Steinberg Releases SpectraLayers Pro 6

US New features and workflow integrations for editing audio in the spectral domain 04/07/19

Steinberg has announced the availability of SpectraLayers Pro 6. First distributed by Sony Creative Software and then by Magix Software, the developers behind SpectraLayers have now joined forces with Steinberg to release its sixth iteration. Here’s the story direct from Steinberg…

Unlike other audio editors, SpectraLayers offers a novel approach to audio editing, allowing users to visualize audio in the spectral domain (in 2D and 3D) and to manipulate its spectral data in many different ways.

With its 25 advanced tools, SpectraLayers Pro 6 provides precision-editing within the spectral domain, comparable with the editing capabilities applied in high-performance photo editing software: modification, selection, measurement and drawing.

The features newly introduced in SpectraLayers Pro 6 include ARA 2 support; next to the standalone application, version 6 offers an ARA plug-in that seamlessly integrates into every ARA 2 compatible DAW, such as Nuendo and Cubase, to be used as a native editor. Fades along the selection border are one of the innovative features in SpectraLayers, and Pro 6 now includes visible fade masks and allows users to select from the many available fade types. SpectraLayers’ advanced selection engine now comprises nine revamped selection tools — including the new Transient Selector — making selections more flexible to use. The new Move tool helps users transform audio intuitively: grab layers to activate and move or scale them. What’s more, SpectraLayers Pro 6 provides external editor integration, allowing users to include other editor software so that any selection can be processed by them as well.

“This new version of SpectraLayers offers a refined and more intuitive user interface inspired by picture editors, and a brand-new selection system combining multiple fade masks, bringing spectral editing and remixing to a whole new level. We're also excited by the possibilities unlocked by the new ARA connection between SpectraLayers, Cubase and Nuendo, bringing spectral mixing and editing right within your DAW,” said Robin Lobel, creator of SpectraLayers.

The user interface of SpectraLayers Pro 6 has completely been redesigned to build on the original use of image editing software, and the result is a powerful, intuitive program that feels familiar right away. The menus have been redesigned and the panels are collapsible; the Layers panel is customizable; and users can now refer to comprehensive tool tip documentation and a new user manual.

Steinberg’s Marketing Manager Luis Dongo commented: “We are very excited to welcome SpectraLayers to our product portfolio. SpectraLayers nicely complements the other Steinberg products and can be integrated into Cubase and Nuendo as an ARA extension. This allows users to delve deeper into their audio files and edit them in the spectral domain without ever having to leave their DAW. And it even works together with WaveLab and HALion. With SpectraLayers, we can now offer every single tool necessary to make the most out of any audio signal!”

Key features

• Surgical and intuitive spectral editing with 25 real-time tools
• Advanced Selection Engine
• Selection-based effects
• The only visual transformation system for sound
• Tracks, Regions and Clips separated as Layers
• ARA 2 and AAX compatibility
• Integration of other audio editors, such as WaveLab or iZotope RX
• 12 remappable surround channels
• 2D and 3D visualization of the Spectrogram
• Native restoration effects, spectral noise reduction and reverb removal

Pricing and Availability:
The full retail version of SpectraLayers Pro 6 is available as download through the Steinberg Online Shop at the suggested retail price of 399 euros, including German VAT, together with various downloadable updates from previous versions.

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