Matching Audio Level on Multitrack Clips

from: Introducing Adobe Audition CS5.5: Learn by Video

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About this lesson

Though there is a dedicated Match Volume panel in Audition, it can't be used for clip segments in a multitrack session. This lesson shows you how to work around this limitation.

From: Introducing Adobe Audition CS5.5: Learn by Video

Audition is a highly regarded audio post-production application that blends fast performance and professional tools with an extremely user-friendly interface. In CS5.5, Audition has greatly expanded its reach, replacing Adobe Soundbooth in many of the Creative Suite bundles and running natively on the Mac for the first time. In this course, Adobe Certified Instructor Maxim Jago introduces you to Audition’s powerful features, which include a multitrack editing environment, a comprehensive mixer, track-based controls and effects, and a separate effects rack, as well as extraordinary audio correction tools. Whether you’re new to audio editing or have experience with Soundbooth, Premiere Pro, or earlier versions of Audition, this course will get you rolling with Audition CS5.5 in a hurry. This Learn by Video workshop is published in partnership with Peachpit Press.

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3 hrs 25 min

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This chapter is your introduction to Adobe Audition CS5.5. Audition is powerful (plays multiple tracks with effects), fast (stays responsive to enable creative flow), and flexible (works with multiple formats, including video). And now in CS5.5 Audition is the same on Mac and PC, making collaboration between Mac and PC users seamless.

Introducing Adobe Audition CS5.5
- Let's see what you get onscreen when you start up Adobe Audition CS5.5. This lesson explains where Audition fits into the complete suite of applications in CS5.5 and demonstrates a couple of its powerful features.
  
  Meeting Adobe Audition
  
  06:38
- The first step to understanding is recognition. This lesson introduces the main elements of the Audition interface so you can navigate among them.
  
  The Core Audition Interface Elements
  
  09:03
- Many users of Adobe Soundbooth, which was included with Premiere Pro CS5, will be new to Audition. This lesson gives a brief overview of the key differences you need to know about.
  
  Audition for Soundbooth Users
  
  07:16
Audition has flexible support for multiple audio and video file types, including .wav, .aif, and broadcast wave files. This chapter shows you how to get media into your sessions.

Importing and Managing Media Files
- Importing audio to Audition is as easy as double-clicking. In fact, there are multiple ways to import with some subtle differences in the outcomes. This lesson explains all the options.
  
  Importing Audio Files
  
  07:54
- Audition CS5.5 makes importing from CD as easy as importing from your hard drive; extraction is handled automatically. This lesson walks you through the process.
  
  Extracting Audio from a CD
  
  01:41
- Audition allows you to import video files to work on their associated audio or to use as a reference for a multitrack sound composition. This lesson shows you the strengths and the limitations of this excellent feature.
  
  Importing Video Files
  
  04:30
- OMF is an industry standard for transporting media and editing decisions between multiple post-production tools. This lesson demonstrates the new OMF support in Audition CS5.5 and explains some of the key features of this useful format.
  
  Importing OMF Files
  
  06:13
Audition is a fantastic tool for audio restoration and multitrack mixing. This chapter focuses on its core audio adjustment and correction tools, many of which provide the basis for more advanced features in the Multitrack Editor.

Working with Sound Files (Restoration, Effects, and Volume Control)
- Audition CS5.5 offers two powerful ways of viewing and working with audio files: the Waveform and the Spectral Frequency Display. This lesson explains how these two display modes inform you about your audio and enable you to apply unique adjustments.
  
  Comparing Waveforms and the Spectral Frequency Display
  
  07:33
- There are multiple ways of adjusting the audio level in Audition and this lesson shows you them all, as well as offering some tips on best practice.
  
  Adjusting Audio Level in a File
  
  09:50
- Audition allows you to apply special effects to an original file either by replacing the media with an adjusted version or by nondestructively applying effects that can be changed later. This lesson introduces the standard effects controls, shows how to create presets, and explains the benefits and dangers of making changes to your media.
  
  Adding Special Effects to a File
  
  08:37
- The Effects Rack provides a special nondestructive environment for adding effects to your clips. It is also a core part of the Multitrack Editor. This lesson introduces the Effects Rack controls and shows you just how flexible they are.
  
  Using the Effects Rack to Combine Effects
  
  07:26
- One of the core activities Audition specializes in is cleaning up audio. This lesson introduces some of the powerful tools Audition provides for "fixing it in post."
  
  Using Effects to Clean Up Your Audio
  
  09:14
- The Spectral Frequency Display provides unique tools for audio restoration. This lesson shows you how to pick out individual sounds and either remove them or heal them Photoshop-style.
  
  Using the Spectral Frequency Display to Clean Up Your Audio
  
  06:10
- There are several effects that you can use to improve the overall characteristics of your audio. This lesson shows you the very user-friendly Mastering effect and explains all of its controls.
  
  Tuning Up Your Audio with the Mastering Effect
  
  06:20
Switching from working on individual sound files to creating complete audio compositions means working with the Multitrack Editor. This chapter gets you up to speed on the main interface elements and key workflows.

Getting to Know the Multitrack Editor
- Multitrack session files have settings all of their own and once they are set, they cannot be changed. This lesson shows you the various ways of creating multitrack sessions and gives some tips on managing them.
  
  Creating a Multitrack Session
  
  07:03
- The Multitrack Editor can seem daunting at first but it's really just a question of familiarity. This lesson gives you an overview of all the controls so you can dive in and start mixing.
  
  Getting to Know the Multitrack Editor Interface Elements
  
  10:17
- Adding audio clips to a multitrack session is very straightforward. This lesson shows you some shortcuts for building your first complete session and explains the special tools for working with clip segments.
  
  Adding Audio Clips to a Multitrack Session
  
  06:27
- The Mixer looks a little complicated at first but almost all of the controls are the same as the track header controls in the Track view. This lesson shows you how much you already know and gives some tips on the best ways to get from A to B in Audition.
  
  Meeting the Mixer
  
  09:23
- Using buses is an advanced way to get the most out of Audition. This simple lesson shows you how to combine the output from multiple tracks into a single bus for effects work. Once you understand the principle at work, you'll be well on your way to bus mastery.
  
  Making Your Audio Mix Efficient with Mixer Buses
  
  06:36
Now that you are familiar with the Multitrack Editor, it's time to get serious. This chapter focuses on some more advanced features and ways of building Audition's flexible tools into your workflow.

Multitrack Editing Techniques
- Audition is very flexible in the way it allows you to apply effects to your clips and tracks. This lesson spells out the difference between track-based and clip-based effects and shows you ways to combine them.
  
  Comparing Track-Based and Clip-Based Effects
  
  04:44
- Each track in the Multitrack Editor has multiple options for output, which might be confusing for the uninitiated. This lesson shows you how simple it is to set up multiple outputs for monitoring purposes and more.
  
  Track-Based Routing, Level, and Panning
  
  06:34
- EQ (equalizing) is such a common effect, it has its own controls on every track. This lesson shows you how to access this audio post-production standard and explains in detail how parametric EQ controls work.
  
  Applying EQ to a Track
  
  06:18
- Audition provides multiple ways of monitoring the audio level of your clips and sessions. This lesson shows you how to change the settings to suit your preference and even monitor separate frequency amplitudes.
  
  Monitoring Multitrack Session Audio Levels
  
  03:32
- Some of the most advanced audio work you will perform in Audition involves automation envelopes. These use keyframes to adjust audio level, panning, or just about any other setting over time. This lesson shows you how easy it is to access the settings and bring your audio adjustments to life.
  
  Adjusting Levels and Panning over Time with Envelopes
  
  05:41
- This lesson dips into the Audition preferences to pick out some key options that you may want to adjust as you work.
  
  Useful Preferences for Multitrack Editing
  
  04:28
- Though there is a dedicated Match Volume panel in Audition, it can't be used for clip segments in a multitrack session. This lesson shows you how to work around this limitation.
  
  Matching Audio Level on Multitrack Clips
  
  01:33
- Audition has great 5.1 surround sound mixing capabilities and this lesson walks you through creating and working with a full 5.1 session, including adjusting the spatial location of audio over time with envelopes.
  
  Editing and Mixing 5.1 Surround Sound
  
  06:25
One of the main features of Audition is that it can help you create music from loops, many of which are included for free with the application. This chapter shows you how to get access to loops, configure them, and use them to create musical masterpieces.

Making Music
- This lesson shows you how to import sound loop files both from your hard drive and via the special Resource Central panel that is built right into Audition.
  
  Importing Sound Loops
  
  04:01
- Once you have imported your sound loops, you will need to enable the Loop mode and start placing the loops in your multitrack session. This lesson shows you how to get everything set up and how to automatically snap loops to your beat.
  
  Working with Sound Loops in a Multitrack Session
  
  04:26
- Audition allows you to specify any number of beats per minute and choose a time signature. This lesson shows you where the settings are located and how to set them.
  
  Setting the Tempo for Loops
  
  01:13
- The flexible approach to sound design in Audition provides multiple ways for you to make changes to your audio. This lesson will show you a smart way to make changes to loop files you are already using in a multitrack session so that they will update live without you having to re-edit your clips.
  
  Changing Loop Properties
  
  04:45
Audition CS5.5 is part of the Creative Suite and the integration with other applications in the suite is excellent. This chapter focuses on building Audition into your complete post-production workflow.

Integration with the Creative Suite
- Premiere Pro CS5.5 has a special export option that creates new files for Audition. The result is a complete composition with every audio clip and a flattened video file that you can use to create your finished soundscape. This lesson shows you how to get from Premiere Pro to Audition.
  
  Importing a Sequence from Premiere Pro
  
  03:34
- Once you have completed your work in the Multitrack Editor, it's likely you will want to output it to a new, mixed-down file. This lesson shows you the options and explains the settings.
  
  Saving Your Multitrack Session to Different Formats
  
  04:18
- Because Audition is part of the Creative Suite, there is a simple way to send your work directly from Audition to Premiere Pro. Although the integration is excellent, it is not perfect; this lesson spells out the limitations and the gotchas so you know what to expect.
  
  Sending Your Multitrack Session to Premiere Pro
  
  03:07
- New session files in Audition CS5.5 are stored as .sesx files, and you cannot import the older .ses session files from previous versions. There is a solution, though! This lesson demonstrates a third-party application that will automatically convert your .ses files to .sesx files.
  
  Importing Older .ses Files to Audition CS5.5
  
  03:11