Steinberg SpectraLayers Pro 13

What SpectraLayers 13 Is For

SpectraLayers 13 is a spectral editing and audio restoration software designed for post-production, sound design, and audio repair. While a traditional waveform editor displays a signal "in time," SpectraLayers works at the core of sound by showing the spectrum: you can select a precise area (frequency + time) and surgically intervene on a breath, a creak, a resonance, an overly present mouth noise, or a disturbing sound effect.

It is especially aimed at sound editors, post engineers, podcasters, content creators, and musicians who want to separate, clean, reconstruct, or reshape audio without degrading the rest of the mix. Whether to save a dialogue take, isolate a sound event within an ambiance, or prepare more usable stems, the layer and module approach allows moving from detailed correction to global processing while remaining precise and coherent.

Main Features

New Modules and Algorithms for Unmixing and Restoration

SpectraLayers 13 introduces field-oriented processes: the goal is to extract what interests you faster while maintaining a natural ambiance. The Unmix Sound Effects module isolates short sounds (events, impacts, details) from a continuous background (wind, crowd, traffic, nature). This facilitates cleaning but also sound design: you retrieve an element on its own layer, then shape it without fighting the background noise.

For damaged or missing areas, Ambience Heal automatically fills "holes" in the spectrum to restore credible continuity. And when you need to go further, Reconstruct can resynthesize selected spectral data, useful for rebuilding a degraded portion or softening a stubborn artifact without making the result artificial.

Voice Processing: Clarity, Separation, and Artifact Control

Modern productions demand perfect intelligibility. SpectraLayers 13 adds Voice DeClick to reduce mouth noises and annoying mic artifacts, as well as Voice DeCrosstalk to reduce the influence of untargeted voices (leakage, bleed, overly present interlocutor). The Unmix Two Voices module automates the separation of two voices, a valuable asset for interviews, podcasts, or dialogues recorded under challenging conditions.

For noise control, DeNoise evolves with improved noiseprint-based noise reduction to better preserve timbre while limiting side effects. Finally, Attenuate offers a practical approach to attenuate overly loud content within a selection, ideal for calming a whistle, an aggressive consonant, or an overly dominant event in a track.

Spectral Editing and Selections: More Precision, Less Friction

Execution speed often depends on ergonomic details, and this version refines daily editing. Working on selections becomes more flexible thanks to corner resizing (simultaneous adjustment of time and frequency), the ability to disable selection fades via menu or shortcut, and more flexible management of Selection Events in the history.

Pasting also becomes more efficient: Paste Into Selection allows repeating or replacing events in the timeline in a targeted way, while Paste Insert facilitates insertion based on the selection's duration. Dynamic fade-shaping controls now apply directly to active selections, speeding up clean and invisible edits.

Studio Workflow, Compatibility, and Productivity

For post-production environments, SpectraLayers 13 strengthens practical tools: Search Modules (search by name and keyword) speeds up access to processes, Module Information Help centralizes descriptions and shortcuts, and Interface Layout Presets allow recalling layouts adapted to different scenarios (vocal cleaning, denoising, reconstruction, fine spectral editing).

On the metering and control side, new metering modes add Display Peaks, RMS, or Loudness readings, and Level Check quickly calculates and displays multiple loudness data. For large volumes, Batch Process Open Projects opens the door to more sophisticated batch processing. Finally, studio integration progresses with an improved Pro Tools AudioSuite Bridge Plug-in, including round-trip and processing of multiple audio clips in a single pass.

Technical specifications

Type

Full software

Downloadable

Yes

macOS	macOS Monterey, macOS Ventura, macOS Sonoma, macOS Sequoia, macOS Tahoe	Improved Unmix Components	more precise separation
Windows	Windows 10 64-bit (21H2), Windows 11 64-bit (21H2 or later)	Fade functions	application of fades to selections within single layers
Processor (PC)	Intel Core i5 (4th generation) or AMD Ryzen, or Qualcomm Snapdragon X	Level Check	calculation and display of loudness data
Disk Space	8 GB free (16 GB recommended)	Batch Process Open Projects	batch processing on open projects
Display	minimum resolution 1920 x 1080	Improved Pro Tools AudioSuite Bridge Plug-in	round-trip and processing of multiple clips
Graphics Card	DirectX 11 compatible (DirectX 12 recommended for AI processing)	Support for more than 128 peripheral channels	integration of devices beyond the 128th channel
Graphics	OpenGL 3.3 compatible adapter	Unmix Transcription Export Options	export to frame rates such as 23.976
Audio (Mac)	CoreAudio-compatible audio hardware	Paste Into Selection	pasting into selection to repeat/replace events
Internet Connection	required for activation, account creation, personal/product registration	Paste Insert	insertion facilitated based on selection duration
Installation	download required	Dynamic Fade-Shaping Control	fade shape adjustment on active selection
Unmix Sound Effects	separation of short sounds from a continuous ambient background	Resize Selection Corners	simultaneous adjustment of time and frequency
Ambience Heal	automatic filling of empty spaces in the spectrum	Disable Selection Fades	disable fades via menu/shortcut
Reconstruct	resynthesis of selected spectral data	Disable Selection Events from History	increased flexibility of selection event history
Attenuate	attenuation of high-amplitude content within a selection	Module Information Help	module info, shortcuts, etc.
Voice DeClick	removal of mouth noises	Search Modules by Name and Keyword	quick module search
Voice DeCrosstalk	separation of untargeted voices from the main voice	Interface Layout Presets	save and recall interface layouts
Unmix Two Voices	automatic separation of two voices	Over 100 new shortcuts	accelerated access to functions
Improved DeNoise	enhanced noiseprint-based noise reduction	New metering modes	display of peaks, RMS, or loudness