User Guide Cancel

Converting sample types

  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

Hear a file in a different sample rate

The Interpret Sample Rate command lets you hear how an audio file sounds at a different sample rate. (See Understanding sample rate.) This command helps you identify files that specify an incorrect rate in the file header. To then permanently convert the sample rate, choose Edit > Convert Sample Type.

  1. In the Waveform Editor, choose Edit > Interpret Sample Rate.
  2. Enter a sample rate in the text box, or choose a common sample rate from the list.
Note:

Although you can work with sample rates ranging from 6000 to 192,000 Hz in Adobe Audition, your sound card may not be capable of playing all rates properly. To determine supported sample rates, consult the documentation for the card.

Convert the sample rate of a file

The sample rate of a file determines the frequency range of the waveform. When converting the sample rate, keep in mind that most sound cards support only certain sample rates.

  1. In the Waveform Editor, choose Edit > Convert Sample Type.
    Note:

    To quickly access the Convert Sample Type dialog box, double-click the Sample Type section of the status bar. (See Display the status bar.)

  2. Select a rate from the Sample Rate list, or enter a custom rate in the text box.
  3. In the Advanced section, drag the Quality slider to adjust the quality of the sampling conversion.

    Higher values retain more high frequencies, but the conversion takes longer. Lower values require less processing time but reduce high frequencies.

    Note:

    Use higher Quality values whenever you downsample a high rate to a low rate. When upsampling, higher values have little effect.

  4. For the best results, select Pre/Post Filter to prevent aliasing noise.

Convert a waveform between surround, stereo, and mono

The Convert Sample Type command is the quickest way to convert a waveform to a different number of channels.

  1. In the Waveform Editor, choose Edit > Convert Sample Type.
  2. From the Channels menu, select Mono, Stereo, or 5.1.
  3. In the Advanced section, Enter percentages for Left Mix and Right Mix:
    • When you convert from mono to stereo, the Left Mix and Right Mix options specify the relative amplitude with which the original mono signal is placed into each side of the new stereo signal. For example, you can place the mono source on the left channel only, the right channel only, or any point in between.

    • When you convert from stereo to mono, the Left Mix and Right Mix options control the amount of signal from the respective channel that will be mixed into the final mono waveform. The most common mixing method uses 50% of both channels.

For other channel-conversion techniques, see the following topics:

Change the bit depth of a file

The bit depth of a file determines the dynamic range of the audio. (See Understanding bit depth.) Adobe Audition supports up to 32‑bit resolution. You can raise the bit depth of a file to gain a greater dynamic range, or you can lower the bit depth to reduce the file size.

Note:

Some common applications and media players require 16-bit or lower audio.

  1. In the Waveform Editor, choose Edit > Convert Sample Type.
  2. Select a Bit Depth from the menu, or enter a custom bit depth in the text box.
  3. In the Advanced section, set the following options:

    Dithering

    Enables or disables dithering when converting to lower bit depths. If dithering is disabled, bit depth is abruptly truncated, producing a crackly effect on low-volume passages caused by quantization distortion.

    Although dithering introduces a small amount of noise, the result is far preferable to the increased distortion that you would otherwise hear at low signal levels. Dithering also lets you hear sounds that would be masked by the noise and distortion limits of audio at lower bit depths.

    Dither Type

    Controls how dithering noise is distributed relative to the original amplitude value. Usually, Triangular provides the best tradeoff among signal‑to‑noise ratio, distortion, and noise modulation.

    Dither type

    Reduces signal-to-noise ratio

    Noise modulation

    Triangular

    4.8 dB

    No

    Gaussian

    6.0 dB

    Negligible

    note: Triangular (Shaped) and Gaussian (Shaped) move slightly more noise to higher frequencies. For additional control, set Noise Shaping options.

    Noise Shaping

    Determines which frequencies contain dithering noise. By introducing noise shaping, you may be able to use lower dither depths without introducing audible artifacts. The best shaping depends on the source audio, final sample rate, and bit depth.

    note: Noise Shaping is disabled for sample rates below 32Khz because all noise would remain in audible frequencies.

    High Pass

    With a crossover set to 7.3 kHz, drops dithering noise to -180dB at 0 Hz and -162dB at100 Hz.

    Light Slope

    With a crossover set to 11 kHz, drops noise to -3dB at 0 Hz and -10dB at 5 kHz.

    Neutral

    Light is flat up to 14 kHz, ramps noise up to a maximum at 17kHz, and is again flat at higher frequencies. Background noise sounds the same as it does without noise shaping but is about 11dB quieter.

    Heavy is flat up to 15.5kHz, placing all dithering noise above 16kHz (or wherever you specify the crossover). Sensitive ears may hear a high pitched ringing if the crossover is too low. If converting 48 or 96 kHz audio, however, the crossover can be placed well above 20 kHz.

    Tip: Choose a Neutral shape to avoid sonically coloring background hiss. Note, however, that hiss will sound louder than with other shapes.

    U-Shaped

    Shallow is mostly flat from 2 kHz up to 14 kHz but gets louder as audio approaches 0 Hz because low frequencies are much less audible. Medium places a little more noise in the highs above 9 kHz, allowing for lower noise below that frequency. Deep increases noise above 9 kHz even more, but also lowers it much more in the 2-6 kHz range.

    Weighted

    Light attempts to match how the ear perceives low-level sounds by reducing noise more in the 2-6 kHz range and raising it in the 10-14 kHz range. At high volumes, hiss may be more noticeable. Heavy more evenly reduces the most sensitive 2-6KHz range at the expense of more noise above 8kHz.

    Crossover

    Specifies the frequency above which noise shaping will occur.

    Strength

    Specify the maximum amplitude of noise added to any one frequency.

    Adaptive Mode

    Varies the distribution of noise across frequencies.

Use sample rate conversion presets

If you need to make the same conversion on multiple files, you can save time by using a sample rate conversion preset.

  1. Choose Edit > Convert Sample Type.
  2. Adjust the settings as desired.
  3. Click the New Preset button  .

    After you create a preset, it appears in the Presets list at the top of the dialog box. If you want to delete a preset, choose it from the list, and click the Delete button .

 Adobe

Get help faster and easier

New user?