How To Mix With a Spectrum Analyser - SPAN Tutorial

SPAN by Voxengo is one of the best free plugins available. It can give you lots of information about your audio to help you make critical mixing and mastering decisions. In this video, I share my favourite settings which help me get the most out of the plugin.
Note: I say "spectrogram" once or twice in the video, I mean "spectrum"
▶My best settings for SPAN (press the little cog at the toip right)
Block Size: 8192 (or 4096 on slower computers)
Average Time: 4000-5000
Freq Lo : 0
Freq Hi: 22k
Smoothing: 1/5 to 1/2 octave
▶Download Span Free Here : www.voxengo.com/product/span/
🌍 My Website / Contact / Hire me - michaelwynneaudio.com
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[@inthemix]

SPAN by Voxengo is one of the best free plugins available. It can give you lots of information about your audio to help you make critical mixing and mastering decisions. In this video, I share my favourite settings which help me get the most out of the plugin. Note: I say "spectrogram" once or twice in the video, I mean "spectrum"

[@iqbalji427]

Bro one question for you when we make unique pattern in playlist ...like from pattern 1 we make unique and we get pattern with same plugin loaded but when we gain or less the volume of any plugin in pattern 1. ....same happened to pattern 2 ...i think thats a big error

[@ZlakEdoras]

@@iqbalji427 Hey man! Plugins stay the same over all the patterns. So if you change volume of some plugin, it will change in all patterns. In case you want to change the volumes in different patterns, try changing the velocities or try "cloning" the plugin and changing the volume there with adding more notes to the cloned plugin instead. Hope this helps. hope this helps you

[@SirEggbertfartalot]

​ In The Mix Michael, thanks for this video, I've learned a lot about span I didn't know (been using it a while now for checking the mix).

[@TraxtasyMedia]

@@ZlakEdoras also check your sidechains. If your chains are to low, it also affects the plugin output. Another issue may be your Autoclips. Check them or deactivate them. 😊

[@timmypena241]

Bro I downloaded it and it doesn't show up on my plugins wtf am I doing wrong

[@MaikuTachibana]

YOOOOO HOW DID I NEVER KNOW ABOUT CTRL LEFT CLICK THAT'S INSANE :O

[@inthemix]

I used the plugin for over a year without knowing about it. It's literally mix changing!

[@petea8644]

@@inthemix That's why in my downtime, or during times when I'm thinking about the best way to solve an audio problem, I will go though the manuals of the plugins and take notes pertinent to whatever I'm working on - discovering features is a great side bonus :) Great tutorials and videos Michael! Very much appreciate your channel - keep it up!

[@RussTafari]

I just learned it too. Game changer. Also putting it on the "current track" was something I didn't know about either.

[@slapshot14imo]

samez

[@joshhowson3448]

I'm going crazy right now... been using it for months and had no idea about this! Thank you Michael!

[@Windklang705]

These little things like copying a frequency to your clipboard always feels like you get the secret pro-tip

[@jaydonsmith3434]

Windklang how do u paste it on eq?

[@Windklang705]

@@jaydonsmith3434 Not sure! Try right clicking on a band in the eq and search "paste value" in the drop down menu

[@beatsmithx1090]

@@Windklang705 maybe a different eq, perhaps. he seemed to use a different eq and not the stocks

[@boom1925]

Paste = Control V

[@VioBeats]

I can't thank you enough Michael, you really help a ton with your videos! Don't think you're "boring" us because every detail is important to us Audio Engineers and Producers :)

[@majorvibe3558]

Facts!

[@yremy1]

…to us also. ;)

[@FARROKHBEATS]

You’re my go to channel for sound engineering!

[@cosmosraven]

Just can't thank you enough. Simple, succint, sophisticated.

[@TheRealJinking]

I like how you included the current channel in there that's actually smart for doing comparison between overall and individual channels! thanks Michael.

[@bruellbart2380]

I can't thank you enough for pointing out the many uses of this plugin and linking them with meaning.

[@Gelazaridis]

I love the tone the pace and the humility with which you are delivering your advice. Not to be taken for granted at all. Thank you so much

[@Compumon27]

Man you are one of the best! Thank you for the simplistic breakdown. You do this a lot, and I often resort to your channel for information. You're a gem here in the KZbin community! Keep it up.

[@piscesman54]

Love your tutorials, Michael. Well balanced, objective, to the point, and very instructional. And you're not trying to sell anything. You do us a great service.

[@francobuzzetti9424]

dude you're helping me in like 95% of my journey in fl studio , i've been wanting to get into this for like 10 or 15 years , but i always found it so intimidating now im finally making some tracks im moderatelly proud of, thank you!

[@Galakyllz]

I'm never bored in these videos, so don't stress about that. You're making great content that is super useful. Thank you.

[@gatty.]

You're such an excellent teacher! This is a plugin I have overlooked hugely, and your guidance is spot on, really motivates me when you guide :D

[@gh0stwrit3r]

I love the Voxengo SPAN plugin! I've been using it for a long time now. And still I have learned from your tutorial. Thanks!

[@adrianwagner336]

yup this old dog learned some tricks as well

[@nickdenardo6479]

i've been mixing for a while, but i'm just now starting to get more serious about it. i find your videos very clear, concise, and informative. thanks so much for all of the great information.

[@igormajdandzic7587]

Perfect timing. I'm in the middle of getting started. As I am more an analytical guy, this is perfect to learn from it. Especially the tip with the reference. Great. Thank you.

[@michaelknight141]

Great Video again... becoming one of my favorite YT Channels. I like the calm but fluent way you speak. Straight forward, but not stressful. Very clear and easy to understand explanations with a clear structure. And very good topics too. Thank you and keep up the great work 👍🏻

[@gitsurfer27]

I'm always impressed not just by your vast knowledge but your intelligent and calm delivery. You really have a way of explaining complicated things while keeping people invested at every stage. Your oratory skills are just fantastic.

[@TheAngelOlguin]

I always stop what I'm doing to watch your videos when I get the notification.

[@markthomas7263]

I had to re-watch this because it is so full of gems and nuggests for producers at all levels. Thank you so much for this. It's the gift that truly keeps on giving.

[@obsquremusic]

Man, i can't thank you enough. i've been watching your videos for a while know, i love the way you explain things, you're calm, clear and fast enough ! if you have more tips related to the correlation between mid and side, i'll be more than happy to hear ! thanks !

[@davidlee9532]

What an amazing video, this really helps with mixing and with using SPAN, I never really bothered looking at the features but I didn't realise how helpful they would be. Top video.

[@bakedcreations8985]

You are not boring and repeating your self is good for us so we learn better. Thank you for these vids.

[@machineheadstudio6643]

Hey Michael, just wanted to thank you for all your tips! Your videos are soooooo helpful, and the free plugins you suggest are amazing! Between SPAN, and YouLean, I feel like my mixes are instantly exponentially better. Thanks again and keep up the GREAT work!

[@jonathanspruance4502]

What a great, clear explanation. Appreciate how you also describe how this tool can help in mixing. Thanks for the great tutorial!

[@Sirius_Art_and_Sound]

Possibly one of the most clear and concise tutorials I've seen. It has enabled me to hit the ground running with this plugin. I'm using Ableton lite and as such, I don't have Ableton's built in Spectrum Analyser. Not only is this a better alternative, it's much more versatile than Ableton's one. Thanks so much Michael!

[@Melvin7727]

Dude, you deserve all the likes in the world for this video. I started using SPAN and couldn't figure out how to make it useful enough to me and halfway gave up on it generally. You showing all of the display settings like smoothing and such are a game changer for me. Everything you say about being bombarded by too much visual information and how to tame that is exactly what I needed. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Also great about CTRL - Left Click. I had no idea! One last thing, you repeatedly seem uncomfortable with boring the viewer or with the video length. I found it perfect and greatly appreciate the information!

[@fastronaut909]

Awesome! I came across this plugin the other day and was pleasantly surprised to find that you made a video on it. My favorite production channel 😎

[@mazy-beats]

I have been using voxengo span for 2 years. Still learned so much. Great post.

[@MicahBuzanMUSIC]

So much valuable info crammed into this video. I appreciate how you get the point and don't drag things out unnecessarily long.

[@brianoswald2892]

I have had SPAN for over a year and never really understood it. This was perfect tuition, thank you

[@gurupadr8665]

Amazing! This has got to be, without doubt, the most comprehensive tutorial on the tonal mixing, Clear and compeling Looking forward to your advice on mixing vocals with spectrum analyser and reference vocals Thank You

[@screendrem]

I've used this plug in for years. Thank you for the extra gems. Subscribed.

[@RatBastardDan]

Just something I noticed: at 9:00 when you tune the kick drum, keep in mind that you're at a section of the spectrum where there is very low resolution, so tuning visually might not be as accurate because you could be inferring where the peak truly lies. What I like to do is tune the kick (or bass) up an octave (or even two), fine-tune it, and then drop it back down to its original octave. Then it should be right on the correct tone.

[@dupreestotts6163]

I like your style, youre straight to the point! No jokes No Fluff No uncomfortable rambling. Definitely gonna subscribe.

[@Kelvinapplegate]

Some of the best advice that I've come across. I don't know if I can thank you enough for this right now.

[@richardjeroense1940]

Thanks Michael, this is one of the best tutorials on SPAN and mixing overall. Very helpful!

[@kage-fm]

i could say your content is amazingly put together and super valuable, but everybody already knows this

[@ibahrain1984]

I have seen many explanations for this plugin, but I only understood from you, my friend. You are wonderful, and the method of explanation is unique. All the best to you.

[@steviegaughen143]

I love your tutorials. You make it so simple and engaging to follow along. Thank youu

[@vojinmilosevic3084]

Thank you for this and all other tutorials, they are really helpful. Always fun (not boring) to watch them!

[@Moon_Pyramid]

I love your channel , you always have well spoken and clear information on your videos.

[@rhythmmaster3955]

holy shit bro!!! I am so happy a found your channel... after months of looking for the proper channel to help me learn what I need... much respect bro

[@mageprometheus]

Thank you so much. I'm always working on reducing listener ear fatigue by creating better spatial instrument separation and this is going to help.

[@agentcalm]

AWSOME. Ive had this plug forever but no idea how to really use. This is an incredible vid Michael (as always) . Thanks so much.

[@twolfmusicofficial]

Michael, Thank you very much again for this tutorial. Always a precious help for composers/producers!

[@0xis]

Every video you make, I and im sure lots of other people learn something new, that "CURRENT CHANNEL" trick is amazing, thank you Mike! Your the best!

[@inthemix]

Thank you so much :)

[@atomicmoon]

I had absolutely no idea about the isolate feature in SPAN. You literally just changed my life

[@eddierey5202]

What an incredible tutorial on SPAN. In the 1st half alone, it helped me address 2 particular issues that I was facing in my current project, namely how very low end frequencies can not only sound out of tune sometimes, but LOOK out of tune in the spectrum. I was trying to rework a sub bass in A1 (55Hz) that kind of sounded a bit sharp (#), and for some reason the peak showed at 65Hz in SPAN using the default block size of 2048. I started looking into altering the actual tuning in my synth to correct this, but upon increasing the block size to 4096 or 8192, the peak now showed at exactly 55Hz, preventing me from totally messing up the tuning of my bass! Big thanks mate :)

[@karadytube]

Love your personality and your knowledge... thanks for your time helping us.

[@jongberger9904]

I don't usually comment on KZbin but I just had to say how great and helpful your tutorials are, I just got started with FL studio and making music in general and you have really helped me find motivation to continue with doing these straight forward, efficient and detailed tutorials. thanks

[@inthemix]

Thank you so much, I really appreciate your kind words :)

[@AtharvaMohiteMusic]

I recently started mixing with Span and I was like "Wonder if there is a tutorial is there" And Voila you upload

[@AlOne-xg6dv]

Excellent presentation. Complete and precise. I applied just now. Thank you.

[@briankingart]

Another great tut from the Professor! Thanks, Michael ! Useful...

[@danielcalcara2927]

Thank you In the mix for this extremely helpful guide. You have a great sense of vocabulary and musical ability which, I believe, makes me feel confident in the hands of your videos! Thank you

[@MattGarwood777]

I seriously learned so much just now. Subbed. Thanks! I can totally see me using span now

[@zugrath16]

This was INCREDIBLY useful! Got straight to the point and really good tips. Thanks man

[@emiete]

Thank you, it's so easy to get lost in the settings, even though I read the entire manual, after a few days I still forgot what and where;) this vid is essential and I am very grateful, best regards

[@31416]

Still fantastic 4 years later. Thank you so much!

[@_ianbryan]

Thanks for the rundown on this plugin Michael! You've got a new subscriber in me 👊

[@randyeyre5909]

Thank you for this very detailed information! I have been using SPAN for a while but never really explored the settings.

[@trv503]

Mike, thanks for this video tutorial. I didn't know about the Frequency isolation. I've been using this and Youlean in FL and Studio One on my master bus. Now, I'll go in fully armed on SPAN seeking out those rouge frequencies and taming them. You did it again Bro!!! The Youlean video was great also!!!

[@justgno4242]

I really appreciate your videos.. was feeling so uninspired and ur videos definitely not only helped a ton but you have a gift for explaining it in a way that makes diving in & creating music & editing fun again. :) So thank you, much appreciated+

[@deluxe-audio1952]

I use span since long time and I never knew it got all this information thanks mate for the making video 👏🏻👏🏻

[@melsoro7311]

i have been using this plugin for a few days and i just found out about all its features thanks to you, amazing plugin

[@JP-su9ib]

Damn you make such good tutorials. I Love it And you're not just showing some good sounding settings but always explain what the knobs do so I as the viewer can understand what's really going on there. Thank you so much

[@Packogualandrisofficial]

As usual fantastic tutorial coming from you! While explaining SPAN perfectly you even gave us a great reason to focus more on the "Current" channel, thanks! ❤🎵🙂

[@MorisoniProductions]

A really useful and thorough appraisal of SPAN. Thanks so much!

[@dlegito5987]

Somehow never took the time to dive into this plugin and have been using it poorly for years. Thanks a lot man

[@joelarmendariz8876]

Great stuff on the voxengo span w/ superb information, subscribed.

[@djrobitonzz]

Havbn using span for 3 years yet haven't utilized it this much, thanks for this dude

[@markdunsing4929]

So much knowledge was dropped. Thank you so much for this tutorial I am truly grateful.

[@JamesAllenDjMadlogik]

Current channel gem nicely slotted in there Michael, nice one, that's my main takeaway from this, thank you for the explanation of how you use Span, it was extremely helpful :D

[@88KeysMan]

My takeaway was the Mid-Side-Stereo topic. I can actually hear the difference now. Thank you!

[@stevefoster9843]

superb and informative vid, I for one wasn't aware just how great this plugin is! this helped a lot thanks!

[@atomas59]

Been using Span for many years, but as usual, I've learn a LOT and many possibilties, watching this video...and I'll surely use some from now on......Thanks a great deal, you're one of the best teacher on the whole web. I know, in many years, I've been watching so many tutoriel. And I know now...that I've waste some time on some...cause I didn't know better. We need more people like you, giving pertinant advices. So top product have tutoriel that in some ways sucks. Cubase....for an example....))) But here I go again....blablablabla....Keep up the good work.

[@DirkArnez]

You explained it insanely clear... THANK YOU!

[@chuuska1972]

Thank you so much my man! I needed this tutorial and how you utilise it. You were on point! Best wishes from NZ!

[@janschepenaar]

Thank you!!! This channel is extremely helpful. There’s so much things i didn’t knew about. Cheers

[@ZeeykRS]

Fantastically clear and informative! Thank you for this video!

[@williamcompton3248]

Amazing tutorial bro, got everything I needed. 10/10

[@Lordxfx]

As an amateur I really enjoy all of this. Incredibly useful tips, thanks for that.

[@xil.sanctified]

God bless the internet. Seriously, information like this is so useful. Thank you for making it available! Keep up the great content!

[@venemushunter25]

Just watched a few of your tutorials and videos... Awesome job Dude!!! Love the no hype straight truth approach.... Although I don't use FL I found the content of your videos very informative and you explain thing in such a way where it is easy to grasp... a lot simpler than a lot of other videos I've seen especially from people trying to get you to pay for classes or tutorials.... Keep up the awesome job

[@pedalo_beatz446]

Wow !!! I didn't know how you could use the current channel as you did in this video !!!! That's so nice....& really helpful!!! Thank you 😎

[@WasabiNoise]

Best mixing tips on KZbin hands down, thanks for sharing man!

[@flotauchi13]

just wanted to say that you're doing a great job! Keep going

[@scpk2246]

now i have much better understanding on mixing and FL Studio because of Michael - kudos mate!!!

[@BJordanSounds]

You are an awesome teacher! This was very helpful! Thank you !

[@Aoudhubillahi]

You are a decent man for teaching like this. Thank you. Continued peace.

[@keneznonwar6290]

You never bore us, keep on we love it

[@thinkandgrowbtch]

By far the best spectrum mixing tutorial i've seen. thank you! subbed and thumbed up.

[@del2052]

You are an amazing teacher for begginers Michael! 👏

[@jjohnwords2873]

I had no idea about the "current" channel. This might change my workflow drastically. Thank you

[@ambedo_bass]

been using span mainly to find the key of samples for a year now, never knew you could use a shortcut to solo a band haha, that will be super useful.

[@patrickmckowen1154]

Great explanation on the technicals and applications of this beast!

[@KYUPRUSMUSIC]

I was searching for "Current channel" few days ago ! Google didn't helped me much but you did ! THANKS :)

[@Lazy_Lebovitz]

Very good video, and very very good channel! Thank you, mate! I'm not producing house, but your videos and advices can be applied to any electronic music genre.

[@cadbeatz7189]

Once again I'm blown away, it's incredible how much I'm able to learn through your and only your tutorials! I have been waiting for this Span tutorial for quiet a while now, thanks for it, it was amazing! Can you also use Span to master songs? Would love a video where we see it in use to fix problems in the mix, and to master. Thx for the videos Michael, you're saving me tons of time figuring something simple out! 🎹🎧🙏🙏