Possible to open files from Adobe Audition in Audacity?

[Anna_BRITstralian]

Hi there,

I use Audacity but will be working on a podcast editing project with someone who uses Adobe Audition.
They will send me files after each stage of editing.

Will I be able to import files to Audacity after they have been saved in Audition first?
Or do they need to be saved as an MP3?

Just wondering if this can work, or will it be messy

Thanks!
Anna

[Trebor]

@Anna_BRITstralian

do they need to be saved as an MP3?

If possible avoid using mp3 format files during editing:
they inevitably degrade audio-quality to some degree.
The mp3 degradation accumulates,
(like a photocopy of a photocopy, of a photocopy, etc).

If you want the best audio quality, have them send you WAV or FLAC format versions. They will be much bigger than mp3 files, but have the advantage of being essentially perfect copies without any data loss).

[Anna_BRITstralian]

Thanks Trebor. so they should be able to send me a .wav or .FLAC from audition?

I never knew that about mp3’s degrading audio quality over time !!

[Trebor]

@Anna_BRITstralian

so they should be able to send me a .wav or .FLAC from audition?

Yes: but the files will be several times bigger than mp3 versions.

@Anna_BRITstralian

degrading audio quality over time

Each time you make an mp3 of an mp3, the quality goes down.

mp3 generation loss (mp3 compression)

[Anna_BRITstralian]

wow thanks for the video - you can really hear it, especially when you get to the 10th mp3!!

Thank you for the info, that is very helpful!

Anna

[eightonElis]

I have a question regarding a podcast editing collaboration with someone who uses Adobe Audition. They will be sending me files after each stage of editing, and I’m wondering if I’ll be able to import these files into Audacity for further editing.

Specifically, I’d like to know if I can import files that have been saved in Adobe Audition directly into Audacity, or if they need to be saved as MP3 files in order to be compatible. I’m concerned about the compatibility and potential messiness of the process. Regards

[DVDdoug]

Audacity can open, edit, and export any “normal” audio files (WAV , FLAC, MP3, etc.). Audition can also open & edit these formats.

With Audacity, some formats require FFmpeg but you should stick to WAV or FLAC.

Lossy formats such as MP3 should only be used as “final distribution” unless you are stuck with an MP3 original and you don’t have a choice. In that case you should minimize the number of times it’s re-compressed. AAC (aka MP4 or M4A) is also lossy compression but it’s immune to accumulated damage.

Audacity project files (AUP3 or the older AUP) ONLY work in Audacity and Audition may have a “similar” incompatible-proprietary project or session format. You may not need a project file… I rarely make one.