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Sonic Visualiser

Sonic Visualiser is a free, open-source application for viewing, analysing, and annotating music recordings.

Place
#32 of 43
Score
6.0
Sonic Visualiser's website

What Sonic Visualiser is

Sonic Visualiser is a free, open-source application for viewing, analysing, and annotating music recordings. It displays waveforms and spectrograms, with interactive controls for changing spectrogram settings. Users can add labelled time points, segments, point values, and curves, then overlay annotations on audio views or other annotations. Feature-extraction plugins can support analyses such as beat tracking and pitch detection. The application imports annotation layers from text files and MIDI note data, and exports audio regions and annotation layers. It supports Vamp analysis plugins and LADSPA and DSSI effects plugins, but does not include plugins. The download page says VST, AudioUnit, and LV2 formats are not currently supported. Official builds support MP3, WAV, AIFF, Ogg/Vorbis, and Opus on all platforms; MP4/AAC is listed for Mac and Windows, and WMA for Windows. Version 5.2.1 is listed as current, with downloads for 64-bit Windows, Linux, and Intel or ARM macOS. The project provides a reference manual, tutorials, and tutorial and demo videos, and originated at the Centre for Digital Music at Queen Mary University of London.

Good

  • Free and open-source under GNU GPL v2 or later.
  • Displays waveforms and adjustable spectrograms.
  • Supports time points, segments, values, and curve annotations.
  • Feature plugins can perform beat tracking and pitch detection.
  • Available for Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Watch out

  • No plugins are included with the application.
  • VST, AudioUnit, and LV2 formats are not currently supported.
  • MP4/AAC support is listed only for Mac and Windows.
  • WMA support is listed only for Windows.

Who it suits

Sonic Visualiser is designed for musicologists, archivists, signal-processing researchers, and others who want to inspect audio files. It suits users who need visual audio analysis and layered annotations.

Verdict

Sonic Visualiser provides detailed views and annotation tools for music audio, with plugin-based analysis options. Check its plugin and file-format limits if your workflow depends on particular formats.

Plans and prices

From Sonic Visualiser's own pricing page, checked 11 Oct 2026.

All about pricing
PlanPriceWhat it gives you
Sonic VisualiserFreeFree, open-source application · GNU GPL v2 or later

The facts

Each one read from Sonic Visualiser's own pages, with the date it was checked.

What it does

Annotations
Users can add labelled time points, segments, point values, and curves, and overlay annotations on audio views or other annotations.checked 11 Oct 2026
Audience
The project describes it as designed for musicologists, archivists, signal-processing researchers, and others who want to inspect audio files.checked 11 Oct 2026
Automated analysis
It can run feature-extraction plugins for analyses such as beat tracking and pitch detection.checked 11 Oct 2026
Current release
The download page lists version 5.2.1 as the current release.checked 11 Oct 2026
Development origin
The project says it was initiated and developed in the Centre for Digital Music at Queen Mary University of London.checked 11 Oct 2026
Documentation
The project provides a reference manual, tutorials, and tutorial and demo videos.checked 11 Oct 2026
File formats
The 5.2.1 reference manual says official builds support MP3, WAV, AIFF, Ogg/Vorbis, and Opus on all platforms, MP4/AAC on Mac and Windows, and WMA on Windows.checked 11 Oct 2026
Import and export
It supports importing annotation layers from text files and MIDI note data, and exporting audio regions and annotation layers.checked 11 Oct 2026
Plugin ecosystem
Sonic Visualiser can use Vamp analysis plugins and LADSPA and DSSI effects plugins; no plugins are included with the application.checked 11 Oct 2026
Plugin limits
The download page says VST, AudioUnit, and LV2 formats are not currently supported.checked 11 Oct 2026
Purpose
Sonic Visualiser is for visualising, analysing, and annotating music audio recordings.checked 11 Oct 2026
Visualisation
It can display audio waveforms and spectrograms, with interactive adjustment of spectrogram display parameters.checked 11 Oct 2026

Where it runs

Download platforms
The download page lists 64-bit Windows, Linux AppImage, Ubuntu .deb, and Intel/ARM macOS binaries.checked 11 Oct 2026

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