Voxengo SPAN is arguably the most essential free plugin in the history of music production. It is a real-time “Fast Fourier Transform” (FFT) audio frequency analyzer that provides the clinical visual feedback necessary for professional mixing and mastering.
While many DAWs include a native analyzer, SPAN remains the go-to for many mid-tier and top-tier engineers because of its unmatched customization and precision.
Whether you need to find a surgical frequency clash or verify the tonal balance of your entire master, SPAN gives you the “eyes” to see what your ears might miss.
A major pain point for producers is “mixing in the dark.” If your room isn’t acoustically treated, you may be boosting frequencies you don’t need or missing a massive buildup in the low-mids. SPAN solves this with a highly flexible “Mode” system.
You can adjust the Fourier Block Size for ultra-fine resolution in the low end, or increase the Smoothing to see the general “contour” of your mix.
By setting the Spectrum Slope to 4.5 dB (the industry standard), you get a visual representation that aligns perfectly with how the human ear perceives loudness across the frequency spectrum.
In 2026, a wide stereo image is vital, but phase cancellation can ruin a mix when played back in mono (like on a phone or club system). SPAN features an integrated Stereo Correlation Meter that alerts you to phase issues instantly.
Furthermore, its advanced Mid-Side analysis allows you to visualize the center (Mid) and the sides of your mix separately. This is a game-changer for ensuring your lead vocals stay “anchored” while your atmospheric pads provide the width you need, without washing out the mix.
Despite being free, SPAN includes workflow features typically reserved for premium analysis suites:
The interface can be scaled for detailed full-screen analysis or compact master bus monitoring. Color themes allow you to adapt the visual aesthetic to your session environment.
Internally, SPAN operates in 64-bit floating-point processing and supports all sample rates, ensuring precision and stability in modern production environments.
At its core, SPAN is a fast Fourier transform (FFT) analyzer, converting audio signals into a detailed frequency spectrum in real time. What sets it apart from simpler analyzers is the level of control it gives the user.
You can configure:
This flexible mode system allows you to tailor SPAN for mastering precision, mix referencing, or problem-solving resonance detection.
For producers working across genres, this adaptability is crucial. Tight, transient-heavy material may benefit from smaller block sizes, while mastering engineers often prefer higher resolution FFT settings for forensic analysis.
The Definitive Free FFT Spectrum Analyzer for Mixing & Mastering.
SPAN competes directly with many commercial analyzers. While premium tools may offer additional mastering-focused features, SPAN provides extremely accurate FFT analysis, mid/side monitoring, loudness metering, and surround support at no cost.
Yes. With configurable FFT resolution, LUFS metering, and true peak detection, SPAN is widely used in mastering workflows for both tonal balancing and compliance verification.
Yes. You can route a reference track into a second channel group and display both spectrums simultaneously for direct comparison.
No significant latency is introduced in standard use. It is designed to operate transparently on mix and master buses.
SPAN includes EBU R128 metering, making it suitable for broadcast loudness monitoring. However, dedicated loudness tools like Youlean may offer more specialized compliance workflows.