Analyzes frequency masking between two audio files with per-octave-band severity. Shows how much one sound covers up another in each octave band.
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| file_path_a | string | required | Path to first audio file (the one being masked) |
| file_path_b | string | required | Path to second audio file (the masker) |
Example Output
$ analyze_masking vocals.wav guitar.wav
Masking Analysis: vocals.wav masked by guitar.wav
Overall masking severity: 0.43 (moderate)
Per-octave Overlap: 63 Hz: 0.12 low 125 Hz: 0.18 low 250 Hz: 0.34 mild 500 Hz: 0.52 moderate 1 kHz: 0.67 significant 2 kHz: 0.58 moderate 4 kHz: 0.31 mild 8 kHz: 0.14 low 16 kHz: 0.05 low
Primary conflict zone: 500 Hz - 2 kHz Recommendation: Carve guitar at 1-2 kHz to reveal vocals
What the Numbers Mean
-
Overall Masking Severity — A 0-1 score of how much the second file masks the first. 0.0 = no overlap. 1.0 = complete masking. Above 0.4 = you’ll likely hear one sound hiding the other.
-
Per-octave Overlap — Masking intensity in each frequency band. Higher values mean more competition. The labels map to:
- low (0-0.2): No action needed
- mild (0.2-0.4): Audible but acceptable in context
- moderate (0.4-0.6): Worth addressing with EQ
- significant (0.6-0.8): Causing audible masking. Fix with EQ or arrangement.
- severe (0.8-1.0): One sound is effectively hiding the other
-
Primary Conflict Zone — The frequency range with the most overlap. This is where to focus EQ cuts.
Example Prompts
Vocal clarity
Are the guitars masking my vocals? Check analyze_masking on vocals.wav and rhythm-guitar.wav
Bass vs kick
Is the bass guitar conflicting with the kick drum? Check frequency overlap
Pair analysis
Where are vocals.wav and synth-pad.wav fighting each other in the spectrum?
Related Tools
- multi_stem_masking — Compare masking across 3+ stems simultaneously
- analyze_spectrum — See the full frequency picture of each individual stem
- separate_stems — Separate a mixed file into stems for masking analysis
Pro tip
When masking severity exceeds 0.5 in a band, cutting the masker is usually more effective than boosting the masked signal. A 2-3 dB cut on the guitar at 1-2 kHz will reveal vocals more naturally than a 2-3 dB boost on the vocals.