🎛️ Compress, EQ, and Master — The Basic Effects Chain in Adobe Audition

If you want your recordings to sound polished, balanced, and ready for the world, mastering the effects chain in Adobe Audition is essential.
The three core processes — compression, equalization (EQ), and mastering — form the backbone of every professional mix.
In this guide, you’ll learn what each effect does, when to use it, and how to chain them together for consistently great results.

1. What Is an Effects Chain?

An effects chain is the order in which your audio passes through different effects processors.
For example:

Noise Reduction → EQ → Compression → Limiter

Each stage shapes your sound in a specific way, and the order matters.
A clean chain ensures your audio sounds natural, powerful, and distortion-free.

2. Step 1: Equalization (EQ) — Shape Your Tone

The Parametric Equalizer lets you fine-tune different frequency ranges to make your audio clearer.

To open it:

Highlight your clip.
Go to Effects → Filter and EQ → Parametric Equalizer.

🎧 Tips for Voice and Dialogue:

High-Pass Filter (80–100 Hz): Removes rumble and mic handling noise.
Boost (2–4 kHz): Adds presence and clarity to speech.
Cut (300–400 Hz): Reduces muddiness.

💡 Pro Tip: Always use EQ before compression to remove unwanted frequencies early in the chain.

3. Step 2: Compression — Control Volume Dynamics

Compression evens out volume differences so your quiet and loud parts blend smoothly.

To apply:

Go to Effects → Amplitude and Compression → Dynamics Processing (or use the Compressor effect).
Start with these settings for voice:
- Threshold: -20 dB
- Ratio: 3:1
- Attack: 5 ms
- Release: 100 ms

🎙️ What It Does: Compression reduces volume peaks and raises quiet sections, making speech sound more professional and consistent.

4. Step 3: Mastering — Final Polish

Once your EQ and compression are set, finish your mix with a limiter or mastering tool.

Go to Effects → Special → Mastering.
Apply subtle settings:
- Reverb: 5–10% (for space)
- Exciter: 5% (adds brightness)
- Limiter: -0.1 dB (prevents clipping)

You’ll notice your audio sounds fuller and louder — without distortion.

5. Recommended Order for a Clean Mix

Here’s a simple signal flow to follow:

Step	Effect	Purpose
1	Noise Reduction	Removes background hums & clicks
2	EQ	Balances tone
3	Compression	Controls dynamics
4	Limiter	Prevents clipping
5	Mastering	Adds final sheen

⚙️ Quick Tip: Save your effects chain as a preset in the Effects Rack to apply it instantly to future sessions.

6. Using the Effects Rack

The Effects Rack lets you stack multiple effects in real time without permanently changing your file.

Open via Window → Effects Rack.
Drag EQ, Compression, and Mastering into the rack.
Click the power icon next to each to toggle them on or off.

💡 Bonus: Reorder effects in the rack by dragging — their order directly affects how your audio sounds.

Conclusion

By mastering the EQ → Compression → Mastering chain, you’ll achieve rich, professional-grade sound that rivals any studio mix.
Adobe Audition’s Effects Rack gives you full control to fine-tune your audio without endless tweaking.

Next up: “How to Match Loudness Across Multiple Clips Automatically.”