Adobe
Audition 3 is a digital audio workstation that
allows you to record, mix, edit, and master digital
audio. As you would expect from an audio production
tool aimed at the professional market, Audition
allows you to work with files from a wide array of
sources and deliver them in the audio format you
need. More than 20 file formats and variations are
supported, including Windows® PCM (WAV), OGG, AIFF,
MP3, and WMA.
There are three main work environments in Audition: Edit, Multitrack and CD, each optimised for specific audio workflows.
In Edit View, you modify individual audio files, optimising them with fine editing, waveform analysis, and detailed audio manipulation tools. The well-rounded feature set of Audition gives the user over 50 effects to choose from, including audio clean-up tools.
In Multitrack View, you can layer multiple audio files, mixing them together to create sophisticated musical compositions and video soundtracks. Multitrack View is a realtime editing environment, so you can change settings during playback and immediately hear the results. While listening to a session, for example, you can adjust track volume to properly blend tracks together, pan tracks, adjust EQ or apply a number of real-time effects.
In CD View, you can assemble audio files and convert them into tracks on audio CDs. In addition, you can now configure Adobe Audition to reference an external CD database that provides track titles and other information when ripping an audio CD.
Edit View and Multitrack View use different editing methods, each with it’s own advantages. Edit View uses a destructive method, which changes audio data, permanently altering saved files. Such permanent changes are preferable when converting sample rate and bit depth, mastering, or batch processing. Multitrack View uses a nondestructive method, which is impermanent and instantaneous, requiring more processing power, but increasing flexibility. This flexibility is preferable when gradually building and a multilayered musical composition or video soundtrack.
You can combine destructive and nondestructive editing to suit the needs of a project. If a multitrack clip requires destructive editing, for example, simply doubleclick it to enter Edit View. Likewise, if an edited waveform contains recent changes that you dislike, use the Undo command to revert to a previous state.
Using Audition 3
When processing audio, a common task is to crossfade in/out the beginning and end of an audio clip. Two new features in Audition are very useful in speeding up this task. Automatic crossfades with on-clip handles and the new Top/Tails view.
Automatic crossfades with on-clip handles are available in both Edit and Multitrack views, in fact in multitrack mode you can do this to many tracks at the same time. Rather than having to select the section of waveform you would like to fade in/out and then select the appropriate fade effect, this can be done by dragging the on-clip handles. Even the type of fade can be controlled. For a linear fade, drag perfectly horizontally, for logarithmic drag up or down. and for a cosine (S-curve) fade, press Ctrl.
The Top/Tail views option immediately takes you to both the first and last 10 seconds (which you can alter) of an audio file. The Top/Tail view helps you focus on these key areas, while also displaying the entire file for reference, thus speeding up workflow.
You can customise your workspace by arranging panels in the layout that best suits your working style. Panels can be dragged to new locations and undocked so that it floats in a new window above the application window. You can even create and save several custom workspaces for different tasks, for example, one for editing and one for previewing.
The Favourite Effects window can also be customised. Effects can be selected and added, providing quick access to those that you use most often. The effects are given your own unique name here for easy reference.
Noise reduction is a strong point for Audition, with an option of two methods. The original noise restoration is still to be found in the effects window, and is very good at removing clicks, pops, hiss and general background noise from a file. With the general noise reduction a portion of the noise is sampled and used to remove this from the rest of the file.
The other method of noise reduction is new with this version of Audition, and uses the Spot Healing Brush. This is great for the quick repair of small, individual audio artefacts like isolated clicks or pops. It’s simple a case of selecting the Spot Healing Brush, with the workspace set to Frequency view. This automatically uses the Auto Heal command. The idea is to smooth over a selected region to repair clicks, pops, and other noises. I tried a recording I’d made from Vinyl and it made a good job of cleaning it up using both methods.
Audition 3 comes with approximately 5,000 32-bit, royalty-free music loops in many styles. Though loops typically contain only one or two bars of music, you can extend and repeat them by simply dragging with the mouse. Loops will automatically match global session tempo and key, and with snapping enabled, you can even use this method to rhythmically synchronize loops
Timestretch is another useful tool. In Edit mode you can define the new length of the selected audio to two decimal places, either preserving pitch or tempo. In multitrack view, just dragging the file to the new length does the job.
Something else that’s new in Audition 3 is VSTi virtual instrument support. Essentially this means that your audio processing tool now has a built in synthesizer, with an ever expandable range of virtual instruments. Simply add a MIDI host track to your mix, choose an instrument, and then record new audio in the Sequencer. You can also enter your own MIDI track in the piano roll editor if you wish.
Another good time saving feature is the Batch Processing dialog box. This enables you to process large numbers of files, for example by converting them to a different format, sample rate, or bit depth. Scripts can be applied to multiple files, to normalize them or apply some other effect for example.
Conclusion
Audition is based on Cool Edit Pro. I've been using this software since CoolEdit1.0 and always enjoyed the simplicity of it. Adobe’s purchase of CoolEdit has only gone to improve it.
With a well-rounded feature set that allows you to apply all the effects you should need, put together multitrack audio, and create music with loops and MIDI, Audition will do all that most would need and more. The software is easy to use, with a clear layout in all three of it’s workspace views.
If you are a sound engineer, musician, recording engineer, or someone who has audio needs for video, and you need an all-in-one package for professional audio production, then I would have to say that Adobe Audition is for you. Audition is for those that want to record, process and master their audio, and it does a very good job indeed.
There are three main work environments in Audition: Edit, Multitrack and CD, each optimised for specific audio workflows.
In Edit View, you modify individual audio files, optimising them with fine editing, waveform analysis, and detailed audio manipulation tools. The well-rounded feature set of Audition gives the user over 50 effects to choose from, including audio clean-up tools.
In Multitrack View, you can layer multiple audio files, mixing them together to create sophisticated musical compositions and video soundtracks. Multitrack View is a realtime editing environment, so you can change settings during playback and immediately hear the results. While listening to a session, for example, you can adjust track volume to properly blend tracks together, pan tracks, adjust EQ or apply a number of real-time effects.
In CD View, you can assemble audio files and convert them into tracks on audio CDs. In addition, you can now configure Adobe Audition to reference an external CD database that provides track titles and other information when ripping an audio CD.
Edit View and Multitrack View use different editing methods, each with it’s own advantages. Edit View uses a destructive method, which changes audio data, permanently altering saved files. Such permanent changes are preferable when converting sample rate and bit depth, mastering, or batch processing. Multitrack View uses a nondestructive method, which is impermanent and instantaneous, requiring more processing power, but increasing flexibility. This flexibility is preferable when gradually building and a multilayered musical composition or video soundtrack.
You can combine destructive and nondestructive editing to suit the needs of a project. If a multitrack clip requires destructive editing, for example, simply doubleclick it to enter Edit View. Likewise, if an edited waveform contains recent changes that you dislike, use the Undo command to revert to a previous state.
Using Audition 3
When processing audio, a common task is to crossfade in/out the beginning and end of an audio clip. Two new features in Audition are very useful in speeding up this task. Automatic crossfades with on-clip handles and the new Top/Tails view.
Automatic crossfades with on-clip handles are available in both Edit and Multitrack views, in fact in multitrack mode you can do this to many tracks at the same time. Rather than having to select the section of waveform you would like to fade in/out and then select the appropriate fade effect, this can be done by dragging the on-clip handles. Even the type of fade can be controlled. For a linear fade, drag perfectly horizontally, for logarithmic drag up or down. and for a cosine (S-curve) fade, press Ctrl.
The Top/Tail views option immediately takes you to both the first and last 10 seconds (which you can alter) of an audio file. The Top/Tail view helps you focus on these key areas, while also displaying the entire file for reference, thus speeding up workflow.
You can customise your workspace by arranging panels in the layout that best suits your working style. Panels can be dragged to new locations and undocked so that it floats in a new window above the application window. You can even create and save several custom workspaces for different tasks, for example, one for editing and one for previewing.
The Favourite Effects window can also be customised. Effects can be selected and added, providing quick access to those that you use most often. The effects are given your own unique name here for easy reference.
Noise reduction is a strong point for Audition, with an option of two methods. The original noise restoration is still to be found in the effects window, and is very good at removing clicks, pops, hiss and general background noise from a file. With the general noise reduction a portion of the noise is sampled and used to remove this from the rest of the file.
The other method of noise reduction is new with this version of Audition, and uses the Spot Healing Brush. This is great for the quick repair of small, individual audio artefacts like isolated clicks or pops. It’s simple a case of selecting the Spot Healing Brush, with the workspace set to Frequency view. This automatically uses the Auto Heal command. The idea is to smooth over a selected region to repair clicks, pops, and other noises. I tried a recording I’d made from Vinyl and it made a good job of cleaning it up using both methods.
Audition 3 comes with approximately 5,000 32-bit, royalty-free music loops in many styles. Though loops typically contain only one or two bars of music, you can extend and repeat them by simply dragging with the mouse. Loops will automatically match global session tempo and key, and with snapping enabled, you can even use this method to rhythmically synchronize loops
Timestretch is another useful tool. In Edit mode you can define the new length of the selected audio to two decimal places, either preserving pitch or tempo. In multitrack view, just dragging the file to the new length does the job.
Something else that’s new in Audition 3 is VSTi virtual instrument support. Essentially this means that your audio processing tool now has a built in synthesizer, with an ever expandable range of virtual instruments. Simply add a MIDI host track to your mix, choose an instrument, and then record new audio in the Sequencer. You can also enter your own MIDI track in the piano roll editor if you wish.
Another good time saving feature is the Batch Processing dialog box. This enables you to process large numbers of files, for example by converting them to a different format, sample rate, or bit depth. Scripts can be applied to multiple files, to normalize them or apply some other effect for example.
Conclusion
Audition is based on Cool Edit Pro. I've been using this software since CoolEdit1.0 and always enjoyed the simplicity of it. Adobe’s purchase of CoolEdit has only gone to improve it.
With a well-rounded feature set that allows you to apply all the effects you should need, put together multitrack audio, and create music with loops and MIDI, Audition will do all that most would need and more. The software is easy to use, with a clear layout in all three of it’s workspace views.
If you are a sound engineer, musician, recording engineer, or someone who has audio needs for video, and you need an all-in-one package for professional audio production, then I would have to say that Adobe Audition is for you. Audition is for those that want to record, process and master their audio, and it does a very good job indeed.
Adobe Audition 3 Review