conflicting advice re Device class and input and output device

[Quantum88]

I get it that mastering Adobe Audition is a steep and long learning curve - but nothing is more confusing and frustrating than conflicting / contradictory advice from experts on the same issue.

1. Device Class: MME or ASIO?

Adobe Audition online Manual strongly recommends ASIO for Windows.  Then on this and other forums I have seen advice to the contrary - forget ASIO use MME only - for a number of technical issues with ASIO. I have been using MME from the start, but when changed to ASIO just to see what happens, it asked me to open the external settings - which apparently I don't have on my computer. Is this something I need to download and install l first?  I am more concerned by the difference of opinion, by the way.

2. Input and output:  which one is recommended: System Default OR the speaker and mic I use?  Again, I have seen both recommendations excluding the other.

yes, I can  of course try every possible combination and test them all on my machine - but I still would like to know which option is better working with Audition by design, hence it is recommended.

I understand people have different preferences, and that's fine. But when it comes to professional recommendation on which setting works best with the program by design, I expect consistent advice which I can take as the baseline and experiment from there if I'm not happy with the results.

can any Audition expert help?

thanks

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

There are two good reasons that you can't have a definitive answer to this, I'm afraid. I'll outline them: Firstly, if you want to make a multichannel recording using Windows, you've got to use ASIO - no MME drivers support anything more than stereo. That's Microsoft's fault for making the validation process seriously expensive. Secondly, a lot of sound devices simply don't provide ASIO drivers for their products, so you're pretty much forced to use MME or WASAPI.

By design, Audition has an ASIO engine, so the smoothest performance you are going to get will be with a direct ASIO driver - but only if your sound device supports it. The consequence of this is, of course, that other drivers effectively have to do a translation between what your sound device can output, and Audition. One of the ways to achieve this is to use the (free) ASIO4ALL driver which, as well as doing the translation, offers some diagnostics.

Same goes for inputs and outputs - it all depends on your sound device, and what you are trying to achieve - there's no definitively 'correct' answer to this either. Okay, Audition is both deep and flexible, and specifically does not tie the user to working with it in only one way. So I can't make specific recommendations about how you should use it - it really is up to you to put the work in, I'm afraid.

[Quantum88]

that's not the answer I was hoping for, but thanks.

In this case though, the Adobe manual should include and address those conditions instead of talking about the ASIO driver as the only option for Windows, without even mentioning the MME.

I will look into ASIO4ALL driver - although I vaguely recall reading some negative comments about it on this and other forums about some known technical issues with it.  I don't even now if  my machine would support it, but will investigate.

Perhaps the ASIO driver will eliminate those pesky clicks. They have decreased with my brand new Yeti Blue Pro mic, reduced gain and max buffer, but some are still there, so that's clearly the system's issue.

Interestingly, I'm getting some of those clicks on my Zoom interview recordings on both audio tracks (mine and guest's) as they are recorded separately, and also recorded on the Zoom server bypassing my system. especially my guests' recordings from the other side of the globe.