Spectral Selection Toolbar - Audacity Manual

# Spectral Selection Toolbar

### From Audacity Manual

Spectral Selection Toolbar includes controls for manipulating a Spectral Selection. Using the "Center Frequency" and "Width" boxes, or the "Low Frequency" and "High Frequency" boxes, you can create or adjust a precisely defined spectral selection without having to click or drag with a mouse in one of the spectrogram views, and without zooming in first to find the exact spot.

There are currently three Spectral edit effects that may be used to filter the spectral selection. You must be in one of the spectrogram views to apply those effects.

Spectral Selection Toolbar is normally not shown. Select View > Toolbars > Spectral Selection Toolbar to show it. By default it docks in the lower dock, beside or under the Selection Toolbar.

Spectral Selection Toolbar can show information about the spectral selection in two formats: Center frequency and Width , or Low and High Frequencies . Choose your preferred option from the dropdown menu above the boxes.

## Center frequency and Width Boxes

- Center frequency: If there is no spectral selection, this shows dashes (that is, nothing). If there is a spectral selection this shows the center frequency of the selection.
- Width: If there is no spectral selection, this shows dashes (that is, nothing). If there is a spectral selection this shows the bandwidth (range of frequencies) of the selection in octaves.

## Low and High Frequency Boxes

- Low frequency: If there is no spectral selection, this shows dashes (that is, nothing). If there is a spectral selection this shows the lower frequency boundary of the selection.
- High frequency: If there is no spectral selection, this shows dashes (that is, nothing). If there is a spectral selection this shows the upper frequency boundary of the selection.

## Editing the Spectral Selection Toolbar digits

You can edit the individual digits representing frequency in the "Center frequency", "Low frequency" and "High frequency" boxes, or the digits representing bandwidth in the "Width" box so as to change the selection region on the spectrogram. Using the mouse, click on a digit in one of the boxes then use the mouse wheel or up and down arrow on the keyboard to increment the value or type the required value. Use left and right arrow to navigate quickly to adjoining digits, and Tab or Shift + Tab to navigate to adjoining boxes.

## Selection Formats

To access the context menu listing the selection formats click the triangle to right of any box. You can also right-click over any digit in a box, or select any digit then use the Menu key.

The following selection formats are available:

- For Center frequency, Low frequency and High frequency:
  - Hz: Hertz, or cycles per second
  - kHz: 1000 cycles per second
- For Width:
  - octaves: an octave is a doubling of frequency; for example, a range of 1000 to 2000 Hz would be 1 octave.
  - semitones + cents: a semitone is the interval between two adjacent notes in a 12-tone scale (one twelfth of an octave). A cent is 1/100th of a semitone.
  - decades: a decade is a ten-fold increase in frequency. For example, a range of 500 to 5000 Hz would be 1 decade.

##### Views

##### Useful External Links

- Forum
- Wiki
- Latest Release