Live spectrogram Audio Unit v3 effect for Final Cut Pro on macOS.
Spectrogram is a macOS AUv3 audio effect whose main product surface is the custom popup/editor window inside Final Cut Pro.
The effect is transparent in the audio path and is used to inspect program material with a live scrolling spectrogram rather than to change the sound.
This project is currently in a usable parked state for personal deployment on a small number of Macs owned by the developer. It is not being positioned as a public release product yet.
The main product surface is the custom AU popup/editor in Final Cut Pro. The containing app exists primarily to host, validate, and install the AU extension.
The practical release artifact for the current scope is a notarized dmg containing Spectrogram.app, produced from an Xcode archive/export workflow.
- app bundle identifier:
co.uk.bbitg.Spectrogram - extension bundle identifier:
co.uk.bbitg.Spectrogram.SpectrogramExtension - manufacturer code:
BITG - subtype code:
SPCT - AU type:
aufx - display name:
BITG: Spectrogram
- live scrolling spectrogram in the Final Cut Pro AU popup
- logarithmic and linear frequency scales
- frequency grid and time tick marks
- cursor readout for frequency, visible-window time, and displayed dB
- RX-like default palette plus alternate palettes
- freeze mode
- source selection: mono, left, right
- internal discontinuity markers for effect-side graph resets
- compact field-debug diagnostics with CSV copy
Current validated state:
- discoverable in Final Cut Pro
- custom popup/editor opens reliably
- usable on the developer machine and a second Mac
- survives reboot and AU rediscovery checks
- notarized Developer ID DMG workflow is proven
- release/exported build performs noticeably better than debug/development builds
- popup refresh stutter remains unresolved, though the tool is usable for the intended inspect-and-freeze workflow
- true host timeline/playhead sync is not available through standard AU host callbacks in this Final Cut Pro path
- screenshot/export from inside the AU popup was deferred because host-extension file export proved unreliable
- the current distribution workflow targets direct personal deployment, not broad public release
If work resumes operationally rather than as feature development, the next action is to run the known release pipeline:
- archive in Xcode
- export a Developer ID signed app
- package the exported app into a DMG
- notarize and staple the DMG