Foreword
At first glance ... Adobe's Audition seems to be a fairly simple and straightforward audio editing program. That's because it is! But don't let that intuitive GUI (graphic user interface) fool you – it's an extremely powerful editor that has worked its way into the mainstay of the audio production industry, one heart at a time ... simply by being able to do the job effectively and with as little confusion, muss or fuss possible.
Many of us will fondly remember Audition as Syntrillium's Cool Edit Pro. I actually had the fortune of working with the company for a number of years ... I can honestly say that it was a caring and wonderful family. Lots of blood, sweat, tears and joy went into making this an innovative program that doesn't always tow the industry line. There are a lot of quirky applications, batch-processing sub-routines and convoluted processing functions that are so unique and different that they can't be found anywhere else. Some of these apps were quickly copied by other companies and made their way into the production mainstream.
... but the long and the short of it, is that Audition is a survivor because it's so good, so straightforward and so powerful that its user-base has become staggeringly large. Personally, I use it as my exclusive 2-channel editor and stereo mastering tool. Why? Because I've never found a program that does the job better, faster and more accurately. It's intuitive ability to cut, paste, fade and process a stereo file is simply superb. I also use it as a mastering tool for putting surround sound projects onto the web. It's little-known WMA surround-mastering tool is flat out the best in the biz. Honorable mention should also go to the “Marquee Selection” tool within the spectral analysis section that lets you alter selective frequencies within the audio spectrum. Want to cut out an annoying cough or unwanted sound from a live recording? Using this tool can nearly or completely eliminate it!
Within this updated edition, you'll learn some of the Audition's basic tools & tricks, as well as gain insights into some of its more advanced editing, multitrack and processing tools. I'd seriously advise you to load the Adobe 'tryout’ time limited version on the book's CD-ROM or a full copy of the program and put it through its paces while you read through this book. Try not to overlook the quirky effects, tools and applications ... a few of these might just be some of the really cool tricks and timesaving tools that you've been hoping for.
Adobe's Audition is a deceptively simple program that has tons to power under its hood. With the help of this book, you'll soon be gaining valuable insights into computer-based audio editing and sound production. Spend time practicing on it! Play with it! Learn from it! Grow with it and most of all ... Have Fun with it!
David Miles Huber