Inside Sound

With the release of Audition 3.0, a new multitrack XML session format was implemented. XML is a human-readable standard for electronically encoding documents with numerous benefits over binary formats which have been well documented. XML is the foundation for documents that determine how this web page will appear in your web browser or how your word processing application displays the formatting and fonts used in your last .docx file. It has become a crucial standard for archival and project formats because of it’s high-readability and platform compatibility.

The Audition team recognized the need for a safer archival format, one that could be reconstructed if the file were partially damaged or that would ease conversion to other DAW formats. Audition XML sessions can be opened and edited in Notepad, created programmatically from scripts and other tools or even printed on paper for physical archival. Thirty years from now when Audition has been updated to support the latest in 5th dimensional sound and neural input devices the original session parameters could be accurately reconstructed from the XML document.

You can save your sessions in the new format by changing the “Save as Type” option in the Save Session dialog to “XML (*.xml).” You can also open and re-save any legacy Audition sessions that are in the binary .SES format as XML to ensure compatibility with future versions of Audition. Just open your original session and go to File > Save Session As and select “*.xml.” The new XML session can be saved alongside the original .SES file.

Durin

We have been contacted by several users reporting that they have been unable to record properly into Audition or Soundbooth after switching to Windows 7. In every case thus far the cause has either been improper configuration in the Windows OS, incorrect input devices specified in Audition/Soundbooth, or making use of older sound card drivers or drivers not suitable for use in Windows 7 (32 or 64 bit).

One reason for the confusion in Windows 7 is the fact that the operating system now gives you much more control over the inputs and outputs. You must make sure that you have the correct device and input chosen in Windows 7 before any software application can record input. Audition and Soundbooth must also be configured properly, but the operating system settings will always control the input (unless you are using a higher end sound card that has a control panel of its own).

Follow the steps below if you are having trouble recording in Audition or Soundbooth.

Configure Windows:
1. Start > Control Panel > Sound.
2. Click to the “Recording” tab.
3. Choose the input you want to use for recording and click the “Set Default” button.
4. You can also click the “Properties” button to configure your levels for the input.
5. Click OK to accept the changes.

Note: If you are using a higher-end sound card you may also need to adjust properties for the device through a separate control panel provided by the manufacturer of the sound card.

Configure Audition:
1. In Audition go to Edit > Audio Hardware Setup.
2. Choose the Edit View, Multitrack, or Surround Encoder Tab (for the view you want to record into).
3. Choose the “Audition 2.0 Windows Sound” or “Audition 3.0 Windows Sound” Driver.
4. Click the “Control Panel” button.
5. Check the boxes for any inputs you want to use in Audition and click OK to accept the changes.
6. Make sure the “Default Input” drop-down is set to the input you want to record from (must match what is set within Windows).

Note: If you are attempting to record audio playing through your speakers (like streaming web audio) your default input should be set to “Stereo Mix, “What U Hear”, “Wave Input” or the correct input for your specific device.

7. Click OK in the Audio Hardware Setup dialog and start recording into Audition.

Configure Audition using ASIO drivers:
1. In Audition go to Edit > Audio Hardware Setup.
2. Choose the Edit View, Multitrack, or Surround Encoder Tab (for the view you want to record into).
3. Choose the appropriate ASIO driver.
4. Make sure the “Default Input” drop-down is set to the input you want to record from (must match what is set within Windows).
5. Click OK in the Audio Hardware Setup dialog and start recording into Audition.

Configure Soundbooth:
1. In Soundbooth go to Edit > Preferences > Audio Hardware.
2. Choose the “Soundbooth 2.0 WDM Sound” Driver.
3. Click the “Settings” button.
4. On the “Input” tab, check the boxes for any inputs you want to use in Soundbooth and click OK to accept the changes.
5. When you hit the “Record” button in Soundbooth, make sure you have the correct device selected along with the correct port you have audio coming in through.

Note: If you are attempting to record audio playing through your speakers (like streaming web audio) your default input should be set to “Stereo Mix, “What U Hear”, “Wave Input” or the correct input for your specific device.

Configure Soundbooth using ASIO drivers:
1. In Soundbooth go to Edit > Preferences > Audio Hardware.
2. Choose the appropriate ASIO driver.
3. When you hit the “Record” button in Soundbooth, make sure you have the correct device selected along with the correct port you have audio coming in through.

Still having trouble?
1. In Windows go to the Start button and type “sound recorder” into the search field.
2. Start recording in Sound Recorder (you will not see the input while recording).
3. Stop recording and play to see if you can hear what you recorded.

If recording in Sound Recorder does not work, this tells you that something is incorrectly set within Windows or the sound card driver is not working correctly. At this point, make sure your Windows sound settings are correct. If all Windows settings are correct and you are still unable to record, you should download and install the latest Windows 7 drivers for your sound device (We have seen many cases where manufacturers do not yet have Windows 7 drivers available). If you already have the latest drivers installed you should contact the manufacturer of your particular sound device and alert them of the issue.

Ron Day
Quality Engineering Lead