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Participating Frequently
April 28, 2011
Question

Opinions on the new Adobe Audition

  • April 28, 2011
  • 17 replies
  • 24397 views

Please do not mistake this thread for a dupe of the other thread of a similar topic, I'd like to give a more in depth opinion of the new version of Audition compared to its predecessor.

For the past five years I have spent many hours of most days experimenting with audio, specifically audio restoration. I tried countless other applications before discovering Audition and none could offer what I was looking for. When I did discover Audition (version 3), about 3 years ago, it is one of the very few pieces of software I have since installed on every computer I use. It was extremely easy to use whilst having an incredible array of functions. The help manual was extremely comprehensive, giving detailed instructions and explanation of every single option in Audition, this alone I thought deserves praise. The program constantly delighted me; it seemed tailored to the needs of someone who would be using it to its full potential. I was constantly discovering new levels of potential that Audition offered and it has been the invaluable in allowing me to provide much needed audio restoration for vinyl rips of tunes that would otherwise become lost forever. With all that Audition v3 offered I could master even the worst, hiss-filled, click-ridden, muffled vinyl rips to recordings that would sound perfectly acceptable to be released on professional CDs.

I could not fault Audition v3, but I could, however, think of improvements, albeit very few. For years I eagerly awaited a new version and now it has arrived, I have to admit I am a quite disappointed.

The improvements that I had hoped would have been applied, have not. Instead, it seems to be a basic edition of version 3 except with a makeover. It does indeed work slightly faster, for example, instead of taking 6-7 seconds to load a track in version 3, it only seems to take 3-4 in version 4. Unfortunately this is about the only thing I can praise it for. The layout is unnecessarily complicated. I always valued audition for its extremely ergonomic layout, making it an extremely unconfusing application to work with. The new layout is clustered and unnecessary. I appreciate that I can alter the layout to what I would like, but it's unnecessary hassle to have to make it usable - I have never had to alter the layout of version 3 from its default. The available effects of the new version are the same as the old version, this alone was a little disheartening as I was anticipating numerous new abilities, but I can't really think of what else could be added, so I overlooked this. I can't, however, overlook that the processes are far more basic than what they were in version 3 and do not offer the ability to alter them to my exact needs, the declick effect being a prime example. Version 3's declick process had a vast array of settings allowing me to amend them to my exact requirements, the new version simply has 2 sliders, not even a "fix single click" option. I also feel that the help file is marginally more difficult to navigate than in the previous version.

I have to say that I agree with what was said in the previous thread, this new version simply appears to be a rehash of Soundbooth, which I have always perceived (as do many other people I have spoken to) to be a layman's version of Audition v3.


In conclusion, I regret to say that I'm sticking to v3. The new version only offers slightly faster processing, but at the cost of most of its functioning.


What's going on? Surely this is the reverse of how updates work?

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    17 replies

    Participant
    May 5, 2011

    plz replz to my answer here : http://forums.adobe.com/thread/848070?tstart=0

    Inspiring
    May 5, 2011

    personally, i hate v3, but it never seemed to work right for me. i always got errors and all kinds of neusenses. i started on Cool Edit Pro, then graduated to Aud 1.5. to today, 1.5 is my main tool. for music work and such. it just feels good, and comfortable. and doesnt lock up and shut down on me. (i had to get an ASIO add-on just to even run v3 on my windows7 machine, and then v3 would refuse to work if i had any other "sound emiting app" running like itunes, premiere, etc)

    as far as 5.5, i just downloaded the trial today, and messed some with it... its not BAD... i love the fact i can open, close, open, run, edit in premiere, bounce back, play music in itunes, and never get some stupid "failed and shut down" error.

    but it seems to me... most people who used v1.5 and v3 were hardcore music production. i've produced alot of music with those apps... it seems to me the aim for v4 is not music production, but video production. and they may be why all the tomatoes are being thrown. v4 just seems more an addition to premiere than it does a replacement for ProTools, which i always saw v3 and expecially v1.5 as being a great contender for replacing pro-tools.

    i'll still noodle with it some more before writing it off like the others... because i love how easily it integrates with premiere, and i do more video prod than audio these days anyway.... but i'm so glad i dont have to deal with ASIO crashing and killing a project with v4, which is something i never had to deal with in v1.5

    SteveG_AudioMasters_
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    May 5, 2011

    demon_hunter83 wrote:


    but it seems to me... most people who used v1.5 and v3 were hardcore music production.

    Actually, by far and away the largest user group was doing radio production - this is well documented. Please note carefully the use of the past tense here...

    Participant
    May 5, 2011

    It's a bust.  As a big fan of 3.0, I had pre-ordered 5.5.  Earlier this week I downloaded the 30-day trial version and was shocked.  The interface is needlessly complex, most of the keyboard shortcuts I use most have either been changed or have disappeared and, most disheartening, as has been noted elsewhere, several of the features I happen to use most are not there.  Clip time stretching, grouping, internal CD mastering, etc.   One improvement:  multi-track clip volume envelope is now adjustable minus AND plus.  And yes some function are a tad faster running on Windows 7 Pro 64.  But after a few hours with the trial version I contacted Adobe and attempted to cancel my order.  Too late.  It has already shipped.  This user will be returning 5.5 unopened.  Adobe dropped the ball on this one big time.  I await 6.0.

    Participant
    May 11, 2011

    I couldnt agree more .. Im a 12 year user going back to CEP ..  Im a on 3.0 right now .. Love 3.0 and how it works like a daw .. I re-wire  Fl studio and reason all the time .. I am Very Disapointed with Cs5.5 ( audition 4 ) Using Audition was a breeze before .> Everything was a click away with the main pointer tool .. No need to go and hit othere tools all the  time to do simple stuff ... Many People as myself use this as there primary DAW  .. Now that there is No - midi , and No re-wire .. I am seriously thinking about buying pro tools .. Which i would hate to do .. Only thing 3.0 is missing when it comes to music production is a WAy better midi sequincer , dynamic tempo , grid lines , and a more stable re-wire .. BAM thats it .. And if Audition did kinda what Logic does with Midi it would be without a dougbt the best DAW on the market and could be advertized and pushed to the point to compete .. But No .. ADObe would rather think like Geeks instead of the end user who @ the end of the day get limited by there geek mess ups .. You took a Great Audio editer and turned it into a Great DAW in 3.0 .. Easy to use and to setup .. It only was missing a few functions .. Which could have easly been done with a few upgrades .. Now you have tottaly messed up the program .. I cant even open old sessions from 3.0 and have them used correctly with all the hours of FX and mixing i did all gone .> so i must use 3.0 ..  LISTEN TO THE MUSIC PEOPLE ADOBE >> WE HAVE BEEN LOYAL FOR YEARS WHILE OTHER PRGRAMS HAVE COME ALONG AND UPGRADES TO WHICH COMES MUCH FASTER >. EXSAMPLE CUBASE >.... QUit Being thinking like geeks and think like the end user and producer of music .. it is kewl that adobe can be used to edit audio for video .. but honestly you have even made it harder for that .> WAKE up ..

    So to end this i will get right to the point // Adobe Audition CS5 is a EPIC FAIL !!!! Booo !!! .. You took a great fast and easy DAW and made it a pain in the neck like MOST DAWS ,.. I use to be able to do everything with just a few clicks .. now i gotta select tools ? What a JOKE .. It has killed the workflow .. And you took away options that 3 had .. Like CD burn / midi / and re-wire .. EPIC FAIL and this is coming from a 12 year user since CEP .. Maybe my money should go to pro tools .. it sure isnt going to cs5 .. I will wait till cs6 .. and after years of waiting if i dont get what i need .. im packing up and leaving as MANY users will do ..

    Participant
    May 11, 2011

    Ohh Looking  again through it .. There is more to grip about .. where is the stereo field effects .. I practically LIVE on those effects for vocals in songs .. bring em through the mix nicely ( i record vocals with a slight stereo dub delays then apply a stereo expander acchodingly which is my secret for making vocals cut through a mix would having to Dub them ) tha effect ONLY audition has ( being the best stereo expander out there ) is now gone .> that thing is a gold mine waiting to be discovered .. Anyhow .. Make this a serious program for us Musicians PLEASE .. Compete COMPETE COMPETE ... And Update often or you wont get money from me EVER again for ANYTHING .. I will boycot and badmouth ADOBE TO MY DIeING DAY !!! You guys should have added FX and not tooken them away .. Ohh and alot .SES files to be saved again .> sometime i have had issues with XML files being ccorupted and a SES is ALWAYS MY BACKUP .. MAN THIS IS A EPIC FAIL .. NOBODY KNOW AUDIO BETTER THEN US AUDIO ENGINIEERS WOM ALSO MIX MASTER AND RECORD MUSIC IN MUTITRACKS AND WITH MIDI .. LEARN FROM US AND MAKE A PROGRAM FOR US AS WELL AS THE VIDEO GUY >> DONT KILL A GOOD THING >> RIGHT NOW AUDITION IS IN NEED OF ALOT OF HELP >.

    May 5, 2011

    Having tried the demo for some time now I'm very disappointed...

    Sure, there are some fantastic aspects to this new update, not least of which is knowing that the Adobe audio team are now giving their full attention to Audition and not Soundbooth. Also the speed of the new programme and some new features such as the clip effects are most welcome. BUT... while Audition 3.0 seems to me a mature professional programme, Audition CS5.5 seems much more like a new kid on the block, with so many daily features simply not there.

    The biggest omissions that I noticed straight away - and which I had not expected from durin's and other posts - were the inability to preview a clip before importing it, the lack of timestretch in multitrack, no video thumbnail for aligning music/video accurately, and so many effects missing from before.

    ...and of course CD burning. I use Audition for mastering and CD burning is an absolute MUST HAVE (in fact I felt the existing CD burning needed improving further, not ditching).

    Asking me for money to "upgrade" to this new version is bordering on insulting.

    What I really hope for - staying positive - is that over the next year or so the Adobe team get their act together with bringing back the features so many of us rely on - the stuff that's been at the core of Audition since the start. Failing that I guess I will be looking at Wavelab, but I would definitely rather stick with Audtion and stay positive that the developers have a vision to bring this back to a professional full-featured toolset.

    Lighthope
    Known Participant
    May 12, 2011

    The biggest omissions that I noticed straight away - and which I had not expected from durin's and other posts - were the inability to preview a clip before importing it, the lack of timestretch in multitrack

         Huh, what?  No timestretch in multitrack?  I use that constantly!  Timestretch covers a multitude of sins when you have actors that need to speak echo each other's lines but record their lines seperately.  Singers who don't quite get timing right.  Soooo many uses.

        
         Well, I didn't buy 3.0 because it wasn't enough of an upgrade over 2.0.  Guess I'll have to wait for 6.0 now.

    Bob Howes
    Inspiring
    May 1, 2011

    If your friend is a beta tester he'd KNOW the version he gave you was a beta--and the long legal document he signed before getting access to the software would have prohibited giving you a copy or even telling you about it.  The only public beta was the Mac version since that's completely new.

    ianvixAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    May 1, 2011

    Well then I don't know what version it was. Like I said above, I prefer v3 as it offers better functionality so have continued with that for now, I'll wait for the official release of the new version and try that. Hopefully the official version will not suffer from the issues I listed above.

    May 1, 2011

    Really, so the trial of Audition CS5 isn't an Adobe release? Is it a beta? That's weird. Well, if the new version does have midi and/or rewire, then I CAN use it. I guess we'll see. The one I got doesn't say Beta on it anywhere. It looked legit. I'll definitely uninstall it then. It had the Adobe 30 day trial popyup and everything.

    Inspiring
    May 1, 2011

    Looks are deceiving, aren't they?  :O)  Where did you get this version?  I guess you get the point that Adobe hasn't released anything yet.

    Bob Howes
    Inspiring
    April 29, 2011

    Where did you manage to get the trial?  The rest of us here are still waiting for it to be available!

    ianvixAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    April 29, 2011

    No idea, a friend who is also a fan of Audition (who also has similar dislikes of the new version btw) burned me a dvd with the trial on it. I assumed he got it from the adobe website, I'll send him an email and find out.

    _durin_
    Community Manager
    Community Manager
    April 29, 2011

    CS 5.5 has not been released and any installations you acquired before the official release date are not authorized.  The authorized trial downloads will be available sometime in May, but anything downloaded online before that point cannot be confirmed as official Adobe-supported releases.

    _durin_
    Community Manager
    Community Manager
    April 28, 2011

    Hi ianvix,

    With regards to the panel layout, there is a Classic workspace preset that as closely resembles the standard Audition 3 layout as is possible.  As for the comparisons with Soundbooth, it's true that much work has been done to incorporate ease-of-use interface elements and usability features from that application with the re-write of Audition, but the DSP and backend engine are completely Audition and do not rely on shared code intended for a different purpose.

    Are you trying Audition CS 5.5 on the same Windows system on which you use Audition 3?

    ianvixAuthor
    Participating Frequently
    April 28, 2011

    I'm running the new version no differently than how I ran the previous version, both on the same computer (Windows 7).


    The main issue I have with the new version is that it seems that it's been built to appeal to the people who probably aren't genuinely "into" audio editing, i.e. they want software to do it for them, as a pose to people who use it heavily to do intensive restoration or similar, and this is the key problem - there are plenty of alternative applications that do these basic functions already, Audition v3 was the only program I knew that was actually good at doing them. Now I fear that it will be little more useful than alternative software.

    It's like the new version is for people who don't really know what they're doing, so the software is intentionally basic to avoid confusion, instead of the software offering maximum functionality enabling the person to do as much as is possible to achieve their goal.

    As a person who uses Audition so frequently (probably about 2 hours a day on average), I feel let down that the new version is so limited in what it can do when compared to version 3. Having checked out the effects of the new version, I honestly can't see how I would manage to do what I did when using v3, or at least not as efficiently or as effectively.

    It's as if instead of trying to improve Audition by adding new functions, improving existing ones and removing flaws, you've mainly aimed at changing it simply to make it different, not necessarily to make it better. It does run faster which is definitely a good thing, but I can't justify using a considerably more basic version of a program, simply because it's a bit faster.

    _durin_
    Community Manager
    Community Manager
    April 28, 2011

    Thanks for your feedback, and if you can share the primary differences between comparable tools or effects that prevent you from using it as you'd like, I'd be very happy to include them in our feature database for consideration as we work on CS 6.  The more specific, the better.

    I look forward to getting similar feedback from other users when Audition is available for legitimate download from Adobe.com early next month.  Share what you like, share what you dislike or are lacking, and share where you'd love to have that's never been there.