Adobe AUDITION 3 User Manual page 68

The meters show signal levels in dBFS (decibels below full scale), where a level of 0 dB is the maximum amplitude
possible before clipping occurs. Yellow peak indicators remain for 1.5 seconds so that you can easily determine peak
amplitude.
If amplitude is too low, sound quality is reduced; if amplitude is too high, clipping occurs and produces distortion.
The red clip-indicator to the right of the meters lights up when levels exceed the maximum of 0 dB.
To clear clip indicators, either click them individually or choose Options > Metering > Reset All Indicators.
Monitor levels
Monitoring options differ in Multitrack View and Edit View. In both views, however, you can access these options
from either the Options > Metering menu or the context menu that appears when you right-click meters.
Monitor levels in Multitrack View
Choose any of the following metering options:
Monitors audio inputs.
Monitor Input Level
Restricts monitoring to inputs. (By default, multitrack meters show both input and output levels.)
Meter Inputs Only
Displays input and output meters for all audio ports in the Levels panel. This option lets you quickly
Show All Meters
evaluate all levels in one place.
If your system has a large number of audio ports, you may need to resize the Levels panel to reveal meters for all of
them.
Monitor levels in Edit View
Choose any of the following metering options:
Monitors audio inputs. (To quickly enable or disable this option, double-click the meters.)
Monitor Record Level
Show Levels On Play And Record
Customize level meters
Either choose Options > Metering or right-click the meters. Then select any of the following options:
Change the displayed decibel range.
Range options
Shows valley indicators at low-amplitude points.
Show Valleys
If valley indicators are close to peak indicators, dynamic range (the difference between the quietest and loudest
sounds) is low. If the indicators are spread far apart, dynamic range is high.
Compensates for DC offset. (For a definition, see "DC offset" on page 274.) During recording, any
Adjust For DC
offset is indicated by clip indicators in the meters.
Note: Select Adjust For DC if your sound card records with a DC offset, shifting the center of the waveform above or
below the zero amplitude line. This offset can dramatically shift the amplitude measured by meters, causing them to
display levels inaccurately.
Change the mode of peak indicators. Dynamic Peaks resets the yellow peak level indicators
Dynamic or Static Peaks
to a new peak level after 1.5 seconds, letting you easily see recent peak amplitude. As the audio gets quieter, the peak
indicators recede. Static Peaks retains peak indicators, letting you determine the maximum amplitude of the signal
Enables the meters. (Disabling them improves performance on slower computers.)
ADOBE AUDITION 3.0 63
User Guide