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How to use special effects with Audition

  1. Audition User Guide
  2. Introduction
    1. What's new in Adobe Audition
    2. Audition system requirements
    3. Finding and customizing shortcuts
    4. Applying effects in the Multitrack Editor
    5. Known issues
  3. Workspace and setup
    1. Control surface support
    2. Viewing, zooming, and navigating audio
    3. Customizing workspaces
    4. Connecting to audio hardware in Audition
    5. Customizing and saving application settings
    6. Perform Mic Check (Beta)
  4. Digital audio fundamentals
    1. Understanding sound
    2. Digitizing audio
  5. Importing, recording, and playing
    1. Multichannel audio workflow
    2. Create, open, or import files in Adobe Audition
    3. Importing with the Files panel
    4. Extracting audio from CDs
    5. Supported import formats
    6. Navigate time and playing audio in Adobe Audition
    7. Recording audio
    8. Monitoring recording and playback levels
    9. Remove silences from your audio recordings
  6. Editing audio files
    1. Edit, repair, and improve audio using Essential Sound panel
    2. Session Markers and Clip Marker for Multitrack
    3. Generating text-to-speech
    4. Matching loudness across multiple audio files
    5. Displaying audio in the Waveform Editor
    6. Selecting audio
    7. How to copy, cut, paste, and delete audio in Audition
    8. Visually fading and changing amplitude
    9. Working with markers
    10. Inverting, reversing, and silencing audio
    11. How to automate common tasks in Audition
    12. Analyze phase, frequency, and amplitude with Audition
    13. Frequency Band Splitter
    14. Undo, redo, and history
    15. Converting sample types
    16. Creating podcasts using Audition
  7. Applying effects
    1. Enabling CEP extensions
    2. Effects controls
    3. Applying effects in the Waveform Editor
    4. Applying effects in the Multitrack Editor
    5. Adding third party plugins
    6. Notch Filter effect
    7. Fade and Gain Envelope effects (Waveform Editor only)
    8. Manual Pitch Correction effect (Waveform Editor only)
    9. Graphic Phase Shifter effect
    10. Doppler Shifter effect (Waveform Editor only)
  8. Effects reference
    1. Apply amplitude and compression effects to audio
    2. Delay and echo effects
    3. Diagnostics effects (Waveform Editor only) for Audition
    4. Filter and equalizer effects
    5. Modulation effects
    6. Reduce noise and restore audio
    7. Reverb effects
    8. How to use special effects with Audition
    9. Stereo imagery effects
    10. Time and pitch manipulation effects
    11. Generate tones and noise
  9. Mixing multitrack sessions
    1. Creating remix
    2. Multitrack Editor overview
    3. Basic multitrack controls
    4. Multitrack routing and EQ controls
    5. Arrange and edit multitrack clips with Audition
    6. Looping clips
    7. How to match, fade, and mix clip volume with Audition
    8. Automating mixes with envelopes
    9. Multitrack clip stretching
  10. Video and surround sound
    1. Working with video applications
    2. Importing video and working with video clips
    3. 5.1 surround sound
  11. Keyboard shortcuts
    1. Finding and customizing shortcuts
    2. Default keyboard shortcuts
  12. Saving and exporting
    1. Save and export audio files
    2. Viewing and editing XMP metadata
Note:

Special effects require mono or stereo audio; they do not support 5.1 surround.

Distortion effect

Use the Special > Distortion effect to simulate blown car speakers, muffled microphones, or overdriven amplifiers.

Positive and Negative graphs

Specify separate distortion curves for positive and negative sample values. The horizontal ruler (x‑axis) indicates input level in decibels; the vertical ruler (y‑axis) indicates output level. The default diagonal line depicts an undistorted signal, with a one‑to‑one relationship between input and output values.

Click and drag to create and adjust points on the graphs. Drag points off a graph to remove them.

Note:

To copy one graph to another, click the arrow buttons between them.

Reset 

Returns a graph to its default, undistorted state.

Curve Smoothing

Creates curved transitions between control points, sometimes producing a more natural distortion than the default linear transitions.

Time Smoothing

Determines how quickly distortion reacts to changes in input levels. Level measurements are based on low-frequency content, creating softer, more musical distortion.

dB Range

Changes the amplitude range of the graphs, limiting distortion to that range.

Linear Scale

Changes the amplitude scales of the graphs from logarithmic decibels to normalized values.

Post-filter DC Offset

Compensates for any sample offset introduced by distortion processing. To understand this concept, see Correct DC offset. Such offsets can cause audible pops and clicks when edited.

Doppler Shifter (process) effect

The Special > Doppler Shifter (process) effect creates the increase and decrease in pitch we notice when an object approaches and then passes us, such as when a police car passes with its siren on. When the car comes toward you, the sound reaches your ears as a higher frequency because each sound wave is compressed by the car moving forward. The opposite happens as the car passes by; the waves are stretched out, resulting in a lower‑pitched sound.

Note:

Unlike many graphs in Adobe Audition effects, the Doppler Shifter graph is noninteractive: You can’t directly manipulate the graph. Instead, the graph changes as you adjust the effect’s parameters.

Path Type

Defines which path the sound source appears to take. Depending on the path type, a different set of options is available.

Straight Line options:

  • Starting Distance Away sets the virtual starting point (in meters) of the effect.
  • Velocity defines the virtual speed (in meters per second) at which the effect moves.
  • Coming From sets the virtual direction (in degrees) from where the effect appears to come.
  • Passes In Front By specifies how far (in meters) the effect seems to pass in front of the listener.
  • Passes On Right By specifies how far (in meters) the effect seems to pass to the right of the listener.

Circular options:

  • Radius sets the circular dimensions (in meters) of the effect.
  • Velocity defines the virtual speed (in meters per second) at which the effect moves.
  • Starting Angle sets the beginning virtual angle (in degrees) of the effect.
  • Center In Front By specifies how far (in meters) the sound source is from the front of the listener.
  • Center On Right By specifies how far (in meters) the sound source is from the right of the listener.

Adjust Volume Based on Distance or Direction

Automatically adjusts the effect’s volume based on the values specified.

Quality Level

Provides six different levels of processing quality. Lower quality levels require less processing time, but higher quality levels generally produce better sounding results.

Guitar Suite effect

The Special > Guitar Suite effect applies a series of processors that optimize and alter the sound of guitar tracks. The Compressor stage reduces dynamic range, producing a tighter sound with greater impact. Filter, Distortion, and Box Modeler stages simulate common effects that guitarists use to create expressive, artistic performances.

Note:

Apply the Guitar Suite to vocals, drums, or other audio to create textured effects.

Compressor

Reduces dynamic range to maintain consistent amplitude and help guitar tracks stand out in a mix.

Filter

Simulates guitar filters ranging from resonators to talk boxes. Choose an option from this menu, and then set options below:

Type

Determines which frequencies are filtered. Specify Lowpass to filter high frequencies, Highpass to filter low frequencies, or Bandpass to filter frequencies above and below a center frequency.

Freq

Determines the cutoff frequency for Lowpass and Highpass filtering, or the center frequency for Bandpass filtering.

Resonance

Feeds back frequencies near the cutoff frequency, adding crispness with low settings and whistling harmonics with high settings.

Distortion

Adds a sonic edge often heard in guitar solos. To change the distortion character, choose an option from the Type menu.

Amplifier

Simulates various amplifier and speaker combinations that guitarists use to create unique tones.

Mix

Controls the ratio of original to processed audio.

Mixing effect

Mixing describes the complete process of optimizing audio files for a particular medium, such as radio, video, CD, or the web. In Adobe Audition, you can quickly mix audio with the Special > Mixing effect.

Before mixing audio, consider the requirements of the destination medium. If the destination is the web, for example, the file will likely be played over computer speakers that poorly reproduce bass sounds. To compensate, you can boost bass frequencies during the equalization stage of the mixing process.

Equalizer

Adjusts the overall tonal balance.

Graph

Shows frequency along the horizontal ruler (x‑axis) and amplitude along the vertical ruler (y‑axis), with the curve representing the amplitude change at specific frequencies. Frequencies in the graph range from lowest to highest in a logarithmic fashion (evenly spaced by octaves).

Note:

Drag control points in the graph to visually adjust the settings below.

Low Shelf and High Shelf Enable

Activate shelving filters at either end of the frequency spectrum.

Peaking Enable

Activates a peaking filter in the center of the frequency spectrum.

Hz

Indicates the center frequency of each frequency band.

dB

Indicates the level of each frequency band.

Q

Controls the width of the affected frequency band. Low Q values (up to 3) affect a larger range of frequencies and are best for overall audio enhancement. High Q values (6–12) affect a very narrow band and are ideal for removing a particular, problematic frequency, like 60-Hz hum.

Reverb

Adds ambience. Drag the Amount slider to change the ratio of original to reverberant sound.

Exciter

Exaggerates high-frequency harmonics, adding crispness and clarity. Mode options include Retro for light distortion, Tape for bright tone, and Tube for quick, dynamic response. Drag the Amount slider to adjust the level of processing.

Widener

Adjusts the stereo image (disabled for mono audio). Drag the Width slider to the left to narrow the image and increase central focus. Drag the slider to the right to expand the image and enhance spatial placement of individual sounds.

Loudness Maximizer

Applies a limiter that reduces dynamic range, boosting perceived levels. A setting of 0% reflects original levels; 100% applies maximum limiting.

Output Gain

Determines output levels after processing. For example, to compensate for EQ adjustments that reduce overall level, boost the output gain.

Loudness Radar Meter effect

TC Electronic Loudness Radar meter plug-in provides you with information about peak, average, and range levels. Loudness History, Momentary Loudness, True-peak Level and flexible descriptors are combined to give you the loudness overview in a single view. The Radar sweep view, which provides an excellent view of loudness changes over time, is also available. Choose Effects > Special > Loudness Radar Meter.

TC Loudness Radar

The TC Electronic ITU Loudness Radar panel provides visual feedback so you can quickly find and fix audio passages that exceed volume limits.

Colin Smith

Settings

Target Loudness

Defines the target loudness value

Radar Speed

Controls the time of each radar sweep

Radar Resolution

Sets the difference in loudness between each concentric circle in the radar view.

Momentary Range

Sets the range for the momentary range. EBU +9, indicates the narrow loudness range, used for normal broadcast. EBU +18 is the wide loudness range used for drama and music.

Low Level Below

Sets the shift between the green and blue colors on the momentary loudness ring. This indicates that the level may be below the noise floor level.

Loudness Unit

Sets the Loudness unit to display on the radar.

  • LKFS: Loudness unit specified by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
  • LUFS: Loudness unit specified by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU)
  • LU: A unit for loudness relative to target according to EBU and ITU. 

Loudness Standard

Species the Loudness standard.

  • BS.1770-3: This ITU standard concerns Broadcast loudness and True-peak Level measurement. This standard uses Leq(K) to measure loudness.
  • Leq(K): The loudness is based on a Leq measurement employing K-weighting, which is a specific frequency weighting developed by the Communications Research Center (a federal research institute in Ottawa, Canada).

Peak Indicator

Sets the maximum True-Peak level. If this value is exceeded, the peak indicator is activated.

Vocal Enhancer effect

The Special > Vocal Enhancer effect quickly improves the quality of voice-over recordings. The Male and Female modes automatically reduce sibilance and plosives, as well as microphone handling noise such as low rumbles. Those modes also apply microphone modeling and compression to give vocals a characteristic radio sound. The Music mode optimizes soundtracks so they better complement a voice-over.

Male

Optimizes audio for a man’s voice.

Female

Optimizes audio for a woman’s voice.

Music

Applies compression and equalization to music or background audio.

Do more with Adobe Audition

Adobe Audition is a powerful application for recording and mixing audiopodcasting, and sound effect design.

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