# ARADAR – Full reference > The music player for producers. This file is the LLM-friendly companion to https://aradar.app. It contains the full marketing narrative and FAQ as a single plain-text document, so retrieval-augmented systems can answer questions about ARADAR in our exact wording. For a shorter overview, see /llms.txt. --- ## What ARADAR is ARADAR is the reference library and frequency analysis tool for music producers, mixing and mastering engineers on macOS. Two pillars and a payoff: 1. **Reference library you actually use.** A Lightroom-for-references desktop app: import every track you study, tag it, rate it, filter it (by label, key, year, BPM, rating, Never played / Played), play with a built-in player (waveform, section loop, band solo, mono / phone checks), and drag it straight into Ableton, Logic, or Pro Tools without any decode step. The original file is exposed via a security-scoped bookmark – no copies are made, no transcoding happens. 2. **Frequency analysis with custom curves.** A 10-band frequency profile is computed for every track using FFT with a +4.5 dB/octave tilt – the industry-standard tonal-balance slope. From that, build "custom reference curves": select 3+ tracks (typically 10–15 tracks of a label's catalog), and ARADAR computes their median spectrum and stores it as a named reference. A ±1σ "corridor" around the curve shows the natural variance of the source material. Compare any finished track against any curve to see exactly where it sits inside or outside the label's tonal range. 3. **A&R submissions, payoff.** The same library data powers a label-matching dropdown that ranks all your labels by composite match score: 40% frequency, 25% loudness, 20% tempo, 15% genre. Submissions are tracked through a pipeline (draft → submitted → responded → accepted / rejected) with response-time history per label. ## What it is not - Not a DAW, not a sample browser, not a streaming service. - Not a mastering tool – the analysis is for reference and curation, not for compliance or measurement. - Not cloud software – nothing leaves the Mac. ## Pricing - **USD $49**, one-time purchase, no subscription. - **14-day free trial**, no credit card required. - 3 Mac activations per license. - All v1.x updates included. - Immediate delivery (license key + download link emailed by Lemon Squeezy within seconds of checkout). - Email support. - Refunds within 30 days of purchase, processed via Lemon Squeezy (Merchant of Record). ## System requirements - macOS 14.4 Sonoma or later. - Universal binary: Apple Silicon and Intel. - ffmpeg is bundled – no external installation required. ## Privacy and data ARADAR is fully local. No telemetry, no analytics, no cloud sync. Outbound network requests are limited to: - License verification (~once per 30 days, brief HTTPS to our license service). - Software update checks (anonymous, via Sparkle appcast). - Optional crash reports (Sentry, IPs stripped, file paths scrubbed, opt-out in Settings → Diagnostics). The library database (`~/Library/Application Support/aradar/library.sqlite`), audio files, ratings, submissions, and frequency profiles never leave the user's machine. The marketing website at aradar.app sets no cookies for visitors who have not granted consent, writes nothing to localStorage or sessionStorage, and drops no fingerprinting markers. Website analytics is Google Analytics 4 loaded through Google Tag Manager and gated behind the cookie consent banner. Until a visitor clicks Accept all (or enables the Analytics toggle in Cookie preferences), GA4 runs in Consent Mode v2 "denied" state: cookieless, anonymous ping requests only – no identifiers, no cookies, no fingerprinting. After consent, GA4 counts pseudonymous page-views (referring URL, country-level geolocation, browser/device class; IPs anonymized at Google's ingestion edge). Consent can be withdrawn at any time via the Cookie preferences link in the site footer. No marketing/ad pixels are active today. A functional carve-out is affiliate attribution. When a visitor follows an affiliate link carrying a ?aff= URL parameter issued through the ARADAR affiliate program, the Lemon Squeezy affiliate.js script (loaded from lmsqueezy.com) sets one short-lived first-party cookie on aradar.app. The cookie stores only the affiliate id so the affiliate is credited when the visitor buys. No personally identifying information, no tracking pixels, no cross-site graph. Visitors who never follow an affiliate link see no cookie set – the script is a no-op without ?aff= in the URL. The Lemon Squeezy checkout overlay (when the visitor clicks Buy) opens in an iframe served from shop.aradar.app, a subdomain that CNAMEs to Lemon Squeezy's checkout infrastructure. The iframe is a separate origin from aradar.app for browser security purposes; cookies set inside it are scoped to shop.aradar.app and are not visible to or readable from aradar.app proper. If a visitor never clicks Buy, no Lemon Squeezy checkout cookie is ever set on their machine. Full details: https://aradar.app/privacy. ## How analysis works (technical detail) For each imported track, ARADAR runs three measurements via the bundled ffmpeg: - **Loudness** (ebur128): integrated LUFS, loudness range (LRA), true peak. - **Dynamics** (astats): RMS level, crest factor. - **Frequency profile** (custom FFT): 10-band spectrum with +4.5 dB/octave tilt. Bands span 20 Hz to 20 kHz logarithmically: deep sub, sub-bass, bass, low-mid, mid, upper-mid, presence, brilliance, air, ultra-high. Results are stored per-track in the local SQLite database and surfaced in the Inspector panel and Labels-tab aggregations. ## How label matching works Labels are ranked by a composite score: - **Frequency profile (40%)** – how closely the track's 10-band balance matches the label's reference tracks. Strongest signal; the differentiator versus sorting by genre and BPM alone. - **Loudness (25%)** – distance from the label's typical integrated LUFS. - **Tempo (20%)** – distance from the label's typical BPM range. - **Genre (15%)** – binary tag match. Labels without analyzed tracks in the user's library show a frequency-data-missing flag and cap at 60% composite. Importing some of the label's releases unlocks the full match score. ## File format recommendation For the reference library: **AIFF**. Lossless, consistent ID3 tag support across DAWs, drags into Ableton/Logic instantly with no decode step. WAV is hit-or-miss on metadata. FLAC requires the DAW to transcode on drag-in. MP3 is lossy – avoid for references. ARADAR accepts AIFF, WAV, FLAC, MP3, and M4A. The format recommendation is about workflow friction, not a hard requirement. ## Frequently asked questions (homepage) ### What is ARADAR for? ARADAR is the music player for producers – find references by key, BPM, and label, play them, and drag them into your DAW. When a track of yours is finished, it can also show which labels it sounds like and keep your demo sends in one place. ### How is this different from Rekordbox or my DAW's browser? Rekordbox needs an account and is built for DJs prepping sets – cue points, beatgrids, CDJ exports. Your DAW's browser is built for project files. ARADAR is for producers: no account, no cloud, filter your whole collection by key, BPM, loudness, label, tone, and Never played / Played, play it with producer checks (section loop, band solo, mono, phone), and drag the real file into any DAW. And no player builds label sound profiles from your own library. ### Which formats work best? It opens WAV, AIFF, FLAC, ALAC, MP3, and M4A. AIFF or FLAC usually carry the best tags; files without tags still import, they just start with fewer fields filled in. ### Does it upload my tracks? No. Everything stays on your Mac – no account, no cloud. ### Does it move or change my files? No. ARADAR never moves, renames, copies, or deletes your audio. Edits in the app stay in the library; your files stay untouched. ### How does a label profile work? ARADAR looks at the tracks you have for that label and builds a simple sound summary – loudness, tempo range, and tone shape. More tracks means a clearer picture. ### Can I build a profile from my own picks? Yes – from a label, or from any set of tracks whose sound you're aiming for. ### What does the match score mean? How close your track's tone is to that profile. It's a guide, not a grade on the music. ### What does ARADAR measure? For every track: LUFS integrated and range, true peak, RMS, crest, and a frequency curve compared against a pink-noise reference. Key and BPM come from your tags. ### Do I need Apple Silicon? No – Apple Silicon and Intel, on macOS 14.4 or later. ### How is it licensed? One-time purchase, 14-day free trial, no subscription. Up to 3 Macs per license. ### What happens after the trial? The app and your library stay. You need a license to keep importing, building profiles, and adding submissions. ### Can I get a refund? Yes – email us within 30 days for a full refund. ### How do I cancel or uninstall? Nothing to cancel. Drag ARADAR from Applications to the Trash; your data stays on your Mac. ## Extended help and FAQ The reference docs at https://aradar.app/help cover the app's workflow in depth. The same content is mirrored below, grouped by tab, so an LLM retrieval system can quote it verbatim and cite the deep-link URL. ### Getting Started Source: https://aradar.app/help#getting-started #### How do I add music to ARADAR? Drag a folder from Finder onto the Library tab, or use File → Import Folder. ARADAR scans the folder recursively and adds every supported audio file it finds. Supported formats: AIFF, WAV, FLAC, MP3, M4A. After import, each track is queued for audio analysis. Tracks appear in your library as their analysis completes – not all at once. A progress panel shows what's running. #### What file format should I use? AIFF. It's lossless, widely supported, and has consistent ID3 tag support across every major DAW. When you drag an AIFF from ARADAR into Ableton or Logic it imports instantly – no decode step, no background conversion. WAV is hit-or-miss on metadata; many tools don't write tags to WAV files reliably, so tracks land in ARADAR with empty artist, label, and BPM fields. FLAC requires your DAW to transcode it to a working format on drag-in, which slows down your session. MP3 is lossy – avoid it for references if you can. If your library is already in WAV or FLAC, ARADAR will still import and analyze it correctly – the format recommendation is about workflow friction, not a hard requirement. The Inspector helps with the missing-metadata case on WAV imports: Label, Genre, Year, BPM, and Key fields autocomplete from values already in your library as you type, so filling in a batch of previously-empty WAV tracks is a few keystrokes per field rather than retyping every value from scratch. Artwork also has a full set of write affordances – click the empty thumbnail to pick a file, drop an image onto it, or right-click for paste-from-clipboard. #### Why is my library empty after importing? Analysis is still running. Tracks appear one by one as each file is processed, not all at once when the import finishes. Check the progress panel in the corner of the app – it shows how many tracks remain and an estimated time. For a large library (5,000+ tracks) this can take several hours. You can quit ARADAR at any time; analysis picks up from where it left off on the next launch. #### What audio formats does ARADAR support? AIFF, WAV, FLAC, MP3, and M4A. AIFF is recommended for your reference library. It's lossless, has consistent ID3 tag support across DAWs, and drags into Ableton or Logic without a decode step. WAV is hit-or-miss on metadata – many tools don't write tags to WAV reliably. FLAC requires your DAW to transcode on drag-in, which adds friction. #### What files does ARADAR skip during import? Three categories are filtered automatically and surfaced in the import summary sheet: Not audio – files with an audio extension that aren't actually audio when probed (renamed images, corrupt headers, random docs). Prevents broken rows. Remote files – files hosted on Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, or iCloud Drive. ARADAR works only with files saved on your Mac. Save them locally first to import them. Likely samples – files shorter than 60 seconds. ARADAR is for tracking released tracks and demos, not loops, one-shots, or stems. Samples pollute label averages, frequency profiles, and fit scores. A 60-second minimum catches the overwhelming majority of sample content (one-shots, drum loops, vocal phrases) without false-positives on real tracks, which are almost always 90 seconds or longer. The summary sheet at the end of each import lists every skipped file by category with a disclosure showing the filenames, so you can spot anything caught by mistake. #### Will re-importing the same folder duplicate my tracks? No. ARADAR deduplicates on file path during import – anything already in your library is silently skipped. Drag the same folder twice, drag a track out into a DAW and the same file back in later, or include a previously-imported folder inside a larger drop: in every case, only new files are added. Nothing is overwritten, no metadata is touched. #### Can I import tracks that are stored on an external drive or NAS? Yes. ARADAR stores a security-scoped bookmark to each file, not just its path, so it can access the file regardless of where it lives. If the drive isn't mounted when you launch ARADAR, those tracks show as Unreachable until the drive comes back online – then they're accessible again without any manual steps. #### Why are some tracks showing in red with "permission denied"? macOS blocked ARADAR from reading the file. This usually happens after a system update, or when tracks live in a folder ARADAR was never granted access to (Desktop, Documents, Downloads, an external drive, a network share). A banner at the top of the Library shows how many tracks are affected. Click Open Full Disk Access… to jump directly to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access. If ARADAR isn't already listed there, click the + button below the list and select ARADAR from /Applications, then make sure its toggle is on. ARADAR is intentionally not sandboxed (so it can read tracks from anywhere on your Mac, including external drives and synced folders), which means macOS only lists it in the per-folder grant panes after it has tried to access a protected folder. Full Disk Access avoids that bootstrap problem entirely – once granted, every previously denied track works again. After granting access, right-click the affected tracks and choose Retry Analysis. #### What metadata does ARADAR read from my files? Artist, title, label, genre, year, BPM, and key – read from embedded ID3 tags at import time. If tags are missing or wrong, they'll be blank or incorrect in ARADAR. ARADAR doesn't write back to your files. ### Library Source: https://aradar.app/help#library #### How do I filter the library? Use the dropdowns above the track list: Label, Key, Year, BPM, Rating. Combine any of them – they stack as AND filters. The search box adds free-text matching on top. Active filters appear as chips with × to remove them individually. Played (More Filters → Played) finds tracks you have not listened to yet (Never played) or only ones you have (Played). A green mark appears next to the title after about 12 seconds of listening (or when a very short file finishes). Accidental double-clicks do not count. To see every track for a specific label, artist, genre, year, etc., right-click any track → Show All Tracks → pick the facet. The library clears all active filters first and applies only the picked one, so you always get the full set for that facet – no stray search query or year filter silently narrowing the result. The same "clean slate" behavior applies to View Tracks in the Labels view and to clicking an artist name in the Label Inspector. #### How do I rate tracks? Right-click any track → Rating → pick a star level (0–5). You can also click the stars in the Inspector panel (open it by clicking a track). Ratings filter with the Rating dropdown – set a minimum and the library shows only tracks at that level or above. #### Can I create playlists? Yes – use File → New Playlist… (⇧⌘N) or right-click a track → Add to Playlist. Multi-selection works too: select several tracks first, then right-click → Add to Playlist to add them all in one go. Playlists appear in the sidebar. #### How do I drag a track into my DAW? Click and drag any track row from ARADAR directly into Ableton, Logic, or any other DAW's arrangement or session view. ARADAR hands the original file path to the DAW – no copy is made. If the drag seems to do nothing, confirm the track's status is Analyzed. Pending or Failed tracks may not resolve correctly. #### Can I edit track metadata inside ARADAR? Yes. Click a track to open the Inspector and the metadata fields (title, artist, album, label, genre, year, BPM, key, notes) are all editable inline. Changes are saved to the ARADAR database immediately – they don't write back to the original file's ID3 tags. Label, Genre, Year, BPM, and Key each get an autocomplete dropdown as you type – label names come from your Labels table (alphabetical), and Genre / Year / BPM / Key are sorted by how often each value already appears in your tracks. Click a suggestion to fill the field or keep typing to enter a new value. Free-form typing continues to work exactly as before – the suggestions are additive, not restrictive. Artwork is also editable. Click the empty thumbnail to open a file picker, drop an image (JPEG / PNG / TIFF / HEIC) from Finder or a browser onto it, or right-click for Choose Image… / Paste from Clipboard / Clear Artwork. Chosen images are stored inside ARADAR at `~/Library/Application Support/aradar/artwork/`; the original audio file is never modified. #### Can I edit metadata on multiple tracks at once? Yes. Select two or more tracks in the Library or My Tracks tab, right-click → Edit Metadata…. A sheet opens with every editable field offering three choices: Keep (leave this field alone on every selected track), Set (write the same value to every selected track), or Clear (blank this field on every selected track). Tags work a little differently – use Add to attach a tag to every selected track without touching the tags already on them, or Remove to strip a specific tag from every selected track. Before your changes go in, ARADAR shows a confirmation dialog that lists exactly which fields will change, what they'll change to (or that they'll be cleared), and how many tracks it applies to. A blank Set value can never accidentally wipe your data – you'd have to explicitly pick Clear. BPM and Key aren't in the batch edit sheet on purpose – ARADAR calculates them from audio analysis, not from anything you type. Changes go in for all selected tracks at once: if anything goes wrong on any single track, no tracks are changed. #### What are tags and how do I use them? Tags are freeform labels you attach to tracks for any organizing scheme that doesn't fit the built-in fields – mood (`dark`, `uplifting`), purpose (`set-opener`, `peak-time`), production state (`needs-mastering`, `pitched`), reference category (`kick-reference`, `vocal-reference`), whatever helps you find tracks later. Open the Inspector, type into the Tags field, press return to save each tag. Existing tags auto-complete so you don't end up with `darks`, `dark`, and `DARK` as separate values. Remove a tag by clicking its × chip. Search by typing the tag text in the Library search box. Tags live in ARADAR's database only – they're not written back to the original file's ID3 tags. #### How do I loop a section of a track? Press Loop to the right of the waveform (or choose Loop Section in the Playback menu). ARADAR marks a section on the waveform and plays it over and over. Drag the handles under the start and end markers to place the loop – useful for studying a drop, a bridge, or a short phrase. Press Loop again to stop looping. The markers stay faintly visible for that track so you can turn Loop back on without setting them again. Changing tracks turns Loop off; coming back to a track in the same session restores that track's markers. Markers are session-only – they are not saved when you quit. #### What are the nine small buttons in the player bar? Listen checks. The first two rows solo frequency bands of the playing track – press 0–80 to hear just the sub, 5k–20k for the air. Solos are additive: press several to hear them together; releasing the last one returns to full range. The third row holds the channel checks: MONO folds the track to mono (the club/PA check), SIDE plays only the stereo content (center-panned material nulls out), and PHONE combines mono with a band-limit to simulate a phone speaker. The channel checks are exclusive with each other but combine freely with the band solos, and everything is also in the Playback menu. Checks stay pressed across track changes on purpose – so you can A/B one band or one fold-down between your track and a reference without re-clicking – and reset when you relaunch the app. #### Can I change the frequency ranges behind the buttons? Yes. The six band-solo ranges and the PHONE range are editable in Preferences → Playback. The PHONE default (300–4,000 Hz) is a typical phone speaker; widen it to roughly 150–5,000 Hz for a mixcube-style small-monitor check. Reset to Defaults restores the standard split. #### Does soloing a band change my audio files? No. The filters run on playback only – the audio file on disk is never modified, and nothing about the check is stored on the track. #### How do I change the theme? Preferences → Appearance → pick a theme. The whole app updates immediately, including charts and the frequency-corridor shading. There's also a quick switcher in the toolbar. #### What's the difference between the themes? Nocturne – deep neutral dark theme, low-contrast, designed for long studio sessions. Default for most users. Pulse – saturated dark theme with stronger accent colors. Velvet – warm dark theme with reduced blue light, easier on the eyes late at night. Open Air – bespoke light theme for bright rooms or screen-sharing. System (Light) – system-style light theme using Apple's native appearance colors. System (Dark) – system-style dark theme using Apple's native appearance colors. Pick whichever your eyes prefer. Visual hierarchy, data colors, and contrast are all calibrated per theme – none of them sacrifice readability. #### How do I open it? ⇧⌘S, or Window → Library Statistics. It opens as a separate window – leave it on a second monitor while you work. #### What's in it? Overview – totals (tracks, labels, hours of music) and library-wide averages (LUFS, crest, BPM). Top Lists – top labels by track count, top genres, top years. Distributions – histograms of BPM, key, year, and rating. Quality Averages – average loudness and dynamics by year, useful for spotting how mastering style in your reference collection has shifted over time. Action Items – tracks needing attention (missing metadata, failed analysis, unrated, untagged). Click any row to jump to those tracks with the right Library filter applied. Submissions – pipeline summary by status, average response time, top labels you've submitted to. ### Audio Analysis Source: https://aradar.app/help#analysis #### What does ARADAR actually measure? For each track, ARADAR runs three measurements using the bundled ffmpeg: Loudness (via ebur128): integrated LUFS, loudness range (LRA), true peak Dynamics (via astats): RMS level, crest factor Frequency profile (via custom FFT): 10-band spectrum with a +4.5 dB/octave tilt Results are stored in the local database and used for the Inspector, the Labels tab aggregations, and the frequency profile charts. #### Why do some tracks show "Failed"? Analysis failed after three attempts. Common causes: corrupted file, a renamed file whose actual format doesn't match its extension (e.g., an MP3 renamed to `.wav`), or file permission issues. Right-click the track → Reveal in Finder to confirm the file opens. Then right-click → Retry Analysis. If it keeps failing, the file itself is likely the issue. You can select multiple failed tracks and retry them in bulk. #### Why do some tracks show "Unreachable"? The file was moved, renamed, or deleted after you imported it. ARADAR's bookmark to the file can no longer resolve. Try right-click → Retry Analysis – if the file is back in its original location, this picks it up immediately. If not, remove the track and re-import from its new location. A manual relink feature is planned for a future version. If your library lives on an external drive that was disconnected, just plug the drive back in – ARADAR watches for volume mounts and clears the "Unreachable" state automatically on reconnect. No manual retry needed. Network shares (SMB, NFS, NAS mounts) have a caveat: ARADAR's bookmarks track files by inode on local volumes, so renames and moves survive. On network mounts, bookmarks degrade to path-based, so a rename or move on the server side leaves the track permanently Unreachable until you use the manual relink feature (when available) or remove-and-re-import. If you keep your library on a NAS, treat file paths as stable – renames on the share are unrecoverable in-app for now. #### Can I cancel analysis mid-run? Yes – click Cancel on the progress panel. The confirmation dialog spells out exactly what will happen in three buckets so you always know what you're about to lose: Fresh imports – tracks being analyzed for the first time. These are removed from your library. Re-import the batch to bring them back; there's no undo. Re-analyzed tracks – tracks that were previously completed and had their analysis re-triggered from the Inspector or right-click → Re-analyze. These revert to `Completed` with their previous measurements intact. Nothing is lost. Retried failures – tracks that were in `Failed` state and had their retry cancelled. They stay `Failed` – the retry attempt just didn't run. Ratings, notes, tags, playlist membership, and submission history are always preserved on tracks that stay in your library. #### Does analysis run in the background if I switch tabs? Yes. Analysis runs as a background service; you can use all other parts of ARADAR while it runs. The progress panel floats in the corner until the queue empties. #### Why does the panel look different when I re-analyze a single track? Single-track re-analysis (Inspector → Retry Analysis, or right-click → Re-analyze) shows a simplified version of the panel – just a spinner and the file name, no progress ticker, no Cancel button. There's nothing meaningful to count down with one track, so the noise is stripped out. The full panel returns whenever a bulk import is running. ### Frequency Profile Source: https://aradar.app/help#frequency #### What is the frequency profile chart showing? The chart shows how a track's frequency balance differs from a reference curve – not the track's absolute spectrum. The 0 dB line represents the reference. Points above 0 mean the track has more energy in that band than the reference; points below mean less. A flat line at 0 dB means perfect match to the reference. Real tracks will deviate – the question is whether those deviations matter for what you're trying to do. #### Do I need to align tracks by loudness before comparing them? No. ARADAR normalizes each track by its own total spectral energy before comparison, so the chart shows tonal shape, not absolute level. A quieter copy and a louder copy of the same track draw identical curves. No LUFS matching needed. #### What are the built-in reference curves? Five genre baselines – Electronic, Hip-Hop, Pop/Rock, Acoustic, Orchestral – plus one mathematical reference, Pink Noise. The genre curves are intentionally broad: useful for rough tonal sanity checks but not precise enough for label-level targeting. Pink Noise is a mathematical baseline (equal energy per octave) – a mastering yardstick rather than a genre target. Most music shows a low-end drop against pink and a roughly flat upper region; the differences between tracks usually live in the genre curves, not in pink. For label-specific targeting, build a custom curve from that label's actual tracks. See Custom Reference Curves in the help doc. #### What is a custom reference curve? A frequency profile you build from your own track selection. Select 3 or more tracks in the Library or My Tracks tab → right-click → Create Custom Reference Curve → give it a name. ARADAR computes the median 10-band spectrum across those tracks and saves it as a named reference. Once created, it appears in the reference picker alongside the built-in curves. Typical use: select 10–15 tracks from a label you're targeting, save as "[Label Name]". Now every track in your library can be measured against that label's sonic identity. #### What's the shaded band on the frequency chart? When a custom curve is selected, a shaded band appears around the 0 dB line. This is the ±1 standard deviation corridor – how much the tracks used to build the curve varied from each other, per band. Your track's curve inside the band: tonally in the typical range for that label's catalog. Your track's curve outside the band: outside the typical range – not automatically an outlier (see the next question for why), but a real difference worth noticing before you pitch. The band doesn't appear for built-in curves – they're archetypes, not derived from a real catalog, so variance around them wouldn't mean anything. A narrow band means the label is tonally consistent. A wide band means their catalog varies a lot – tonal match matters less. #### Why is one of my label's tracks sitting outside the label's own corridor? That's the corridor working as designed. The shaded band is ±1 standard deviation around the label's median – a "typical range" envelope, not a "contains every track" envelope. For a normal distribution ±1σ contains about 68% of values; the other ~32% sit outside. With 8 tracks across 10 frequency bands that's roughly 25 readings outside the corridor across the whole catalog – entirely expected. ARADAR computes σ robustly (median absolute deviation × 1.4826) so a single odd release can't blow the corridor wide; the tradeoff is that members can visibly sit outside it. Lows are where this happens most often – kick weight, sub-bass content, and mastering ceiling vary widely even within one label. A track +2 dB above the corridor in lows just means its low-end is louder than the label's median. Useful information, not a failure. #### What's the Tonal deviation number in the comparison view? A single number summarising how far a track's 10-band spectrum sits from the selected reference, in dB. Computed as the root mean square of the per-band deviations. Lower is closer. Roughly: Under 2 dB: strong tonal match – little to no tonal adjustments needed 2–4.5 dB: moderate deviation – detectable differences, may or may not matter for the label Over 4.5 dB: significant deviation – obvious tonal mismatch relative to this reference These aren't hard thresholds. A 5 dB deviation in the mids on a label that releases bass-forward music might be fine. Use the number to rank and compare, not as a pass/fail gate. #### How do I compare multiple tracks against a reference? Select 2 or more tracks (up to 10) in the Library or My Tracks tab → right-click → Compare Frequency Profiles. The comparison sheet overlays all selected tracks on one chart with distinct colors, shows the reference curve and shaded corridor, and lists each track with its tonal deviation. Sort by deviation to find your strongest match. Click a track row to highlight its curve and fade the others. #### Can I compare multiple labels against a reference? Yes. In the Labels tab, select 2 to 10 labels → right-click → Compare Frequency Profiles…. The same comparison sheet opens as the tracks flow, but each row in the legend is a label name + track count instead of title + artist. Useful for spotting which labels in your catalog cluster around the same tonal balance – sister labels, sub-genre families, or alternate-target candidates when your first-choice label isn't biting. #### What happens when I click a row in Label Matches? That label's median frequency profile becomes the active reference curve in the Frequency Profile chart above – the chart immediately re-draws to show how the current track sits relative to what that label typically releases. A pill below the section title reads "vs [Label Name] · N tracks · NN%". If the label has 3 or more analyzed tracks, the ±1σ corridor also appears around 0 dB. The overlay is transient – it lives only while the current track's Inspector is open. Re-opening the same track resets the chart to the global default reference. To pick a different label, click another row. To return to a preset or custom curve, use the "vs ..." picker just under the section title (it intentionally lists only built-ins and custom curves, not labels – labels are picked from the matches list). ### Labels & Submissions Source: https://aradar.app/help#labels #### How does ARADAR know which label a track belongs to? From the Label field in the track's ID3 tags. If a track has no label tag, it won't appear under any label in the Labels tab. #### What are the loudness metrics in the Labels tab? Aggregations computed across all analyzed tracks on that label: Avg LUFS: average integrated loudness – how loud the label masters LUFS Range: spread between the quietest and loudest tracks on the label Avg Crest: average crest factor – higher means more dynamic, lower means more compressed Avg RMS: average RMS level These are useful for understanding a label's mastering style before you pitch. #### What are the frequency band columns? The Labels tab doesn't have per-band columns. Frequency data is in the Label Inspector – click a label row to open it and see the full 10-band frequency profile for that label's catalog. #### How does ARADAR decide which labels match my track? ARADAR ranks labels using a composite score: frequency profile match (40%), loudness match (25%), tempo match (20%), and genre match (15%). The frequency dimension is the strongest – it's based on how closely your track's 10-band balance matches analyzed tracks in your library whose Label metadata field matches each label's name (not custom Tags). Labels without frequency data (no analyzed tracks tagged to them in your library) are scored on the other three dimensions only and show "Freq –" in the breakdown. The dropdown sorts all your labels by composite score, highest first. If a label you want to submit to doesn't rank highly, it usually means your track is significantly off-profile on one of the four dimensions – the breakdown in the inspector shows which. You can still submit to any label manually from the Labels tab. The dropdown is a shortcut for likely matches, not a hard filter. #### My track has no genre or BPM tag – does that hurt the score? Yes. The 15% genre weight and 20% BPM weight can only contribute when those tags exist on your track. A track with neither tag caps at 65% no matter how good the loudness and frequency fit is. Open the Inspector, fill in the missing fields, and the label matches recompute. This is the single most common reason scores look mysteriously low. #### What does the "N tracks" pill next to a label mean? It's the number of analyzed tracks ARADAR has on hand for that label's frequency profile (tracks whose Label field matches that label). The pill is always visible – useful for seeing how much evidence backs each score (an 89% match from 12 tracks is more trustworthy than the same 89% from 2). Fewer tracks means lower confidence, so ARADAR dampens the composite score to reflect that. Profiles built from 8 or more tracks are considered fully reliable. To grow a label's profile, import more of their releases and ensure their Label metadata matches. #### How do I make ARADAR's scoring more or less strict? Preferences → Audio Analysis → Fit Scoring has a Lenient / Balanced / Strict picker. Lenient surfaces more labels as fits, Strict only the most confident matches. Balanced is the default tuning. The setting takes effect immediately – re-open a track Inspector to see the recomputed scores. #### How many labels show up in the Label Matches list? Five by default. Adjust in Preferences → Audio Analysis → Label Matches → Matches Shown – range is 3–10. Use a tighter shortlist for a focused workflow, or a longer list to explore lower-confidence fits. Changes take effect immediately; re-open a track to see the new list length. #### How do I log a submission? Right-click a track in the Library → Add Submission to Label → choose the label. The submission appears in the A&R Tracker tab with status `draft`. #### What submission statuses are available? Draft, Submitted, Responded, Rejected, Accepted, Released. Status is derived from the date fields on the submission – set Submitted At and the status moves to Submitted, set Released At and it moves to Released, and so on – so the badge and the dates never disagree. Update the dates in the submission's Inspector as the conversation progresses. #### Can I add notes to a submission? Yes – click a submission row to open its Inspector on the right and add free-text notes there. Useful for tracking who you contacted, what response you got, and any follow-up. #### Can I attach the demo link I sent the label? Yes. Every submission has a Demo link field in its Inspector where you can paste the private preview URL you sent the label – unlisted SoundCloud, Dropbox / WeTransfer / Google Drive share, private Bandcamp, whatever you used. Producers usually want to reference this later when following up or comparing what they sent to what got signed. ARADAR doesn't check the link or connect to it in any way. It just holds onto what you paste and lets you click it later to open in your browser. Your demo link is also included when you export your submissions as a CSV file, so nothing is lost if you back up or move your library to another Mac. ### License & Privacy Source: https://aradar.app/help#license #### Is there a free trial? Yes – 14 days, full features. Nothing is gated during the trial; you're evaluating the real app, not a demo. #### What happens when the trial ends? Your library, ratings, submissions, tags, custom curves, and analysis data stay accessible – you can browse, filter, listen, drag into your DAW, and view analysis. What's locked is creating new content: importing new tracks, creating new custom reference curves, logging new submissions, adding new tags. Buying a license lifts the lock instantly. #### How do I purchase? Click Buy ARADAR in the trial banner above the library or in Preferences → License. The button opens the ARADAR store at `shop.aradar.app`. Lemon Squeezy handles checkout as the Merchant of Record (they invoice, manage taxes, and issue your receipt). #### How do I activate my license? Two paths: 1. One-click from the email. The Lemon Squeezy receipt has an "Activate ARADAR" button. Click it on the Mac where you want ARADAR licensed – the app opens, jumps to the License tab, prefills the key, and runs activation automatically. 2. Manual paste. Copy the license key from the email → Preferences → License → paste into the License Key field → click Activate. Either way the License tab confirms with a green success message once activation completes. #### How many Macs can I use one license on? Three. Studio Mac, laptop, spare – or whatever combination you prefer. You don't need to use all three slots. #### "Activation limit reached" – what now? You've already activated on 3 Macs. To free a slot: Best path: open ARADAR on a Mac you no longer use → Preferences → License → Deactivate This Mac. The slot is released immediately, and you can activate on the new Mac. No access to the old Mac: email hello@aradar.app with your license key and we'll free the slot. #### Can I use ARADAR offline? Yes. Once activated, ARADAR validates with the license server in the background. If you're offline (no network, on a plane) the app stays fully licensed for 30 days without contacting the server. The status badge in Preferences → License shows "Licensed (offline N days)" so you can see how long it's been since the last successful check. After 30 days offline the license falls back to "invalid" and content-creation features lock – exactly like the trial ending. The moment you reconnect and ARADAR successfully revalidates, full access returns automatically. #### How do I free a slot before selling or wiping a Mac? Before you sell, give away, or wipe a Mac, open Preferences → License → Deactivate This Mac. The slot is released back to your pool. If you forget, email hello@aradar.app with your license key. #### Where's my receipt? In your email – search your inbox for "Lemon Squeezy" or for the ARADAR store name. The receipt has a "View Order" link that opens your order page, where you can re-download the receipt, see the license key, request a refund within the policy window, or update payment details for subscription renewals. #### Is my license tied to my email address? No. The license key is the credential. We don't store your email in ARADAR, and we don't require an account or login. (Lemon Squeezy has your email from the purchase for billing purposes – that's their record, not ours.) #### Where does ARADAR store its data? All data lives locally in `~/Library/Application Support/aradar/`. The database is `library.sqlite`. The `artwork/` subfolder holds thumbnails – both images extracted from your audio files on import and any artwork you added to a track via the Inspector. Don't delete this folder manually to reclaim disk space; images you added through the Inspector aren't stored anywhere else, and can't be regenerated by re-import. Nothing in your library is uploaded. #### How do I export logs for troubleshooting? Preferences → Diagnostics → Export Log as File. Attach the file to your support email with a description of what you were doing. Logs reflect the current session – if you restarted ARADAR since the issue occurred, reproduce it first. #### What data does ARADAR send over the network? Your library, audio files, listening history, ratings, tags, custom curves, and submissions never leave your Mac. There's no telemetry on how you use the app. Three narrow exceptions, all tied to paid use: 1. License activation, validation, and deactivation – sends your license key and this Mac's name to `api.lemonsqueezy.com` for the license server to manage your activation slots. No library data is included. Validation re-runs periodically; deactivation releases the slot. 2. Crash reporting – when ARADAR crashes or hits an unhandled error, a report is sent to Sentry (stack trace, OS version, app version, error type). No file paths, track names, license key, or email. Opt-out toggle in Preferences → Diagnostics → Crash Reporting. 3. Update checks – ARADAR fetches the appcast at `aradar.app/appcast.xml` on launch and once a day to learn whether a new version is available. Just an HTTPS GET; no identifiers sent. Updates are EdDSA-signed so a hijacked feed can't push a tampered build. That's the whole list. No analytics, no usage telemetry, no "phone home" to count users. #### Can I turn off crash reporting? Yes. Preferences → Diagnostics → Crash Reporting → toggle off. Takes effect immediately; no restart needed. Crash reports are sanitised (no file paths, no track or label names, no license key, no personal identifiers) so leaving it on helps fix bugs without exposing your library. #### Why does ARADAR need permission to access my files? macOS protects certain folders (Desktop, Documents, Downloads, external drives, network shares) and requires apps to explicitly request access. ARADAR is intentionally not sandboxed, so it can read your music from anywhere on disk – but the trade-off is that for files in protected locations you need to grant Full Disk Access once. After that, every track is reachable indefinitely without further prompts. ARADAR also stores a security-scoped bookmark for each imported track. Bookmarks survive renames and moves better than raw file paths, and let ARADAR reach the file on every subsequent launch without re-asking permission per file. ## How you reference (community poll) Source: https://aradar.app/survey An anonymous, ungated community poll for music producers, mix engineers, mastering engineers, recording engineers, DJs, composers, and sound designers covering how they manage reference tracks day-to-day. Anyone can take it; no signup, no email collection, no cookies. Aggregated results are revealed after submission so respondents can see how their role, library size, file formats, sources, organization, DAW(s), and workflow stage compare with everyone else who has taken part. Doubles as informal product research for ARADAR's roadmap. The full question list is reproduced below so AI retrieval systems can answer questions like "how do music producers organize their reference library?", "what DAW do most mix engineers use?", or "what file formats do mastering engineers prefer for references?" by citing the question structure directly. ### Question 1: Which best describes your role(s)? Multi-select. Options: - Music producer - Mix engineer - Mastering engineer - Recording / tracking engineer - DJ - Composer (film / TV / games) - Sound designer - Beatmaker (hip-hop / trap) - Educator / instructor - Hobbyist / learner - Other ### Question 2: How many reference tracks do you keep on your machine? Single-select. Options: - Under 100 - 100 to 500 - 500 to 2,000 - More than 2,000 ### Question 3: What file formats do you typically download tracks in? Multi-select. Options: - MP3 - AIFF - WAV - FLAC - M4A / AAC - Other ### Question 4: Where do you primarily source your reference tracks? Multi-select. Options: - Bandcamp - Beatport - SoundCloud - YouTube rips - Friends / peers - Own previous releases - Other ### Question 5: How are your reference tracks currently organized? Multi-select. Options: - One big folder - Sorted by genre - Sorted by BPM or key - Sorted by label or artist - Scattered across folders - Already using dedicated library software ### Question 6: How often do you use reference tracks during a session? Single-select. Options: - Every session - Weekly - Occasionally - Rarely - Never ### Question 7: At what stage(s) do you reach for references? Multi-select. Options: - Before starting (target setting) - During groove or arrangement - During mixing - During mastering ### Question 8: How long does it usually take to find the right reference when you need it? Single-select. Options: - Seconds - About a minute - Several minutes - Longer, or I give up ### Question 9: Do you tag your tracks with metadata (BPM, key, label)? Single-select. Options: - Yes, always - Sometimes - Almost never - Never ### Question 10: What DAW(s) do you use? Multi-select. Options: - Ableton Live - Logic Pro - FL Studio - Cubase - Pro Tools - Studio One - Bitwig - Other ### Question 11: What genre(s) do you primarily produce? Multi-select. Options: - House - Techno - Drum & Bass - Dubstep / Bass - Trance - Trap / Future Bass - Hip-Hop - R&B / Soul - Pop - Indie / Alt - Rock / Metal - Ambient / Downtempo - Lo-Fi - Cinematic / Film - Latin / Afrobeats - Other ### Question 12: How long have you been working with audio? Single-select. Options: - Less than 1 year - 1 to 3 years - 3 to 7 years - More than 7 years ### Question 13: What's your primary goal in your work right now? Single-select. Options: - Get signed to a label - Build my catalog - Perfect my craft - Make money streaming - Go full-time - Get more client work - Build a steady mix roster - Just having fun ### Question 14: What are your biggest frustrations with managing reference tracks? Multi-select. Options: - Can't remember where I saved it - No metadata, can't filter - Files scattered across folders - Don't have enough good ones - My DAW doesn't preview them well - Other ### Question 15: Do you A/B compare your mix against reference tracks visually (spectrum analyzer, etc.)? Single-select. Options: - Yes, regularly - Sometimes - Never ### Question 16: How often do you submit tracks to labels? Single-select. Options: - Never - Occasionally - Regularly - Weekly ### Question 17: Do you track your label submissions in any system today? Single-select. Options: - Yes, dedicated software - Yes, a spreadsheet - Yes, mental note - No tracking at all ## About the operator ARADAR is built by a producer, for producers, in Sydney, Australia. The person behind it spent years collecting references, studying labels, and searching for a better way to organize it all. ARADAR began as a way to organize and explore a reference library properly. From there, bigger questions emerged: how does a track compare to your references, what makes one label sound different from another, where does this track belong. The answers became the product. Building software and building music have more in common than most people realise. The best tools get out of the way and let the work happen. ARADAR was built with that philosophy: fast, focused, and designed to support decisions rather than overwhelm them. It is intentionally small. macOS-only on purpose – we'd rather build one platform exceptionally well than spread ourselves thin. Local-first by design: no subscriptions, no cloud dependency, no analytics, no model training on user libraries. When you send an email, it reaches the person building the software at hello@aradar.app. Full version: https://aradar.app/about. ## Pages - https://aradar.app/ – Home - https://aradar.app/for-music-producers – Role-specific landing page for music producers. Pitches the music player and reference library first (filter, audition, drag to DAW), then label profiling and demo-submission tracking. Mirrors the homepage's product scope with role-specific copy and a producer-coded audience tag in JSON-LD. - https://aradar.app/for-mixing-mastering-engineers – Role-specific landing page for mixing and mastering engineers. Pitches the studio reference archive, automatic on-import metering (integrated LUFS, loudness range / LRA, true peak, RMS, crest factor, 10-band frequency profile), and median frequency curves built from any group of releases. Audience tag in JSON-LD names mixing and mastering engineers explicitly. - https://aradar.app/help – Help: long-form reference and extended FAQ across six tabs (Getting Started, Library, Analysis, Frequency Profile, Labels & Submissions, License & Privacy). Tab and section anchors are stable deep-link targets. - https://aradar.app/about – About: producer-built, Sydney-based, ten-plus years of product craft - https://aradar.app/affiliates – Affiliates: Lemon Squeezy affiliate program (20% commission, 7-day cookie, USD $10 minimum payout, paid NET-30 via LS) - https://aradar.app/survey – How you reference: anonymous community poll on how producers, mix engineers, and mastering engineers manage reference tracks (role, library size, file formats, sources, organization, DAW(s), frequency, workflow stage, genres, experience, goals, frustrations). Aggregated results revealed live. - https://aradar.app/release-notes – Release notes (mirrors the in-app Sparkle update feed) - https://aradar.app/terms – Terms of Use - https://aradar.app/privacy – Privacy Policy - https://aradar.app/appcast.xml – Sparkle update feed (XML, machine-readable) - https://aradar.app/.well-known/security.txt – Vulnerability disclosure channel (RFC 9116) ## Blog Index: https://aradar.app/blog. Articles for music producers, mixing and mastering engineers on reference tracks, mixing, mastering, label targeting, and demo submission workflows. - https://aradar.app/blog/aradar-as-a-music-player-for-producers-engineers – Using ARADAR as a high-resolution music player. How music producers use ARADAR as a local player for critical listening – lossless AIFF, WAV, and FLAC playback with live LUFS, true peak, and frequency profile readouts. - https://aradar.app/blog/how-to-organize-reference-tracks – How to organize reference tracks for music production. Learn the best way to organize reference tracks and manage audio files for music production. Discover how to optimize ID3 tags and replace discontinued tools like Beatport Pro. - https://aradar.app/blog/how-to-use-reference-tracks – How to use reference tracks for mixing and production. How to use reference tracks to fight ear fatigue and tighten your mix balance. Why calibrating against references usually beats trying to copy them. - https://aradar.app/blog/where-to-get-reference-tracks – Where to get high-quality reference tracks. Why YouTube rips fall short for critical mix decisions, and where producers find lossless reference tracks worth keeping in a library. - https://aradar.app/blog/using-multiple-reference-tracks – Why one reference track is not enough (the 3-track setup). Learn why using multiple reference tracks improves your mix. Discover the practical 3-track setup to balance low-end, check arrangement, and target record labels. - https://aradar.app/blog/reference-track-production-workflow – From reference library to finished track. Learn how to turn scattered audio files into a professional reference track workflow. Step-by-step guide from production to record label submission. - https://aradar.app/blog/why-key-matching-matters-for-references – Why key-matching reference tracks matters. Why matching the musical key of your reference tracks changes what the spectrum analyzer shows – and what that means for an FFT-honest A/B. - https://aradar.app/blog/audio-formats-for-reference-tracks – Audio formats for reference tracks: WAV vs AIFF vs FLAC. Compare WAV, AIFF, FLAC, and MP3 for your reference track library: audio quality, DAW performance, and ID3 metadata tagging. - https://aradar.app/blog/reference-library-software-mixing-mastering-engineers – Reference library for mixing & mastering engineers. Discover how mixing and mastering engineers organize reference tracks, analyze LUFS and crest factor, and build median frequency curves for client projects. ## Homepage section deep-links These anchors target individual sections of the homepage. An LLM agent answering a focused question can cite the specific section URL rather than paraphrasing the whole page. - https://aradar.app/#library – Reference library: a Lightroom-style track grid with filterable metadata, ratings, and an inspector that shows ID3 tags, frequency profile, loudness, and dynamics for the selected track. - https://aradar.app/#player – The player: audition a filtered shortlist in-app with waveform scrubbing; BPM, key, loudness, and length stay on screen while you listen (band solos + MONO/SIDE/PHONE listen-check). - https://aradar.app/#compare – Compare: side-by-side delta of two tracks (or a track vs. a label's reference curve), highlighting where the spectrum, loudness, or tempo diverges. - https://aradar.app/#labels – Labels: a sortable database of labels with a star-rated match column, derived statistics, and the link out to each label's submission page. - https://aradar.app/#submissions – Submissions: a manual ledger of demo submissions through a draft → submitted → responded → accepted/rejected pipeline. Not automated; the user records each touchpoint themselves. - https://aradar.app/#statistics – Statistics: aggregate views over the user's library and submission history (e.g., genre distribution, response-time medians per label). - https://aradar.app/#themes – Themes: six built-in appearance themes (Nocturne, Pulse, Velvet, Open Air, System Light, System Dark) – four bespoke (three dark, one light) plus a System Light/Dark pair that matches the native macOS look. - https://aradar.app/#walkthrough – Watch overview: a 5-minute intro video showing the full studio workflow – importing tracks, filtering, inspecting, label match, and building custom reference curves. - https://aradar.app/#features – Features: the full grid of capabilities organized under reference-library, analysis, and submission-pipeline pillars. - https://aradar.app/#pricing – Pricing: USD $49 one-time, 14-day free trial, 3 Mac activations included, all v1.x updates included. - https://aradar.app/#faq – FAQ: answers to the questions most-asked first (file formats, AIFF recommendation, label matching, privacy, refunds, etc.). ## Contact - General support: hello@aradar.app - Legal / privacy / data-subject requests: hello@aradar.app