Steinberg has released SpectraLayers 13, an update to its spectral editing and unmixing application that adds a new process for isolating short sounds from continuous background noise, alongside a set of voice separation tools and a spectral resynthesis module aimed at post-production work.
The headline addition is Unmix Sound Effects, which separates short sounds from continuous ambient and environmental audio such as wind, crowd noise, traffic, and nature recordings, while preserving the background texture on its own layer. Paired with it is Ambience Heal, a new process that fills the gaps left in the spectrum after an unmix or cut-to operation. Where a voice has been removed from a source layer, for example, Ambience Heal can automatically fill the resulting space using the room tone or environmental sound already present in the recording.
Voice processing gets three additions. Unmix Two Voices separates two speakers automatically without requiring the user to register voice profiles first. Voice DeCrosstalk isolates a non-target voice, whether in the background or foreground, from the primary voice even where the two overlap. Voice DeClick removes mouth noise such as lip smacks and tongue clicks. Together, they extend SpectraLayers’ existing dialogue editing toolset to cover more of the cleanup work post-production engineers do by hand.
A new Reconstruct module handles spectral data resynthesis: it uses before/after selections to reconstruct tones and above/below selections to reconstruct transients and noise, with the reconstruction amount configurable for each of the three components. Paste operations have also been extended, with a new Paste Into Selection for repeating or replacing timeline events and a Paste Insert tool that adds a selection-length span to the active layer. Time Fade and Frequency Fade sliders, previously limited to certain contexts, now work on active selections.
SpectraLayers 13 can calculate and display loudness data, including True Peak and multiple LU measurements, across spectral selections or any combination of layers, with automatic updates as the selection changes. Batch processing now runs across multiple open projects at once rather than one at a time. The Pro Tools AudioSuite Bridge plug-in adds round-trip editing and processing of multiple audio clips in a single pass, with support for Dolby Atmos up to 9.1.6 and Ambisonics formats.
With SpectraLayers 13 we’ve streamlined the experience to better fit today’s fast-paced, interconnected post-production workflows. This release again highlights what makes SpectraLayers unique: surgical in its editing precision, yet very fast and intuitive to use.
Luis Dongo, Senior Marketing Manager Pro Audio at Steinberg.
A further set of workflow changes rounds out the release: fades can now be applied within a single layer or crossfaded between two layers, a new corner-based handle lets users adjust time and frequency coordinates simultaneously, relative amplitude attenuation is available within selections based on the surrounding content’s spectral power, and interface layouts can be saved and recalled. Over 100 functions, including layouts, tool presets, and module presets, can now be assigned keyboard shortcuts. Audio device support has been extended beyond 128 channels, the Unmix Transcription module exports to more frame rates, and hovering over a module with Tooltips active now shows its function and shortcut.
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Features
- Unmix Sound Effects: separates short sounds from continuous ambient/background audio, preserving the background layer.
- Ambience Heal: automatically fills spectral gaps left by unmix or cut-to operations using existing room tone.
- Unmix Two Voices: separates two speakers without voice profile registration.
- Voice DeCrosstalk: isolates overlapping background or foreground voices from the primary voice.
- Voice DeClick: removes mouth noise such as lip smacks and tongue clicks.
- Reconstruct module: resynthesizes tones, transients, and noise from before/after and above/below selections.
- Paste Into Selection and Paste Insert tools.
- Time Fade and Frequency Fade sliders usable on active selections.
- Automatically updating loudness metering (True Peak, multiple LU measurements) on selections and layer combinations.
- Batch processing across multiple open projects simultaneously.
- Pro Tools AudioSuite Bridge: round-trip editing of multiple clips, Dolby Atmos (up to 9.1.6) and Ambisonics support.
- Corner-based handle for simultaneous time/frequency selection adjustment.
- Saveable and recallable UI layouts.
- Assignable keyboard shortcuts for over 100 functions.
- Audio device support beyond 128 channels.
- Additional export frame rates for the Unmix Transcription module.
Pricing and Availability
Available now. SpectraLayers Pro 13: €359 / $359.99 (education version €199 / $199.99). SpectraLayers Elements 13: €89.99 / $89.99. Updates from previous SpectraLayers Pro versions, upgrades from Elements and Go (bundled with Cubase Pro, Nuendo, and Pro Tools), and crossgrades are available; an update path also exists for Elements 13. Customers who activated SpectraLayers Pro or Elements 12 or earlier from June 3, 2026 onward are eligible for a free grace-period update to version 13. Prices may vary by region.
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