Talk:Plot Spectrum

Function
Selects which mathematical function is used to pre-process the data. The basic forms of the FFT and autocorrelation algorithm require infinitely long sections of audio to work on, and so take infinitely long to complete. Hence the available audio must be faded in and out so that the finite length of the audio has minimum effect. The available functions are known as "windows" and fade in and out using different methods. There is a trade-off between frequency resolution and spillage from one frequency band to another. Gale: <>. This isn't my "area of expertise", but I'm not sure this flows well. Are there two different things affecting spillage - "frequency resolution" and "fade method"? If the rectangular window is the worst for spillage, but spillage is more of a problem with smaller window size, shouldn't we just say that?
 * Rectangular: is the simplest - it just cuts off the given block of samples with a sharp cut (no fading), and so leaves a sharp click at each end of the data. This means that you get a lot of spillage into other frequency bands. Not a good plan.
 * The rest fade in and out using various methods. The default (Hanning) is a good compromise, although opinions vary.