amplitude of the signal. A spectrum analyser also shows only two dimensions, frequency and amplitude, but has no way to represent time. So, to represent how the different frequencies in a sound change and interact over time, a spectrogram of the sort used by SpectraLayers has to show all three dimensions of information – time, frequency and amplitude – in a two dimensional graph.
〉The audio waveforms shown in DAWs and other audio tools map amplitude changes over time, which is easy for a computer to create and easy for a human to read. They say nothing about the frequency content within a sound, though. This is where spectral editors come in.