Open Audio Analyzer

Overview

Open Audio Analyzer is a free, open-source analyzer for live audio and audio files, best suited to audio professionals and producers who need standards-based loudness checks alongside a configurable set of visual meters. Its measurement and file-analysis breadth is unusually practical at no cost, but its unsecured tablet display calls for care on shared networks.

Published by Jonas Grunau in Kirchheim, Germany, the app computes measurements on the user’s device. The maker says audio is handled in memory and discarded, never recorded, stored, or transmitted; it also says the app has no accounts, analytics, telemetry, crash reporting, or advertising. Technical questions go to its public GitHub issue tracker.

For more options, browse Audio Analysis Software.

Key features

Fourteen arrangeable meter types let users build a workspace around the checks they actually need. Meters can be split across tabs, saved as layout presets, and adjusted with colour skins. That flexibility suits recurring workflows, though it will matter most to users who already know which measurements they want in view.

• Loudness standards: Measurements follow EBU R 128 and ITU-R BS.1770-4, with momentary, short-term, and integrated LUFS, loudness range, and oversampled true peak. This makes the app useful for standards-oriented loudness and peak checks.
• Visual meters: Alongside loudness and true peak, views include VU, spectrum, spectrogram, oscilloscope, phase scope, histogram, loudness distribution, and stereo cloud. The range supports different kinds of inspection without reducing the tool to a single spectrum display.
• Delivery targets: Streaming and broadcast targets are built in, and users can create their own. That helps users check against established delivery needs or a project-specific target.
• File analysis: The command-line tool analyzes single files or album folders and can produce readable reports or CSV output. That is a practical advantage for batch work and workflows that need results in a reusable format.
• DAW plugins: VST3 and Audio Unit plugins send measurements and DAW transport position to the app, connecting its displays to a DAW workflow. An AAX plugin is in the archive, but it is not signed for a released Pro Tools version, so Pro Tools users should not assume it is ready to use.
• Tablet display: A tablet on the same network can show the desktop app’s published measurements and canvas layout over Wi-Fi. The link has no encryption or authentication; follow the maker’s advice to publish only on a trusted network.

Pricing

Free software — free. The plan is available at no charge, with no payment or paid plans stated. It includes the GPL-3.0-or-later app and engine and the AGPL-3.0-or-later plugin. There is no free trial to evaluate before adoption; the software itself is free. The published plan terms do not state seat or usage quotas.

This is a strong fit for individuals and teams seeking loudness measurement, real-time analysis, offline file analysis, and plugin support without a subscription. The trade-off is not a cheaper tier with fewer features, but the need to accept the unsigned AAX plugin caveat and the remote display’s network-security limitation.

Platforms

Open Audio Analyzer supports Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows. Desktop DAW integration is available through VST3 and Audio Unit plugins; the tablet display extends the desktop canvas over Wi-Fi.

Who it's for

Choose it for standards-based loudness and true-peak checks, flexible meter layouts, delivery-target comparisons, or command-line analysis of audio files and album folders. It is especially useful when several views or repeatable reports belong in one workflow. Look elsewhere if you need a signed AAX plugin for a released Pro Tools version, or if your remote display must be encrypted and authenticated.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Broad measurement toolkit. Fourteen meter types and established loudness standards cover more than spectrum inspection alone.
• Pros: Useful file workflow. Album-folder analysis and CSV reports make the command-line tool relevant beyond live monitoring.
• Pros: No-cost licensing. The app and engine are GPL-3.0-or-later, with the plugin under AGPL-3.0-or-later.
• Cons: Remote display is unsecured. With no encryption or authentication, it should be limited to a trusted network.
• Cons: AAX readiness is limited. The archived plugin is not signed for a released Pro Tools version.

Alternatives

MediaInfo is another free option from an open-source digital media analysis company, with Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web, and Windows platforms. Choose it if that broader platform mix better matches your setup.

Open Sound Meter has a free Community desktop version, with Linux, macOS, Windows, and iOS support; choose it if you want to consider a desktop tool whose maker describes it as open source and invites GitHub contributions.

MeldaProduction MAnalyzer is a free macOS and Windows option included in MFreeFXBundle; choose it if a free effect from that bundle fits your needs.

Room EQ Wizard offers a free tier for single-channel capture, room and audio measurement, real-time analysis, and EQ tools on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Choose it for that room-measurement and EQ focus; its Pro upgrade has a one-time price.

Voxengo SPAN is a free real-time FFT spectrum analyzer plugin for macOS and Windows; choose it when that narrower plugin role is what you need.

Youlean Loudness Meter has a free plan that never expires, with film, TV, and gaming presets and LU, INT, TP, LRA, PLR, and DR readouts for mono, stereo, and 5.1 channels. Choose it if those channel options and presets suit your loudness workflow; the plan has no command-line tool.

Stoplight Elements is an open-source API documentation tool for web and self-hosted use.

ACRCloud offers a 14-day trial with full API access and no credit card required.

Verdict

Open Audio Analyzer is a strong choice for audio engineers and producers who want free, standards-based loudness measurement, flexible meter views, and command-line file analysis in one tool. Its breadth and no-cost licensing are the main reasons to choose it; users who need a ready-to-use AAX plugin or a secure remote display should look elsewhere.