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Edit Review: Adobe Audition 2.0

May 1, 2006 12:00 PM, Reviewer: Franklin McMahon

Audio software gets an Adobe interface makeover and other new features.

Audition 2.0, the latest version of Adobe's multitrack audio editor, finally shakes off its Cool Edit Pro roots with a spiffy new professional interface, as well as many other new features. These include low-latency mixing, ASIO (Audio Stream Input Output) support, parameter automation, better video support, butter-smooth scrubbing, and a new mastering rack. Audition 2.0 looks very ready for hard-core production work.

The interface is the first thing that hits you as you boot the program up. The new look parallels that of the rest of the Adobe Production Studio (Premiere, After Effects, and Encore) with windows that can be docked and dragged around. Set up the interface any way you like, and then save it that way. It's also worth noting that, while other programs command larger fields of onscreen real estate, Audition 2.0 can actually run fairly small. You could get by at 640×480 — and certainly at 800×600. That's handy for running Audition on laptops or for having several programs on your screen at once.

Performance has been dramatically improved. Many of the audio effects and processes run up to three times faster than they did in previous versions. I often will have to import a compressed MP3. The previous version of Audition took longer decompressing it for editing.

With these performance increases in mind, my main concern was how RAM-efficient Audition 2.0 would be. I have edited countless hours using Audition 1.5 and earlier, and a big problem for me was that every time I applied an effect, the program would hit the disk drive. It really did not matter how many gigs of RAM you had; Audition would cache everything to disk and grind away as it went about its business.

Thankfully, the grinding is gone in 2.0. Apply effects to large 20-minute files, and the program will do its business efficiently and quickly without a disk frenzy. Audition 2.0 is optimized for multiple processors, and there's also multicore support. Audition is multi-threaded, so Windows will automatically assign those threads to the various cores/processors as processor power is available. You won't see a doubling of power, but you definitely will see improvement.

Adobe has dramatically improved mixing and processing by incorporating low-latency drivers and ASIO support. Supported by any current-generation audio card, ASIO drops latency down to milliseconds.

In addition, there is increased support for external hardware such as mixers and touchpads. Sends now go up to 16 per track, and you can route to as many buses as you wish. You can also do an isolation monitor, where you send a separate mix out to a specific output such as headphones or a speaker. This is especially handy for running an earplug feed out to talent so they can hear the full mix that they'll perform to. You can now easily do punch-ins and punch-outs just by using the mouse. As long as your track is armed to record, you can punch on the fly.

Track numbers are now unlimited. Go ahead and stack them up; as long as you have the RAM, Audition 2.0 will keep up with you. You can now have up to 96 live inputs and outputs, as well. Video support has been improved, and you can now bring in (as well as export) several formats, including AVI, MPEG, QuickTime, and WMV. I did get a little lag bringing in longer high-res video segments, but you can scale the video down so it keeps up with the previewing. This is handy if you are really piling on the tracks and just need the video for timing references.

Audition 2.0 has a new scrubbing feature that rocks back and forth using the mouse, just like a tape deck. It's so smooth in this new version that just using the mouse to roll around your sound files has an almost tactile feel.

Write, Touch, and Latch modes are now supported so you can record changes to mixing parameters. This means if you play your tracks in realtime while changing your parameter sliders, Audition will record all your moves and play them back. I was happy to see that the multiband compressor has been completely redesigned. This is the plug-in I use most. Punching up audio and adding that DJ sizzle is something Audition always did with finesse, and the new compressor works great with professional presets such as Broadcast and Internet Delivery. It also provides separate four-band animated frequency control and crossover markers for keeping track of your various frequencies of sound.

Another very cool addition is the new effects rack, where you can stack up groups of effects, rearrange them, turn them off and on, and then route your audio through them. Other audio programs have offered this (Ableton Live 5's effects stacking is a fine example of doing it right), but it's great to see its inclusion in Audition 2.0. By the way, the effects rack comes up as a separate large window, but I recommend dragging it into the main interface and docking it alongside the track view for the ultimate in creative experimentation.

If you've never used Audition, you'll quickly get used to how audio is converted to visuals for editing. And I don't mean bouncing waveforms; I mean full-color dynamic spectral visuals, in which your audio appears as a dazzling rainbow pattern. Aside from good looks, this mode allows you instantly to see errors such as pops and irregularities in frequency ranges. Amazingly, you can simply take Audition's lasso tool, draw a circle around the errors and snip them right out of your audio file.

The program's detailed histograms and spectral audio visuals really are second to none. They allow visual artists to work with audio in a very natural way. Audition 2.0 also offers tools for burning CDs, which are quite nice but fairly basic.

Adobe Audition really does look great. It's no secret that the team at Adobe really worked hard to develop not only an efficient, customizable workspace, but also to rearrange the interface so that it makes sense and mirrors the interfaces of the other programs in the Production Studio. There is little to find fault with.

Adobe promotes the software as a program for scoring music using loops. (These days an audio suite needs to do everything!) It does a very nice job with loop construction, but the real power here is its function as a top-of-the-line multitrack audio production system with advanced audio editing tools and professional effects and plug-ins.

Performance was what I was hoping for most, and Audition 2.0 delivers. No more caching to drives; you can do most tasks right in RAM and in realtime. The program now feels like a powerful addition to the rest of the suite (Premiere, After Effects, and Encore) and shares not only the look and feel but a lot of the workflow. Audition has progressed from its odd-man-out 1.5 days — it now fits like a glove with the rest of the suite. You'll probably start to use Audition because you use After Effects or Premiere. Be prepared to get attached as you spend more time with the program. Audition 2.0 has blossomed into a very professional, full-featured multitrack audio tool.

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bottomline

Company: Adobe
San Jose, Calif.; (408) 536-6000
www.adobe.com

Product: Audition 2.0

Assets: Faster performance, new low-latency drivers and ASIO support, new effects rack, interface now fits with other Adobe Production Studio programs.

Caveats: Audition now makes the most of RAM, so make sure you max out your system.

Demographic: Adobe users who need powerful audio editing.

PRICE: $349

© 2008 Penton Media, Inc.