Cockos Reaper Skins

I'm enjoying learning about the Reaper DAW software. There are dozens of skins available. Below are some results I've gotten recently.

The FrankenMod Theme-

The Pro 3 Theme

The Pro v1 Theme

The ProTools 8 Theme

Clean and Dark 3.0 Theme

Clean and Brown Default 3.0

Reaper themes are available from the Reaper website at"
http://stash.reaper.fm/tag/Themes
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Cockos Reaper 3 DAW Review 08-2009

From Sound On Sound Magazine - 08-2009 - The latest major update to Reaper brings with it a complete overhaul of MIDI functionality, improved automation, and much, much more.by Mike Senior

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Reaper’s updated default GUI gives the application a slightly slicker feel, but still provides lots of scope for colouring tracks and Items; if you don’t like the way it looks, you can completely remodel object graphics and colour schemes.

Reaper’s updated default GUI gives the application a slightly slicker feel, but still provides lots of scope for colouring tracks and Items; if you don’t like the way it looks, you can completely remodel object graphics and colour schemes.

By dint of a continuous blizzard of incremental revisions and additions since its birth in 2005, Cockos’s Reaper DAW application has built up both an enormous feature set and an enviable reputation for direct interaction between the developers and the user base. I was first alerted to the application by Martin Walker’s review of v1.828 in SOS June 2007, which he followed up by covering v2.44 in January 2009. Since then, another load of new features has come on board to bring us to v3, so I’m going
to take a look at how this recent evolution now positions Reaper amongst the more established DAW choices.

Reaper: The Big Picture

If you want a detailed picture of how Reaper works, it’s worth checking out Martin’s two previous reviews, but let me just give a quick overview for now, in case you don’t have those to hand. As a MIDI + Audio sequencer, the purpose of Reaper is roughly the same as that of Cubase, Digital Performer, Logic, Pro Tools, Sonar or whatever: to record and edit MIDI and audio data, host virtual instruments, and mix down projects with access to plug-in effects and dynamic automation. A wide variety of audio and video formats is supported (including, as of version 3, multi-channel surround files), and all audio editing is non-destructive within the program’s main window. Both VST and Direct X plug-ins and instruments are supported, and there is a range of facilities for communicating with other applications: ReWire support, bespoke ReaRoute drivers for ferrying audio between ASIO-compatible software, and a wide range of transport synchronisation options.

What sets Reaper apart from the other programs I mentioned, though, is that many of its functions are very open-ended, allowing the user lots of control over how they work. The headline feature here has got to be the fact that there is only really one kind of track or channel, which can carry multiple streams of audio and MIDI simultaneously and route them to any other audio/MIDI stream in any other channel. This means that you determine whether a track is an audio track, a MIDI track, an instrument track, an effects return track, a group track, or whatever, simply by virtue of how you cable it up. Plug-ins can then be applied to separate MIDI and/or audio streams within a given track to create complex matrixed effects that in other applications would take multiple tracks to implement.

A huge library of audio and MIDI plug-ins is bundled with the software, including a convolution engine, an automatic pitch-corrector, and an insert utility to incorporate hardware into the software chain. All have sophisticated automatic delay compensation, and you can reduce native CPU load by farming out specified effects chains to other computers on a network. If the standard plug-ins don’t do what you want, you can actually script your own via a built-in development environment, debugging and
recompiling your code while Reaper is running. 

Further mixing power is provided by the innovative Parameter Modulation function, a kind of adjunct to the dynamic automation system that can control any effects parameter on one track according to signal levels on another. The look and feel of the program can be changed extensively by virtue of GUI
colouring and skinning, while keyboard/MIDI-triggered shortcuts (respectively Themes and Actions in Reaper-speak) and screensets are available to speed up your work rate, too.

Nesting Folders, Track Controls & VCA-style Grouping

Now let’s get down to the main business of this review: the most interesting new features introduced since v2.44. For a start, there has been a bunch of updates to the way tracks work, the first of which was,
in my opinion, rather overdue: nesting track folders. Folders in Reaper work like audio groups, so this now means that you can much more quickly group, say, the top and bottom mics on your snare for common processing and then pass them on to a further ‘all the drums’ folder track. Also something of a catch-up with other sequencers is the option to add track icons and select which tracks are visible in the mixer window on a per-track basis.

The most important new track feature, though, is that you can now transfer controls from any of a track’s plug-ins directly onto the track panel itself, both in the main tracks and mixer windows.

Controls from any plug-ins on a channel can be made accessible directly from the track list and mixer window. Clicking in an empty control slot brings up a menu like the one shown here, from which you can quickly add new controls.

Controls from any plug-ins on a channel can be made accessible directly from the track list and mixer window. Clicking in an empty control slot brings up a menu like the one shown here, from which you can quickly add new controls.

You can add individual controls one at a time, or a whole plug-in’s complement in one go, and they all appear as rotary controls with parameter name and value read-outs. Double-clicking the track control
label opens the respective plug-in window for further editing, which is great, and you can also rename parameters to make them more comprehensible, or differentiate between, say, the Gain controls for
three different plug-ins. In the track list, you need to be vertically zoomed in a fair way to see these controls (there wasn’t room for them once I had more than about eight tracks showing), and if there’s not
enough room on the track panel to show all the controls you’ve created, buttons automatically appear allowing you to scroll through looking for the one you want.

I liked this feature a lot, and it worked well for me with a variety of plug-ins, but there are a few refinements to the system that I’d have liked. For example, it would have been nice to control channel sends from track controls in a similar way, and to re-order the controls by dragging and dropping. Plus, for certain plug-ins it would be nice to have specific controls parked on the track panel by default as soon as you loaded the instance. Reaper can already save other per-plug-in defaults, so I’d hope that the last, at least, wouldn’t be too difficult to implement in an update.

I suspect that many computer musicians never even take the lid off the can of worms labelled ‘VCA-style grouping’, but if you’re the kind of user who relies on this kind of control, Reaper’s implementation, introduced for v2.5, is something special. A dedicated Grouping display, somewhat
resembling the existing routing matrix, gives you access to 32 groups, and any channel can be master and/or slave with regards to volume, pan, mute, solo, record arm, polarity and automation mode; you can even reverse the volume and pan control laws. There’s no restriction as to how many groups any specific channel can belong to, either as master or slave, and you can specify whether any given master channel in one group passes on movements to its slaves when it’s operating as a slave in a different group. This means that you’re free to tie your grouping into the most Gordian of knots if you care to, so it’s handy that you can usually hold down the Shift key while operating any control, to temporarily defeat the grouping.

Automation Updates

The automation system has had something of an overhaul since v2.44, and in particular it’s great to see Reaper now offering the option of separate automation lanes, bringing it into line with most other DAWs. However, if you preferred the previous method of ‘over the waveform’ automation
display (which has the advantage of using less screen real-estate), you’ll be glad to know that you can freely swap any of the automation envelopes for any track between the two display styles. Where the new lanes score well is in providing dedicated controls for each automated parameter, but as with the track controls, I couldn’t find a way to re-order these lanes by dragging and dropping.

Here you can see the new lane-based automation display facility, which can make life easier when working with multiple automated parameters on one track. However, you can choose to display any automation data over a track’s Items, as before, if you prefer.

Looking past this primary upgrade, though, there are various other nips and tucks to the automation which will probably have just as much impact on usability. For example, you can now filter and highlight available parameters within the envelopes window, which is a godsend if you’ve got several parameter-heavy plug-ins all in the same channel. An elegant new automation data-thinning function has also been introduced: just select a set of envelope points and bring up the thinning slider (which displays the total number of points after processing) to reduce their total as much as you need. Reaper shows a preview of the thinned result while you’re doing this, and it’s clear that there’s a good deal of intelligence in the way the algorithm works. It performed really well for me in practice, but what was really great was that on the odd occasion where I disagreed with its interpretation of the best points to remove, it was simply a case of removing the disputed points from the selection to settle the argument!

A final nice automation feature is the availability of volume, pan and mute automation envelopes for individual Items (Reaper’s name for the audio or MIDI regions in its main arranger window), although I did wonder to myself why Cockos hadn’t gone the whole hog here and allowed automation of
Item-based effects settings as well. And while we’re on the subject of feature wish-lists, I’m still waiting for a proper ‘relative trim’ automation mode, whereby you can have any fader moves you make applied
as offsets to existing automation data on a given track. There’s no decent way to build up detailed automation for a lead vocal in multiple passes unless you have relative trim, and any automation system without this mode (or some viable workaround) is still in the teething stage, as far as I’m concerned.

Extended MIDI Features

One of the areas most frequently criticised by newcomers to Reaper is the extent of its MIDI  functionality, which has been slower to develop than the audio side of the application, so I’m glad to report that Cockos have recently made significant strides forward in this area. You can now, for example, edit multiple MIDI Items within the same editor window, even combining drum-grid and piano-roll display styles. However, while this is certainly useful, I was personally much more excited by the new in-line editing mode, where you can edit MIDI data directly from its track in the main arranger window, alongside any relevant audio waveforms.

One of the best new MIDI features is that MIDI Items can now be edited directly from Reaper’s main arranger window, as shown here.

You can now edit multiple MIDI Items within the same MIDI editing window, pulling any specific Item into the foreground for editing as required.

Whichever MIDI editing mode you’re in, you’ll find that MIDI notes and velocity representations are now colour-coded, while controller data is coloured during multi-Item editing to distinguish foreground data from background data. Within the dedicated MIDI editing window, you now get decent MIDI view filtering options, allowing you to focus not only on any specific type of MIDI message, but also on a specific value range for that message type. I’d still like to see some kind of overarching MIDI selection/processing module within Reaper (something like Logic’s Transform Window or Cubase’s Logical Editor), but in the meantime the upgraded filtering and existing Note/Event Properties dialogues cope confidently with all the more routine data adjustments you’re likely to need.


Transform Window or Cubase’s Logical Editor), but in the meantime the upgraded filtering and existing Note/Event Properties dialogues cope confidently with all the more routine data adjustments you’re likely to need.

Full SysEx support is now included, which will please users of hardware synths in particular, and  various specialised General MIDI format messages also come on board, along with the means to export a project’s MIDI data as a Type 0 or Type 1 Standard MIDI File. This latter feature is particularly handy in the case of Reaper, because it has no built-in score notation, and dedicated notation packages are now getting pretty good at generating the bare bones of a score directly from a MIDI file.

Beyond the in-line editing, there are a couple of other important MIDI facilities now available within the main arranger window. The first is that you can apply MIDI effects to individual MIDI Items, exactly as
you would audio effects to audio Items; and the second is that you can now create ‘ghost copies’ of a given MIDI Item which automatically reflect edits to the original MIDI Item they’re ghosting. You can
freely convert any of these into real, independent copies as circumstances demand.

ReaControlMIDI & Hardware Control Enhancements

While regular Reaper-based MIDI musicians will doubtless be pleased that the transport and scrolling in the dedicated MIDI editor window can now be linked to the main arranger window, newcomers are unlikely to notice anything about this other than that it now responds fairly intuitively. What is likely to rub some refugees from other platforms up the wrong way, though, is the apparent absence of any node-based option for editing MIDI controller data. In other words, MIDI controller data always appears ‘stepped’, so it looks like you can’t create a ramp just by inserting two controller values. However, this is because you can now work in this way by driving a newly minted MIDI plug-in, ReaControlMIDI, via Reaper’s automation system.

The new ReaControlMIDI plug-in is particularly useful, setting up external MIDI devices correctly on project load and allowing node-based control of MIDI parameters using Reaper’s main automation system.

ReaControlMIDI is clearly aimed at reproducing the typical facilities most other DAWs build into their tracks as standard, allowing you to select a destination MIDI channel and then send BankSelect, Program Change, Pitch-bend, Continuous Controller and SysEx messages from the plug-in’s controls. As you’d hope, the status of all these controls is sent when the project is loaded up, to make
sure your sounds are always set up appropriately as you swap between projects. Preset patch name lists can be loaded from INS files, as used by Sonar, for example, or you can enter your own fairly simply. Because ReaControlMIDI is like any other Reaper plug-in, you can save it as a default plug-in for all MIDI tracks if you like, make any of its parameters available as track controls and, as I’ve already mentioned, automate its sliders to effectively give you node-based editing of almost all types of MIDI controller data.

The control of DAW parameters over MIDI has seen some important updates too. The built-in MIDI Learn function already made fairly light work of assigning hardware controls to plug-in and instrument parameters, but you can now use game controllers as well if you like, and can configure parameters so that they only ‘latch on’ to their assigned hardware control when the controller is moved through the underlying parameter position. Easily the coolest improvement, though, is that you can save
default controller assignments for each plug-in, and then Reaper will automatically switch between them as you switch focus between plug-in windows. This means that once you’ve set up your plug-in defaults via MIDI Learn, your hardware controls will automatically remap to tweak the settings of the plug-in you’re currently working with — in effect providing one of the excellent features of Novation’s proprietary Automap system, but without your having to swap MIDI hardware.

That pretty much wraps up the main new features, but alongside those there have also been lots of smaller featurettes and tweaks which have further refined the usability of what’s there. There are too many to go through in full, but my favourites are the text search box for finding what you’re looking for amongst the program’s packed Preferences dialogue; the display in the menu bar of the last Action you triggered, so you’re aware of what you’re going to undo before you undo it; and the improved legibility of Item labels.

So Should I Defect? 

I’ve been using both Steinberg Cubase and Apple Logic for many years, but if you forced me to work exclusively with any single software package, I’d choose Reaper any day. However, I should qualify such a provocative endorsement by pointing out that it probably says as much about me as it does about the software, because I just happen to be the kind of user that Reaper is perfect for. I love the fact that there are several different ways of doing everything, and that I can dream up ridiculously involved audio/effects configurations (custom band-splitting effects, complex parallel processing, even chaotic in-channel feedback loops) or push plug-ins beyond their design limits through scripting tweaks and the wonders of Parameter Modulation. It’s the kind of freedom that I’d previously only ever associated with large analogue studios and overflowing buckets of patch cords. I’m also dead keen on moulding software to suit my own idiosyncratic ways of working, so naturally I’m a total sucker for the advanced implementation of Action macros, GUI Themes, and plug-in MIDI controller assignment.






Action macros, GUI Themes, and plug-in MIDI controller assignment.

I am aware, though, that the very aspects of this software that I personally find brilliant can also be viewed from a less favorable alternative viewpoint: the flip side of the functional open-endedness is that the user has to take much more responsibility for deciding how they want to work and for setting up their own defaults, which means that the performance you get out of Reaper is very closely linked to the time and effort you can put into learning how it works. 

Other, more rigidly structured DAW environments, by contrast, are easier to navigate on a surface level from first principles. For example, in Cubase you have a standard EQ on all your audio channels, so you don’t need to open a plug-in for it, whereas Reaper provides no standard channel EQ, instead offering facilities to set up your own default channel processing chain, comprising any combination of effects and your own preferred start-up settings.

Reaper is rather less inclined to hold your hand in use than other applications, and you can easily get yourself into an unholy tangle if you get too carried away with its routing capabilities early on. If you ask Reaper for rope, it’ll cheerfully give you enough to hang yourself with! There is a good introductory user guide to help you getting started with the program, as well as an on-line wiki-manual with further details about specific aspects of the software, but I’ve often found the latter rather sketchy on specific details. To be fair, most software doesn’t have the machine-gun update speed characteristic of Reaper; this makes maintaining the usual expectations of documentation trickier, and if you head over to the company’s active web forum you can usually get answers to specific queries pretty swiftly. But I still miss a comprehensive reference manual.

If you are moving to Reaper from any other sequencing platform, the program’s unusual implementations of many common software features can take quite a bit of adjusting to, and this often leads people to an erroneous impression that Reaper is missing some key feature they’re used to. For example, Cubase or Logic users might complain that chopping audio around is so much easier with a dedicated Scissors tool, and that Reaper has no separate tools like this.


Strictly speaking they’re right, but what Reaper does have is an Action that will split any Item underneath the mouse cursor’s current position, which is an almost identical way of working. The lack of a dedicated audio editor window counts as an omission for other users, but in practice most of the
functionality of a separate editor (sample-level waveform display, adjustable crossfades, and independent Item-based plug-in processing) is accessible within Reaper’s main arrangement window, so I’ve never
really felt that there was anything missing, personally.

That said, there are things that Reaper does genuinely lack at present compared to the big DAW names. There’s no scoring, for a start, and it should be pretty obvious that the miniscule 4.4MB installer doesn’t include sound sets, loop libraries, or convolution impulses. The built-in synthesis and sampling, useful though they can be, are also very basic. Reaper’s price does need to be taken into account here, though, because for the price of Cubase 5, for example, you could supplement Reaper 3 with Make Music’s Finale 2010 notation package or Native Instruments’ Kontakt 3 software sampler and sound library.


Finally, while Reaper’s MIDI functionality has improved no end in recent versions, you still don’t get groove templates or a proper Logical Editor, and a relative trim automation mode remains relegated to the wish-list too.

On The Money

The latest version of Cockos Reaper has significantly expanded the company’s refreshing reinterpretation of how a studio DAW should operate, and the rate at which it is developing continues to impress me — indeed, if my previous experience of making feature suggestions to the manufacturers is anything to go by, you may discover that several of the issues brought up in my review have already been resolved by the time you read this. It should probably be clear that Reaper has thoroughly won over this particular reviewer, and while I don’t expect everyone to take to it quite as readily as I have, I think most recording musicians, especially those on a tight budget, would be a bit dotty not to give the free 30-day trial a razz.

REX2 Support & Dynamic Splitting

The recently added Dynamic Split window simultaneously provides automatic beat-slicing, MIDI triggered drum-replacement, and silence removal. This screenshot shows it previewing how the audio will be split as a result of its control values, so that you can refine the settings accordingly.

I find myself using REX2 files quite a lot, so I was delighted when REX2 support finally arrived in v2.5. Import a REX2 loop into Reaper and it simply creates a new audio Item for each slice, puts them in the correct layout, and then sets them all to lock to their bar/beat positions in the event of a tempo change. The Items are also set so that the whole of each audio Item plays, irrespective of whether they overlap, which can produce more natural results, and gets around the potential danger that editing crossfades at the starts of Items will dull drum transients.

What’s even better than the REX2 support, though, is Reaper’s native beat-slicing algorithm, called Dynamic Split. All you do is select the audio you want to dice and then adjust settings in a little dialogue box, watching a real-time preview in the main arranger window of how the Items will split. The algorithm works with a user-definable combination of Reaper’s existing transient detection (already seen in the Tab To Transient editing Action) and standard threshold-based gating. It worked really well for me, and where it inevitably missed a few hits here and there on longer sections of audio, it was only a case of reselecting any insufficiently fragmented Item and reprocessing to sort things out.

This isn’t the end of the story with Dynamic Split, though, because if you examine its setup options carefully you’ll discover hidden talents. For example, you can ask it to produce a chromatic scale of MIDI notes timed to match the detected slices, which is brilliant for sound layering and drum-replacement tasks at mixdown — especially now that the in-line editing lets you easily tidy up the odd mis-trigger right alongside the audio track.


Dynamic Split is also handy for automatically detecting and removing unwanted areas of audio Items, along the lines of Logic’s Strip Silence.

Source:   http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug09/articles/reaper3.htm

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Cockos Reaper 3 Review 09-2009

From MusicRadar Magazine 09-28-2009, Released in 2006, the first version of Reaper was the ugly duckling of DAWs. MIDI functions were best described as basic, there was no audio editor, and it had a rather poor interface aesthetic.

Subsequent versions have seen improvements on all fronts, and while there's still no built-in audio editor, pretty much every other aspect has improved enormously. So, before we look at the new features and enhancements, let's run over the basics for those who new to the software.

Overview

Essentially, Reaper works along much the same lines as Cubase, Logic, etc, in that it uses a horizontal track-based approach to audio and MIDI sequencing. The software has a single main screen that includes the track view at the top, with an area at the bottom where the mixer and various other windows, such as the routing matrix and performance meter, can be docked.

The track window also has its own slightly simplified version of the mixer and, here, buses can be set up using a track nesting system. All other graphical elements – such as track routing windows, plug-in interfaces, and so on – are displayed in separate floating windows.

"Unlike most similar programs, Reaper loads incredibly quickly, so in just a few seconds you can go from the desktop to recording."

So far, so ordinary, but Reaper has plenty of attributes that make it worth considering over more established offerings. For starters, it's got a very light system footprint – the installers for each format are only a few megabytes, and the software can even run from a USB stick. And unlike most similar programs, Reaper loads incredibly quickly, so in just a few seconds you can go from the desktop to recording.

Another advantage of the software is its flexibility. Reaper has sophisticated audio and MIDI routing capabilities, plus its tracks can don't have to be assigned as either audio or MIDI – a single track type handles both, making it easy to set up audio effects that output or receive MIDI data, sidechain routing and so on.

As the small installer size indicates, you don't exactly get a huge library of sounds to work with – the included instruments, aside from the useful but basic ReaSamplomatic 5000, are simplistic at best.

The program does come with some decent effects in the form of the ReaPlugs FX suite, though, including delights like a sidechainable compressor and gate; multiband compression and EQ, each with as many bands as you like; an unlimited tap delay; and an FFT-based dynamics processor. These effects might not be packed with character, but for bread-and-butter processing, they certainly do a good job.

Also included are literally dozens and dozens of effects created with Cockos' Jesusonic effects development environment (which comes with Reaper), enabling you to create and compile your own effects, or edit the included ones.

What's new?

Cockos has added tons of new features to Reaper since we reviewed v2 in 123 – far too many to even list – so we'll cover the most important here. The biggest change is that Reaper is cross-platform these days, and will run on PPC and Intel-based Macs, which increases the software's already impressive portability. Reaper really is an app that you can take anywhere and use on practically any system.

Other important additions include élastique 2.0 algorithms for improved timestretching; transient-based beat-slicing; REX 2 file support; per-take volume, pan and mute envelopes; a parameter modulation system that employs audio levels or a built-in LFO; automation lanes; nested track folders; improved MIDI editing; and a more attractive interface.

These new features go quite some way to ensuring that Reaper competes with its rivals, and in many respects it's a cutting-edge piece of music software. The routing and modulation features in particular could make owners of many other DAWs jealous, and the clever way in which the tracks work is both elegant and flexible.

Guitar Hero

It's also worth noting that Reaper is about to get a whole lot more famous now that Harmonix, creators of the Rock Band videogame franchise, has announced a plan that will enable anyone to create Rock Band-playable content from their own tracks using a special Reaper-only add-on. Using this, you'll be able to produce a track in Reaper (or just import stems from any other DAW) and turn it into fully interactive Rock Band content.

Reaper 3

Finished tracks can be uploaded to the Rock Band Network (currently in testing phase, but scheduled to go live later this year). Once they've been vetted for copyright infringement and approved by the Rock Band community, they can be bought by other users for 80, 160 or 240 Microsoft points.

"You'll soon be able to produce a track in Reaper (or just import stems from any other DAW) and turn it into fully interactive Rock Band content."

As yet, there's no PS3 support for this system, and users will need an Xbox 360 and Rock Band 2 to test their tracks. Also, the uploading software, Magma, is currently Windows-only, though Intel Mac users can, of course, run it via Boot Camp.

Rock Band Network is a very big deal that could potentially open the floodgates for a slew of user-generated game content, and its reliance on Reaper will certainly throw some welcome limelight on the software.

Summary

On the downside, the editing of audio tracks and MIDI data isn't as sophisticated or slick-feeling as in, say, Cubase or Logic, and we could say the same of the included plug-ins. The lack of comprehensive quantise and groove options is another drawback, as is the continued absence of a built-in audio editor. However, the audio tracks themselves offer a useful degree of editing functionality, and it is of course possible to assign an external audio editor that will open automatically when an audio region is double-clicked.

Despite its drawbacks, we're sure that many will find Reaper 3 to be their favourite DAW. It's a deep piece of software, and true mastery will depend on getting your teeth into the hefty 410-page manual and long list of keyboard shortcuts.

The concentration on the latter, rather than convoluted menus, alongside its resource-efficiency and nonexistent copy-protection (you can install and run it on any machine – no dongles or codes necessary) make it the ideal DAW for music-making on the move. And even if you don't learn it inside out, it makes for an excellent musical sketchpad.

Above all, Reaper is a thoughtfully-designed piece of software at a sensible price, and is definitely worth checking out, even if you're happy with your current DAW. And since the evaluation version is complete, fully functional and non-expiring, there's really no reason not to give it a go.

Verdict

Major DAW manufacturers have good reason to fear the Reaper: it's a viable alternative with some distinct advantages.

MusicRadar rating: 4.5 of 5 stars - 09-28-2009

Source: http://www.musicradar.com/gear/all/computers-software/digital-audio-workstations-daws/reaper-3-221606/review
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Adobe Audition Review - 06-03-2008

Adobe Audition 3.0 from Vindytech

June 3, 2008 · 

Adobe Audition 3 software is the all-in-one solution for audio recording, mixing, editing, and mastering. Whether you are creating your own music, recording and mixing a project, producing a radio spot, cleaning up production audio for a movie, or editing a soundtrack for a business presentation, Adobe Audition 3 gives you the tools you need to sound your best. Record with a powerful, flexible, low-latency mixing engine; create and arrange DVD- and HD-quality audio; and master productions with visual tools and easy-to-use audio cleanup features.

Sound your best
Recording, mixing, editing, and mastering — Adobe Audition 3 software is the all-in-one toolset for professional audio production.

Use Adobe Audition 3 to:

• Create your own music
• Record and mix a project
• Produce a radio spot
• Clean up audio for a movie
• Compile and edit a soundtrack

Whatever you do with audio, Adobe Audition 3 software helps you sound your best.

Top features in Adobe Audition 3

• VSTi virtual instrument support
  Enjoy support for a wider range of virtual instruments. Simply add a MIDI host track to your mix, choose an instrument, and then record new audio in the Sequencer.
• Improved multitrack editing
  Save time and increase accuracy by editing grouped clips together. Auto-crossfade clips in multitrack view to quickly mix files together. Click-and-drag fade handles on multitrack clips and in the Edit View for faster editing.
• Enhanced spectral editing
  Make a free-form selection in frequency space with the Effects Paintbrush and apply effects in varying degrees to that selection. Smooth over a selected region to automatically repair clicks, pops, and other noises using the Spot Healing Brush.
• Top/Tail Views
  Need a quick and easy way to tweak the start and end of a loop or other audio file? The new Top/Tail Views allow you to zoom into the beginning and end of a file so you can quickly add precise fades while keeping the whole file in view.
• New effects
  Adobe Audition 3 includes new effects such as Convolution Reverb, Analog Delay, Mastering tool, Guitar Suite, and Tube-modeled Compressor.
• Superior performance
  Get superior performance and take advantage of the new multicore processors. The optimized mix engine allows for more tracks and effects on the same machine, offering more variety and faster processing.

Adobe Audition 3 software is the all-in-one audio solution for creating music, recording and mixing project soundtracks, producing a radio spot, or cleaning up production audio for a movie.

Record and mix

Waveform editing tools
Quickly mix files together by dragging clips and controlling automatic crossfades with on-clip handles.

Editing options for grouped clips
Save time and maintain consistency by grouping clips in Multitrack View, and then trimming and applying fades to them simultaneously.

VST Plug-in Manager
Enable and disable VST plug-ins more easily.

Batch saving of multiple audio files
Save multiple audio files faster with this new command. Simply specify the file format, location, filename template, and more, and these parameters are applied to each file in the batch.

Ability to duplicate tracks
In Multitrack View, you can now duplicate an audio track for use in your mix.

Improved I/O meter display
See level meters that are in use for the master track as well as for multiple input devices, and for multiple output devices.

Low-latency mixing engine
Enjoy rapid response as you record and mix with a powerful low-latency mixing engine.

ASIO, VST, DirectX, and ReWire support
Easily integrate Adobe Audition into your workflow thanks to broad support for industry formats and standards, including ASIO, VST, DirectX, and ReWire.

More than 50 audio effects and DSP tools
Work with more than 50 real-time audio effects including echo, flange, reverb, and more. Manipulate recordings with digital signal processing (DSP) tools, mastering and analysis tools, and audio restoration features.

Recordable parameter automation
Move volume, pan, and effects controls as you listen, and record changes to your mix in real time. Changes appear as editable envelopes in the timeline.

Hardware controller automation
Adjust mix and effects parameters using external control devices, and record all your changes in real time.

Surround Encoder
Use the Surround Encoder to transform any multitrack mix into a 5.1 surround sound experience. Export the results as an interleaved file that can be used in Adobe Premiere Pro software.

Audio mixing sends and inserts
Get more flexibility when mixing tracks by creating sends to duplicate signals that are routed to different effects. Add a send to create a separate mix for headphones during a recording session.

Effects chain on all channels, buses, and master
Add effects to the master channel and hear the results even before mixing down to a single file.

Real-time input monitoring
Listen to your audio inputs through the software, including effects applied to the input track. Then modify parameters after recording, if desired.

Quick punch
Quickly fix recording errors by punching in corrections on-the-fly as you rerecord: Toggle the record button to punch in your new take only where you want it to replace the old one. Punch in and out as many times as you want.

Unlimited number of tracks in Multitrack View
Record, edit, and mix any number of stereo tracks in Multitrack View.

Plug-in delay compensation
Add filters and effects to tracks and buses throughout the signal chain without knocking tracks out of sync.

MIDI timecode support
Use Adobe Audition software as a MIDI timecode (SMPTE/MTC) master or slave to synchronize audio playback with computers, video decks, or any hardware device that supports MTC.

Smooth splined envelopes
Adjust volume, pan, effects, and more for clips in a multitrack mix. Use splines to alter curves and create gradual transitions; rescale all envelope points to make changes quickly.

Improved recording performance
Enjoy faster performance and more economical use of hard-drive space by recording audio sessions directly to a final working file. Once recorded, your files can be saved immediately.

Up to 80 live inputs
Record up to 80 live inputs simultaneously in a multitrack session.

Enjoy support for a wide range of virtual instruments in your music production. Record and edit MIDI in the piano roll editor.

Create and arrange

VSTi virtual instrument support with MIDI piano roll
Enjoy support for a wide range of virtual instruments in your music production. Record and edit MIDI in the piano roll editor.

New effects
Expand your creative possibilities with new effects, including Convolution Reverb, Analog Delay, Mastering tool, and Tube-modeled Compressor.

Radius time stretching from iZotope
Alter tempo without changing pitch, or change pitch without tempo distortion, using the high-quality time-stretch algorithm from industry leader iZotope.

Guitar Suite effects
Perfect your sound with analog-modeled guitar effects that can be used with guitars or other instruments.

XML session format
If you are a developer, you can take advantage of the ability to import and export sessions as XML to better integrate with your tools.

Video in Surround Encoder
View the video as you scrub, keyframe, and edit your surround sound automation in the Surround Encoder. You can more easily match up your audio with the action onscreen, allowing you to perform more precise surround effects and audio placement.

Default WAV importer
Set a custom WAV importer as the default for specific actions.

Default open/save format
Specify a particular file format to ensure all saved files are consistent.

Sorting options in Files panel
In the Files panel, you can sort files by when they were opened or created, or by track number.

Playlists
Create playlists in the Playlist window. Try different versions of an arrangement before you commit to the edits. Play back in any order and loop a specified number of times.

Bitmap import/export for spectral view
Save the phase histogram as a bitmap, export as a bitmap with phase map, edit in Adobe Photoshop software, and import back into Adobe Audition.

Customizable toolbars
An adaptable workspace allows you to pick which toolbar buttons are displayed in the toolbar.

Complete audio toolset
Record, mix, arrange, and edit your audio in one comprehensive, easy-to-use application. Produce high-resolution 24- or 32-bit files with sample rates up to 192kHz for HD- and DVD-quality audio.

Loop-based soundtrack creation
Use flexible looping tools to quickly construct high-quality music for songs or soundtracks. Loops automatically match global session tempo and key.

Audio editing for video
Use Adobe Audition to edit the soundtracks for videos created in Adobe After Effects or Adobe Premiere Pro software with the Edit Original and Edit in Adobe Audition features.

Intuitive user interface
Enjoy an easy-to-use interface with workspace panels that dock and group for optimal organization, as well as useful phase analysis tools and a powerful Mixer panel.

Thousands of uncompressed 32-bit music loops
Arrange your own music with professional results using approximately 5,000 32-bit, performance-based, royalty-free music loops in many styles.

Clip time stretching
Stretch effects or dialog to fit a video clip by simply dragging the edge of the clip in Multitrack View.

Ready-to-use music beds
Cut to the chase when deadlines loom using 20 royalty-free, ready-to-play music beds in 15- and 30-second lengths.

Batch processing
Use the convenient batch processing feature to convert large numbers of files that have different formats, sample rates, and bit depths to one common format, or to apply scripts to multiple files.

Improved video sync
Enjoy rock-solid synchronization between your audio and video playback over projects of any length.

Broader video format support
Edit soundtracks for video and then export the enhanced video in AVI, MPEG, DV, or WMV format.

Sample sessions
Get up to speed quickly by using any of the 20 sample sessions included with Adobe Audition. Modify the sample sessions to create your own music.

CD extraction
Digitally extract tracks from audio CDs to your hard drive for project use.

Favorites
Build a customized collection of commands, scripts, and effects that are easily accessible via the Favorites menu or assignable keyboard shortcuts.

Custom workspaces
Configure workspace panel arrangements for specific tasks and then save them for reuse. Preset arrangements for some tasks, such as multitrack recording and mastering, are included.

Adobe Bridge
Browse, organize, and preview files, and then drag and drop what you need from Adobe Bridge. Search by or edit file information (XMP metadata) such as keywords, language, and format.

Automatic beat detection
Find and mark beats automatically. This makes new loop file creation a snap and greatly assists DJs and others who need to quickly match beats among multiple files.

Organizer panels
Keep project assets at your fingertips using three convenient panels from which you can access currently open audio, MIDI, and video files, effects, and favorites.

XMP metadata support
Use XMP metadata to quickly identify, catalog, and find clips across multiple applications. Standard metadata fields are included, and custom metadata input panels can also be created.

Custom script recording
Automate repetitive tasks with custom scripts. Most actions can be recorded to an automated script and then applied to a group of files as a batch process, or selected from the Favorites menu.

MIDI playback
Insert MIDI files into Adobe Audition multitrack sessions to play them in sync with your audio and video projects.

CD extraction
The Extract Audio from CD dialog box has been redesigned to make it easier to use. In addition, you can now configure Adobe Audition to reference an external CD database that provides track titles and other information when ripping an audio CD.

Enjoy rapid response as you record and mix with a powerful low-latency mixing engine.

Edit and master

Effects Paintbrush tool and Spot Healing Brush tool
Make a free-form selection in frequency space with the Effects Paintbrush and apply effects in varying degrees to that selection. Smooth over a selected region to automatically repair clicks, pops, and other noises using the Spot Healing Brush.

Automatic Phase Correction tool
Audio from analog tape or vinyl may have differences in the timing between the two channels. The Automatic Phase Correction tool calculates and applies the optimal delay to align channels of a stereo waveform.

Adaptive Noise Reduction tool
Intelligently remove noise that changes over time, including whines, buzzes, colored noise from fans or airplanes, etc.

Top/Tail Views
Zoom into the beginning and end of a file to add fades and gains while keeping the whole file in view.

Superior performance
Get superior performance and take advantage of the new multicore processors. The optimized mix engine allows for more tracks and effects on the same machine, offering more variety and faster processing.

Mastering effect
Polish sound with the Mastering effect. Control everything from Reverb to Gains or use any of the included presets.

Marquee pan and phase selections
Process discrete stereo information such as center-panned vocals in Spectral Pan display or out-of-phase audio in Spectral Phase display.

Workspace color preferences
Adapt your workspace to your liking with new preferences that let you change the tint of the Adobe Audition 3 workspace and control the color of graph lines, grids, and hot text.

Session plug-in format
Third parties can utilize the Session Format SDK to create exporter plug-ins for their own custom session format.

Graphic Panner
Correct frequency-dependent phase differences between channels (phase smearing).

Modifying automation lane points
Make a selection in the automation lane, and then move up or down to adjust only the points in the selection. Adjust a range selected in an automation lane with ease.

Mixing down to a new file
Enjoy a quick and convenient way to mix down your entire session, selected clips only, or a specified range.

Spectral play for selected frequencies
Select an area in the spectral view and play just that area, or play everything but that area.

Graphic phase shifter
Adjust the phase of a waveform by adding control points to a graph.

Edit View on-clip fades and gain control
Visually adjust volume, fades, and gains for selections or entire files.

Integrated wave-editing view with Mastering Rack
Record and edit audio files with fast, accurate tools that are tightly integrated into the Multitrack View. Apply and preview multiple effects simultaneously with the Mastering Rack when working in Edit View.

Audio restoration tools
Easily restore recordings from old vinyl; remove microphone pops, hisses, hums, and other audio artifacts; fix clipped audio; and repair recordings with Click/Pop Eliminators, Noise Reduction, and more.

Spectral Frequency Display tools
Visually isolate and select sounds in frequency and time, and then clean up, modify, or apply effects to the selected sound using the Spectral Frequency Display. Isolate specific sounds and increase the visibility of lower frequencies.

Spectral Pan and Phase displays
Analyze audio with powerful visualization tools including the unique Spectral Pan and Phase displays, which plot pan, phase, and frequency over time.

Lasso tool in Spectral Frequency Display
Easily select exactly the area you want during frequency-space editing, using the same familiar Lasso tool found in other Adobe applications.

Logarithmic Spectral Frequency Display
Use the logarithmic display option in Spectral Frequency Display to increase the visibility of lower frequencies.

Spectral color bar and resolution settings
Isolate a specific frequency range more easily by adjusting the Spectral Frequency Display color bar and resolution display settings.

Powerful mastering tools
Add final touches to a mix with the Graphic and Parametric equalizers, and add punch to your audio with the Dynamics Processor, Hard Limiter, and Multiband Compressor.

Integrated CD burning
Create reference masters of your compositions by burning gapless audio CDs directly from Adobe Audition.

Ability to save CD layouts
Quickly and easily save CD layouts — track lists and accompanying metadata — for convenient reuse.

Audible scrubbing
Quickly find the audio you want to edit using two modes of audible scrubbing. Tape-style scrubbing enables you to find hard-to-locate edit points, and shuttle-style scrubbing allows you scan through your audio rapidly.

Audio analysis tools
Work with built-in analysis tools in real time, including frequency analysis, phase analysis, and Spectral Frequency Display. Easily see audio characteristics from edit to edit.

Phase Analysis Histogram View
Use the histogram mode for an easier-to-read phase analysis view. See the percentage of your audio that is in phase and the overall phase content.

Analog-modeled Multiband Compressor
Control dynamics, adjust loudness, and master your mixes with multiband precision. Give bass and drums punch while allowing your vocals to push through the entire mix.

Pitch correction
Correct off-pitch performances and create interesting effects using pitch correction effects. Use the automatic mode for quick results or the manual mode for precise control.

Vocal/instrumental extraction
Reduce or boost the vocal or instrumental portions of a track by isolating audio based on pan position or phase. Use this feature for powerful editing or to create a cappella or karaoke-ready tracks.

Broadcast Wave support
Work with third-party hardware and software systems that use the BWF time stamp field. During import, automatically insert the clip into your session at its time stamp location.

Group RMS normalization
Convert multiple audio files to the same overall loudness. Each file is analyzed for average volume, peak volume, and frequency.

Preroll and postroll playback options
Perform edits and apply effects with the benefit of hearing your modifications in context with adjacent audio as you make your changes.

High-quality sample rate conversions
Use transparent sample rate conversions with customizable dither settings to get great-sounding results whether converting material to 44.1kHz, 48kHz, or 96kHz for CD, video, or DVD.

Improved editing performance
Experience improved performance while applying effects like Reverb and Time Stretch, and when displaying clips for editing in Spectral Frequency Display.

Support for more than 20 file formats
Work with files from a wide array of sources and deliver them in the audio format you need. More than 20 file formats and variations are supported, including Windows PCM (WAV), OGG, AIFF, MP3, and WMA.

Delete Silence feature
Detect and remove silence between words or other sounds — ideal for cleaning up voice prompts and speeding up narratives without affecting foreground audio.

Ogg Vorbis format support
Import and export Ogg Vorbis (OGG) audio files.

Cart chunk editing
Open, edit, and save cart chunk metadata to your WAV files. Cart chunk data is used by many radio automation systems to catalog and organize audio files. 

Product Description
Adobe Audition 3 gives you a complete professional tool for tracking and mixing. Enjoy many effects using more than 50 powerful audio effects and digital signal processing tools. Enjoy support for a wider range of virtual instruments, simply add a MIDI host track to your mix, choose an instrument, and then record new audio in the Sequencer. When you want to create audio quickly, included loops and ready to use music beds allow you to build high-quality music for songs or movie soundtracks. Loops automatically match tempo and key to produce dynamic compositions. Thousands of uncompressed, 32-bit, royalty-free loops are included. Make a free-form selection in frequency space with the Effects Paintbrush and apply effects in varying degrees to that selection. Smooth over a selected region to automatically repair clicks, pops, and other noises using the Spot Healing Brush. System Requirements – Intel Pentium 4 (1.4GHz for DV, 3.4GHz for HDV), Windows XP Home with service pack 2 or higher, 512MB RAM (1GB for DV playback, 2GB for HDV and HD playback), Hard Drive Space 10GB, DVD Drive, 1280 x 900 monitor resolution with 32bit color and 16MB video memory Internet or phone connection required for product activation.


Source: http://vindytech.wordpress.com/2008/06/03/adobe-audition-30/