Spectrelayer is a high-end, revolutionary audio optimization, restoration & processing technology service that is applied at the very end-point of the mastering process. Designed for production standards that demand the ultimate in sound quality; – Spectrelayer’s proprietary AI-complementary processing “knows” what sounds good to the ear & also repairs several types of severe distortion; – raising the bar called “sonic excellence”! Even audiophiles agree! Spectrelayer has that “Je ne sais’quoi“!
We live in a world of hype & buzz-words used to promote goods & services that rarely live up to the expectations raised by the hype. We’re tired of it too! Wouldn’t it be nice if something came along one day that was truly a pleasure to behold; – Something that exceeded expectations! This is the Spectrelayer mission; – To exceed your expectations. Let us make you look, eh, – sound marvelous! Music should be an EXPERIENCE!
NOW HEAR THIS! The Audio Demo Clips Below are in AAC & FLAC Audio Formats for Widest Compatibility
For critical listening the demos below, flatly-EQ’d quality headphones are strongly suggested. I.E: Sony MDR-V6/7506’s, Beyerdynamic 770’s or Audio-Technica ATH-M50x’s.
Hi-end consumer audio is also a good sound source. Not suggested are: phones, tablets, monaural or cheap production Bluetooth devices, nor low-end television monitors.
| BELOW: Titles of Sample Snippets | ORIGINAL RELEASE VERSIONS | & AFTER SPECTRELAYER | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLAY SNIPPET (AAC/M4A) | DOWNLOAD .FLAC \SIZE | PLAY SNIPPET (AAC/M4A) | DOWNLOAD .FLAC \SIZE | |
| THE WEEKND - BLINDING LIGHTS | FLAC \ 4044k | FLAC \ 4552k | ||
| DAUGHTRY - /WHAT I WANT | FLAC \ 3790k | FLAC \ 4024k | ||
| GUETTA/SIGALA/RYDER - LIVING WITHOUT YOU | FLAC \ 5333k | FLAC \ 5766k | ||
| ZED - BEAUTIFUL NOW | FLAC \ 3346k | FLAC \ 4071k | ||
| DUOLIPPA - DON'T START NOW | FLAC \ 3364k | FLAC \ 3660k | ||
| RUSH - SPIRIT OF THE RADIO | FLAC \ 3404k | FLAC \ 3945k | ||
| NICKELBACK - NEXT CONTESTANT | FLAC \ 3478k | FLAC \ 4025k | ||
| LINDSEY STIRLING - UPSIDE | FLAC \ 3908k | FLAC \ 4345k | ||
| CASTING CROWNS - VOICE OF TRUTH | FLAC \ 3843k | FLAC \ 4075k | ||
| GENESIS - JESUS - HE KNOWS ME | FLAC \ 3663k | FLAC \ 4132k | ||
| AC/DC - THUNDERSTRUCK | FLAC \ 3628k | FLAC \ 4049k | ||
| SKILLET - CIRCUS FOR A PSYCHO | FLAC \ 3779k | FLAC \ 4141k | ||
| PARMALEE - I'LL BRING THE MUSIC | FLAC \ 3652k | FLAC \ 4055k | ||
| LAUREN DAIGLE - FIRST | FLAC \ 3645k | FLAC \ 4182k | ||
| EVANESCENCE - CALL ME WHEN YOU'RE SOBER | FLAC \ 5393k | FLAC \ 6057k | ||
| Audio processed by Spectrelayer can be given signature sound characteristics. I.E: Spectrelayer'd audio above is a signature style called: "Digital Vinyl". |  |
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The improvements are real! The technology is proprietary! And human ears optimize it all!
Spectrelayer processing does many things – and among them, it identifies “aberrant spectral composition” – & applies a multilayered, continuous correction – dynamically across numerous tonal bands. Spectrelayer also identifies & corrects acoustic shortfalls & errors in the end waveform and then uses extremely sophisticated processing to correct, mask or minimize many of those shortfalls. These sonic-shortfalls occur most often when signal processing in the mastering pipeline malforms data & creates digital information that does not conform mathematically to a real world wave function. Spectrelayer’s AI is particularly adept at detecting where such changes need to be made, in what degree & across a multitude of parameters (Spectrelayer is not a pure AI, but a powerful hybrid). Spectrelayer, is not a replacement for competent mixing but is sometimes used to master a well formed mix with fantastic results! Spectrelayer presumes audio engineers acted with volition. So: The stronger certain signal-components are; -The more likely these are there with intent & Spectrelayer will be less inclined to affect them. The Spectrelayer service is like a fine finishing artisan – NOT a “music-mill”!
YEAH: It’s Totally OK to be Critical! “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” – C. Sagan
Due to the extreme quality differences between the Original/Spectrelayer’d demos above – it would be rational to ask whether or not the examples chosen have been adversely ‘doctored’ to make the originals seem lower quality than they are in reality. And that’s a good question to have. Certainly less-than-ethical entities might do that very thing in order to bolster the perceived gains introduced by their products. After all, if you go to most mastering related websites & listen to the comparisons – what you’ll notice in many cases is that the “AFTER” demos are LOUDER. Simply being louder can trick most listeners into believing the louder track sounds better – even if the only difference between Before/After is the loudness! This happens because louder content is perceived as having better tonal balance. You see, detail gets sacrificed when the RECORDING is made louder (instead of simply turning up the volume during playback). It’s the reason why so much of the “Loudness War” happened. Spectrelayer’d tracks are more dynamic – but generally less “loud” – and this can be difficult to judge sometimes which is why RMS levels were chosen in this context. Such can be verified in a DAW!
This Brings us to Some Tech Stuff about the Music Processing in the Comparison Table Above:
The ONLY processing done above on the original files for the sake of accurate A / B comparisons was a linear gain adjustment applied once across each original waveform – used to make sure the average RMS loudness between the original tracks & Spectrelayer’d versions was equivalent. Because of dynamic range differences – it’s not possible to perfectly match peak for peak, – so the RMS AVERAGE loudness was set to target within 1dB RMS-averaged between the original & Spectrelayer’d examples (& the ORIGINAL was skewed toward the greater RMS of the two on average in order to keep the bar for Spectrelayer higher due to how loudness differences affect perception). This observation is astonishing because Spectrelayer has higher peak values but demands less relative energy for overall sonic reproduction. So, to reiterate: All of the original demo tracks are on par with the Spectrelayer’d versions with averaged RMS loudness levels (the originals having a slightly higher average RMS value). RMS was chosen because it is not a subjective measurement. If you measure in LUFS units, you may want to recalibrate the FLAC versions into LUFS. If you download the FLAC versions into a DAW – you can see precisely what I am describing as well as polling your DAW for waveform stats to confirm that the numbers are as described (Although, the Spectrelayer’d versions’ dynamic range is superior in each case). When recordings are made arbitrarily louder, the detail is obscured; -& Spectrelayer recovers that detail when it restores more appropriate dynamics. But, of course – all this bias in favor of Spectrelayer is moot if things are not as described. Feel at liberty to check for yourself & ask any questions that may come to mind.
Of interest is that during Spectrelayer development, a form of non-linear compression distortion was identified that almost all audio recording & playback methods introduce due to common mechanics of audio transducer design. Spectrelayer can effectively counter that distortion (which is one reason why Spectrelayer sounds more “real”). Additionally, destructive compression distortion is one of the worst offenders introduced during traditional mixing/mastering and it spawns spurious harmonics in playback transducers that are not visible in waveform analysis! Spectrelayer technology can effectively undo much of this including restoring more accurate harmonics lost in the mutilated part of a clipped signal.
The result of using Spectrelayer is a level of sonic clarity – as well as lowered distortion levels and increased dynamics that did not previously exist in any previous commercial release of the recording. Spectrelayer quite literally – rebuilds the waveform using the source audio only as the guide (& a massive set of heuristics & constraining algorithms to determine the most probable end waveform shape based on the control parameters template set by the managing engineer). Spectrelayer comprehensively works in an analog with how the brain ‘hears’ & unapologetically delivers on every advantage that the digital audio format originally promised! And, of course – if there is some parameter you need to have adjusted (I.E: Warmer or crisper sound modeling); – Ask! For example, the Spectrelayer tonality-template of the audio demo examples above is called the: “Digital Vinyl Signature” (although Spectrelayer is not suited to literal vinyl transfer due to transients that even challenge D2A converters)! It’s been observed: “Spectrelayer is not as ‘Loud'”. Well, compared to what? The fool’s-errand, called the “ loudness war” put sonic-clarity & musical detail on the altar of sacrifice and used those valuable portions of the digital signal (which could have relayed quality, finesse & musicality) – to instead, maximize the perceived loudness of the audio signal (often compressed & distorted to sound ‘louder’). This fool’s errand was initially driven by marketing – using radio broadcasting as the mode of selling music to the masses & wanted their material to sound “louder” on the radio. And since they could not control the “GAIN” at the radio station – the half-assery of short-sightedness reasoned that a similar end goal could be accomplished by simply maximizing recorded volume levels on the media itself. The half-assery caught on. And the “loudness war” was birthed at the price of musical quality!
Spectrelayer, which is not as “Loud” on Digital Media – is Actually Louder & Clearer when Streaming! How?
The extreme irony is that streaming-music services look at the overall loudness of each track and reduce the volume of that track prior to streaming it in order to maintain a median loudness profile. Because Spectrelayer’d tracks are less loud on average because they are more dynamic – they are attenuated less (sometimes not at all)! And, because Spectrelayer’d audio has an improved dynamic range – those stunning transients that make the music sound stunning also make it through the streaming loudness algorithm – often unscathed! I.E: A “super-loud” studio release that averaged -8dB LUFS would get attenuated about 6dB with most streaming services to achieve -14dB LUFS. The SAME material in Spectrelayer’d form may realistically average -14dB As-Is. This means the streaming service would not attenuate it at all – and the entirety of the dynamic range would be streamed! The result would be a fantastically better sound – completely unshackled by the streaming service! A quick note: The examples above (original & Spectrelayer’d) sound very much like they would on a streaming service because those levels have been adjusted to approximate for loudness. However, Spectrelayer strains older codecs like MP3 & performs better with newer codecs such as AAC or OPUS, & loves lossless!
I.E: An Original Signal Visually Illustrated
Metallica – Cyanide Waveform (Actual envelope shown below)!
Mouse over to see the loudness reduction needed for Spectrelayer comparison.
Spectrelayer Version
Still uses full scale for peaks but not nearly as loud on average! But the dynamic range is far superior and the distortion is much lower with Spectrelayer!
Left cell: Original Signal w. Average Loudness = -7.15 dB RMS. Right cell: Spectrelayer version of same signal is more dynamic but less loud averaging -17.3 dB RMS.
I.E: In the example above, the louder (original) is reduced in gain by a whopping 10.15 dB in order to match the Spectrelayer’d reconstructed signal’s RMS (an objective measurement) loudness for purposes of accurate A / B comparisons. Without loudness adjustment, it is not possible to A/B compare tracks in real time due to how easily the ear/brain signal is deceived with loudness differences. However, with equalizing loudness adjustments, the far superior sonic clarity of Spectrelayer shines thru; – & this is at ANY volume level.
FRAUD ALERT! BEWARE OF THE KNOCK-OFF’s & SNAKE OIL!
Some of the biggest purveyors of proverbial “snake-oil” in audio circles are well polished & well funded in the background. One of the latest gigantic scandals has to do with a process called MQA. A number of independent audio enthusiasts have called it a multi-million dollar scam and the evidence is piling up against it & damaging the professional reputations of those who promoted it as it does so! Of course – audio has always seemingly been plagued with scams that seem to take advantage of the over-inflated egos of certain people who claim to have ears so golden that they can hear the fine ruffles of The Emperor’s New Clothes. These scams range from nonsense devices that are designed to alter the edges of compact discs to stratospherically-priced cables to endless variations of “Hi-Res” Audio schemes that all purport to use more bits & higher sampling rates than the CD Standard of 16bits/44.1kHz per channel (as if that standard is somehow antiquated or lacking for final output). If you lay aside the hyped testimonies of people who have personalities likely defined in the DSM; – ALL of these scams have (1) commonality: Each asserts that the average person simply can’t hear the alleged improvement/s that are extolled by the promoters of these gimmicks (or by the soft-personalities of those people whom the placebo effect also works wonders). If you need to strain to hear the improvement then it’s not real. Furthermore – test equipment can provide evidence if such claims are false. Spectrelayer, on the other hand is a process where the differences between source & output virtually jump out at the listener – especially when seen in a DAW. Analysis of the same, shows clear differences in the signals that are much more complex than mere loudness variances! Most people’s jaws drop when hearing the Spectrelayer’d version of audio contrasted to its source. If you haven’t yet taken the opportunity to audition the examples above with quality speakers or headphones; – Now is a great time! And take the “Spectrelayer Challenge” (see below)!
Since the best proof is sure proof: As a 1-time free offer: Professionals may E-mail a LOSSLESS test stereo audio file (one you have copyright/s to) up to 25 MegaBytes in size (formatted as WAV, FLAC, or APE) & it will be processed with Spectrelayer as soon as possible, and the result sent back to you as a file attachment.
At that point – you’ll have the original source & the Spectrelayer’d result to compare for yourself. It’s the ONLY way to be absolutely convinced with proof positive!
And: When you compare the Spectrelayer’d version with the original – be sure to match the average playback loudness using a standardized loudness metering device in order to avoid the loudness-war perceptual trap. This is important so that you can believe your own ears!
Yin vs. Yang; – A Well Trained AI Does it Better! (An Editorial by the Process Developer):
You might think that I would sing the marketing-song of sonic purity & fidelity to the original recording in order to market Spectrelayer. After all – isn’t that what all of those other companies say about their processes? Well, there is a certain logic to that marketing approach. However, Spectrelayer’s claim is that it makes a better sounding audio file than the original release. The “rumor” is true: Spectrelayer alters the sound (so much that the waveform is visibly different when examined in a DAW)! That may seem like the ultimate sonic heresy at the altar of the self-proclaimed “audiophile”. BUT, the gigantic fallacy that almost everyone falls prey to is the presumption that the studio engineers chose all of the optimum settings as they recorded, mixed & mastered the sound in the first place! If you think audio engineers have halos & always choose the best possible mix parameters out of the ocean of permutations – then I can’t out- dogma you -nor will I try. Spectrelayer uses machine hearing to make innumerable continuous adjustments during post-mastering & Spectrelayer’d audio sounds DIFFERENT – BETTER than the version the record label had originally slated for release. And, most listeners agree that Spectrelayer sounds remarkably better than the original source or pre-Spectrelayer’d version. But if you analyze the waveforms Spectrelayer creates, – the so called “purists” may cry “foul”! Vastly different EQ curves! Different dynamics! A relocated noise-floor (sometimes higher depending on the source quality); -And a complete disregard for the -1dB ceiling so many services advocate! But, let me ask: “Where were the purists while the loudness war was destroying the music in the 1st place?”, eh? Perhaps they were too enamored admiring the shine of some engineer’s halos – to notice what their ringing ears were telling them at the end of the mix? The purists will likely tell you that Spectrelayer introduces types of tonal coloration & even distortion (gasp). And (being brutally honest), by showing you charts, graphs & numbers – they’ll be able to technically PROVE IT (but, not with listening comparisons)! And HERE’s the critical distinction: WHY does Spectrelayer sound so much better to most ears – even when certain statistics & technical measurements may accuse the methodology of the process? It’s because Spectrelayer’s benefits far outweigh any detractions – by magnitudes (Yin vs. Yang). I once considered myself a “purist” – ever watching the noise-floor & signal THD levels, IM distortion & never ever let the digital peak level hit the 0dB marker (Oh! The humanity!); -& don’t gasp too loudly, but I think I derided the artifacts of a noise-gate opening on several occasions! But, then I heard what certain machine’s speculate humans prefer to hear based on how the human brain perceives audio, -& those intelligent algorithms nailed it! And, as a sonic purist; – That’s humbling. You see, there are now (2) very different approaches to making great sound. The conventional involves ultra-tight control of every aspect of the recorded signal. It’s very “left-brained” & mathematically solid. It has an elegant beauty that appeals to the perfectionist part of every audio engineer. And that philosophy has made fantastic recordings possible and is absolutely necessary because the better it is executed – the better the next approach works. See, there is an emerging body of tech (which builds upon the former) – intelligent algorithms that work with multiple parameters at once while treating the signal with a “brute-force machine-philosophy” concluding that “the end justifies the means”. These networks don’t understand nor even care about the sanctity of test signals if the style-template & processing schema suggests that such needs to be adjusted to “sound better”! This drives conventional engineers to nail-biting. Trying to follow the logic of a network that can control countless parameters as sonic processing nodes spring into and out of existence dynamically – is like trying to track a scurry of squirrels. “Orthodoxy was violated…”, observes some purist. “Yes, -but did you hear that fantastic output compared with the input?”, replies someone with ears (Because, if it sounds better, – it sounds … better)! Often, some critical comment about “Spectrelayer’s sound” is simply addressed by adjusting the playback EQ slightly – usually as easy as adjusting the bass or treble bands a bit. So, remember this: “The pursuit of the perfect is the enemy of the good.” – General George Patton. And I think the quote from a decorated war general is apt here. Because, despite the casualty of an occasional “purist’s audiophile religion”, – Spectrelayer, has not only won the loudness war – but has allowed some of its casualties to be brought back from the dead using its AI! Furthermore – & more importantly: Spectrelayer makes most recordings sound better – even if they were not casualties of the loudness war! And you don’t need to take my word for it! Hear it for yourself! And like any technology, -Spectrelayer is constantly improving which means that a shortfall today may be addressed tomorrow. If you’re an engineer who has suggestions for this page – PLEASE send a message from our CONTACT page (link at page top). Constructive commentary is always welcome!
Spectrelayer – the FINAL Word:
Spectrelayer is the proverbial icing on the cake. The process is designed to be the very last applied to the audio prior to commercial release. In other words: Spectrelayer touches the signal, last! This will allow the skilled brilliance of competent audio mastering engineers to do their best … to “make it perfect”; — And then the final stereo audio is submitted for Spectrelayer’ing. When the Spectrelayer’d version returns – it is compared against the source it was made from by the client. And then payment is made for the Spectrelayer’d versions that will be used in the commercial release or re-release. And, any release that utilizes Spectrelayer in any capacity must bear the Spectrelayer authorized logo in or on the media packaging with the phrase: “Post Mastering by Spectrelayer.rocks” (unless otherwise specified). It’s that straightforward, safe & simple.
Jenesais’quoi Consulting: Using Proprietary AI to Revolutionize Traditional Audio Design!
Spectrelayer is so tremendously effective at optimizing sound from any source – that it should come as no surprise that what has been learned can be worked into many traditional sound systems, stages & auditoriums. This is a premium service. Although the Spectrelayer process is currently far too tech-heavy to be implemented in real-time; – AI has allowed some unique insights into common mistakes and how more traditional technologies can be brought to bear on problem solving & sound-quality optimization. In simple terms: If we can show the client where a peril lies – then it’s possible to avoid a situation that may become a problem. And eliminating problems up front removes the need to fix what was prevented in the 1st place! One thing that Spectrelayer offers is a very unique form of hindsight; – a form than can be turned into foresight (at least regarding a number of issues).
So, whether you’re designing a home theater, performance auditorium, or customized “man-cave” – we may be able to provide some tips, solutions & near-miracles depending on your need. Contracting Jenesais’quoi Consulting will require a $5000 retainer at least 30 days in advance. Due to the current state of global unrest – services are offered only in North America unless otherwise arranged.
Attention: Law Enforcement: Introducing “Tattler”!
Spectrelayer is so tremendously effective at repairing damaged audio that a customized speech processing mode can be used as part of a forensic reconstruction process called TATTLER. TATTLER is unlike traditional sound recovery technologies. Still in the Beta stage of development, – TATTLER services are extremely reasonably priced starting at $250 CDN (Paid in BTC) for up to 2-minutes of reconstruction (rounded up) for finalized media. Whether you’re an agency needing answers or merely somebody who wants to know what the kids were screaming into the answering machine; – Send an e-mail explaining your need and you’ll receive a response instructing you on how to send your media electronically.
Let’s be clear: There has never been anything quite like Spectrelayer processing and your own ears can prove it to you! Hear a 1-time-FREE demo of the process on material you provide! TATTLER demonstrations are available as well. In either case, -you’ll hear for yourself and get to compare “A” with “B”. After all — if you can’t believe your own ears … Fair enough? E-mail us with your needs!
Details on getting this free demo service: Send the file as an e-mail attachment (Under 25MB in size formatted as RAW PCM or FLAC please) & the reprocessed audio will be sent in a reply message attachment in AAC format. See CONTACT link above.
