Free Open Source Plugin: PerceptoMap - from spectrograms to perception: looking for feedback

[hqrrr]

Hi everyone

Sorry to post this again on this channel, but I think it may be related to here.

I’ve just released a free open-source JUCE-based VST3 plugin called PerceptoMap – a real-time psychoacoustic visualizer for audio signals.

Unlike traditional spectrum/spectrogram analyzers, PerceptoMap supports perceptually-inspired views such as:

• Real-time Mel spectrogram with nonlinear frequency scaling

• Real-time Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs) representing timbral texture and spectral envelope

• Chroma, Tempogram, etc. (in development)

• Configurable color maps (Classic, Grayscale, Magma)

• Frequency/dB readout under mouse

• Resizable GUI

• Built with JUCE 8 under AGPLv3

• Of course, the classic STFT spectrogram with linear or log frequency axis is also included

• No hidden fees, paid versions, or limitations

gui_ableton_live_12.png

Think of it as a plugin that visualizes how we hear, not just what we measure.

-> GitHub repo (with plugin download): https://github.com/hqrrr/PerceptoMap <-

What I’m looking for:

• Feedback / ideas from you

• Someone who can help build the macOS version and/or test with other DAWs – I currently only have access to Windows and Ableton Live 12

Feel free to star the repo, leave issues, or even open pull requests.
Cheers!

[FranklyFlawless]

I will try to make some time later to build and test the plugin using Debian 12 'Bookworm' with Ardour 8.12.0.

[hqrrr]

I will try to make some time later to build and test the plugin using Debian 12 'Bookworm' with Ardour 8.12.0.

Thanks a lot! I'd really appreciate that. looking forward to hearing how it goes on Linux!

[091Audio]

Hi there,

Sounds interesting, and I’ll have a look. I can try to build it on a Mac and run some tests with Logic. However, I don’t think I’ll be able to plan anything before the end of July.

Best regards,
Andy

[hqrrr]

Hi there,

Sounds interesting, and I’ll have a look. I can try to build it on a Mac and run some tests with Logic. However, I don’t think I’ll be able to plan anything before the end of July.

Best regards,
Andy

No problem, that's great! Feel free to leave a comment in the discussion section on GitHub anytime if you have any questions or if the macOS version builds successfully. Cheers

[FranklyFlawless]

Thanks a lot! I'd really appreciate that. looking forward to hearing how it goes on Linux!

Works fine:

[hqrrr]

Thanks a lot! I'd really appreciate that. looking forward to hearing how it goes on Linux!

Works fine:

Wow! Really appreciate you building the Linux version - that's awesome!

If you're interested, I'd be happy to add you as a collaborator so you can publish Linux builds directly to the repo.

Or if you prefer, just PM me the ZIP and I'll upload it to the latest release. Totally up to you. (I’m also considering switching to GitHub Actions for automated builds in the future — might make things easier — but since it’s still a small project, it’s probably a bit overkill for now.)

Thanks again for jumping in and helping out!

[FranklyFlawless]

I do not use GitHub, but I am willing to provide indirect feedback in this thread until the end of 2025. I currently do not have enough experience with git to tag release assets, but I plan on learning how to do so sometime in the next few months for my own projects.

[hqrrr]

I do not use GitHub, but I am willing to provide indirect feedback in this thread until the end of 2025. I currently do not have enough experience with git to tag release assets, but I plan on learning how to do so sometime in the next few months for my own projects.

No problem at all! I really appreciate your feedback.
If you're up for it, I’d love it if you could send me the Linux version of the plugin you built, for example in .zip format - either by email or any other way (e.g. cloud drive).
That way, I could share the Linux version on GitHub, and of course, I’ll credit you as the contributor!
Again, many many thx!

[FranklyFlawless]

Here is a Send link:

• https://send.vis.ee/download/32646d89979f76f4/#tgkI0PmeOmmvY37xqDr_IA

It contains all of the CMake build artefacts. The PerceptoMap.so VST3 plugin is located in the ~/PerceptoMap-0.3/Source/PerceptoMap_artefacts/VST3/PerceptoMap.vst3/Contents/x86_64-linux directory.

[hqrrr]

Here is a Send link:

• https://send.vis.ee/download/32646d89979f76f4/#tgkI0PmeOmmvY37xqDr_IA

It contains all of the CMake build artefacts. The PerceptoMap.so VST3 plugin is located in the ~/PerceptoMap-0.3/Source/PerceptoMap_artefacts/VST3/PerceptoMap.vst3/Contents/x86_64-linux directory.

[Olnium]

Hey, this looks great and works for me on Win11/Bitwig Studio 5.3.12.

Feature request, if I may? Could you add a keyboard on the right hand side to complement the frequencies on the left? I see we can get note values on hover but a static representation would be great.

[hqrrr]

Hey, this looks great and works for me on Win11/Bitwig Studio 5.3.12.

Feature request, if I may? Could you add a keyboard on the right hand side to complement the frequencies on the left? I see we can get note values on hover but a static representation would be great.

Received, added to my todo list!

[hqrrr]

Just a quick update: It now has builds for Windows, macOS (both Intel and Apple Silicon), and Linux!
Would love for you to give it a spin on your platform and let me know how it goes. Especially curious if the non-Windows builds work smoothly - all feedback is appreciated!

[hqrrr]

Hey, this looks great and works for me on Win11/Bitwig Studio 5.3.12.

Feature request, if I may? Could you add a keyboard on the right hand side to complement the frequencies on the left? I see we can get note values on hover but a static representation would be great.

FYI, an optional second y-axis for notes has been added in v0.9