Blue Cat's FreqAnalyst vs MiniMeters

Blue Cat's FreqAnalyst is a free plug-in for monitoring the spectral content of mono or stereo audio in real time. It displays spectrum, instant curve and peak curve views, with continuous changes rendered using smooth interpolation. Users can zoom the display, choose among sizes and set absolute or relative thresholds. The interface supports skins, transparency and zoom customization, while MIDI control, automation and MIDI Learn provide ways to control the plug-in. A preset manager is included, and users can copy and paste a plug-in state between instances. FreqAnalyst is not a standalone app: it requires a compatible audio host and is available in VST, VST3, AAX and Audio Unit formats for macOS and Windows. The stated operating systems are macOS 10.9 or newer and Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10 or 11. It supports up to two channels. The maker says processing stops when the input is silent, so it uses no CPU while idle.

MiniMeters is an audio metering application and plug-in suite for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The standalone app can monitor stereo input or supported system output, or receive audio from its Audio Server plug-in. Its modules display VU, waveform, spectrogram, spectrum, stereometer, loudness, and oscilloscope measurements. Users can arrange meters in a horizontal bar, separate them into windows, or use Quad Layout. MiniMeters can record audio directly and clip the previous 10 or 60 seconds of received audio. Individual plug-ins come in VST3, CLAP, and Audio Unit formats, and require a compatible host. The maker describes it as a display tool for measurements, not an audio processor. The no-time-limit demo is limited to Waveform and Loudness modules and places demo text on screen. The paid product costs 20.00 USD once, with a minimum price of $20 USD, and includes the standalone app, Audio Server plug-in, and meter plug-ins. Minimum requirements include Windows 10, macOS 10.15, or Linux kernel 5.4.0-174; macOS 14.2 is required for audio output capture.