Adobe 22011292 User Guide - Page 22

8 CHAPTER 1 Key Concepts of Adobe Audition This same model of delayed destructive editing also enables Adobe Audition to offer multiple levels of Undo. When you apply destructive edits to a waveform, Adobe Audition retains a copy of the file as it exists before the edit. It does this for each edit you perform, enabling you to travel back through your edits to previous states of the waveform. Multiple Undo gives you tremendous freedom in working on waveforms without having to worry about destructiveness in the least. However, it also requires additional hard drive space to store these copies. (Copies are automatically deleted from your hard drive when you close a file or exit the program.) You can disable the Undo feature if your disk space runs too low. Real-Time Preview In the Edit View, Adobe Audition offers real-time preview for many of its effects. This means that you can monitor the processed signal before applying the effect to the waveform. (Remember: the effect is actually applied to a copy of the waveform, and can be freely undone.) The preview feature updates in real time, meaning that changes you make to effect parameters while in the dialog for that effect become audible immediately, while the audio is playing. Keep in mind, however, that your system's performance affects the preview feature. On slower systems, some effects may tend to break up or skip during preview. In multitrack the preview is not necessary, as effects are used non-destructively. Basically, every effect in the Multitrack View is in preview all the time. Multitrack Adobe Audition's multitrack environment enables you to place multiple waveforms, MIDI files, and video soundtracks into different tracks for simultaneous playback and mixdown. No matter which type of audio you use, each sound instance in Adobe Audition's Multitrack View is referred to as a "block." The mixing process involves combining the audio of all of the placed blocks into two or more channels for output. Because you can edit, add, and subtract blocks in the multitrack environment, Adobe Audition must constantly watch for changes to the multitrack session, such as a moved or deleted sound file, a volume change, or new material recorded into a track. When something is altered, Adobe Audition must immediately work that change into the mixed output, and it does so through background mixing. Background mixing occurs behind the scenes and is generally very fast. The faster your system - especially your CPU and hard drive(s) - the faster Adobe Audition can mix in the background. The Mix Gauge at the bottom of the Track Controls in the Multitrack View shows how far along Adobe Audition is in the process of mixing your session. The meter goes from "empty" to "full" as it mixes the session, and it turns a bright color when the entire session is fully mixed. You can think of this meter as a "ready" indicator. However, you need not wait for the meter to reach completion entirely before beginning playback. As stated above, Adobe Audition continuously mixes, and will continue to do so while playing, so you can safely begin playback when the Mix Gauge meter is about halfway up.