“The word processor is a better tool than a quill pen because you can do so

much more with it, but on the other hand, what you have to say and how you
say it is the ultimate determination.
~ Walter Murch

Adobe
Audition

CC 2023 BASICS Tutorial

 Editing With Adobe Audition

Ta b l e o f C o n t e n t s

TO P I C PA G E

Preparing your project 3

Set up Adobe Audition 5

Importing Media 6

Multitrack 8

Tools 9

Adjusting Volume 13

Exporting 15

Waveforms 18

19
Fixing Audio

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 Editing With Adobe Audition

Adobe Audition is a powerful audio editor.

Tips & Tricks You can edit audio for standalone audio projects. You can also use Audition in
conjunction with Adobe Premiere to fix or improve the audio in your Premiere
video projects.

This tutorial is designed as a get-started tutorial NOT a complete Everything

You Always Wanted To Know About Audition And Were Afraid To Ask tutorial.
IT is specifically written for Adobe Audition CC 2023

•
There are two kinds of
GET READY
Preparing yourself and Audition
people. Those with messy
sock drawers and those Before you open the program it is extremely important to get organized.
Multimedia projects get very complicated.There are many files and folders and it is
who organize their socks.
very easy to ‘lose’ stuff.
Multimedia requires you to
organize your socks or pay Get Organized. Stay Organized.
the price later. you will thank me later.
•
*Create a Project Folder for every, er, project.*

This folder will hold everything associated with your project. Here is a sample
system - the exact naming convention is less important than being consistent and
logical:

FOLDER NAME: It should include your name and a one-word description of

your story. I use the year at the front to make it easy to find and sort.

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 Editing With Adobe Audition

Tips & Tricks A simple audio project may only have a your original audio files and the Audition
.sesx project file.

TIP You MUST have the original audio files to work on a project. Do NOT work off your
• SD card or recorder. FIRST copy the files into your project folder. Then put away your
Audition has two ‘modes’ SD card or recorder.
Waveform and Multitrack.
ONLY MULTITRACK projects
can be saved and reopened.
DO THIS And your project will exist in a single place. You can copy it to another
•
drive, give it to another person to edit.
DON’T DO THIS and files will get lost. Projects won’t work, your hard drive will
fill up and you will go crazy.

Project Workflow
This is for creating an audio project. For fixing audio from Premiere go page 19
1. Create project folder and subfolder for ALL your assets.
2. Copy your audio and other assets into your project folder (eject and put away
your SD card, recorder, etc.)
3. Launch Adobe Audition and set up your project. Save the Multitrack project file to
the same folder you just created.
4. Import audio into Premiere (for video projects only)
5. Edit your assignment.
6. Add any effects, make any audio fixes
7 Export your audio - use mp3 if going straight to the web. Use .wav if you’ll be
editing it further in Premiere for example.

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Tips & Tricks

PREPARING AUDITION
Open Adobe Audition

TIP
•
REMEMBER only Multitrack proj-
ects can be saved and re-edited
later. Work in Multitrack. Use
waveform to look at individual
tracks, if necessary.
•

•
IMPORTANT!
Changes made in the Waveform
mode are permanent. Editing
done in Multitrack mode are
non-destructive and can be
undone at a later point.

Note the Waveform/Multitrack tabs at the top left. This screenshot shows the
Multitrack option which allows you to edit multiple tracks in a project.

Any imported audio is shown in the Files window top left.

The Media Browser, lower left, allows you to look at your harddrive(s) for other
audio.

Important TABS next to Media Browser

Effects Rack – allow you at add various effects and filters to clips and tracks
Marker – keeps track of markers that you apply to a track
Properties – gives you information about a track including it’s location. You
can also apply colors to different clips and tracks to stay organized.

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 Editing With Adobe Audition

Tips & Tricks Importing Files

TIP Note: Just as with Premiere, you are not actually importing files into the program.
• You need the original files at all times. Audition (like Premiere) simply remembers
Basic Terminology where the file is and points to it.
Frequency equals the pitch.
The higher the frequency, There are multiple ways to import your audio into Audition.
measured in hertz(Hz) or
kilohertz,(kHz) the higher the 1. File>Import>File
tone. 2. Click the Import Files button at top left.
3. Keyboard shortcut - command I
Amplitude, usually measured 4. Double click or right click in blank space in File Pane to bring up import window
in decibels (dB), equals These will all place the audio file(s) in the Files folder at top left.
loudness. (There is actually 5. Click the Open File button (command O)
a loudness scale that is This will import the audio AND open it in the Waveform editor
also used by some). Higher
decibels equals louder sound

Sample Rate is how many

times per second the digital
file has captured the sound.
The same way that in video
we capture a series of still
images that when played back
create motion. Audio sample
rates are measured in hertz
or kilohertz. A typical rate for
video applications is 48kHz
(48,000 hertz)

Because video cameras

typically record audio at
48kHz, we use that setting
when recording audio as well.
•

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 Editing With Adobe Audition

Tips & Tricks Importing Files

TIP A final way to import is to use the Media Browser
•
Basic Terminology You can search your harddrive(s) and then browse files and even listen to them
(cont) BEFORE you import them.
Bit Depth determines the
A great trick is to use the ‘autoplay’ button at the bottom of the browser. (circled
dynamic range of the audio. in red).
High bit depth allows a wider
range of sound from quietest Click this and then each time you click on a file it will start to play. You can quickly
to loudest. 8 bit depth is low, go through a list of audio files until you find the one you want.
allows only 48dB, which is not The more shortcuts you use while editing, the less time you’ll spend on the
enough for most sounds. computer - a good thing.
16 bit, allows for 96dB and so
on. Record at higher bit depths
to allow you to capture a
wider range of volume.

File Format is the file type

you record and save. Mp3
files are quite small, but that
compression severely degrades
audio quality. NEVER record in
mp3. Record in .wav or .aiff.
Export as mp3 for the web.
Export as .wav or .aiff if you
plan to re-edit that file in
Premiere for example.
•

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 Editing With Adobe Audition

Tips & Tricks Multitrack Sessions

Multitrack sessions are where you will edit multiple tracks of audio.
• Create a Multitrack Session
Multitrack sessions are the As with most functions in Audition, there are multiple ways to do create a session.
only way to save a project. You File>New>Multitrack Session (command+N)
cannot save your work in the or click on the Multitrack tab
Waveform mode.

For basic audio editing -

cutting, copying, pasting, of
audio tracks, you’ll work
primarily in the Multitrack
mode.
•

Name your session. Use the settings above.

MAKE SURE TO SAVE YOUR SESSION IN THE PROJECT FOLDER FOR THAT
ASSIGNMENT.

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Tips & Tricks

Import your audio into the Files pane.

• Drag clips onto the Multitrack Session. I generally place each audio file on its own track.
When you’re playing back
your work, you might want You’re now ready to begin editing.
to speed things up, literally, so
you can edit more quickly. TOOLS

Use the JKL keys to quickly Audition is a very powerful audio editor. We will focus on basic editing skills.
play your work forward and
backward. Hit J twice and it The tool bar is located at the top of the screen
plays backwards faster. Hit
L twice and it plays forward
faster.

By default, it will play at

2x, then 3x. But the audio
quickly sounds like chipmunks
arguing and isn’t very useful.

In the settings, you can

change this.
Rollover a tool to learn the quick key for faster editing.
Settings>Playback and
Recording>JKL Shuttle We will primarily use the first two tools.
Speed will let you change the The Move Tool lets you move clips along the timeline and drag them onto a different
increments. track. It also lets you shorten or lengthen (trim) a clip by clicking on a edge and
dragging.
I like the 0.1 setting. I can The Razor Tool lets you cut a track by clicking where you want to cut.
hit L multiple times and it
will slowly speed up the The greyed out tools to the right are only available in Waveform editing (discussed later
track to make it fast, but still in this tutorial)
understandable.

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 Editing With Adobe Audition

Tips & Tricks The Move Tool (quick key ‘V’)

The Move Tool allows you to slide clips along a track, drag them to a new track, and ‘trim’
a clip. It can also be used to adjust the volume and panning of the sound.
•
Oddly the keyboard shortcut Trimming is shortening or lengthening a clip by dragging the edge. Note that as you roll
for The Razor Tool is ‘R’ in over a clip the the cursor changes from a black arrow to a red bracket. as you approach
the edge.
Audtion but ‘C’ in Premiere.
•

•
If you have multiple tracks
and you want to cut between
all of them, hold down the
Shift Key when selecting the
Razor Tool. Drag the red bracket to shorten or lengthen the clip.
• Watch a 1:21 second video on using the Move Tool

The Razor Tool (quick key ‘R’)

The Razor Tool allows you to cut a clip, dividing it into multiple pieces. You can cut out a
section by cutting twice and hitting the delete key. You can cut a clip and move a piece of
it by returning to The Move Tool.

Watch a 1:01 second video on using the Razor Tool

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 Editing With Adobe Audition

Tips & Tricks The Time Selection Tool (quick key ‘T’)

The Time Selection Tool allows you to move the playhead (also called the scrubber) by
clicking inside a clip. The playhead will move to where you click. If you are in the Move
• Tool and want to move the playhead you need to click above the clip.
Turn off the Toggle Global
ClipStretching Tool.

The Slip Tool (quick key ‘S’)

When on, it allows you to
change the duration of a clip, The Slip Tool allows you to change which part of a clip you use on the timeline. If you’e
slowing down or speeding it editing a project, you might have a clip that is a perfect length of time, but you want to
up. Not something you’ll use use a different part of it. The Slip Tool makes this easy to adjust.
very often.

Watch a 2:31 video on using the Time Selection and Slip Tools

The Snapping Tool ( quick key ‘S’)

When the snapping tool is on, and you move a clip it will ‘snap’ next to the closest clip.
This make aligning clips very easy. If you want more precise control over where a clip
goes, turn snapping off.

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Tips & Tricks

Zooming

You WILL want to zoom in and out of your timeline. Zooming in allows you a closeup
• look at the waveform for precise cuts. You need to be able to see the waveform to cut
The last zoom tool on the between words for example.
right, Zoom Selected Track,
will enlarge the track you’re There are multiple ways of zooming in:
working on to fill the screen. Above the tracks, click on the zooming bar and drag the edge
Useful for getting a very close
look at a clip.

OR
Below the Tracks are a series of Zooming Tools:

The first set of + and - buttons change the height of the track.
The second set zooms in on the track.

Watch a 2:33 video on zooming tools

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 Editing With Adobe Audition

Tips & Tricks Adjust Volume

There are multiple ways to adjust the volume (or amplitude) in Audition.

You can change the level of the entire project, of a specific track or of a clip within a
track.

• All tracks in a Multitrack Session are eventually output through the Master Track. So if
you change the Master Track, those changes are applied everywhere.
•

The Mix Track is at the bottom.

You can enter a volume or click
and drag the blue box to raise or
lower the volume for the entire
project.

Apply volume changes to

individual tracks in the same way.

Adjust the volume of an

individual clip by dragging the
volume level up or down. You can
also change the volume in the
Properties Panel.

Watch a 4:05 video on controlling volume

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Tips & Tricks Adjusting Volume

Beyond simply making clips louder or softer, you’ll want to learn how to fade audio,
or create and ‘envelope’ that allows you modify the audio throughout a clip or track.

For example, you might have a natural sound in the background which is quieter
• than the interview, but during a break in the interview you want that sound to rise
and then fade back again.
•
To fade in or out on a clip, Click and
drag on the small grey box in the top
left or right of the clip.

Cross fade two clips by overlapping

them on a track. This ONLY works if
your preferences are set to ‘Automatically
crossfade overlapping clips:
Audition>Preferences>Multitrack Clip>
select ‘automatically crossfade overlapping
clips.

The Envelope tool allows you to raise

and lower the volume over time in a clip
to, for example, create a rising and lowering
of music or a natural sound.

Click on the volume to create keyframes.

Then click and drag those to raise and
lower the volume of a clip or track.

Watch a 3:46 Video on creating fades and using the Envelope tool

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 Editing With Adobe Audition

Tips & Tricks Editing

At this point you have the basic skills to edit audio.

1. Set up your project

2. Import your audio
3. Move, trim, cut and edit your video into a compelling story
• 4. Adjust the levels, create fades as necessary.
Mike Russell’s YouTube
channel is a gold mine for Audition is a powerful program that can do a LOT more than this of course.
LinkedIn.com, YouTube or other online tutorials can help you if you can’t figure
audio tips, tricks and advice.v
something out.

Or of course, ask me.

When you’ve finished editing, you will want to export your project into a usable
format.

The file created by Audition, that ends in .sesx will NOT be useful to anyone else.

You MUST export your project. This will create a file that someone can open who
doesn’t have your original material. The choice of export formats depends on the
final use of your audio.

IF your audio will be posted online, MP3 is probably the best choice. It is a universal
format, and files are compressed to be smaller for the web.

IF you plan to use your audio for some other project, adding it to video project in
Premiere for example, use an uncompressed format for better quality such as .wav
or .aif.

Exporting

BEFORE you export, make sure there is nothing extra on your timeline - no clips
hiding at the end or on a track somewhere.

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Tips & Tricks

To export:
•
File>Export>Multitrack Mixdown>Entire Session...

Then select the file type AND location. REMEMBER to name your file with your name
and the name of the assignment.

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Tips & Tricks

File Name: Your Name (first and last) and an assignment name NO SPACES
Location: Save it in your project folder for that assignment
Format: MP3 for the web, Wave for editing in other software
We generally record at 48000 Hz. This is ideal for video projects.
Format Settings: Leave at the default

Click OK

LISTEN TO YOUR PROJECT AFTER IT EXPORTS BEFORE YOU TURN IT IN

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Tips & Tricks WaveForm

Remember that everything to this point was in Audition’s Multitrack mode

Multitrack allows you to save projects with multiple audio files. It is also non-
destructive. So changes can be undone at a later date.

Waveform is for working on a single audio file. Changes are permanent and can’t be
undone at a later date.

So why use Waveform at all you may ask???

Audition has powerful tools for fixing imperfect audio and those changes are done in
Waveform mode.

IF you are working on a project in Multitrack and want to ‘fix’ an audio clip - double click
to bring it into Waveform mode.

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Tips & Tricks FIXING MISTAKES

Let’s be clear. Garbage in, Garbage out. If your original audio is badly done, you might be
able to improve it in Audition, but you’ll never make it great.

The only way to get good audio is to record good audio.

IF you’re reading this part, you’re probably trying to fix a mistake. If at all possible just go
back and record the audio again.
•
BUT, if you’re desperate, you may be able to improve your audio. REMEMBER that
Record ‘room tone’ when out
changes made in the WaveForm mode are NOT undoable later.
in the field. That means record-
ing 30-60 seconds of any space
WaveForm can be used for many things. This tutorial will focus on just a couple of
you’re in to get the baseline
features.
‘silence’ of the room.
Two kinds of problems you can try and fix in Audition.
When you do an interview, ask
the subject to sit quietly for 30
1. Background noise. This can be the hum of a fan or fluorescent light, wind noise, the
seconds and just record. You can
hiss of the recorder itself or a noisy location. Constant sounds, like a hum or hiss can
use that ‘silence’ as a baseline to
sometimes be improved. Variable sounds like a crowd are usually impossible to improve.
fix problems later.
•
2. Pops and clicks. Hard distracting sounds can sometimes be removed - the tapping of
fingernails, the clank if someone drops something.

Spectral Frequency Display

The waveform view doesn’t do a good job of showing you what frequencies are causing
problems. Audition allows you to look at the Frequency display as well.

In WaveForm view, click the small button to display the Spectral Frequency

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Tips & Tricks

You can see the standard Waveform in green on top and the Spectral Display below.

Editing out a distinct sound

A bell, siren, banging a table, etc, can sometimes be removed. The more overlap with
important sounds, the more difficult this is. But, you can use the Spot Healing Brush to
literally remove unwanted sounds.

Notice the distinct vertical bands. The

bell rang three times. If we select those,
and paint over them with the healing
brush, we remove the sound.

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Tips & Tricks

The Spot Healing Brush is the best choice, most of the time, for removing a specific
unwanted sound.

Noise Reduction
What if you have a noise in the background like a hum or hiss? You can’t erase the
whole thing without destroying the overall sound.

There are multiple ways to try and reduce unwanted background noise. I’ll show you
one. No method will be perfect. You can’t remove a sound without effecting the overall
quality of the audio.

The Denoise Filter is a good place to start for removing the hss or hum or light noise
from wind.

Highlight the entire clip you want to adjust.

From the Effects Rack select Noise Reduction>Denoise

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Tips & Tricks

You can adjust the amount from 0-100. Pay attention to the effect it has on the
primary sound. Voices can quickly begin to sound robotic. Back off on the amount
to reduce the impact on the voice or other important sounds.

Youcan also adjust the Processing Focus to concentrate on lower or higher

frequencies.

Make adjustments, while carefully listening to the impact the changes have. You
may have to compromise and leave in some background sounds to keep the
primary sounds.

Watch a 7:21 video on removing an unwanted sound in the WaveForm editor

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