Adobe AUDITION 3 User manual

USER GUIDE
ADOBE®AUDITION® 3

Copyright
© 2007 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Adobe® Audition® 3.0 User Guide for Windows®
If this guide is distributed with software that includes an end user agreement, this guide, as well as the software described in it, is furnished under license and may be used or
copied only in accordance with the terms of such license. Except as permitted by any such license, no part of this guide may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or trans-
mitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Adobe Systems Incorporated.Pleasenotethatthe
content in this guide is protected under copyright law even if it is not distributed with software that includes an end user license agreement.
Thecontentofthisguideisfurnishedforinformationaluseonly,issubjecttochangewithoutnotice,andshouldnotbeconstruedasacommitmentbyAdobe Systems Incorpo-
rated. Adobe Systems Incorporated assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in the informational content contained in this guide.
Please remember that existing artwork or images that you may want to include in your project may be protected under copyright law. The unauthorized incorporation of such
material into your new work could be a violation of the rights of the copyright owner. Please be sure to obtain any permission required from the copyright owner.
Any references to company names in sample templates are for demonstration purposes only and are not intended to refer to any actual organization.
Adobe, the Adobe logo, Adobe Audition, Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Creative Suite, and Photoshop are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incor-
porated in the United States and/or other countries.
Dolby is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other
countries. Apple, Mac OS, and Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. DEC is a trademark of DigitalEquipmentCorporation.
Sun is a trademark or registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
MPEG Layer 3 audio compression technology is licensed by Fraunhofer IIS and Thomson.
mp3PRO audio coding technologies licensed from Coding Technologies, Fraunhofer IIS and Thomson Multimedia.
ReWire is a Propellerhead product.
Notice to U.S. Government end users: The Software and Documentation are “Commercial Items,” as that term is defined at 48 C.F.R. §2.101, consisting of “Commercial Computer
Software” and “Commercial Computer Software Documentation,” as such terms are used in 48 C.F.R. §12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §227.7202, as applicable. Consistent with 48 C.F.R.
§12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §§227.7202-1 through 227.7202-4, as applicable, the Commercial Computer Software and Commercial Computer Software Documentation are being
licensed to U.S. Government end users (a) only as Commercial Items and (b) with only those rights as are granted to all other end users pursuant to the terms and conditions
herein. Unpublished-rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United States. Adobe agrees to comply with all applicable equal opportunity laws including, if appropriate,
the provisions of Executive Order 11246, as amended, Section 402 of the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (38 USC 4212), and Section 503 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the regulations at 41 CFR Parts 60-1 through 60-60, 60-250, and 60-741. The affirmative action clause and regulations contained in
the preceding sentence shall be incorporated by reference.
Adobe Systems Incorporated, 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, California 95110, USA.

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Contents
Chapter 1: Getting started
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
New features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter 2: Digital audio fundamentals
Understanding sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Digitizing audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Chapter 3: Workflow and workspace
Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Viewing, zooming, and navigating audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Customizing workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Managing workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Chapter 4: Setting up Adobe Audition
Connecting to inputs and outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Setting Adobe Audition preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Managing temporary files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Chapter 5: Importing, recording, and playing audio
Opening audio files in Edit View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Opening and adding to sessions in Multitrack View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Importing with the Files panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Importing with Adobe Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Importing audio from CDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Getting ready for recording and playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Recording audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Playing audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Monitoring recording and playback levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Chapter 6: Editing audio files
Displaying audio in Edit View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Selecting audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Copying, cutting, pasting, and deleting audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Visually fading and changing amplitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Working with markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Creating and deleting silence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Inverting and reversing audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Generating audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Analyzing phase, frequency, and amplitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Converting sample types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Recovery and undo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

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Chapter 7: Applying effects
Shared effects controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Applying effects in Edit View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Applying effects in Multitrack View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Adding third-party plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Chapter 8: Effects reference
Amplitude and compression effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Delay and echo effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Filter and equalizer effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Modulation effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Restoration effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Reverb effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Special effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Stereo imagery effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Time and pitch manipulation effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Multitrack effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Chapter 9: Mixing multitrack sessions
Multitrack View overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Basic track controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Track routing and EQ controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Arranging clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Editing clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Automating mixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Synchronizing sessions with ReWire and SMPTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Setting advanced session properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Chapter 10: Composing with MIDI
MIDI sequencing basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Importing, recording, and outputting MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Displaying and editing MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Chapter 11: Loops
Using loops in Multitrack View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Creating loops in Edit View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Chapter 12: Working with video
Working with video applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Importing video and working with video clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Previewing video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Chapter 13: Creating surround sound
Surround sound basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Setting track pan and volume for surround mixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Previewing and exporting surround mixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

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Chapter 14: Saving and exporting
Saving and exporting files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Audio file formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Video file formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Adding file information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Chapter 15: Automating tasks
Favorites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Normalizing groups of files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Batch processing files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Chapter 16: Building audio CDs
Assembling CDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Writing CDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Chapter 17: Keyboard shortcuts
Finding and customizing shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Default keyboard shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Chapter 18: Digital audio glossary
Common audio terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280

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Chapter 1: Getting started
Before you begin working with your software, take a few moments to read an overview of installation, online Help,
and the many resources available to users. You have access to instructional videos, plug-ins, templates, user commu-
nities, and much more.
Installation
Requirements
❖To review complete system requirements and recommendations for your Adobe® software, see the Read Me file
on the installation disc.
Install the software
1Close any other Adobe applications open on your computer.
2Insert the installation disc into the disc drive, and follow the on-screen instructions.
Note: For more information, see the Read Me file on the installation disc.
Activate the software
Ifyouhaveasingle-userretaillicenseforyourAdobesoftware,youwillbeaskedtoactivateyoursoftware;thisisa
simple, anonymous process that you must complete within 30 days of starting the software.
For more information on product activation, see the Read Me file on your installation disc, or visit the Adobe website
at www.adobe.com/go/activation.
1If the Activation dialog box isn’t already open, choose Help > Activate.
2Follow the on-screen instructions.
Note: If you want to install the software on a different computer, you must first deactivate it on your computer. Choose
Help > Deactivate.
Register
Register your product to receive complimentary installation support, notifications of updates, and other services.
❖To register, follow the on-screen instructions in the Registration dialog box, which appears after you install and
activate the software.
If you postpone registration, you can register at any time by choosing Help > Registration.
Read Me
The installation disc contains the Read Me file for your software. (This file is also copied to the application folder
during product installation.) Open the file to read important information about topics such as the following:
•System requirements

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•Installation (including uninstalling the software)
•Activation and registration
•Font installation
•Troubleshooting
•Customer support
•Legal notices
Resources
Adobe Help resources
Documentation for your Adobe software is available in a variety of formats.
In-product and LiveDocs Help
In-product Help provides access to all documentation and instructional content available at the time the software
ships. It is available through the Help menu in your Adobe software.
LiveDocs Help includes all the content from in-product Help, plus updates and links to additional instructional
content available on the web. Find LiveDocs Help for your product in the Adobe Help Resource Center, at
www.adobe.com/go/documentation.
Think of Help, both in the product and on the web, as a hub for accessing additional content and communities of
users. The most complete and up-to-date version of Help is always on the web.
Adobe PDF documentation
The in-product Help is also available as a PDF that is optimized for printing. Other documents, such as installation
guides and white papers, may also be provided as PDFs.
All PDF documentation is available through the Adobe Help Resource Center, at www.adobe.com/go/documen-
tation. To see the PDF documentation included with your software, look in the Documents folder on the installation
or content DVD.
Printed documentation
Printed user guides are available for purchase in the Adobe Store at www.adobe.com/go/store, where you can also
find books published by Adobe publishing partners.
Extras
You have access to a wide variety of resources that help you make the most of your Adobe software. Some of these
resources are installed on your computer during the setup process; additional helpful samples and documents are
included on the installation or content disc. Unique extras are also offered online by the Adobe Exchange
community.

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Installed resources
During software installation, a number of plug-ins and presets are added to the application folder. Plug-ins provide
effects for audio processing and VST instruments for MIDI sequencing. Presets include a collection of effect settings
optimized for specific sonic results. If you don’t want to create an effect from scratch, start with presets for inspi-
ration.
Content on CD and DVD
On the installation disc, the Documentation folder contains a PDF version of Help, technical information, and other
documents such as reference guides and specialized feature information.
In addition to the installation disc, Adobe Audition® includes the Loopology DVD. This disc provides thousands of
royalty-free loops, plus ready-made music beds and professional sample sessions.
Adobe Exchange
For more free content, visit www.adobe.com/go/exchange, an online community where users download and share
thousands of free actions, extensions, plug-ins, and other content for use with Adobe products.
Adobe Design Center
Adobe Design Center offers articles, inspiration, and instruction from industry experts, top designers, and Adobe
publishing partners. New content is added monthly.
You can find hundreds of tutorials for design products and learn tips and techniques through videos, HTML
tutorials, and sample book chapters.
New ideas are the heart of Think Tank, Dialog Box, and Gallery:
•ThinkTankarticlesconsiderhowtoday’sdesignersengagewithtechnologyandwhattheirexperiencesmeanfor
design, design tools, and society.
•In Dialog Box, experts share new ideas in motion graphics and digital design.
•The Gallery showcases how artists communicate design in motion.

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Visit Adobe Design Center at www.adobe.com/designcenter.
Adobe Developer Center
Adobe Developer Center provides samples, tutorials, articles, and community resources for developers who build
rich Internet applications, websites, mobile content, and other projects using Adobe products. The Developer Center
also contains resources for developers who develop plug-ins for Adobe products.
In addition to sample code and tutorials, you'll find RSS feeds, online seminars, SDKs, scripting guides, and other
technical resources.
Visit Adobe Developer Center at www.adobe.com/go/developer.
Customer support
VisittheAdobeSupportwebsite,atwww.adobe.com/support, to find troubleshooting information for your product
and to learn about free and paid technical support options. Click the Training link for access to Adobe Press books,
a variety of training resources, Adobe software certification programs, and more.
Downloads
Visit www.adobe.com/go/downloads to find free updates, tryouts, and other useful software. In addition, the Adobe
Store (at www.adobe.com/go/store) provides access to thousands of plug-ins from third-party developers, helping
you to automate tasks, customize workflows, create specialized professional effects, and more.
Adobe Labs
Adobe Labs gives you the opportunity to experience and evaluate new and emerging technologies and products from
Adobe.
At Adobe Labs, you have access to resources such as these:
•Prerelease software and technologies

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•Code samples and best practices to accelerate your learning
•Early versions of product and technical documentation
•Forums, wiki-based content, and other collaborative resources to help you interact with like-minded developers
Adobe Labs fosters a collaborative software development process. In this environment, customers quickly become
productive with new products and technologies. Adobe Labs is also a forum for early feedback, which the Adobe
development teams use to create software that meets the needs and expectations of the community.
Visit Adobe Labs at www.adobe.com/go/labs.
User communities
User communities feature forums, blogs, and other avenues for users to share technologies, tools, and information.
Users can ask questions and find out how others are getting the most out of their software. User-to-user forums are
available in English, French, German, and Japanese; blogs are posted in a wide range of languages.
To participate in forums or blogs, visit www.adobe.com/communities.
New features
What’s new
Record and mix
Adobe Audition 3.0 is a powerful tracking and mixing application. Mix faster with new automatic crossfades, clip
fade handles, and automation-editing improvements. Take full advantage of the latest hardware with multicore
processor support and an optimized mixing engine.
VST plug-in manager Quickly enable or disable specific VST plug-ins, optimizing performance. (See “Enable VST
effects” on page 110.)
Auto crossfades and clip fade handles Simply overlap clips to crossfade them, and adjust fade curves with on-clip
handles. (See “Fade or crossfade clips in a track” on page 197.)
Improved multitrack editing Efficiently edit sessions with these key enhancements:
•Collectively trim and fade grouped clips. (See “Grouping clips” on page 192.)
•Ripple-delete ranges of clips, instantly removing time gaps. (See “Trimming and extending clips” on page 195.)
•Adjust selected ranges of automation points. (See “Edit automation envelopes” on page 207.)
•Duplicate the contents of entire tracks, including clips, effects, and automation. (See “Duplicate a track” on
page 184.)
•Simultaneously view all input and output levels to comprehensively monitor a mix. (See “Monitor levels” on
page 63.)
XML session support Save sessions to XML format and other shared standards for multitrack applications. (See
“Save multitrack sessions” on page 241.)
Mix down directly to Edit View Quickly output a session directly to Edit View, without first exporting a file. (See
“Create a single audio clip from multiple clips” on page 201.)

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Video previews for surround mixes Watch a preview in the Video panel while adjusting mixes in the Surround
Encoder. (See “Previewing video” on page 229.)
Create and arrange
Adobe Audition 3.0 offers powerful and extensive looping capabilities, as well as support for VST instruments,
making it easy to create and arrange great-sounding music. Improved processing, including the high-quality Radius
time-stretching engine from iZotope and numerous new effects, gives you infinite creative options.
MIDI tracks and piano-roll editor Import, record, and edit MIDI, and output it through VST instruments or
hardware synthesizers. (See Composing with MIDI.)
New effects Explore creative sonic possibilities with Convolution Reverb, Analog Delay, Guitar Suite, and other new
effects. (See Effects reference.)
Radius time-stretching from iZotope Access industry-standard algorithms in the updated Stretch effect, as well as
the File Info and Audio Clip Looping dialog boxes.
Bitmap audio images Export spectral graphs for detailed editing in an image-editor like Adobe Photoshop®. Or,
import visually-oriented graphics as source material for experimental sound designs. (See “Spectral Bitmap Image
(.bmp)” on page 250 and “Import a bitmap image as audio” on page 44.)
Improved CD ripping Automatically import track information from your favorite CD database. (See “Extract CD
tracks with the Extract Audio From CD command” on page 51.)
Enhanced file sorting Sort files by track number, or by the date they were opened or created. (See “Change how files
appear in the Files panel” on page 49.)
Customizable workspaces Tint panels and dialog boxes to suit your working style. Add favorite commands to the
shortcut bar. (See “Change interface brightness or tint” on page 29 and “Display the shortcut bar” on page 27.)
Edit and master
Adobe Audition 3.0 includes a full set of editing, restoration, and mastering tools that give you unprecedented flexi-
bility and control. Comprehensive waveform-editing tools combined with innovative spectral frequency brushes let
you edit with power and precision. The new Mastering effect, phase correction tools, and Top/Tail view make Adobe
Audition 3.0 the ideal audio editing and mastering environment.
Spot Healing Brush Quickly brush over artifacts to seamlessly remove them. (See “Select artifacts and repair them
automatically” on page 74.)
Effects Paintbrush Create free-form selections, and layer brush strokes to determine the intensity of effects. (See
“Select spectral ranges” on page 73.)
Marquee pan and phase selections Process discrete stereo information such as center-panned vocals in Spectral Pan
Display or out-of-phase audio in Spectral Phase Display. (See “Select spectral ranges” on page 73.)
Play spectral selections Play back selected frequency, pan, and phase ranges to precisely restore and process audio.
(See “Play audio linearly” on page 60.)
On-clip fade and gain controls Visually adjust selections or entire files. (See “Visually fading and changing
amplitude” on page 78.)
Top/Tail View Fine-tune loop transitions by simultaneously viewing the beginning and end of files. (See “View the
top and tail of an audio file” on page 71.)
Mastering effect Optimize audio for maximum impact with a series of professional processors. (See “Mastering
effect” on page 161.)

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Adaptive noise reduction Quickly correct a wide range of variable broadband noise. (See “Adaptive Noise Reduction
effect” on page 141.)
Graphic Panner Visually adjust the stereo field to enhance spatial perception. (See “Graphic Panner effect” on
page 165.)
Play lists Organize and play marker ranges for live performance and broadcast. (See “Creating play lists” on
page 85.)
Efficient file opening and saving Specify default formats for Open and Save As dialog boxes, and quickly save groups
of files to one format. (See “System preferences” on page 34 and “Save a group of audio files to one format” on
page 240.)

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Chapter 2: Digital audio fundamentals
Understanding sound
Sound fundamentals
Sound starts with vibrations in the air, like those produced by guitar strings, vocal cords, or speaker cones. These
vibrations push nearby air molecules together, raising the air pressure slightly. The air molecules under pressure then
push on the air molecules surrounding them, which push on the next set of molecules, and so on. As high-pressure
areas move through the air, they leave low-pressure areas behind them. When these waves of pressure changes reach
us, they vibrate the receptors in our ears, and we hear the vibrations as sound.
When you see a visual waveform that represents audio, it reflects these waves of air pressure. The zero line in the
waveform is the pressure of air at rest. When the line swings up to a peak, it represents higher pressure; when the line
swings down to a trough, it represents lower pressure.
A sound wave represented as a visual waveform
A. Zero line B. Low-pressure area C. High-pressure area
Waveform measurements
Several measurements describe waveforms:
Amplitude Reflects the change in pressure from the peak of the waveform to the trough. High-amplitude waveforms
are loud; low-amplitude waveforms are quiet.
Cycle Describes a single, repeated sequence of pressure changes, from zero pressure, to high pressure, to low
pressure, and back to zero.
Frequency Measured in hertz (Hz), describes the number of cycles per second. (For example, a 1000-Hz waveform
has 1000 cycles per second.) The higher the frequency, the higher the musical pitch.
Phase Measured in 360 degrees, indicates the position of a waveform in a cycle. Zero degrees is the start point,
followed by 90º at high pressure, 180º at the halfway point, 270º at low pressure, and 360º at the end point.
Wavelength Measured in units such as inches or centimeters, is the distance between two points with the same
degree of phase. As frequency increases, wavelength decreases.
B
A
C
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A single cycle at left; a complete, 20-Hz waveform at right
A. Waveleng th B. Degree of phase C. Amplitude D. One second
How sound waves interact
When two or more sound waves meet, they add to and subtract from each other. If their peaks and troughs are
perfectly in phase, they reinforce each other, resulting in a waveform that has higher amplitude than either individual
waveform.
In-phase waves reinforce each other.
If the peaks and troughs of two waveforms are perfectly out of phase, they cancel each other out, resulting in no
waveform at all.
Out-of-phase waves cancel each other out.
In most cases, however, waves are out of phase in varying amounts, resulting in a combined waveform that is more
complex than individual waveforms. A complex waveform that represents music, voice, noise, and other sounds, for
example, combines the waveforms from each sound together.
Because of its unique physical structure, a single instrument can create extremely complex waves. That’s why a violin
and a trumpet sound different even when playing the same note.
Two simple waves combine to create a complex wave.
C
A
B
A
D
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90º
270º
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Digitizing audio
Comparing analog and digital audio
In analog and digital audio, sound is transmitted and stored very differently.
Analog audio: positive and negative voltage
A microphone converts the pressure waves of sound into voltage changes in a wire: high pressure becomes positive
voltage, and low pressure becomes negative voltage. When these voltage changes travel down a microphone wire,
they can be recorded onto tape as changes in magnetic strength or onto vinyl records as changes in groove size. A
speaker works like a microphone in reverse, taking the voltage signals from an audio recording and vibrating to re-
create the pressure wave.
Digital audio: zeroes and ones
Unlike analog storage media such as magnetic tape or vinyl records, computers store audio information digitally as
a series of zeroes and ones. In digital storage, the original waveform is broken up into individual snapshots called
samples. This process is typically known as digitizing or sampling the audio, but it is sometimes called analog-to-
digital conversion.
When you record from a microphone into a computer, for example, analog-to-digital converters transform the
analog signal into digital samples that computers can store and process.
Sample rate
Sample rate indicates the number of digital snapshots taken of an audio signal each second. This rate determines the
frequency range of an audio file. The higher the sample rate, the closer the shape of the digital waveform is to that of
theoriginalanalogwaveform.Lowsamplerateslimittherangeoffrequenciesthatcanberecorded,whichcanresult
in a recording that poorly represents the original sound.
Two sample rates
A. Low sample rate that distorts the original sound wave. B. High sample rate that perfectly reproduces the original sound wave.
To reproduce a given frequency, the sample rate must be at least twice that frequency. (See “Nyquist frequency” on
page 277.) For example, CDs have a sample rate of 44,100 samples per second, so they can reproduce frequencies up
to 22,050 Hz, which is beyond the limit of human hearing, 20,000 Hz.
Here are the most common sample rates for digital audio:
A
B

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Bit depth
Just as sample rate determines frequency range, bit depth determines dynamic range. When a sound wave is sampled,
each sample is assigned the amplitude value closest to the original wave’s amplitude. Higher bit depth provides more
possible amplitude values, producing greater dynamic range, a lower noise floor, and higher fidelity:
Higher bit depths provide greater dynamic range.
Audio file contents and size
An audio file on your hard drive, such as a WAV file, consists of a small header indicating sample rate and bit depth,
and then a long series of numbers, one for each sample. These files can be very large. For example, at 44,100 samples
per second and 16 bits per sample, a file requires 86 KB per second—about 5 MB per minute. That figure doubles to
10 MB per minute for a stereo CD, which has two channels.
In contrast to a digital audio file, a MIDI file might be as small as 10 KB per minute, so you can store up to 100
minutes of MIDI per megabyte. For more information, see “Understanding MIDI data and VST instruments” on
page 213.
Sample rate Quality level Frequency range
11,025 Hz Poor AM radio (low-end multimedia) 0–5,512 Hz
22,050 Hz Near FM radio (high-end multimedia) 0–11,025 Hz
32,000 Hz Better than FM radio (standard broadcast rate) 0–16,000 Hz
44,100 Hz CD 0–22,050 Hz
48,000 Hz Standard DVD 0–24,000 Hz
96,000 Hz High-end DVD 0–48,000 Hz
Bit depth Quality level Amplitude values Dynamic range
8-bit Telephony 256 48 dB
16-bit CD 65,536 96 dB
24-bit DVD 16,777,216 144 dB
32-bit Best 4,294,967,296 192 dB
192 dB
144 dB
48 dB
0 dB
96 dB
8-bit
16-bit 24-bit 32-bit

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How Adobe Audition digitizes audio
When you record audio in Adobe Audition, the sound card starts the recording process and specifies what sample
rate and bit depth to use. Through Line In or Microphone In ports, the sound card receives analog audio and digitally
samples it at the specified rate. Adobe Audition stores each sample in sequence until you stop recording.
When you play a file in Adobe Audition, the process happens in reverse. Adobe Audition sends a series of digital
samples to the sound card. The card reconstructs the original waveform and sends it as an analog signal through Line
Out ports to your speakers.
To summarize, the process of digitizing audio starts with a pressure wave in the air. A microphone converts this
pressure wave into voltage changes. A sound card converts these voltage changes into digital samples. After analog
sound becomes digital audio, Adobe Audition can record, edit, process, and mix it—the possibilities are limited only
by your imagination.

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Chapter 3: Workflow and workspace
Workflow
Workflow overview
Adobe Audition provides three distinct views, each optimized for unique audio workflows:
•In Edit View, you modify individual audio files, optimizing them for radio broadcast, the Internet, and audio CDs.
•In Multitrack View, you layer multiple audio files, mixing them together to create sophisticated musical composi-
tions and video soundtracks.
•In CD View, you assemble audio files and convert them into tracks on audio CDs.
With the integrated environment of Adobe Audition, you can move seamlessly between these views, simultaneously
editing and mixing files to create polished, professional audio. This integrated environment extends to Adobe video
applications, where you can easily incorporate Adobe Audition into comprehensive video-editing workflows.
See also
“Comparing Edit View and Multitrack View” on page 20
Editing workflow
1. Open file 2. Edit audio 3. Apply effects 4. Save changes
In Edit View, you edit, restore, and enhance individual audio files, such as voiceovers, old vinyl recordings, and more.
Any saved changes are permanent, making Edit View a great choice for mastering and finalizing files. (See “Editing
audio files” on page 65.)
Open or create a file
Open an existing audio file that you want to modify. Alternatively, create a blank file that you’ll record or paste audio
into. (See “Opening audio files in Edit View” on page 43.)
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Creating a new file
Edit audio
In the Main panel, trim or extend a file by deleting or generating audio. To create a sonic collage, combine pasted
audio from multiple files. Then, select noise or other audio you want to process with effects. (See “Selecting audio”
on page 72.)
Editing audio in the Main panel
Apply effects
Apply process effects individually, or apply groups of VST effects in the Mastering Rack. In the rack, you can edit and
reorder effects until you achieve the perfect results. (See “Applying effects in Edit View” on page 106.)

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Applying groups of effects in the Mastering Rack
Save your changes
Save the polished, final file to disk, or automatically insert it in CD View or a multitrack session. (See “Saving and
exporting files” on page 240 and Building audio CDs.)
Saving a file to disk
Multitrack workflow
1. Open session 2. Insert or record files 3. Arrange clips 4. Apply effects 5. Mix tracks 6. Export
In Multitrack View, you layer multiple audio files to create stereo or surround-sound mixes. The edits and effects you
apply aren’t permanent; if a mix doesn’t sound good next week, or even next year, simply change mix settings. (See
“About multitrack sessions” on page 179.)
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