Mercurial Tones has released Scepter Pro, a referencing and analysis workstation plugin for macOS and Windows in VST3, AU and standalone formats along with Specter Lite, a free version featuring the spectrum analyzer section.
Scepter features five specialized views for spectral analysis, reference matching, bass monitoring, oscilloscope, and loudness metering in one plugin.
Spectrum
Fluid, real-time spectral analysis:
- Fluid Motion: Buttery-smooth spectrum visualization that moves with your music. No stutter, no lag – just clarity.
- Mid/Side Imaging: Instantly reveal what’s in the center and what’s in the sides. Stereo problems become obvious.
- Adaptive View: Intelligent slope correction gives you a flat, intuitive reading – so you mix with your eyes as confidently as your ears.
- Precision Readout: Hover anywhere for instant frequency, level, and musical note. Every detail, one glance.
Reference
Match any track’s frequency balance, stereo image, and dynamics in real time:
- Instant Matching: Load any reference track or route live audio. Loudness is automatically aligned so you’re always comparing tone, not volume.
- Spectral Diff: A dedicated difference view highlights the exact frequencies where your mix sits above or below the reference – a clear map of what needs attention.
- Stereo Field Compare: See exactly how your stereo image stacks up against your reference across the full spectrum.
- 4-Band Dynamics: Per-band compression comparison reveals where your mix is over-processed – or not processed enough.
Bass Envelope
Tempo-synced bass monitoring that shows you exactly what’s happening below 250 Hz:
- Tempo-Locked: Perfectly synced to your DAW. Watch your kick and sub unfold beat by beat.
- Bass Spectrogram: A living heat map of your low end. See sub energy, harmonics, and movement over time.
- Phase Monitoring: Know your low end is mono-compatible before it hits the club system.
- Sub Weight: Visual breakdown of where your bass energy sits. Instantly compare against any reference.
Loudness
See exactly what’s eating your loudness, and fix it:
- Tri-Band Coloring: A first-of-its-kind color-coded loudness view. See low, mid, and high energy at a glance – nothing like it exists.
- Genre Targets and modular meters: Techno, hip-hop, pop, ambient – built-in loudness profiles for the genres you actually make. Modular meters let you build your own metering layout.
- Loudness Breakdown: Instantly see which frequencies are eating your headroom. Stop guessing, start fixing.
- Integrated LUFS and True-Peak: Broadcast-standard metering with real-time history. Master to any target with precision with True-Peak enabled.
Oscilloscope
Classic waveform view with sidechain comparison, and a spectral mode that splits your signal into three bands:
- Classic View: Clean, precise waveform display. See transients, phase, and stereo movement in real time.
- Sidechain Compare: Route a second signal and overlay it on your waveform. Instantly compare shapes and timing.
- Spectral Mode: Splits your waveform into low, mid, and high bands. See exactly which frequencies drive each transient.
- Tri-Band Waveform: Color-coded frequency separation on the scope. A view that no other oscilloscope offers.
Pricing & Availability
Scepter is available now for the introductory price of €59 (Reg. €89) for macOS and Windows in VST3, AU and standalone formats.