Adobe Audition CC 2018 for Mac: A Comprehensive Guide

Source: 爱上MAC  |  Software download link: Adobe Audition CC 2018 for Mac

Adobe Audition CC 2018 is a powerful professional digital audio workstation (DAW) designed specifically for audio post-production, editing, mixing, and restoration. Its intuitive interface and professional toolset make it an ideal choice for podcast production, video scoring, music editing, and sound design. This article will provide an in-depth analysis of its core interface, complete workflow, and efficient operation tips.

I. Detailed Explanation of the Core Interface and Workspace

After launching Audition, you will see the main interface composed of multiple panels. The default “Classic” workspace has been optimized to provide an efficient editing experience.

  • Menu Bar: Located at the top of the screen, it contains all advanced commands such as File, Edit, Clip, Effects, Favorites, View, Window, and Help.
  • Toolbar: Located below the menu bar, it provides quick access to tools such as the Move tool, Razor tool, Slip tool, Time Selection tool, Marquee tool, and more.
  • Editor Panel (Waveform/Multitrack Editor): The largest area in the center. This is the core workspace used to display audio waveforms and perform precise editing. You can switch between the “Waveform” view (single-file editing) and the “Multitrack” view (multitrack mixing).
  • Files Panel: Usually located at the bottom left. Used to manage all media files imported into the current project.
  • Effects Rack/Media Browser Panel: Usually located on the right side. The Effects Rack panel is used to load and chain multiple effects for individual tracks in a multitrack session. The Media Browser is used to browse and preview audio files on your local disk.
  • Levels Panel: Displays the volume level meter of the main output to ensure the signal does not overload and cause clipping.
  • Markers Panel: Used to add and manage markers on the timeline for quick navigation to important positions.
  • Properties Panel/Effects Panel: When an audio clip or track is selected, this area displays the relevant properties or a list of applicable effects.

You can switch between different preset layouts (such as “Edit,” “Mix,” and “Mastering”) via the “Window” > “Workspace” menu, or customize the layout by dragging panel edges.

II. Complete Workflow: From Creation to Export

1. Create or Open a Project

Step 1: Launch the software. Open Adobe Audition from Launchpad or the Applications folder.

Step 2: Choose an editing mode.

  • Create/Open a single audio file (Waveform Editor): Click “File” > “Open” (Cmd+O) to directly import an audio file for editing. Or click “File” > “New” > “Audio File” (Cmd+Shift+N) to create a blank recording file, setting the sample rate, channels, and bit depth.
  • Create a multitrack mixing project: Click “File” > “New” > “Multitrack Session” (Cmd+N). In the dialog box, name the session, set the folder location, template, sample rate, and other parameters, then click “OK”.

2. Import and Organize Media

Step 1: Import assets. In the multitrack view or the Files panel, click “File” > “Import” > “File” (Cmd+I). Select the audio and video (audio can be extracted) files you need from your disk.

Step 2: Add assets to the timeline. From the “Files panel”, drag audio files directly onto an empty track or a specific track in the multitrack timeline on the right. You can also drag directly from the “Media Browser” panel.

3. Basic Editing and Processing

Step 1: Select and move. Use the “Move Tool (V)” in the toolbar to select and drag clips. Use the “Time Selection Tool (T)” to drag on the waveform to select a region.

Step 2: Split and trim. Use the “Razor Tool (C)” to click at the position where you need to split, cutting the clip apart. Use the Move Tool to move the mouse to the edge of a clip; when the cursor turns into a red trim icon, drag to shorten or lengthen the clip.

Step 3: Apply effects.

  • Waveform editing: Select a section of audio or the entire file, choose an effect category in the “Effects” panel on the right (such as “Noise Reduction/Restoration,” “Filter and EQ”), double-click a specific effect (such as “Noise Reduction”), adjust the parameters in the pop-up effect window, and click “Apply.”
  • Multitrack editing: In the “Effects Rack” insert on the left side of the track, right-click or click the arrow to add effects (such as “Equalizer,” “Compressor”). Parameters can be adjusted in real time with non-destructive processing.

Step 4: Volume and pan adjustment. In the multitrack view, there are fade-in and fade-out lines (yellow) above the clips, and a volume envelope line (blue) and pan envelope line (green) on the tracks. Use the Move tool to click and drag these lines to adjust them.

4. Mixing and Automation

Step 1: Adjust track levels and pan. Use the “Volume fader” and “Pan knob” at the top of the track for overall adjustment.

Step 2: Use automation. Click the “Automation Mode” button on the track (such as “Read,” “Write,” “Latch”), select “Write” mode, play the session and move the fader or knob in real time to record automation curves.

5. Export the Final Product

Step 1: Export the multitrack mixdown. In the multitrack session, use the “Time Selection Tool” to drag and select the range you want to export (if nothing is selected, the entire session will be exported). Click “File” > “Export” > “Multitrack Mixdown” > “Entire Session” (Cmd+Shift+E).

Step 2: Set the export parameters. In the dialog box that appears:

  • Format: Usually choose WAV (lossless quality) or MP3 (lossy compression, convenient for sharing).
  • Location: Choose the save path.
  • Filename: Enter a name.
  • Confirm the sample type (usually consistent with the session settings).
  • Click “OK” to start rendering and exporting.

Step 3: Export the waveform file. In the waveform editor view, once editing is complete, simply click “File” > “Export” > “File” (Cmd+Shift+R), then set the format and location.

III. Advanced Tips for Common Features

1. Quick Noise Reduction and Restoration

In the waveform view, select a typical sample that contains only background noise (such as a silent segment before recording), and click “Effects” > “Noise Reduction/Restoration” > “Capture Noise Print” (Cmd+Shift+P). Then select all (Cmd+A), open the “Noise Reduction” effect again, and click “Apply” directly. Using “Effects” > “Noise Reduction/Restoration” > “Adaptive Noise Reduction” can handle noise that varies unpredictably.

2. Use “Match Loudness” for loudness normalization

Select multiple audio clips that need normalization (in the Files panel), and click “Window” > “Match Loudness”. In the panel, choose a preset (such as “Podcast”) and click “Run” to adjust the loudness of all selected files to the target value, meeting industry standards.

3. Frequency analysis and spectrogram display

At the bottom of the Waveform Editor, click the “Show Spectral Frequency Display” button (or press Shift+D) to switch the waveform view to the spectrogram view. In this view, you can use the “Spot Healing Brush Tool” (B) to paint directly on the spectrogram to remove transient noises such as clicks and phone interference, which is very intuitive and efficient.

4. Create and use favorites effects

After adjusting the parameters of an effect rack in the Effects panel, you can click the “Save Settings as Favorite” button in the upper right corner of the effect window. Later, you can quickly recall this preset from the “Favorites” menu or the “Favorites” category in the Effects panel, greatly improving efficiency for repetitive work.

IV. Common problems and solutions

Q1: No sound during playback?

Troubleshooting steps:
1. Check whether the Mac system sound output settings are correct.
2. In Audition, click “Adobe Audition” > “Preferences” > “Audio Hardware”, and confirm that “Device Type” is “Core Audio” and that the correct speaker or interface is selected for “Default Output”.
3. Check whether the main level meter has signal activity. If not, check whether the track is muted (M) or soloed (S), or whether the track output is routed incorrectly.
4. Check whether the clip or track volume has been turned down too low.

Q2: Latency or echo when recording?

Solution: This is usually caused by monitoring latency. In “Preferences” > “Audio Hardware”, try reducing the “I/O Buffer Size” (e.g., 128 or 256 samples). The smaller the value, the lower the latency, but the heavier the CPU load. Also, make sure that when recording vocals or instruments, you turn off the “Input Monitor” button on the track (usually a speaker icon) and instead use the hardware direct monitoring feature of your audio interface (if supported).

Q3: Playback stutters after applying effects?

Solution: Too many real-time effect processors across multiple tracks can overload the CPU. Try:
1. In the track effects group, temporarily turn off the power buttons of unnecessary real-time effect processors.
2. Click “Edit” > “Preferences” > “Playback” and try increasing the “Playback Buffer Size”.
3. For effects you have finalized, you can right-click on the clip and select “Render and Replace Real-Time Effects” to “bake” them in and reduce CPU load.

Q4: After saving a project, reopening it prompts that media files are offline?

Prevention and Solution: Audition’s multitrack session file (.sesx) does not contain the media itself; it only links to the original files. Be sure to keep the session file and all media files in the same project folder when working. If files go offline, you can right-click the offline file in the “Files Panel”, select “Replace”, and manually relink it.

V. Adobe Audition CC 2018 for Mac Keyboard Shortcuts Summary

Function Category Operation Description Shortcut (Mac)
File Operations New Multitrack Session Cmd + N
New Audio File Cmd + Shift + N
Open File Cmd + O
Import File Cmd + I
Export Multitrack Mixdown Cmd + Shift + E
Export File (Waveform) Cmd + Shift + R
Save Project Cmd + S
Editing Operations Undo Cmd + Z
Redo Cmd + Shift + Z
Select All Cmd + A
Copy Cmd + C
Cut Cmd + X
Paste Cmd + V
Delete Selection Delete
Playback & Navigation Play/Stop Spacebar
Play from Time Selection Start Shift + Spacebar
Go to Session Start Return
Go to Session End Cmd + Return
Zoom In/Out Horizontal View Cmd + +/-
Zoom In/Out Vertical View Cmd + Opt + +/-
Tool Switching Move Tool V

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