- Setting Device Order
- Setting Device Properties
- Recording Audio
- Extracting Audio from CDs
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Setting Device Properties
Another key step in configuring Audition to play and record audio is setting device properties. Among other things, you need to configure Audition's settings so that the application can deliver audio that your playback devices can reproduce, and you need to specify how the program should handle 32-bit audio, if you intend to use it.
To set device properties
- Choose Options > Device Properties (
Figure 3.5
).
Figure 3.5 You'll find more settings to configure in the Device Properties window, accessible via the Options menu.
- Click the Wave Out tab and select a device from the drop-down menu. You can review its capabilities in the Supported Formats pane (
Figure 3.6
).
Figure 3.6 You can configure your playback device on the Wave Out tab of the Device Properties window.
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Set any of the following:
- Order: This field indicates the order number assigned to the device for use in the Multitrack view. You may have already configured this in the Options > Device Order window. If not, or if you want to change the setting, click the Change button to open the Device Order window and make the adjustment.
- Use This Device in Edit View: When this box is checked, Audition uses this device for audio playback in Edit view.
- Limit Playback To: If your sound card is capable of playing back only 8-or 16-bit files, but you're working with 32-bit audio, you can check one of these boxes to downsample the audio during playback. You can also set the device to play in mono in Edit view.
- Send 32-Bit Audio As: As long as nothing is selected in the Limit Playback To area, you can choose a setting here to specify how the software sends 32-bit audio to your device. Choose 3-byte packed PCM, 4-byte PCM, or 4-byte IEEE float.
- Enable Dithering: When this option is selected, Audition dithers audio from a file that's encoded at a bit depth higher than your sound device can support. Otherwise, Audition truncates the audio data, removing and discarding unused bits. (For more on dithering, see Chapter 2.)
- Click the Wave In tab (
Figure 3.7
) and select the device you'll be using for recording audio. You can review its capabilities in the Supported Formats pane.
Figure 3.7 The Wave In tab of the Device Properties window.
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Set any of the following:
- Get 32-Bit Audio Using: This setting is analogous to the Send 32-Bit Audio As setting on the Wave Out tab. Here, you're specifying how you want your device to deliver 32-bit audio to Audition. The same options are available: 3-byte packed PCM, 4-byte PCM, and 4-byte IEEE float.
- Multitrack Latency: You need to set this field only if your device introduces latency to the recording process. Latency produced by a device usually results in one recorded track being out of sync with the others. Enter a value in milliseconds to compensate for a latency issue.
- Adjust to Zero-DC When Recording: Check this box if you need to remove DC bias during recording.
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What is zero DC bias?
Due to flaws in recording devices or other hardware in a signal chain, audio waveforms can sometimes look askew in Audition's Edit view. In such cases, you may notice that the waveform isn't centered properly on the center line of the waveform graph ( Figure 3.8 ). This is known as DC bias, or offset, and is caused by DC voltage from a faulty hardware device contaminating an audio signal.
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Figure 3.8 In this case of DC bias, the waveform is off-center.
The Adjust to Zero DC Bias checkbox compensates for hardware problems that lead to off-center waveforms, resulting in ones that are properly centered with zero DC bias ( Figure 3.9 ). It's best to avoid off-center waveforms because they can sound noisier and murkier than centered waveforms, and the perceived amplitude is often reduced.
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Figure 3.9 Here the waveform is properly centered with zero DC bias.
To configure Audition for use with an external controller
- In the Device Properties window, select the External Controllers tab (
Figure 3.10
).
This tab enables you to configure Audition to work with an external controller such as the Mackie Control Universal. Such a controller allows you to bypass your mouse and keyboard and edit audio using "real" faders and controls.
Figure 3.10 You can configure Audition to use an external controller.
- Select a controller in the drop-down menu.
- Select a volume increment setting.
- Click the Configure button (
Figure 3.11
) to activate options offered by the software provided with your controller. Set the options.
Figure 3.11 Click the Configure button on the External Controllers tab of the Device Properties window to manipulate the features available for your controller.
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