Analysing Frequency Spectrum of Audio Tracks Using

Foobar2000
Including Youtube URL’s

Brief introduction of Foobar2000 taken from Wiki: foobar2000 is a freeware audio player for Microsoft
Windows, iOS and Android developed by Peter Pawłowski. It has a modular design, which provides user
flexibility in configuration and customization.

Start by downloading the program from this link https://www.foobar2000.org/

You will also need these additional components:

Youtube Source for Foobar2000 - https://www.foobar2000.org/components/view/foo_youtube

Enhanced Spectrum analyzer for Foobar2000 https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/topic,115911.0.html

Components or Addons/Plugins either come in the way of a foobar2000 component file which is a self
installing executable, or as a .dll which will need to be copied to \Install-location\foobar2000\components and
restart Foobar2000.

Setting up Foobar2000 or learning how to use it, refer to tutorials online for this, but as a quick start to locate
your media files, in Foobar2000 go File>Preferences: Media Library
Then Add your media folders.

You will then need to create a window that the Enhanced Spectrum Analyzer can be displayed in, todo this go
View>Layout>Enable Layout Editing Mode.
Right-Click in a space or window and Add New Tab, Rick-Click in the new tab and Add New UI
Select under Playback Visualization: Enhanced Spectrum analyzer

You can now play an audio track, by default it should look like this;

You can right click and rename the New Tab to whatever you wish, and now disable Layout Editing Mode
To change the Spectrum Analzyer’s settings right-click on the UI element and goto options.
Set this up to your preference, but to enable a constant peak simply set the Peak Spectrum’s Release Velocity
to 0 dB/s

I have mine configured as such;

With those settings you’ll now be able to play an entire track and have a record of the frequencies employed
throughout.
For instance this particular track has nearly no content below 40hz.

Where as this particular one has significantly more content below 40hz.
And this particular track having massive sub 30hz and even sub 20hz content.
Comparison to Room EQ Wizard’s RTA Peak hold using StereoMIX

I’ve compared the Foobar’s plugin peak hold to REW’s peak hold, just bare in mind the scaling and that
Foobar begins at 10hz vs REW’s 20hz in this example. REW peak RTA graph taken using StereoMix as the
recording input.
 Using a Youtube URL
To use a Youtube URL, after having installed the plugin, go File>Youtube Source>Add multiple URLs…

Have your youtube URL copied.

Paste and hit OK, allow it some time to load.

Then play the imported source.

Your internet speed will vary how responsive foobar is to scrubbing through the track, and the Analyzer does
have some input lag from this also, bare in mind too a lot of tracks on youtube may have High pass filters put
on them from the producers to limit the quality versus buying their work.