Macromedia Soundbooth - CS5 Instruction Manual

Using

ADOBE® SOUNDBOOTH® CS5

Last updated 4/8/2010

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Chapter 1: What’s new

Chapter 2: Digital audio fundamentals

Understanding sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Digitizing audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Chapter 3: Workspace

Customizing the workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Managing workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Chapter 4: Importing, recording, and playing audio

Configuring hardware inputs and outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Opening, creating, and recording files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Viewing and editing XMP metadata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Playing audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

iii

Chapter 5: Editing and repairing audio files

Displaying audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Selecting audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Copying, pasting, cropping, and deleting audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Fading, changing, and maximizing volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Repairing audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Looping, stretching, and pitch shifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Undo and redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Chapter 6: Effects

Applying effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Effects reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Chapter 7: Multitrack mixing and editing

Creating multitrack files, tracks, and clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Mixing and editing tracks and clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Customizing scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Saving and mixing down multitrack files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Chapter 8: Working with Adobe Flash and video

Working with Flash cue points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Edit audio from Adobe Flash, Premiere Pro, or After Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Working with video files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Chapter 9: Saving audio and video files

Saving and closing files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Choosing file formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Options for standard audio formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Options for video and AAC formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

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Contents

Chapter 10: Keyboard shortcuts

Finding and customizing shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Common shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Chapter 11: Digital audio glossary

Common audio terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

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Chapter 1: What’s new

Adobe® Soundbooth® CS5 includes more capabilities and content, giving you greater flexibility for audio editing and enhancement.

Improved launch experience Soundbooth automatically creates a three-track multitrack project, quickly getting you

started. (See

New sound effects and scores from Resource Central Resource Central includes 130 new scores and 6,000 new sound

effects, bringing the total to 9,000.

Drag-and-drop from Resource Central Place downloaded sound effects and scores directly in the Editor panel. (See

“Insert a score in a multitrack file” on page 62.)

Adjust track height Simply drag track dividers in multitrack documents. (See “Create, name, resize, or delete tracks”

on page 56.)

Speech Search custom dictionaries Increase transcription accuracy by referencing text files. (See “Improve speech

analysis with reference scripts” on page 23.)

“Multitrack mixing and editing” on page 55.)

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Chapter 2: Digital audio fundamentals

An understanding of key audio concepts helps you get the most out of Adobe Soundbooth.

Understanding sound

Sound waves

Sound starts with vibrations in the air, like those produced by guitar strings, vocal cords, or speaker cones. These vibrations push nearby air molecules together, raising the air pressure slightly. The air molecules under pressure then push on the air molecules surrounding them, which push on the next set of molecules, and so on. As high-pressure areas move through the air, they leave low-pressure areas behind them. When these waves of pressure changes reach us, they vibrate the receptors in our ears, and we hear the vibrations as sound.

When you see a visual waveform that represents audio, it reflects these waves of air pressure. The zero line in the waveform is the pressure of air at rest. When the line swings up to a peak, it represents higher pressure; when the line swings down to a trough, it represents lower pressure.

A sound wave represented as a visual waveform A. Zero line B. Low-pressure area C. High-pressure area

Waveform measurements

Several measurements describe sound waveforms:

Amplitude Reflects the change in pressure from the peak of the waveform to the trough. High-amplitude waveforms

are loud; low-amplitude waveforms are quiet.

Cycle Describes a single, repeated sequence of pressure changes, from zero pressure, to high pressure, to low pressure,

and back to zero.

Frequency Measured in hertz (Hz), describes the number of cycles per second. (For example, a 1000-Hz waveform has

1000 cycles per second.) The higher the frequency, the higher the musical pitch.

Phase Measured in 360 degrees, indicates the position of a waveform in a cycle. Zero degrees is the start point,

followed by 90º at high pressure, 180º at the halfway point, 270º at low pressure, and 360º at the end point.

Wavelength Measured in units such as inches or centimeters, is the distance between two points with the same degree

of phase. As frequency increases, wavelength decreases.

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Digital audio fundamentals

180º360

270

A single cycle at left; a complete, 20-Hz waveform at right A. Wavelength B. Degree of phase C. Amplitude D. One second

How sound waves interact

When two or more sound waves meet, they add to and subtract from each other. If their peaks and troughs are perfectly

in phase, they reinforce each other, resulting in a waveform that has higher amplitude than either individual waveform.

In-phase waves reinforce each other.

If the peaks and troughs of two waveforms are perfectly out of phase, they cancel each other, resulting in no waveform at all.

Out-of-phase waves cancel each other.

In most cases, however, waves are out of phase in varying amounts, resulting in a combined waveform that is more complex than individual waveforms. A complex waveform that represents music, voice, noise, and other sounds, for example, combines the waveforms from each sound.

Because of its unique physical structure, a single instrument can create extremely complex waves. That’s why a violin and a trumpet sound different even when playing the same note.

Two simple waves combine to create a complex wave.

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Digital audio fundamentals

Digitizing audio

Comparing analog and digital audio

In analog and digital audio, sound is transmitted and stored in very different ways.

Analog audio: positive and negative voltage

A microphone converts the pressure waves of sound into voltage changes in a wire: high pressure becomes positive voltage, and low pressure becomes negative voltage. When these voltage changes travel down a microphone wire, they can be recorded onto tape as changes in magnetic strength or onto vinyl records as changes in groove size. A speaker works like a microphone in reverse, taking the voltage signals from an audio recording and vibrating to re-create the pressure wave.

Digital audio: zeroes and ones

Unlike analog storage media such as magnetic tape or vinyl records, computers store audio information digitally as a series of zeroes and ones. In digital storage, the original waveform is broken up into individual snapshots called

samples. This process is typically known as digitizing or sampling the audio, but it is sometimes called analog-to-digital conversion.

When you record from a microphone into a computer, for example, analog-to-digital converters transform the analog signal into digital samples that computers can store and process.

Understanding sample rate

Sample rate indicates the number of digital samples taken of an audio signal each second. This rate determines the frequency range of an audio file. The higher the sample rate, the closer the shape of the digital waveform is to that of the original analog waveform. Low sample rates limit the range of frequencies that can be recorded, which can result in a recording that poorly represents the original sound.

Two sample rates A. Low sample rate that distorts the original sound wave B. High sample rate that perfectly reproduces the original sound wave

To reproduce a given frequency, the sample rate must be at least twice that frequency. (See “Nyquist frequency” on page 80.) For example, CDs have a sample rate of 44,100 samples per second, so they can reproduce frequencies up to 22,050 Hz, which is just beyond the limit of human hearing, 20,000 Hz.

The following table lists the most common sample rates for digital audio:

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Sample rate Quality level Frequency range

11,025 Hz Poor AM radio (low-end multimedia) 0–5,512 Hz

22,050 Hz Near FM radio (high-end multimedia) 0–11,025 Hz

32,000 Hz Better than FM radio (standard broadcast rate) 0–16,000 Hz

44,100 Hz CD 0–22,050 Hz

48,000 Hz Standard DVD 0–24,000 Hz

96,000 Hz High-end DVD 0–48,000 Hz

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Digital audio fundamentals

Understanding bit depth

Bit depth determines dynamic range. When a sound wave is sampled, each sample is assigned the amplitude value closest to the original wave’s amplitude. Higher bit depth provides more possible amplitude values, producing greater dynamic range, a lower noise floor, and higher fidelity. For the best audio quality, remain at 32-bit resolution while transforming audio in Soundbooth, and then convert to a lower bit depth for output.

Bit depth Quality level Amplitude values Dynamic range

8-bit Telephony 256 48 dB

16-bit CD 65,536 96 dB

24-bit DVD 16,777,216 144 dB

32-bit Best 4,294,967,296 192 dB

192 dB

144 dB

96 dB

48 dB

0 dB

Higher bit depths provide greater dynamic range.

8-bit

16-bit 24-bit 32-bit

Audio file contents and size

An audio file on your hard drive, such as a WAV file, consists of a small header indicating sample rate and bit depth, and then a long series of numbers, one for each sample. These files can be very large. For example, at 44,100 samples per second and 16 bits per sample, a mono file requires 86 KB per second—about 5 MB per minute. That figure doubles to 10 MB per minute for a stereo file, which has two channels.

How Soundbooth digitizes audio

When you record audio in Soundbooth, the sound card starts the recording process and specifies what sample rate and bit depth to use. Through Line In or Microphone In ports, the sound card receives analog audio and digitally samples it at the specified rate. Soundbooth stores each sample in sequence until you stop recording.

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Digital audio fundamentals

When you play a file in Soundbooth, the process happens in reverse. Soundbooth sends a series of digital samples to the sound card. The card reconstructs the original waveform and sends it as an analog signal through Line Out ports to your speakers.

To sum up, the process of digitizing audio starts with a pressure wave in the air. A microphone converts this pressure wave into voltage changes. A sound card converts these voltage changes into digital samples. After analog sound becomes digital audio, Soundbooth can record, edit, and process it—the possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

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Chapter 3: Workspace

Adobe Soundbooth provides a flexible workspace that you can quickly optimize for your working style.

Customizing the workspace

About workspaces

Adobe video and audio applications provide a consistent, customizable workspace. Although each application has its own set of panels (such as Project, Metadata, and Timeline), you move and group panels in the same way across products.

The main window of a program is the application window. Panels are organized in this window in an arrangement called a workspace. The default workspace contains groups of panels as well as panels that stand alone.

You customize a workspace by arranging panels in the layout that best suits your working style. As you rearrange panels, the other panels resize automatically to fit the window. You can create and save several custom workspaces for different tasks—for example, one for editing and one for previewing.

You can use floating windows to create a workspace more like workspaces in previous versions of Adobe applications, or to place panels on multiple monitors.

Example workspace A. Application window B. Grouped panels C. Individual panel

Dock, group, or float panels

You can dock panels together, move them into or out of groups, and undock them so they float above the application window. As you drag a panel, drop zones—areas onto which you can move the panel—become highlighted. The drop zone you choose determines where the panel is inserted, and whether it docks or groups with other panels.

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Workspace

Docking zones

Docking zones exist along the edges of a panel, group, or window. Docking a panel places it adjacent to the existing group, resizing all groups to accommodate the new panel.

Dragging panel (A) onto docking zone (B) to dock it (C)

Grouping zones

Grouping zones exist in the middle of a panel or group, and along the tab area of panels. Dropping a panel on a grouping zone stacks it with other panels.

Dragging panel (A) onto grouping zone (B) to group it with existing panels (C)

Dock or group panels

1 If the panel you want to dock or group is not visible, choose it from the Window menu.

2 Do one of the following:

•

To move an individual panel, drag the gripper area in the upper-left corner of a panel’s tab onto the desired drop zone.

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Drag panel gripper to move one panel

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• To move an entire group, drag the group gripper in the upper-right corner onto the desired drop zone.

Workspace

Drag group gripper to move entire group

The application docks or groups the panel, according to the type of drop zone.

Undock a panel in a floating window

When you undock a panel in a floating window, you can add panels to the window and modify it similarly to the application window. You can use floating windows to use a secondary monitor, or to create workspaces like the workspaces in earlier versions of Adobe applications.

❖ Select the panel you want to undock (if it’s not visible, choose it from the Window menu), and then do one of the

following:

• Choose Undock Panel or Undock Frame from the panel menu. Undock Frame undocks the panel group.

• Hold down Ctrl (Windows®) or Command (Mac OS®), and drag the panel or group from its current location.

When you release the mouse button, the panel or group appears in a new floating window.

• Drag the panel or group outside the application window. (If the application window is maximized, drag the

panel to the Windows taskbar.)

Resize panel groups

When you position the pointer over dividers between panel groups, resize icons appear. When you drag these icons, all groups that share the divider are resized. For example, suppose your workspace contains three panel groups stacked vertically. If you drag the divider between the bottom two groups, they are resized, but the topmost group doesn’t change.

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Workspace

To quickly maximize a panel beneath the pointer, press the tilde (~) key. (Do not press Shift.) Press the tilde key again to return the panel to its original size.

1 Do either of the following:

• To resize either horizontally or vertically, position the pointer between two panel groups. The pointer becomes a

double-arrow

• To resize in both directions at once, position the pointer at the intersection between three or more panel groups.

The pointer becomes a four-way arrow

2 Hold down the mouse button, and drag to resize the panel groups.

Dragging divider between panel groups to resize them horizontally A. Original group with resize icon B. Resized groups

Open, close, and scroll to panels

When you close a panel group in the application window, the other groups resize to use the newly available space. When you close a floating window, the panels within it close, too.

• To open or close a panel, choose it from the Window menu.

• To close a panel or window, click its Close button .

• To see all the panel tabs in a narrow panel group, drag the horizontal scroll bar.

• To bring a panel to the front of a group of panels, do one of the following:

• Click the tab of the panel you want in front.

• Hover the cursor above the tab area, and turn the mouse scroll wheel. Scrolling brings each panel to the front, one

after another.

• To reveal panels hidden in a narrow panel group, drag the scroll bar above the panel group.

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Drag horizontal scroll bar to see all panels in narrow group

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Workspace

Working with multiple monitors

To increase the available screen space, use multiple monitors. When you work with multiple monitors, the application window appears on one monitor, and you place floating windows on the second monitor. Monitor configurations are stored in the workspace.

More Help topics

“Dock, group, or float panels” on page 7

Position the Tools panel

The Tools panel provides quick access to tools, level meters, and the Workspace menu. By default, the Tools panel is a docked toolbar immediately below the menu bar. If you undock it, however, you can manipulate it like any other panel.

• To show or hide the Tools panel, choose Window > Tools.

• To undock the Tools panel from its default location, drag the handle at the left edge to another location in the

workspace.

• To redock the Tools panel in its default location, drag the panel tab to the green drop zone that spans the entire

width of the application window, just under the menu bar.

More Help topics

“Selecting audio” on page 33

“Level meters overview” on page 27

Display vertical and timeline rulers

In the Editor panel, the vertical ruler indicates amplitude in the waveform display and frequency in the spectral display. Timeline rulers indicate time location.

• To display the vertical ruler on the right side of the Editor panel, select View > Vertical Ruler.

• To add a second timeline ruler at the bottom of the Editor panel, choose View > Bottom Timeline Ruler.

If you show timeline rulers at top and bottom, each can display a different unit of time. (See “Change units in the

timeline ruler or time display” on page 25.)

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Workspace

More Help topics

“About the waveform display” on page 28

“About the spectral display” on page 29

Change interface brightness and colors

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Appearance (Windows) or Soundbooth > Preferences > Appearance (Mac OS).

2 Adjust any of the following options, and then click OK:

Brightness Brightens or darkens panels, windows, and dialog boxes.

Custom Colors Adjusts the color of waveforms, selections, and the current-time indicator.

Use Gradients When deselected, removes shadows and highlights from panels and buttons, and orange semicircles

from beat markers.

More Help topics

“View layered or separated waveform channels” on page 30

“Position the current-time indicator” on page 25

Managing workspaces

Choose a workspace

Each Adobe video and audio application includes several predefined workspaces that optimize the layout of panels for specific tasks. When you choose one of these workspaces, or any custom workspaces you’ve saved, the current workspace is redrawn accordingly.

❖ Open the project you want to work on, choose Window > Workspace, and select the desired workspace.

Predefined workspaces in Soundbooth

In the Window > Workspace submenu, Soundbooth provides the following predefined workspaces:

Default Optimizes the layout of panels for audio editing, providing a large view of the Editor panel.

Edit Audio to Video Places the Markers and Video panels above the Editor panel, so you can precisely synchronize

audio and video.

Edit Score to Video Prominently positions the Video panel and increases the vertical size of the Properties panel,

revealing all score options.

Meta Logging Extends the Metadata panel to the full height of the application window, helping you quickly edit

properties for files, multitrack clips, and speech transcripts.

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Workspace

Save, reset, or delete workspaces

Save a custom workspace

As you customize a workspace, the application tracks your changes, storing the most recent layout. To store a specific layout more permanently, save a custom workspace. Saved custom workspaces appear in the Workspace menu, where you can return to and reset them.

❖ Arrange the frames and panels as desired, and then choose Window > Workspace > New Workspace. Type a name

for the workspace, and click

Note: If a project saved with a custom workspace is opened on another system, the application looks for a workspace with a matching name. If it can’t find a match (or the monitor configuration doesn’t match), it uses the current local workspace.

Reset a workspace

Reset the current workspace to return to its original, saved layout of panels.

❖ Choose Window > Workspace > Reset workspace name.

Delete a workspace

1 Choose Window > Workspace > Delete Workspace.

2 Choose the workspace you want to delete, and then click OK.

Note: You cannot delete the currently active workspace.

OK.

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Chapter 4: Importing, recording, and playing audio

Bring in audio from microphones, media files, and more. Then monitor it in stereo or surround-sound.

Configuring hardware inputs and outputs

Connecting to audio hardware

You can use a wide range of hardware inputs and outputs with Adobe Soundbooth. Sound card inputs let you bring in audio from sources such as microphones and tape decks. Sound card outputs let you monitor audio through devices such as speakers and headphones.

A. Sound card inputs connect to sources such as microphones and tape decks. B. Sound card outputs connect to speakers and headphones.

Set audio inputs and outputs

The audio inputs and outputs you select determine the default hardware ports Soundbooth uses for recording and playback. When recording, you can choose a different input device if necessary. (See

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Audio Hardware (Windows) or Adobe Soundbooth > Preferences > Audio Hardware

OS).

(Mac

2 For Default Device, choose a hardware interface. (For the best performance in Windows, choose an ASIO device.

If none are available, choose Soundbooth 2.0 WDM or DirectSound.)

Note: In Mac OS, all possible combinations of inputs and outputs appear as separate devices. Choose System Default Input/Output unless you want Soundbooth to use different ports than other applications.

3 (Optional) Click Settings to set hardware driver properties. For more information, see one of the following:

• For a sound card in Mac OS, search for “Audio MIDI Setup” in Mac OS Help.

• For a professional ASIO sound card in Windows, see the documentation provided by the card manufacturer.

• For a WDM or DirectSound card in Windows, see “Set properties for standard Windows sound cards” on page 15.

4 In the Output Mapping section, specify the audio channel for each available hardware port.

Note: The Surround, Center, and LFE channels are available only if the default device is a multichannel audio interface.

“Record a new file” on page 17.)

5 (Mac OS only) For Buffer Size In Samples, optimize performance by choosing the lowest setting possible without

audio dropouts. The ideal setting depends on the speed of your system, so some experimentation may be necessary.

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Importing, recording, and playing audio

6 If you want Soundbooth to continue playing audio when you switch to other applications, select Continue Audio

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Playback In Background.

Note: If multiple Windows applications use the same ASIO device, only one application can output audio at a time.

Set properties for standard Windows sound cards

In Windows, professional ASIO sound cards provide the best audio performance. If you’re using a standard WDM or DirectSound card, however, you can improve performance by optimizing driver properties.

Note: The default driver properties work well for most systems. If you’re experiencing slow response or audio dropouts, however, complete the appropriate procedure below.

Set properties for a WDM card

If you have a newer sound card that supports WDM, select this driver option. (WDM provides better performance than DirectSound.)

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Audio Hardware.

2 From the Default Device menu, select Soundbooth 2.0 WDM Sound.

3 Click Settings.

4 On the Input and Output tabs, set the following options:

Enable Devices Determines which input and output ports are available in the Audio Hardware preferences.

Device 32-bit Recording and Playback Enables 32-bit inputs and outputs. To confirm whether a sound card

supports this bit depth, see the documentation for the card.

Buffer Size Specifies the number of audio samples buffered during recording and playback. If you hear skips or

dropouts, increase the buffer size; if playback and recording start slowly, decrease the size.

Set properties for a DirectSound card

If you have an older card that requires DirectSound, select this driver option.

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Audio Hardware.

2 From the Default Device menu, select Soundbooth 2.0 DirectSound.

3 Click Settings.

4 In the DirectSound Full Duplex Setup control panel, set the following options, and then click OK.

Device check boxes Determine which ports are available in the Audio Hardware preferences.

Buffer Size (Samples) If you hear skips or dropouts, double-click the Buffer Size value for an input or output device,

and type a higher value. If playback and recording start slowly, type a lower value.

Offset (Samples) Determines the audio latency (delay) between multiple sound cards. To enter a new value,

double-click the current one.

Port Order If the selected device includes more than one port, click the Move Up or Move Down button to change

the order of the ports.

Sync Reference In systems with multiple sound cards, specifies which card sets the master clock. (The master clock

synchronizes digital audio devices.)

Full Duplex Enables Soundbooth to simultaneously record and monitor audio. Leave this selected unless you have

a very old sound card that doesn’t support full-duplex operation.

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Start Input First Determines the order in which Soundbooth starts the sound card input and output ports. Select

this option only if you have a very old sound card that doesn’t support full-duplex operation.

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Opening, creating, and recording files

Open existing files

You can open audio and video in a variety of file formats, including AIFF, AVI, mp3, QuickTime, or WAV. If you open multiple files, the menu at the top of the Editor panel lets you choose which one to display.

Menu at top of Editor panel lets you choose which open file to display

1 Choose File > Open, or double-click the Files panel.

To add files to the Files panel without displaying them in the Editor panel, choose File > Import > Files.

2 Select the desired files. (If you don’t see the file you want, choose All Supported Media from the Files Of Type

menu.)

3 Click Open.

For each open file, the Files panel displays properties such as Name, Media Type, and Duration. By default, files are sorted alphabetically by name. To sort files based on another property, click the property header.

More Help topics

“Choosing an audio file format” on page 70

“Choosing a video file format” on page 71

“Saving and closing files” on page 69

Browsing assets with Adobe Bridge

If you have the Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe Bridge helps you organize and browse assets for audio, video, and web projects. To access Adobe Bridge in Soundbooth, choose File choose File

With Adobe Bridge, you can do the following:

> Reveal In Bridge.

• View, search, and sort audio and video files

• Edit file metadata and keywords

• Rate and label files

> Browse In Bridge, or select a file in the Files panel and

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Create empty audio files

To combine audio copied from multiple sources, create empty audio files.

1 Choose File > New > Empty Audio File.

2 Choose a sample rate, and select either Stereo or Mono.

More Help topics

“Copy, cut, and paste audio” on page 35

“Understanding sample rate” on page 4

Create files from selections and copied audio

Create a file from a selection

1 Make a selection in the Editor panel.

2 Choose File > New > Audio File From Selection.

Create a file from copied audio

1 Copy audio to the clipboard.

2 Choose File > New > Audio File From Clipboard.

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More Help topics

“Create a multitrack file” on page 55

Record a new file

You can record audio from any device that you can plug in to your sound card’s Microphone In or Line In port. Before recording, optimize your system’s input levels, if you haven’t already done so. (See

standard sound cards” on page 18.)

1 Choose File > Record, or click the Record button in the Editor panel.

2 Choose an audio input from the Device menu. If necessary, click Settings to set driver properties for the input.

3 Choose a Sample Rate option appropriate for your project. (See “Understanding sample rate” on page 4.)

4 Select Stereo or Mono, and then choose a Port option.

5 To ensure that the recorded signal is undistorted, select Monitor Input During Recording. (If you use this option

for a microphone recording, wear headphones to avoid feedback.)

6 Enter a filename, and choose an incrementing scheme from the pop-up menu. (The incrementing scheme helps

you distinguish between multiple related recordings with the same filename.)

7 To change the location for the saved file, click Browse.

8 Click the Record button to begin recording.

9 As you record, click the Marker button to add audio markers (which you can later export as Adobe Flash cue

points).

10 When you finish recording, click the Stop button , or close the dialog box.

“Adjust recording levels for

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Soundbooth automatically stores the new file in WAV format. If you prefer a different format, choose File > Save As.

More Help topics

“Use markers” on page 32

“Copying, pasting, cropping, and deleting audio” on page 35

Adjust recording levels for standard sound cards

Adjust levels if recordings are too quiet (causing background noise) or too loud (causing distortion). To get the best sounding results, record audio as loud as possible without clipping. When setting recording levels, watch the meters in the Record dialog box, and try to keep the loudest peaks in the yellow range below -3

Soundbooth doesn’t directly control a sound card’s recording levels. For a professional sound card, you adjust these levels with the mixer application provided with the card (see the card’s documentation for instructions). For a standard sound card, you use the mixer provided by Windows or Mac

OS.

Adjust sound card levels in Windows Vista and Windows 7

1 Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar, and choose Recording Devices.

2 Double-click the input source you want to use.

3 Click the Levels tab, and adjust the slider as needed.

dB.

Adjust sound card levels in Windows XP

1 Double-click the speaker icon in the taskbar.

2 Choose Options > Properties.

3 Select Recording, and then click OK.

4 Select the input source you want to use, and adjust the Volume slider as needed.

Adjust sound card levels in Mac OS

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu.

2 Click Sound, and then click the Input tab.

3 Select the device you want to use, and adjust the Input Volume slider as needed.

More Help topics

“Set audio inputs and outputs” on page 14

Configure and clean the media cache

To increase performance and import a wide variety of sample rates, Soundbooth creates cache files for each audio and video file you open. Soundbooth stores media cache files in a folder shared with other Adobe video applications. You can customize the location of this folder, clean the media cache database to improve performance, and delete cache files to conserve disk space.

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Media (Windows) or Adobe Soundbooth > Preferences > Media (Mac OS).

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Importing, recording, and playing audio

2 Set the following options:

Media Cache Files To store cache files with source files rather than in the media cache folder, select Save Media

Cache Files Next To Originals When Possible. To change the location of the media cache folder, click Browse.

Media Cache Database This MCDB file records the location of cache files and related media files. To remove

references to files that are no longer in use, click Clean. To store the MCDB file in a different location, click Browse.

Delete Temporary .pek Files Removes small peak files that Soundbooth uses to quickly display audio waveforms.

Delete Temporary .cfa Files Removes large conformed audio files that Soundbooth creates when you open audio

that uses a compressed format or an unsupported sample rate.

When Soundbooth is operating outside a file’s original sample rate, parentheses surround the working sample rate in the Files panel. The Save command retains the original rate, if possible.

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More Help topics

“Ensure that Adobe video applications use the same cached files” on page 19

Ensure that Adobe video applications use the same cached files

Adobe video applications can automatically insert a unique document ID into each imported file. These unique IDs ensure that each application accesses the same cached previews and conformed audio files, preventing additional rendering and conforming.

❖ In the Media section of the Preferences dialog box (or the Metadata section for Soundbooth), select Write XMP IDs

To Files On Import.

This setting is global—a change in one Adobe video application affects all the others. This setting also results in new file modification dates when IDs are initially inserted.

To save rendering time when transferring a project to another computer, move both cached and original files.

Viewing and editing XMP metadata

About the Metadata panel and XMP metadata

To streamline your workflow and organize your files, use XMP metadata. Metadata is a set of descriptive information about a file. Video and audio files automatically include basic metadata properties, such as date, duration, and file type. You can add details with properties such as location, director, copyright, and much more.

With the Metadata panel, you can share this information about assets throughout Adobe video and audio applications. Unlike conventional clip properties, which are limited to only one application’s Project or Files panel, metadata properties are embedded in source files, so the data automatically appears in other applications. This sharing of metadata lets you quickly track and manage video assets as they move through your production workflow.

Note: Properties in the Metadata panel also appear in Adobe Bridge, providing additional details that help you quickly browse assets.

For a video about the Metadata panel, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4104_xp.

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About schemas and properties

A metadata schema is a collection of properties specific to a given workflow. The Dynamic Media schema, for example, includes properties like Scene and Shot Location that are ideal for digital video projects. Exif schemas, by contrast, include properties tailored to digital photography, like Exposure Time and Aperture Value. More general properties, like Date and Title, appear in the Dublin Core schema. To display different properties, see

metadata” on page 21.

For information about a specific schema and property, hover the pointer over it in the Metadata panel. For most items, a tool tip appears with details.

“Show or hide XMP

About the XMP standard

Adobe applications store metadata using the Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP). XMP is built on XML, which facilitates the exchange of metadata across a variety of applications and publishing workflows. Metadata in most other formats (such as Exif, GPS, and TIFF) automatically transfers to XMP so you can more easily view and manage it.

In most cases, XMP metadata is stored directly in source files. If a particular file format doesn’t support XMP, however, metadata is stored in a separate sidecar file.

Project assets without corresponding files don’t support XMP. Examples from Adobe Premiere Pro include Bars and Tone, Universal Counting Leader, Color Matte, Titles, Black Video, and Transparent Video.

To customize the creation and exchange of metadata, use the XMP Software Development Kit. For more information about XMP, see Extensible Metadata Platform.

About file, clip, and project XMP metadata

For the most part, Adobe video and audio applications deal with XMP metadata very similarly. Some small distinctions exist, however, reflecting the unique workflow stage that each application addresses. When using applications in tandem, an understanding of these slightly different approaches can help you get the most out of metadata.

Adobe OnLocation and Encore provide one set of metadata properties for all assets. However, Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Soundbooth divide the Metadata panel into separate sections for different asset types.

Adobe Premiere Pro Separates metadata in these sections:

• Clip Displays properties for clip instances you select in the Project panel or Timeline panel. This metadata is stored

in project files, so it appears only in Adobe Premiere Pro.

• File Displays properties for source files you select in the Project panel. This metadata is stored directly in the source

files, so it appears in other applications, including Adobe Bridge.

After Effects Separates metadata in these sections:

• Project Displays properties for the overall project. If you select Include Source XMP Metadata in the Output

Module Settings dialog box, this information is embedded into files you output from the Render Queue.

• Files Displays properties for source files you select in the Project panel. (If you select a proxy, properties for the

actual file appear.)

For After Effects, both Project and File properties are stored directly in files, so you can access this metadata in Adobe Bridge.

Soundbooth Separates metadata in these sections:

• File Displays properties for the currently displayed audio or ASND file. This metadata is stored directly in such

files, so it appears in other applications. (Adobe Bridge, however, does not display metadata for ASND files.)

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• Clip Displays properties for multitrack clips you select in the Editor panel. This metadata is stored in the containing

ASND file, so it appears only in Soundbooth.

Adobe Premiere Pro and Soundbooth also provide a Speech Analysis section with metadata that appears only in those applications.

Show or hide XMP metadata

To optimize the Metadata panel for your workflow, show or hide entire schemas or individual properties, displaying only those that you need.

1 From the options menu for the Metadata panel, select Metadata Display.

2 To show or hide schemas or properties, select or deselect them from the list.

Save, switch, or delete metadata sets

If you use multiple workflows, each requiring different sets of displayed metadata, you can save sets and switch between them.

1 From the options menu for the Metadata panel, select Metadata Display.

2 Do any of the following:

• To save a customized set of displayed metadata, click Save Settings. Then enter a name, and click OK.

• To display a previously saved set of metadata, select it from the menu.

• To delete a previously saved set of metadata, select it from the menu, and click Delete Settings.

Create schemas and properties

If you have a unique, customized workflow that the default metadata options don’t address, create your own schemas and properties.

1 From the options menu for the Metadata panel, select Metadata Display.

2 Click New Schema, and enter a name.

3 In the list, click Add Property to the right of the schema name.

4 Enter a property name, and select one of the following for Type:

Integer numbers that you drag or click to change

Real fractional numbers that you drag or click to change

Text text box (for properties similar to Location)

Boolean check box (for On or Off properties)

Search XMP metadata

1 Select the files or clips you want to search.

2 In the search box at the top of the Metadata panel, enter the text you want to find.

The list of metadata collapses to reveal only properties that contain your search string.

3 (Adobe Premiere Pro only) To navigate through the search results, click the Previous and Next buttons to

the right of the search box, or press Tab.

To exit the search mode and return to the full list of metadata, click the close button to the right of the search box.

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Importing, recording, and playing audio

A B

Metadata panel A. Before search, all properties appear B. After search, only properties with search string appear. In Adobe Premiere Pro, Previous and Next buttons navigate through search results.

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Edit XMP metadata

In Adobe video applications, similarly named properties are linked in the Metadata and Project panels. However, the Metadata panel provides more extensive properties and lets you edit them for multiple files simultaneously.

Note: Instead of a Project panel, Soundbooth uses the Files panel.

1 Select the desired files or clips.

2 In the Metadata panel, edit text or adjust values as needed.

If you selected multiple items, the panel displays properties as follows:

• If a property matches for all items, the matching entry appears.

• If a property differs, <Multiple Values> appears. To apply matching values, click the text box, and type.

Analyze speech for text XMP metadata

Adobe Premiere Pro and Soundbooth analyze spoken words and generate text metadata. You can edit and search text metadata like any other metadata properties. You can then navigate to the times at which specific words are spoken, to better align edits, advertising, and subtitles.

For more information, see the video tutorial Using Speech Search to Speed Editing.

Note: Useful results from speech analysis require good audio quality. Background noise significantly reduces accuracy. To remove such noise, use the tools and processes in Soundbooth.

More Help topics

Speech to text enhancements

Analyze speech to create text metadata

1 Select a file or clip.

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