About Sonicvisualiser
Sonic Visualiser is a free, open-source application for Windows, Linux, and Mac. It is designed for musicologists, archivists, signal-processing researchers, and anyone who wants to study a music recording closely.
The program provides highly configurable detailed visualisation, analysis, and annotation of audio recordings. It is part of a family of four applications that also includes Sonic Lineup, Tony, and Sonic Annotator.
Key features
- Visualisation of music audio recordings
- Analysis of audio contents
- Annotation of audio recordings
- Highly configurable detailed visualisation
- Supports feature extraction plugins
Good fit for
- Studying a music recording closely
- Musicological research
- Signal-processing research
Sonicvisualiser: questions and answers
- What is Sonicvisualiser used for?
- Sonicvisualiser is a free, open-source application for viewing and analysing the contents of music audio files. It is a good fit for studying a music recording closely, musicological research and signal-processing research.
- Is Sonicvisualiser open source?
- Yes. Sonicvisualiser is open source under the GPL-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at sonic-visualiser/sonic-visualiser and is written mainly in C++.
- Is Sonicvisualiser free?
- Yes. Sonicvisualiser is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
- Can I self-host Sonicvisualiser?
- Yes. Sonicvisualiser can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
- What is Sonicvisualiser an alternative to?
- Sonicvisualiser is an open-source alternative to Logic Pro. Other open-source alternatives to Logic Pro include Zrythm, Audacity and LMMS.
- Is Sonicvisualiser actively maintained?
- The most recent commit to Sonicvisualiser was on 7 December 2025. The project has 904 stars on GitHub.
Open-source alternatives to Sonicvisualiser
See all
Zrythm
Audio & Music Production
a highly automated and intuitive digital audio workstation - official mirror
OSSvs FL Studio★ 3.2k
Audacity
Audio & Music Production
Audio Editor
OSSvs Adobe Audition★ 19k
LMMS
Audio & Music Production
Cross-platform music production software
GPL-2.0vs FL Studio★ 10k
Ardour
Audio & Music Production
Mirror of Ardour Source Code
OSSvs Pro Tools★ 5.3k
MuseScore
Audio & Music Production
MuseScore is an open source and free music notation software. For support, contribution, b
OSSvs Avid Sibelius★ 15k
AntennaPod
Media & Streaming
A podcast manager for Android
GPL-3.0vs Apple Podcasts★ 8.2k
SaaS alternatives to Sonicvisualiser
See all
Logic Pro
Audio & Music Production
Apple digital audio workstation for recording, MIDI and mixing on Mac
SaaS
Descript
AI Tools
Edit video and podcasts by editing their transcript, with AI voice and cleanup tools
SaaS
Genius
Media & Streaming
Song lyrics and annotation site
SaaS
iHeartRadio
Media & Streaming
Streaming service for live radio, podcasts and personalized music stations
SaaS
SoundCloud
Media & Streaming
Audio platform where independent artists upload, share and monetize tracks
SaaS
Apple Podcasts
Media & Streaming
Apple's podcast directory and listening app with show subscriptions
SaaS

