Support

Setup, licenses, billing, and updates. If your answer is not here, email me and I will sort it out.

01 / Setup

Getting started

1Download the latest build at spectraaudio.tech/download.
2Open the DMG and drag Spectra into your Applications folder.
3Launch Spectra and grant audio capture permission when macOS asks. You can also grant it later in System Settings > Privacy & Security.

Spectra cannot process your system audio until that permission is granted. This is a macOS rule, not a Spectra setting.

02 / Licenses

Licenses and activation

Your license key lives at /account. Sign in with the same account you bought with and the key is right there.

One license activates up to 3 Macs. If you hit the limit, revoke a device you no longer use at /account and that seat frees up immediately.

Selling or wiping a Mac? Revoke it first if you can. If you already wiped it, email me and I will clear the seat.

03 / Billing

Billing and refunds

Payments run through Polar, which is the merchant of record for Spectra. Polar issues your receipts, handles global tax, and processes refunds.

Open your billing portal at /account/billing to see invoices, update your payment method, or cancel a subscription.

For anything the portal will not do, email general@spectraaudio.tech and I will help.

04 / Updates

Updates

Spectra updates itself. It uses Sparkle to check for new versions and will prompt you when one is ready.

If an update ever fails, just download the latest installer at /download and install over the top. Your license and settings stay put.

05 / FAQ

Common questions

I installed Spectra but my audio sounds the same.

Nine times out of ten this is the permission. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security, confirm Spectra is allowed to capture audio, then quit and reopen the app so the new grant takes effect.

Why does Spectra need audio capture permission?

Spectra is a system-wide EQ. To shape the sound leaving your Mac it has to sit in the audio path, and macOS gates that behind an explicit permission. Nothing is recorded or uploaded.

My EQ does not seem to apply to one output device.

Check that the device you are listening on is the one selected as the macOS output. Some apps hold an output device open and need a restart to pick up a change. If it still does not apply, email me with the device and your macOS version and I will look into it.

Can I use Spectra on more than one Mac?

Yes. One license covers 3 activations. Use the same key on each Mac, and manage or revoke seats at /account.

I lost my license key.

Nothing is lost. Sign in at /account and your key is on the page. If you cannot get into the account, email me from the address you purchased with.

How do I uninstall Spectra?

Quit the app and move Spectra from your Applications folder to the Trash. Spectra also installs audio components so it can process system sound, so email general@spectraaudio.tech and I will send you the exact cleanup steps for your version. I would rather walk you through it than have you guess.

Spectra is in alpha. What does that mean for me?

It means the app is real and usable, but rough edges are expected and things change fast. Bug reports are genuinely welcome. Send them to general@spectraaudio.tech with your macOS version and what you were doing.

Contact

Still stuck?

Email me directly. Spectra is in alpha and I answer support myself, so you are talking to the person who wrote the code. Typical reply is within a day or two.

general@spectraaudio.techCole, the developer of Spectra