The relationship between Syntrillium's Cool Edit software (including Cool Edit 2000 and Cool Edit Pro) is summarized in the following statement on Adobe's website:
"Cool Edit Pro is now Adobe Audition Adobe Systems Incorporated acquired the technology assets of Syntrillium Software in May 2003 and introduced AdobeŽ AuditionŽ software (a rebranded release of Cool Edit Pro) in August 2003. Adobe Audition 2.0 is the most current version of the software, and Syntrillium's other products have been discontinued." A less expensive version of the Syntrillium software, which nevertheless had all of the necessary features for the tasks outlined here, was called Cool-Edit 2000. You can read more about that particular item here.
And so, when we speak of Cool Edit Pro on this website, we are speaking of the product that is now Adobe Audition. In any case, it is a very sophisticated and powerful wave editor with capabilities far beyond those features that pertain to this paper. Using Cool Edit or Audition to clean up audio tracks from records is like using only one feature of a Swiss Army Knife. There is a lot more that the software can do, (most notably as a tool in the creation and editing of one's own music). In dealing with this rather intimidating tool, I have really tried to focus on the particular features that pertain to the subject at hand, glossing over or ignoring the many features that are not immediately relevant. I have tried to simplify procedures as much as possible. The GIF below depicts Cool-Edit Pro, but the interface for Adobe Audition is very similar:
I am not going to try to exhaustively explain this rather intimidating display, but will point out some of the main controls that you will be using for record restoration.
1--First, in the lower left, notice that there are two rows consisting of 10 buttons that correspond to your standard tape deck control buttons. The symbols on these buttons are familiar, except perhaps for the "sideways 8" infinity symbol, which will play a selection over and over unto eternity. The button with the red dot is the record button. What I want to point out here is that if you right click on these buttons, you may get a menu for additional functionality. For example, if you right click on the "play" button (top row, 2nd from left), you will get the following choices: a) Play View; b) Play from Cursor to End of View; c) Play from Cursor to End of File; and, d) Play Entire File. Well, you will find that you will be switching back and forth mainly between options a) and b) quite a bit. Also, as in many applications, hitting the spacebar is the same as clicking the play arrow.
2--The next group of buttons, just to the right of the "tape deck control buttons," consists of 8 buttons arranged into two rows. These controls enable you to zoom in and out on a selected waveform, and they are very important and frequently used. The two most used buttons are the one on the lower left, which zooms you into a selection, and the third from the left on the top row, which restores your view to the entire waveform. The best way to learn how these buttons control your view is to load a waveform and experiment.
3--Of the various dropdowns in the "menu bar," at the top, which include the usual "file," "edit," and "view," you will find yourself using all of these plus the "effects" dropdown a great deal. The "effects" dropdown menu contains most of your subroutines for reducing noise, amplification, and equalization. It's quite an impressive list of effects (many of them overlapping in their function).
4--There is a neat toolbar below the menu bar that can make you feel like you are piloting a jetliner. I want to point out the button with the diagonal line that sits just below the "Win" in the "Windows" dropdown in the menu toolbar. This button will toggle you between the "waveform" view (as shown in the GIF above), and the "spectral" view, which makes it much easier to find clicks and pops. This is a very special feature of this software, and you will use it a lot.
5--For a fairly detailed explanation of how to use this software for record restoration, start here. Or,
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