When a filmmaker plans to produce a high-quality video, they should take time to ensure that the audio is well suited to their visuals. A mediocre soundtrack can ruin even the most spectacular image. Adobe Audition is a tool that will help you create professional-sounding tracks and match them with the right visuals to make your project truly stand out.
There are two primary workspaces within the program: Waveform, which is where you record and edit audio files, and Multitrack, where you mix all of your tracks together. You can use either one or the other, depending on your needs.
The Waveform Workspace:
Firstly, you’ll want to configure Adobe Audition to record with the correct audio input and output device. This can be done in the ‘Preferences’ menu or by clicking on the ‘Audio Hardware’ tab. Once the software is set up, you can start recording by hitting the ‘Record’ button and choosing the file name, bit rate, sample rate and other settings. Once you’re happy with the settings, click ‘OK’ to start recording!
You can also adjust the volume of your audio before you start recording, by using the ‘Volume Heads Up’ display. This little box sits above the Waveform view, and it’ll show you how loud or quiet your sound is in comparison to other sounds – it can be useful to know whether your track is too quiet or too loud for your needs!
Once you’re sure that your audio is recorded at the correct level, you can start to edit it. There are a variety of editing tools to use, including the EQ and high-pass/low-pass filters. These can enhance and remove certain frequencies to balance out your sound, pushing louder parts down and honing in on quieter sections.
There’s also a handy feature called Spectral Frequency Display that shows you where your sound is coming from. This can be helpful if you spot noise in the background, like wind or a very excited dog.
Another very useful feature is Panning: This can be accessed in the blue line underneath the yellow Envelope line. This pans your audio from left to right, so that you can listen to it as if it were coming from different speakers or headsets.
This can be especially useful if you’re working on an instrumental piece and want to pan the track from side to side so that you hear it in the stereo range.
A good rule of thumb is to always leave some space between your original recording and the final mix – this will ensure that you don’t overdo any elements or lose any of the details of your original audio.
You can also use the ‘Fade In’ and ‘Fade Out’ buttons to adjust the timing of your recording. This is useful if you need to adjust the timing of your vocals or any other sound in the song, such as the drums.
There are a few other features that you can explore in the ‘Multitrack’ workspace: You can change the order of your audio, which can be very useful if you’re trying to match certain sounds to each other. You can also add reverb and other effects to your audio.