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Signal Analyzer

Visualize and compare multiple signals and spectra

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Description

The Signal Analyzer app is an interactive tool for visualizing, preprocessing, measuring, analyzing, and comparing signals in the time domain, in the frequency domain, and in the time-frequency domain. Using the app, you can:

  • Easily access all the signals in the MATLAB® workspace

  • Smooth, filter, resample, detrend, denoise, duplicate, extract, rename, and edit signals without leaving the app

  • Add and apply custom preprocessing functions

  • Visualize and compare multiple waveform, spectrum, persistence, spectrogram, and scalogram representations of signals simultaneously

  • Measure data and signal statistics

The Signal Analyzer app provides a way to work with many signals of varying durations at the same time and in the same view.

For more information, see Using Signal Analyzer App.

  • Signal Analyzer no longer opens Signal Labeler, which is now available as an app. If you want to label signals, open Signal Labeler from the MATLAB Toolstrip or the Command Window.

  • You need a Wavelet Toolbox™ license to use the scalogram view and to apply wavelet denoising to signals.

Signal Analyzer app

Open the Signal Analyzer App

  • MATLAB Toolstrip: On the Apps tab, under Signal Processing and Communications, click the app icon.

  • MATLAB command prompt: Enter signalAnalyzer.

Examples

Programmatic Use

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signalAnalyzer opens the Signal Analyzer app.

signalAnalyzer(sig) opens the Signal Analyzer app and imports and plots the signal sig. If the app is already open, then it plots sig in the current display. If sig is already plotted but has changed, then the function call updates the plot.

sig can be a variable in the workspace or a MATLAB expression. sig can be:

  • A vector or a matrix with independent signals in each column.

  • A timetable with time values specified as durations.

  • A timeseries object.

See Data Types Supported by Signal Analyzer for more details.

By default, the app plots the signal as a function of sample index. If you provide time information, or if the signal has inherent time information, then the app plots the signal as a function of time.

signalAnalyzer(sig1,...,sigN) imports N signal vectors or matrices and plots them in the current display. The app does not support importing signals with inherent time information and signals without inherent time information in the same function call.

signalAnalyzer(___,'SampleRate',fs) specifies a sample rate, fs, as a positive scalar expressed in Hz. The app uses the sample rate to plot one or more signals against time, assuming a start time of zero. You can specify a sample rate for signals with no inherent time information.

signalAnalyzer(___,'SampleTime',ts) specifies a sample time, ts, as a positive scalar expressed in seconds. The app uses the sample time to plot one or more signals against time, assuming a start time of zero. You can specify a sample time for signals with no inherent time information.

signalAnalyzer(___,'StartTime',st) specifies a signal start time, st, as a scalar expressed in seconds. If you do not specify a sample rate or sample time, then the app assumes a sample rate of 1 Hz. You can specify a start time for signals with no inherent time information.

signalAnalyzer(___,'TimeValues',tv) specifies a vector, tv, with time values corresponding to the data points. tv can be a real numeric vector with values expressed in seconds. tv can also be a duration array. The values in tv must be unique and cannot be NaN, but they need not be uniformly spaced. All input signals must have the same length as tv. You can specify a vector of time values for signals with no inherent time information.

Filtering and scalogram view do not support nonuniformly sampled signals.

Version History

Introduced in R2016a

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See Also

Apps

Functions

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