Adobe Audition Review: A Powerful Audio Editor for Video and Podcast Producers

Adobe Audition has long been a go-to audio editing tool for filmmakers, broadcasters and podcasters. But with the major enhancements in its 2024 release, is it now the single best option for most audio post-production workflows?

As a 15-year audio industry veteran who has used Audition since its Cool Edit Pro days, I‘ve put the latest version through its paces to help you decide if it‘s the right fit for your projects. In this in-depth Adobe Audition review, I‘ll dive into the new features, compare it to popular alternatives, and share real-world examples and tips to maximize your productivity.

Whether you‘re just getting started with podcast editing or you‘re a seasoned video post engineer looking to up your game, read on to see if Adobe Audition 2024 deserves a starring role in your audio toolkit.

What‘s New in Adobe Audition 2024?

Adobe has packed a lot of punch into its Audition 2024 release. Many of the new features and improvements focus on streamlining workflows for podcastes, video editors and game audio designers.

Here are some of the highlights:

Improved Punch and Roll Recording: Audition 2024 vastly simplifies punch-in dialogue recording and editing. The new Global Clip Stretching mode automatically resizes the rest of your playlist to accommodate the new take, saving you the hassle of manually shifting clips.

Automatic Audio Ducking: This new feature (finally!) brings Audition in line with its video-centric sibling, Adobe Premiere Pro. You can now set dialogue or voiceover clips to automatically lower the volume of background tracks like music or ambience while the dialogue plays. It‘s a huge timesaver compared to drawing in keyframes by hand.

Enhanced Loudness Matching: Adobe has expanded Audition‘s ability to analyze and match the perceived loudness of dialogue, sound effects and music tracks to a target specification. The 2024 version includes new profiles for popular streaming platforms like Spotify and YouTube, as well as nextgen broadcast specs.

Interoperability with Premiere Pro: Audition and Premiere have played nicely together for years, but 2024 takes it to the next level. You can now open Premiere sequences directly in Audition, complete with video preview. Any audio work done in Audition, including track names and automation, is seamlessly synced back to Premiere.

Spatial Audio Tools: With immersive content booming, Audition 2024 adds a full suite of spatial mixing plugins for popular formats like Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio. The new 3D Panner effect makes it easy to position sounds in a virtual space using an intuitive sphere interface.

These are just a few of the over 50 new features and 100+ bug fixes Adobe says are included in Audition 2024. From the revamped Noise Print Editor to the new Project Manager window that consolidates assets for easy archiving, it‘s clear Adobe has doubled down on enhancing the core Audition experience for audio post pros.

How Does Audition Compare to Other Audio Editors?

Of course, Adobe Audition isn‘t the only major audio editing and post-production platform out there. Its chief rivals include Avid Pro Tools, Apple Logic Pro, Cockos Reaper and Blackmagic Design‘s Fairlight.

So how does Audition stack up, especially in light of its 2024 upgrades? Let‘s break it down:

Pro Tools:
Long considered the industry standard DAW, Pro Tools still has the edge for music production and mixing thanks to its unparalleled plugin ecosystem and advanced surround sound and Atmos capabilities. But when it comes to pure audio post for film, video and podcasts, many top facilities have switched to Audition for its superior dialogue editing, auto-ducking and interplay with Premiere. And Audition‘s new 3D tools are quickly catching up to Pro Tools‘ immersive mixing prowess.

Logic Pro:
Logic remains a favorite among composers for its vast array of built-in virtual instruments. But as a video post or podcast production tool, it can‘t match Audition‘s feature set. And of course, Logic is Mac-only whereas Audition runs equally well on macOS and Windows.

Reaper:
This powerful but affordable DAW has long been an attractive alternative for budget-conscious audio editors and small studios. Version 6.75, released in late 2023, added some impressive new audio restoration and loudness metering options. However, Reaper still lags behind Audition in video/audio sync, loudness matching and overall polish.

Fairlight:
Blackmagic Design took the post world by surprise when they acquired this respected DAW in 2018. Since then, they‘ve quickly iterated on integrating it with their DaVinci Resolve NLE and color grading software. But while Fairlight sports a sleek, futuristic UI, its audio editing feature set and performance still trail Audition in several key areas, especially for broadcast and podcast workflows that don‘t require Resolve integration.

The bottom line? For most audio post-production scenarios in 2024, it‘s hard to beat the combination of functionality, usability and inter-app synergy Adobe Audition provides–especially if you already live in the Adobe ecosystem. Audition may not be the sexiest DAW on the block, but its meat-and-potatoes feature set is incredibly well-suited for the day-to-day needs of dialogue editors, sound designers, re-recording mixers and podcast producers.

System Requirements and Performance

To run Adobe Audition 2024 optimally, you‘ll need a relatively modern computer and a good chunk of storage space. The minimum system requirements are:

• Multicore processor with 64-bit support (Intel 7th Gen or newer recommended)
• 16 GB of RAM (32 GB recommended for video and surround projects)
• 4 GB of available hard-disk space for installation
• 1920×1080 or larger display
• macOS 11 (Big Sur) or Windows 10 (64-bit) or later

In practice, I recommend an even beefier setup–especially if you work with high channel counts or long-form content. A 6+ core CPU like the Intel Core i7/i9/Xeon or AMD Ryzen 7/9, 64 GB of RAM, and an NVMe SSD will ensure you never feel bogged down even on massive projects.

Audition can also take advantage of multiple displays, so setting up dual 4K monitors is worth it if you have the room and budget.

In terms of performance, Adobe has done an admirable job optimizing Audition over the years. The 2024 version feels snappier than ever, with faster waveform rendering and near-instant recalculation of effects and loudness values even on huge multitrack sessions.

I was able to smoothly run a 30-track podcast mix with plugins on every channel, along with a simultaneous video preview on my Intel i9 MacBook Pro. Older, underpowered systems may still chug, but most modern workstations should have no trouble handling even intense Audition scenarios.

The Bottom Line: Is Adobe Audition Right for You?

So when all is said and done, do I recommend Adobe Audition 2024? The short answer is a resounding yes–if you fit the profile of the software‘s target user.

Adobe has gone all-in on optimizing Audition for audio post-production workflows. If your work revolves around editing and mixing audio for video projects, especially in tandem with Adobe Premiere, Audition is as close to a must-have as it gets. The same goes for professional podcast production, where its advanced dialogue editing, auto-ducking and loudness management tools can save you boatloads of time and effort.

On the other hand, as stellar as Audition‘s feature set is for post, it still falls a bit short for music production compared to DAWs like Pro Tools, Logic and Ableton Live that offer robust MIDI sequencing and virtual instruments. And while Audition can certainly be used for recording and mixing bands, most studio engineers will prefer the greater flexibility and plugin options of an app that was purpose-built for music.

So in summary, here‘s my advice:

Adobe Audition 2024 is likely the best choice if you:

• Edit and mix audio for film, TV, or web video projects
• Produce professional podcasts with multiple tracks and elements
• Design sound effects and ambiences for games or multimedia
• Need to quickly clean up and master interviews or voiceovers
• Collaborate with Adobe Premiere editors and other Creative Cloud users

You may want to consider an alternative like Pro Tools, Logic or Reaper if you:

• Primarily produce or mix music, especially with live instruments and performers
• Rely heavily on third-party plugins and virtual instruments
• Have an older/lower-specced computer that may struggle with Audition‘s system requirements
• Need a cheaper or one-time purchase option instead of a Creative Cloud subscription

As for me, I plan to continue using Audition as my main DAW for the foreseeable future. It may not have all the sexy bells and whistles of some of its rivals, but it absolutely nails the core functionality I need as a freelance podcast producer and advertising sound designer. The 2024 enhancements, particularly the new loudness and spatial audio features, have only further cemented its place in my daily toolkit.

Ultimately, the "right" audio editing software comes down to your specific needs and budget. But if you want a no-nonsense, incredibly well-rounded audio post program that can handle just about any project that comes your way, you‘d be hard-pressed to find a better option than Adobe Audition in 2024.