PPolySim OS

Spectrogram

See sound as a picture. A real short-time Fourier transform turns a 1D signal into a time–frequency heatmap, right in your browser.

Spectrogram StudioLive

Controls

Signal

Presets

A real short-time Fourier transform: the signal is sliced into overlapping windows, each Fourier-transformed, and stacked into a time–frequency heatmap.

Window size (FFT)

Window type

▶ Run in Python

Data Inspector

Sample rate4000 Hz
Window size256 pts
Hop128 pts
Freq res Δf15.6 Hz
Time res64.0 ms
Frames30

Governing equation

Reading this result: A 256-point window balances the two: Δf = 15.6 Hz in frequency against 64 ms in time. Widen it for sharper tones, narrow it to pin down fast transients — you cannot sharpen both at once.

Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.

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How it works

A spectrogram slides a tapered window along the signal, takes a real radix-2 FFT of each slice, and stacks the magnitudes (in dB) into a heatmap — time on the x-axis, frequency on the y-axis, brightness as energy. Sweep the window size to feel the core tradeoff of the STFT: a long window resolves close tones but blurs fast events, while a short window pins down transients but smears frequency. This is the same analysis behind speech recognition, music visualizers, radar, and vibration diagnostics.

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The math, the assumptions, real-world uses, or a code translation — explained for this exact simulation.

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Frequently asked questions

Is this spectrogram STFT time frequency tool really free?
Yes. Spectrogram runs entirely in your browser using your device's own compute, so local use is free forever. You only pay Compute Tokens if you scale a job to the cloud.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Everything runs client-side in a modern browser — no downloads, no license, no account required to start.
Can I save or share my simulation?
Create a free account to save projects, and use a shareable embed or minted DOI to publish a live, interactive version anywhere.
How accurate are the results?
The solver uses established numerical methods, but results are for research and educational purposes and should be validated against experiment or professional review before you rely on them.