Discover how to jumpstart or advance your career in sound and video editing with Adobe Audition, an indispensable tool in the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite. Learn about the various career paths that commonly use Adobe Audition, including video editors, motion graphics designers, and sound engineers, as well as the salaries, training options, and learning resources available to you.
Adobe Audition is a sound mixing and editing tool available through the Adobe Creative Cloud. With Audition, users can edit sound files, add or remove audio elements, and manipulate specific aspects of a sound file to highlight elements of the audio. If you’ve always wanted to learn Adobe Audition but can’t figure out how to get started, this guide is for you. Here, you’ll learn more about the various ways to learn Adobe Audition, free resources to take advantage of, and the types of careers that commonly use Adobe Audition.
Adobe Audition is a sound-mixing and editing tool that is available as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud. The program can be used to alter and edit the sound of a purely aural medium, such as a music track or a podcast, or alongside programs like Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects to edit the sound of a video or animation file. The tools offered by Audition will let users repair audio files, enhance sound quality, and edit out background noise. This makes Audition an ideal tool to learn for anyone who wants to work in either sound editing or video editing.
Audition is a stand-alone program that sound engineers can use to edit recordings. Still, it is most commonly used alongside programs like Premiere Pro or After Effects to combine audio and video files. Audition lets users add voice-over, redub dialogue, insert background music, or draw out specific elements of diegetic sound. As sound is one of the essential elements of film, learning how to manipulate and edit sound is an important skill for creatives to learn.
Read more about what Adobe Audition is and why you should learn it.
Adobe Audition provides users with many tools for editing and remixing sound files. This means that the program is incredibly versatile. Aspiring musicians can use the program to clean up demo tracks or prepare a song to be published on a platform like SoundCloud. Podcasters can record, edit, and clean up an episode's audio using a single program. Voice Actors can record their work for job material or do important sound-mixing for freelance VO work. Anyone working in the medium of sound will want to learn how to mix and edit their creative work.
Beyond its use as a sound-mixing tool, learning how to use Adobe Audition is incredibly helpful for aspiring video editors. Learning to use Audition to add voice-over, manipulate audio levels, edit sound effects, or alter diegetic and non-diegetic sound can greatly enhance any video project, large or small. This training will let creatives working in the medium of film add another layer to how they can express themselves and their ideas, as sound is such an essential part of filmmaking.
Adobe Audition is a valuable professional tool, whether users seek to work primarily in audio media or complement other career skills with Audition training. Given the importance of sound to creative projects and the rise of the digital radio industry, learning sound-mixing is quickly becoming an in-demand career skill. Some of the jobs that will use Audition include:
Video Editors: Video editors will use Audition to edit and manipulate the sound files associated with a video project. They will be tasked with adding sound effects, fixing background noise, adding non-diegetic music, and altering sound levels at the discretion of a director or project manager. They will primarily use tools like Premiere Pro to handle the video editing side of the process, but they will also need to know how to use Audition to edit sound files.
Motion Graphics Designer: Motion Graphics Designers perform roles reasonably similar to that of Video Editors, save that Motion Graphics Designers tend to work with computer-animated projects more so than live-action videos. They will still be tasked with using Audition for voice-over and sound effects for a motion graphics project. To do this, they must use both Premiere Pro and After Effects alongside Audition.
Sound Engineers: Sound Engineers are tasked with controlling and editing sound recordings, such as live music, studio performances, and podcasts. These engineers will be tasked with editing and cleaning up sound files for publication or post-production. Some Sound Engineers may work alongside Video Editors or Motion Graphics Designers to complete more complex and elaborate projects. Others will do freelance work, editing sound files for clients who need music tracks, podcasts, or other audio recordings edited before release.
Learning Adobe Audition will provide creatives, particularly those looking to work in video and film editing, with another deep collection of tools they can use to produce high-quality work. While people can use Audition in mediums that deal purely with sound, like audiobooks or podcasts, its most common uses are alongside other Adobe Creative Cloud software to edit and manipulate the sound of other creative works. Whether you plan to add background music to a skateboarding video you post to YouTube, add ADR to a video essay, or prepare for a career in video editing, learning Adobe Audition will pay dividends.
Beyond adding sound to files, learning Audition will let users mix the existing sound in a file. Audition’s features include both destructive and non-destructive editing tools. This means that learning Audition lets users manipulate and remove sound files. Whether you are fixing a distorted audio file, correcting a bit of background noise, or changing audio levels to bring different sounds to the same volume, Audition will provide the tools to perfect the soundscape of your creative works. It doesn’t matter if your passion is podcasting, amateur filmmaking, video editing, or music; Audition has the tools you need to make your creative work as professional as possible.
Read more about why you should learn Adobe Audition.
Students have many different options when it comes to learning how to use Adobe Audition. Students can opt to learn in live training seminars or asynchronous courses. They can learn Audition online or in person. Each learning option has advantages and disadvantages, meaning students should contemplate their options to find the best Audition course. Bear in mind that Audition is usually included in the larger curriculum of video editing courses. Students looking to compare the options available for video editing classes should consult Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me tool.
Many students suggest that they learn new skills most easily through live instruction. The benefit of having an expert in the field guiding them through the process of learning Audition is an invaluable tool. Live instruction courses are available both in-person and online, but each mode of instruction provides students with access to an experienced instructor who can answer questions and provide students with feedback. These courses are designed to maximize students' ability to learn Audition through the structure and the mode of instruction.
The downside to live instruction is that it burdens students to learn Audition on someone else’s schedule. This may not always be possible, so students may instead wish to consider on-demand video editing training. These courses let students learn at their own pace, which can be ideal for students with obligations that prevent them from attending a live instruction course. These courses also tend to be more varied and cheaper than live instruction classes. However, some students may have difficulty learning without a live instructor's aid.
Free tutorials and training options are available for students looking to become more familiar with the basic features of Adobe Audition. Students looking to learn how to use Audition professionally will need more training, but these courses are ideal places to start learning the application. Noble provides students with a free Intro to Video Editing course that guides students through the basic uses of Adobe Audition as a video editing tool. Noble also provides free resources, tutorials, and videos on its Learn Audition hub.
Read the full guide on how to learn Adobe Audition
Some students might be interested in learning how to use Audition but aren’t ready to enroll in an entire course. For these students, free introductory courses may be a helpful alternative. These classes allow students to get a feel for the functions and tools available through Audition without committing them to an advanced training course. However, these courses are also good preparation for enrolling in a professional training seminar, meaning that students who enroll in an advanced Audition course won’t find their time wasted.
Students looking for free online training in Audition can take advantage of the free videos offered through Noble Desktop. These videos replicate the look and feel of an online training seminar, making them ideal for students considering enrolling in more immersive courses. Noble’s Intro to Video Editing course will introduce students to the critical features of Audition and help guide them through learning how to integrate sound and video editing skills. This course is perfect for students who want to learn the complex art of video editing and are preparing to work on advanced sound mixing projects.
Free tutorials are also available through service providers such as Udemy and Pluralsight. These courses will introduce students to basic Audition concepts such as adding voice-over to a file or manipulating sound effects. Adobe also offers free tutorials and guides for students looking to experiment with Audition. Since these resources are free, students can take advantage of them without worrying about committing to a single program.
Read about more free Adobe Audition videos and online tutorials.
Adobe Audition is an accessible, intuitive sound-mixing application that is relatively beginner-friendly. New users can begin experimenting with Audition relatively easily, and because it is coupled with sound recording software, it is easy to produce files to edit. That said, even accessible sound-mixing programs are still somewhat complex tools that will require significant training to master. New users can easily alter and splice together sound files, but learning exactly how to perfect a sound mix will take more time and effort.
There are no formal prerequisites to learning how to use Audition. New users should be familiar with how to use a computer, and prior knowledge of computer-aided editing tools is a plus but not a requirement. Students should also consider researching the kind of sound-mixing that they hope to learn how to do to gauge what other programs (if any) they will want to acquire.
Adobe Audition is a part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of software and, therefore, requires a Creative Cloud subscription to access. Users can either license Audition as a stand-alone product or license the entire suite of Creative Cloud applications together. Licensing Audition alone will cost users about $20 to $30 a month (depending on the subscription model and payment plan), and the complete collection of programs (which includes Premiere Pro and After Effects, making it desirable for aspiring video editors) will cost about $55 a month.
Read about how difficult it is to learn Adobe Audition.
The most comparable programs to Adobe Audition are alternative sound-mixing programs such as Audacity and Logic Pro X. Audacity is a more limited program. Still, it is free and open-source, meaning that a larger community of users will be able to produce and provide free resources to new users. Logic Pro X is Apple’s sound-mixing application, which has a similar cost to Audition. As an Apple product, Logic Pro X is only available on macOS systems, so accessibility may be a key factor in determining which program is ideal.
Students may also consider putting more attention into learning other Adobe editing software, such as Premiere Pro and After Effects. Each program has a different function, and Audition will be ideal for users hoping to work on sound-mixing primarily. However, students hoping to learn sound mixing as part of video production and editing training may want to focus more on learning programs like Premiere Pro. Premiere Pro and After Effects have some sound editing capabilities, but they are far more limited than the ones offered by Adobe Audition.
To learn more about Premiere Pro, After Effects, or Video Editing, please visit Noble’s Learn hub pages.
Given how many options are available for Audition training, students may want to know what option is best for them. The answer is going to vary from student to student, but generally, students’ professional aspirations will correlate with the amount of training they need. Students who want to work as professional sound mixers will, naturally, need more training than those who just hope to learn how to remix music.
Students hoping to start a new career in sound engineering will want to invest in advanced professional training courses, such as the career certificate programs offered through Noble Desktop. These courses will tend to include diverse training in Audition and skills complementary to Audition, such as Premiere Pro or After Effects. These courses also tend to provide students professionalization training, including one-on-one career mentorship and job interview preparation.
Students who aren’t looking to swap careers or just looking for focused Audition training will want to consider enrolling in an Audition bootcamp. These courses, which are generally shorter and cheaper than career-focused certificate programs, will give students hands-on experience working with Adobe Audition. They are perfect for students hoping to expand their skill set, add a new tool to their creative arsenal, or simply master a specific aspect of a program like Audition. These courses are less ideal for students aiming to shift careers, as they rarely provide professionalization services.
Some students may not be sure that Audition training is right for them. These students will want to consider exploring free tutorials and videos as an alternative. These courses will give students an introduction to the ideas and techniques used by Sound Engineers using Audition. They will help them decide whether or not to continue their training in a low-stakes environment. For anyone but hobbyists, these courses will be too cursory to constitute a full Audition education, but they are a great place to start.
Students looking to learn Adobe Audition need look no further than the in-person and live online Audition courses available through Noble Desktop. Noble’s expert instructors teach these courses, so even online, students will be able to interact directly with experts in their field to receive Audition training. Regardless of how students enroll in Noble’s classes, they will benefit from small class sizes, so they won’t have to fight with other students for their instructors’ attention. Plus, all Noble classes have a free retake option to allow students to get additional training in Audition skills.
For students who are looking to build a career in the world of sound editing, Noble’s Video Editing Certificate program and its Video Editing and Motion Graphics Certificate program will provide students with an in-depth understanding of how to mix sound into video and animation files. This career-focused training course will give students the tools they need to become professional Sound Engineers and Video Editors, whether working on their own creative projects or as part of a team. In addition to training in Audition, students will learn how to use Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, and Cinema 4D to create evocative film and animation projects. Plus, students will receive one-on-one career mentorship and an industry-recognized certificate of completion. As part of their final project, they will build a demo reel of sample videos to take with them onto the job market.
Students who just want to learn the ins and outs of Adobe Audition should consider Noble’s Audition Bootcamp. This short course will teach students how to utilize Audition's basic sound editing tools, such as noise removal and tools to add voiceover and sound effects. This is an ideal course for creatives who hope to work in strictly audio mediums, aspiring Sound Engineers looking to slowly build their resumes, and students with film editing backgrounds who want to learn more advanced sound-editing techniques. This course also confers an industry-recognized certificate of completion, meaning it is an ideal way for students to become Audition certified.
This video demonstrates how to use Audition to remove one repetitive sound (a telephone ringing in the background)
Follow along with this sample project to see how a fully edited video comes together.
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