Adobe Audition

ApplicationAdobe

Also called audition, adobe audition, cool edit pro

AdobeCreative

An audio editor that grew from Cool Edit Pro. Adobe Audition.exe is the process. It is not Premiere.

What you need to know

Audition edits audio. Premiere edits a video timeline.

Adobe Audition is a waveform and multitrack editor that grew from Cool Edit Pro. Premiere can hold an audio track under picture. That does not make Premiere this editor.

What is it?: Audio editor
Still current?: Yes, see Current status
Official download?: Use the vendor link in this article

Feex says

If Adobe Audition.exe is the process, someone is cleaning audio, not cutting picture in Premiere. I would look at the WAV before I blamed a video GPU.

What is Adobe Audition?

Adobe Audition is a waveform and multitrack audio editor. The Windows executable is Adobe Audition.exe.

If you have never used it

Audition is the Adobe app for cleaning dialogue, editing podcasts, and mixing a session. It grew from Cool Edit Pro. It is not Premiere. Premiere can send a clip here. The audio work still happens in Audition. Install from Creative Cloud.

What is it used for?

Waveform repair

Noise reduction and clicks on a single file. This is Cool Edit heritage, not a Premiere effects rack.

Multitrack session

Stack dialogue and music, then export a mix Premiere can take back as a file.

Podcast and VO

Record spoken audio. Audacity overlaps. Audition is the Adobe paid editor.

Who is it for?

Post mixers already in Creative Cloud
Podcasters who want Cool Edit style repair
Editors who sent a clip from Premiere

Current status

Adobe Audition (2003) is a current audio editor from Adobe. The vendor still points Windows users at https://www.adobe.com/products/audition.html.

How old is it?

Syntrillium shipped Cool Edit Pro in the 1990s. Adobe bought it and launched Audition in 2003. Cool Edit Pro is not what you install today.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Current Windows build

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per the vendor
RAM	Enough for the session. Long files want more, per Adobe

Resource profile

CPU demand: Follows what you open inside the app
RAM demand: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
Adobe Audition.exe	Main Windows executable

Startup components

Audition does not need to start with Windows. Device settings live in the app.

File locations

Common Adobe Audition locations
Typical install	C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Audition <year>\

File formats

SESXWAVMP3FLAC

Common problems

No sound after a device change

Audition Audio Hardware preferences pick WASAPI or ASIO. This is not a Premiere playback issue.

Opened Premiere to fix audio

A clip on a video timeline is not a waveform editor. Send the file to Audition.

Getting unstuck

Confirm Adobe Audition.exe

Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Audition is the app. Cool Edit leftovers are not this product.

Switch the audio device in the app

Edit > Preferences > Audio Hardware. Windows Sound settings alone may not retarget ASIO.

Install from Creative Cloud

A "Cool Edit 2024" download site is junk. Adobe Audition is the current name.

Alternatives

Audacity and REAPER overlap. Premiere does not replace Audition for spectral repair.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	www.adobe.com/products/audition.html Official installer or vendor page
Help	helpx.adobe.com/audition.html Vendor support
Official site	www.adobe.com/products/audition.html Start here, not a random exe host

Related hardware

A working audio interface and disk for recordings matter more than a video GPU.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Adobe Audition official site · Vendor product page
Adobe Audition help · Vendor support
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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