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Analysis (Oscilloscope & Spectrum)

MAGDA ships two real-time analysis devices, an Oscilloscope and a Spectrum Analyzer. They tap the signal passing through them and draw it; they do not change the audio. Drag either from the Plugin Browser onto any track's FX chain, or add it to the post-FX area of a track or the master.

Both devices also appear as compact mini analyzers on the mixer strips, and either can be popped out into its own always-on-top window from the open-in-window button in the device header.

Oscilloscope

The Oscilloscope draws the waveform in the time domain. It triggers on a zero crossing so the trace holds still instead of scrolling, and renders a stable min/max envelope of the signal.

Control What it does
Timebase How much time the display spans, from a few milliseconds up to a few seconds. Shorter shows individual cycles; longer shows the overall envelope.
Trace colour Pick the waveform colour from a small set of swatches. The choice is saved with the device.

dBFS reference lines mark the amplitude scale so you can read level at a glance.

Spectrum Analyzer

The Spectrum Analyzer draws the frequency content of the signal. It runs a windowed FFT and plots magnitude against a logarithmic frequency axis.

Control What it does
FFT size Resolution of the analysis. Larger gives finer frequency detail at the cost of a slower response.
Slope Tilts the display by a fixed dB-per-octave amount, so a natural spectrum reads flatter and high-frequency detail is easier to see.
Smoothing How quickly the curve reacts — slower smoothing is steadier, faster is more responsive.
Trace colour Pick the curve colour from a small set of swatches.

A peak-hold line sits on top of the live curve, marking the highest level reached in each band. The frequency axis runs across the audible range with a dB magnitude scale down the side.

Note

Both analyzers refresh continuously and add no latency or gain to the signal, so you can leave them inserted anywhere in a chain. In the post-FX area, only one Oscilloscope and one Spectrum Analyzer can exist per track.