Adobe Audition Workflow Tips for Podcasters

Adobe Audition: Essential Tools for Clean Audio EditingAdobe Audition is a professional digital audio workstation (DAW) widely used for audio restoration, podcast production, music post-production, and broadcast workflows. Its suite of tools balances precision editing, spectral repair, and intuitive effects processing, making it a go-to choice when the goal is clean, polished audio. This article walks through Audition’s essential tools and techniques for achieving crisp, noise-free results, with practical tips and recommended workflows.

Why Adobe Audition for Clean Audio?

Adobe Audition combines nondestructive multitrack editing with a powerful waveform editor and a detailed spectral frequency display. This combination allows editors to perform surgical edits at both the macro (multitrack mixing) and micro (spectral repair) levels. Key strengths include:

Comprehensive noise reduction and restoration tools
Powerful spectral editing for visualizing and removing unwanted sounds
Batch processing and adaptive effects for consistent results across files
Integration with Adobe Creative Cloud for streamlined media workflows

Setup and Preparation: Project Organization & Preferences

A clean-editing workflow begins before you press play. Organize and configure Audition for efficiency:

Create a consistent folder structure for raw files, processed stems, and masters.
Use sample-rate and bit-depth settings that match your delivery requirements (commonly 48 kHz / 24-bit for video, 44.1 kHz / 16-bit for audio-only).
Set up default input/output hardware in Preferences > Audio Hardware and configure latency buffers sensibly (lower latency for recording, higher for editing/mixing if needed).
Save Effect Rack presets for commonly used chains (e.g., podcast voice chain, dialogue cleanup).

Essential Toolset Overview

Below are the Audition tools you’ll rely on most for clean audio, with how and when to use each.

Waveform Editor vs. Multitrack Editor

Waveform Editor: Best for single-file restorative edits and spectral repair (destructive or saved as a new file).
Multitrack Editor: Ideal for mixing multiple stems, arranging clips, and applying nondestructive effects via track/preset buses.

Use the Waveform Editor when you need surgical fixes; use Multitrack when you’re assembling and polishing a final mix.

Spectral Frequency Display

The Spectral Frequency Display visualizes audio energy across time and frequency. It’s indispensable for identifying and removing discrete noises (clicks, whistles, breath noises, electrical hums, and more). Zoom in and use the Brush Selection and Lasso tools to isolate unwanted elements and apply targeted processing.

Practical tip: switch between spectral and waveform views (Shift+D) to confirm edits without losing context.

Noise Reduction (Process) and Adaptive Noise Reduction

Noise Reduction (Process): Create a noise print from a silent portion of the audio, then reduce that noise across the selection. Best for consistent background noise like hiss or hum.
Adaptive Noise Reduction: Automatically adapts to changing noise profiles across a clip. Use when background noise fluctuates but avoid over-processing, which creates artifacts.

Recommended workflow: capture a good noise print, apply Noise Reduction conservatively (start at 6–12 dB), then fine-tune with spectral editing for stubborn artifacts.

DeNoise and DeReverb Effects

DeNoise (Effect) offers both simple presets and detailed control panels for reducing broadband noise.
DeReverb reduces room reflections and ambience that muddy dialogue. Use sparingly—overuse can make audio sound unnatural.

A typical voice chain: parametric EQ → DeNoise → DeReverb (mild) → compressor → limiter.

Click/Pop Eliminator and Automatic Click Remover

These tools are quick fixes for transient issues like mouth clicks, pops, and vinyl artifacts. Use with care; if clicks are large or complex, combine with manual spectral repair.

Diagnostics Panel

The Diagnostics panel performs batch repairs: automatic clicks/pops repair, DC offset correction, sample-rate conversion checks, and more. Useful for preflight checks before final export.

Practical Workflows

Dialogue Cleanup (Podcasting / Voiceover)

Normalize or match loudness (Target: -16 LUFS for stereo podcast, -19 to -16 LUFS for spoken-word depending on platform).
Remove DC offset (Diagnostics > Center DC Offset).
Apply spectral repair to remove breaths or lip smacks selectively.
Use Noise Reduction (Process) with a noise print for background hiss.
Apply DeReverb if room reflections are problematic.
EQ: high-pass filter around 70–120 Hz (depending on voice) to remove low rumble; gentle presence boost at 3–6 kHz if needed.
Compression: gentle ratio (2:1–4:1), medium attack, medium release; use Makeup Gain to restore level.
Final limiting to prevent clipping and set LUFS target.

Field Recording / Location Audio

Use adaptive noise reduction for changing environments.
Clean up wind and handling noise with spectral editing and low-frequency removal (HPF at 80–120 Hz).
For intermittent noises (doors, vehicles), use waveform/spectral editing to excise or attenuate.

Music Stem Cleanup

Use spectral editing to remove clicky string noises or isolated artifacts.
Careful DeReverb can help tame overly live room tracks, but consider re-amping or convolution reverb as alternatives for consistency.

Advanced Techniques

Multiband Compression and Sidechain Techniques

Use Multiband Compressor to control sibilance and harshness in certain frequency bands while leaving other bands untouched. Sidechain compression can duck music beneath dialogue using a low-ratio compressor with a sidechain feed from the dialogue track.

Spectral Frequency Repair — Healing vs. Replacement

Healing works like a brush to interpolate surrounding audio and is excellent for short noises.
Replacement uses surrounding spectral content to fill gaps when healing isn’t sufficient. Adjust the FFT size and settings to match the audio material.

Batch Processing and Favorites

Save frequently used chains in the Favorites menu or batch-process multiple files via File > Batch Process to apply consistent cleaning across episodes or takes.

Tips to Avoid Common Pitfalls

Overprocessing creates artifacts: apply noise reduction and de-reverb gently and in stages.
Always A/B between processed and original audio at the same loudness to judge changes honestly.
Use non-destructive multitrack workflows when possible so you can revert quickly.
Monitor on neutral headphones/speakers and check mixes in multiple listening environments.

Export and Delivery

Choose correct sample rate/bit depth for the target platform.
Use Loudness Radar or Match Loudness to meet platform-specific LUFS targets (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, broadcast standards).
Export stems when sending to collaborators and full mixes or mastered files for final delivery. Use WAV for highest quality, MP3/AAC for compressed delivery.

Quick Reference: Recommended Settings (Starting Points)

Sample rate: 48 kHz for video, 44.1 kHz for audio-only.
Bit depth: 24-bit for editing; 16-bit for final CD delivery.
Podcast loudness target: -16 LUFS (stereo) or platform spec.
HPF for voices: 70–120 Hz depending on voice and mic.

Closing Thoughts

Adobe Audition provides a rich toolkit for achieving clean, professional audio when used thoughtfully. The key is to combine surgical spectral edits with conservative broadband processes, maintain organized projects, and monitor changes carefully. Practice these workflows and build preset chains that fit your regular projects — efficiency compounds into better, more consistent results.