Audio Studio Pro
Audio Studio Pro v2.0
OFFICIAL USER OPERATIONAL GUIDE • SPECTRAL LUXE ANALYZER

Aurora — User Operational Guide

Complete mixing and mastering engineer reference for Aurora (com.audiostudiopro.aurora): High-Resolution 1600-Point Real-Time FFT Spectrum Analyzer, 8 Pre-Configured Channel Groups (Stereo, Mid, Side, Left, Right), Multi-Track Reference Overlay, Draggable Bandpass Sweep Filter, 14-Standard Level Meters (dBFS, K-System, LUFS), True Peak Telemetry, Phase Correlator & CSV Snapshot Manager.

Current Version v3.23.7 (VST3 • AU • Standalone)
Official Bundle ID com.audiostudiopro.aurora
Audio Architecture 8 Internal Channels + Stereo Reference
Interface & Guide Language English (Unified International Standard)
01

Interface Overview (Spectral Luxe Analyzer)

Aurora is the fast-response real-time FFT spectrum analyzer, multi-standard level meter (dBFS, K-System, LUFS / EBU R128), dynamic statistics analyzer (True Peak, Crest Factor, Clipped Samples), and multi-channel phase correlator by Audio Studio Pro, engineered with the Spectral Luxe visual language and a freely resizable window from 860 × 520 px up to 1680 × 1080 px.

Aurora Main View (with Reference Spectrum Overlay) — Simultaneous comparison of the MAIN: STEREO spectrum (Amber Gold) against the REF: REFERENCE spectrum (Orchid Magenta) with live DELTA dB crosshair readout, LOW/MID/HIGH bands, and 14-standard output metering. Click image to zoom 2x Retina
1. Amber Gold (#F5B82E) — Default for G1: STEREO
2. Orchid Magenta (#C832E8) — Default for G2: MID & Reference
3. Cobalt Blue (#2E90FA) — Default for G3: SIDE
4. Emerald Teal (#14B8A6) — Default for G4: LEFT
5. Indigo Violet (#7C4DFF) — Default for G5: RIGHT
6..8. Lime / Coral / Sky Cyan — Assignable to G6..G8
1. TOP BAR (Global Header) AURORA Emblem | UNDO • REDO • A • B • A>B • BYPASS | Preset Browser + SAVE + ROUTING + MODE | EDIT MODE • MATRIX • STATIC/CSV • HOLD • HIDE METERS
2. CHANNEL GROUP SUB-BAR (Channel Group Toolbar) G1..G8 Group Selectors with Color LEDs | SOLO • COPY FROM • RESET GRP • COL • REF (Sidechain / DAW Tracks / Audio File / Internal Underlay) • SWEEP
3. CENTRAL & RIGHT WORKSPACE Left: 1600-Point Dark Velvet Spectral Display + Hz/dB Zoom Scrollers + Collapsible SPECTRUM MODE EDITOR Drawer | Right: 14-Standard Output Level Meter + STATISTICS Panel
4. BOTTOM BAR Phase Correlator (-1 .. 0 .. +1) + Stereo Balance BAL (dB) | Quick G1..G8 Selectors | DENSITY • LARGE HUD • CROSSHAIR • BANDS
02

Using Controls, the Spectral Graph & Mouse Shortcuts

  1. Left-Click or Double-Click on the Graph (Reset Accumulators): When SWEEP is Off, a single left-click anywhere on the graph resets all accumulated curves (Max, Avg, RT Avg, RT Max). When SWEEP is active, Double-Click the graph to reset curves.
  2. Right-Click on the Graph (Copy Exact Frequency to Clipboard): Right-clicking any peak or resonance immediately copies the exact frequency in Hz (e.g., 342.5) to your clipboard with a confirmation banner at the top.
  3. Direct Dragging of SWEEP Frequency & Bandwidth:
    • When SWEEP is active (e.g., SWEEP: Bandpass), left-click and drag directly across the graph (or drag the < BANDPASS: ... > handle or the SWEEP toolbar button) to sweep filter frequency in real time (20 Hz .. 20 kHz).
    • Drag the left/right vertical handles of the shaded band (or scroll the mouse wheel / hold Shift + Vertical Drag) to adjust bandwidth from 0.05 octaves to 4.0 octaves.
    • Momentary Solo (Ctrl + Drag / Cmd + Drag): Even when SWEEP is Off, holding Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (macOS) and dragging on the graph temporarily activates the Bandpass solo filter until you release the mouse button.
  4. Zooming & Panning (Hz and dB Scrollers): Scroll the mouse wheel inside the graph to zoom around the cursor frequency; drag or scroll the bottom horizontal Hz scrollbar or right-hand vertical dB scrollbar; Double-Click either scrollbar (or Alt + Double-Click on the graph) to reset zoom to 100%.
  5. Draggable LOW / MID / HIGH Crossover Lines: Drag the two vertical dashed crossover lines (defaulting to < 250 Hz > and < 2.50 kHz >) horizontally, double-click a line to reset it, right-click for display/preset options, or toggle BANDS in the bottom bar.
03

Top Bar — Global Controls, Presets, A/B Comparison & Tools

  • UNDO / REDO, Independent A & B State Slots, A>B & BYPASS:
    • Slots A and B store two completely independent analyzer configurations (including active group, FFT parameters, SWEEP filter state, REF source, metering mode, and zoom). Any change made while on A stays strictly in A without altering B.
    • Click A>B to copy the active slot into the other slot for instant A/B comparison.
  • 9 Official Factory Presets + User Presets (SAVE): 1. Default • 2. Stereo Mastering • 3. Lo-Freq Inspection (15–600 Hz at 16384 FFT) • 4. Stereo Smoothed • 5. RT Avg and Max • 6. Mid-Side Stereo • 7. Slope -4.5 Estimator • 8. RTAvgMax Stereo Slow • 9. Sigma Psycho-Dominants.
  • Quick ROUTING (15 System Presets) & Quick MODE (8 Spectral Mode Presets).
  • Right-Hand Tool Buttons: EDIT MODE (off by default to maximize vertical graph height; opens the bottom SPECTRUM MODE EDITOR drawer), MATRIX, STATIC/CSV, HOLD (freezes all curves), and HIDE METERS.
04

Channel Group Sub-Bar (G1..G8), Reference Track (REF) & SWEEP Filter

Channel Group Sub-Bar & SWEEP Filter — G1..G8 selectors, SOLO, Reference overlay (REF), and interactive Bandpass SWEEP filter with draggable frequency and bandwidth handles. Click image to zoom 2x Retina
  • Pre-Configured Smart Stereo Groups (G1..G5) & Dimmed Inactive Groups (G6..G8):
    • Out of the box on any stereo track: G1:STEREO (Amber Gold), G2:MID (Orchid Magenta), G3:SIDE (Cobalt Blue), G4:LEFT (Emerald Teal), and G5:RIGHT (Indigo Violet). Unassigned or disabled groups (G6..G8) appear dimmed in slate grey.
    • Enable SOLO to isolate the audio output of the selected group (e.g., audition only G2:MID or G3:SIDE in one click!).
  • 4 Reference Overlay Modes (REF):
    1. DAW Sidechain / Reference Input (REFERENCE: AUTO): Automatically detects live audio on the sidechain input and overlays its spectrum with matching FFT settings.
    2. Direct Inter-Instance Track Sharing (DAW TRACKS): Select any other active Aurora instance in your DAW project directly from the dropdown—zero sidechain routing required.
    3. Reference Audio File from Disk (Load Reference Audio File...): Load any .wav, .aiff, .flac, or .mp3 reference master from disk.
    4. Internal Channel Group Underlay (G1..G8): Overlay any internal group behind the active group.
    Includes Reference Curve Color (Auto High-Contrast or fixed), Reference Level Offset (Trim) (-12 dB .. +12 dB), and Filled Reference Curve.
  • 6 Inspection Filters (SWEEP): Off, Bandpass, Peaking, Lo-Shelf, Hi-Shelf, Lo-Pass, Hi-Pass with direct graph dragging, toolbar button dragging, and 8 quick frequency presets.
05

High-Resolution Spectral Display & Precision Crosshair (HUD)

Multi-Group Mid/Side Overlay & Crosshair HUD — Simultaneous Mid/Side spectral inspection with exact Hz, musical note/cents, MAIN dB, REF dB, and DELTA dB readouts. Click image to zoom 2x Retina
  • 1600-Point Horizontal Dark Velvet Display: Smooth rounded harmonic lobes in the lows/mids paired with surgical bin accuracy in the highs.
  • Precision Crosshair HUD: Tracks both the main curve and reference curve, displaying:
    1. Exact Frequency (Hz / kHz) + Musical Note & Cents Offset (e.g., 110.0 Hz A2 (+0 ct)).
    2. CURSOR & MAIN dB Readouts.
    3. REF Level & Exact DELTA dB (MAIN - REF) whenever a Reference or Secondary curve is active.
06

SPECTRUM MODE EDITOR Drawer — Per-Group FFT Parameters & Ballistics

SPECTRUM MODE EDITOR Drawer — Per-group FFT block size (64..65536), windowing (Dome, Hann, Blackman, Hi-Res), fractional-octave smoothing, and +4.5 dB/oct visual slope. Click image to zoom 2x Retina
  • 6 Dropdown Selectors (Left):
    • TYPE (Primary) & 2ND (Secondary): RT Avg (Real-Time Average), Max (Infinite Peak Hold), Avg (Cumulative Average), RT Max (Real-Time Decaying Maximum), and RT Sigma (Psycho-Dominant Estimator $\mu + \sigma$).
    • BLOCK: FFT block size from 64 to 65536 samples (default 4096).
    • WIN: Dome (default high-focus window), Hann, Blackman, Hi-Res.
    • SMOOTH: Off, 1/24 oct .. 1/3 oct .. 1 oct fractional-octave smoothing.
    • OFFSET: Off, Normalize (0 dB peak alignment), Center.
  • 7 Precision Rotary Knobs (Center): OVERLAP (50..95%, default 75%), AVG TIME (5..10000 ms, default 1000 ms), SLOPE (-9.0..+9.0 dB/oct around 1 kHz, default +4.5 dB/oct so balanced mixes appear visually flat), FREQ LO (1..500 Hz), FREQ HI (600 Hz..96 kHz), RANGE LO (-180..-40 dB), and RANGE HI (-35..+20 dB).
  • 5 Checkboxes (Right): 2ND CURVE, ALIGN 0 dB, FILLED, ANTI-ALIAS, and DISABLE.
07

Right Column — Output Level Meter (14 Standards) & STATISTICS Panel

Aurora 14 International Output Metering Standards
Metering Standard Scale / Reference Recommended Application
dBFS / dBFS+3 / dBFS.30 / dBFS.15 Digital Full Scale (-60..+6 dB, -30..0 dB, -15..0 dB) + AES-17 (+3 dB) Precision digital tracking, gain staging, and peak headroom inspection.
K-20 / K-14 / K-12 (and C variants) Bob Katz K-System (0 dB calibrated to -20, -14, or -12 dBFS) Cinema/orchestral (K-20), dynamic pop/rock/electronic (K-14), and broadcast/mastering (K-12).
LUFS-ML (Momentary) & LUFS-SL (Short-Term) ITU-R BS.1770-4 / EBU R128 absolute K-weighted LUFS Streaming loudness compliance for Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube (-14 LUFS .. -8 LUFS).
LU-ML & LU-SL Relative Loudness Units (0 LU = -23 LUFS EBU broadcast target) Broadcast television, film post-production, and EBU R128 compliance.

STATISTICS Panel (Dynamic Range & Clipping Telemetry)

  • RMS LEVEL (or INTEGRATED in LUFS/LU modes): Integrated average energy level.
  • MAX CREST FACTOR: Peak-to-RMS dynamic range in dB (10..14 dB = dynamic mix; < 6..8 dB = heavily limited master).
  • MAX TRUE PEAK (4x Oversampled Inter-Sample Peak): Toggle the TRUE PEAK checkbox to measure inter-sample peaks and prevent MP3/AAC streaming codec distortion.
  • CLIPPED Sample Counter & RESET Button.
08

Bottom Bar — Phase Correlation, Stereo Balance (BAL) & Visual Options

  • Phase Correlation Meter (-1 .. 0 .. +1): Right half (0 .. +1, Lime Green) indicates healthy mono-compatible phase; left half (-1 .. 0, Coral Rose) warns of out-of-phase cancellation.
  • BAL Readout (Stereo Balance in dB): Shows 3-second energy balance left (L+...) or right (R+...).
  • Quick G1..G8 Selectors & 4 Visual Toggles: DENSITY (persistence histogram inside meters and phase correlator), LARGE HUD, CROSSHAIR, and BANDS.
09

MATRIX Modal Window — Multi-Channel Routing, Groups & Mid/Side Encoding

MATRIX Modal Window — 8 internal channels (C1..C8), Host Input/Output routing, G1..G8 group assignment, M/S Encode stereo pairs, and 15 one-click routing presets. Click image to zoom 2x Retina
  • 8 Internal Channels (C1 .. C8) with configurable HOST INPUT, HOST OUTPUT, GROUP ASSIGN (G1..G8), and M/S ENCODE stereo pairs (C1/C2, C3/C4, C5/C6, C7/C8).
  • 15 One-Click Quick Routing Presets: Stereo, Dual Mono, Mid-Side Stereo, Mid-Side Linked, Stereo Swap, Stereo To Mono, Mono To Stereo, Force Mono, Stereo Side-Chain, Mono Side-Chain, 2.1 Stereo, 5.1 Surround (Groups/Multi), and 7.1 Surround (Groups/Multi).
10

STATIC/CSV Modal Window — 5 Static Curves & .CSV Export/Import

STATIC/CSV Modal Window — 5 static snapshot slots (SLOT 1..5) for instant Before/After EQ comparisons, plus 1600-point .CSV curve export and import. Click image to zoom 2x Retina
  • 5 Static Snapshot Slots (SLOT 1 .. SLOT 5): Click CAPTURE G... to freeze the active group's spectrum for instant Before / After EQ and compression comparisons.
  • VISIBLE: ON / OFF, IMPORT CSV & CLEAR per slot.
  • EXPORT ACTIVE GROUP SPECTRUM TO .CSV FILE...: Exports all 1600 horizontal points (Frequency Hz, Primary Level dB, Secondary Level dB) to a standard .csv file.
11

7-Day Free Trial, License Activation (AUROR-XXXX / .nwlicense) & Multi-OS Installers

License & Trial Modal — 7-Day Unrestricted Free Trial, instant AUROR-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-CCCC serial key activation, and offline Aurora.nwlicense drag-and-drop. Click image to zoom 2x Retina
  • 7-Day Unrestricted Free Trial: Immediately upon installing Aurora on macOS, Windows, or Linux, the plugin starts a 7-Day Free Trial with 100% of DSP and visual features unlocked (no audio dropouts or white noise bursts). The bottom bar badge displays TRIAL: 7D LEFT.
  • First 100 Free Founder Licenses → $5.99 USD Lifetime License:
    • The first 100 registered users on Audio Studio Pro (/audio-vst) can claim a 100% Free Founder License (1 OS • 2 Workstations).
    • Once all 100 Founder licenses are claimed (or to unlock all 3 operating systems simultaneously), the full Multi-OS Lifetime License is available for a one-time payment of $5.99 USD (or included for free with the Annual Pro Studio Pass).
  • 2 Ways to Unlock Aurora Forever (100% Offline, Zero iLok):
    1. Serial Key (AUROR-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-CCCC): Click the TRIAL: ... badge in Aurora's bottom bar, paste your key, and click ACTIVATE KEY.
    2. Offline Signed License File (Aurora.nwlicense): Drag and drop your downloaded .nwlicense file directly onto the Aurora plugin window, or click IMPORT .NWLICENSE....
Aurora Retina Screenshot
Full Resolution VST Interface Screenshot