Mike MurphyAI Handyman
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Episode 56

The Adobe Audition Show

September 30, 2016 ·

Ep56: The Adobe Audition Show What is Adobe Audition & Why Do I Use It? Episode Summary: What is Adobe Audition? How Much Does it Cost? How do I use Audition for my podcast workflow? Do I recommend it for new or prospective podcasters?

Episode Summary: What Adobe Audition is, what it costs, and the exact recording-through-export workflow used to produce every episode of this podcast.

What You’ll Learn

  • What Adobe Audition is and how it compares to alternative DAWs
  • The full hardware chain: microphone, mixer, and computer routing
  • A step-by-step recording and editing workflow, start to finish
  • Broadcast loudness standards and how to hit them with the Match Loudness panel

This Week’s Toolkit

Stanley PowerSquid 5-Outlet Flexible Multiplier (not a surge protector, worth noting). Discovered via YouTuber Caleb Pike, whose channel is a genuinely excellent resource on video production.

What Is Adobe Audition?

A digital audio workstation (DAW) — the software used to record and edit every episode of this podcast. Per Adobe: “a professional audio workstation for mixing, finishing, and precision editing,” with multitrack, waveform, and spectral display tools designed to accelerate both podcast and video production workflows.

Alternative DAWs: Audacity (popular, free, less robust than a pro DAW), GarageBand (free on every Mac, widely used by podcasters), Hindenburg Journalist Pro (browser-based), Logic Pro X (GarageBand’s big sibling), Reaper, and Avid Pro Tools — the heavyweight choice for musicians.

How Much Does Audition CC Cost?

Included in the full Adobe CC bundle at $49/month (every Adobe product — still one of the best values available for creators at any level), or standalone at $19.99/month like most Adobe apps. Tip: the 30-day free trial of the full bundle is a good way to test-drive everything before committing to just Audition.

Podcast Workflow in Audition

Hardware chain: a Shure SM7B microphone plugs into an Allen & Heath mixer, which functions as the audio interface — connected to the computer via USB.

In Audition’s preferences: audio hardware preferences map the default input and output to the USB interface (the mixer). Default input is the microphone/device recording into Audition; default output is where playback sends sound (headphones, speakers). Mac tip: hold Option and click the volume icon in the menu bar to set system-level input and output quickly.

The Simple Version of the Workflow

For each episode:

  1. Create a master folder with two sub-folders: Audio and Artwork.
  2. Open Adobe Audition.
  3. Set default input/output if needed.
  4. File > New Audio File.
  5. Configure the new file: title, sample rate 44,100, mono channel, 32-bit float.
  6. Save.
  7. Side tip: Option+I shows input levels — aim for -18dB to -9dB.
  8. After recording, save as the original file, then Edit > Copy to New to create an editable duplicate.
  9. Edit the copy for mistakes and gaps, save.
  10. Create a multitrack session — Audition supports templates, so a pre-built “Mike” template with intro/outro already placed makes lining up the voice track a roughly 2-second task each week.
  11. Once the episode sounds right, run it through the Essential Sound panel.
  12. Export a multi-mixdown as .wav.
  13. Use Match Loudness to hit broadcast standards: -19 LUFS for mono podcasts, -16 LUFS for stereo.

And that’s the speedy version of the entire Audition workflow.

Absolutely.

Show Notes & Links