Adobe has announced Audition 3, a major upgrade to the powerful recording, mixing, editing, and mastering software for Windows.

Audition 3 includes dozens of new features that give you more powerful ways to work with audio, including:

• VSTi virtual instrument support: Expand your options with support for a wide range of industry-standard virtual instruments in your music production. Record and edit MIDI in the piano roll editor to drive your VSTi virtual instruments.
• Enhanced spectral editing: Zero in with new selection tools in the Spectral Pan and Spectral Phase displays. Use the Effects Paintbrush to apply effects in varying degrees to a selection. Smooth over a selected region to automatically repair clicks, pops, and other noises using the Spot Healing Brush.
• Improved multitrack editing: Save time and increase accuracy by editing grouped clips together, including trims and fades. Ripple delete on one or more tracks. Then quickly batch save all audio files.
• New effects: New effects including Convolution Reverb, Analog Delay, Mastering tool, and Tube-modeled Compressor offer an even wider range of creative possibilities.
• Radius time stretching from iZotope: Alter tempo without changing pitch, or change pitch without tempo distortion, using the high-quality time-stretch algorithm from industry leader iZotope.
• Guitar Suite effects: Perfect your sound with analog-modeled guitar effects that can be used with guitars or other instruments. Use one or stack many together to make your sound unique.
• Top/Tail Views: Zoom into the beginning and the end of a file so you can quickly add precise fades while keeping the whole file in view.
• Noise reduction and phase restoration tools: Use the new Adaptive Noise Reduction tool to intelligently remove noise that changes over time. The Automatic Phase Correction tool calculates and applies the optimal delay to align channels of a stereo waveform.
• Superior performance: Get more power with new support for multicore machines. The optimized mix engine allows for more tracks and effects on the same machine, offering more variety and faster processing.
• Waveform editing tools: Quickly mix files together by dragging clips and controlling automatic crossfades with on-clip handles.

In the United States and Canada, Adobe Audition 3 is expected to ship in the fourth quarter of 2007. Adobe Audition 3 will be available for an estimated street price of $349, directly from Adobe or through Adobe Authorized Resellers. Upgrades from any previous version of Adobe Audition or Adobe Production Studio cost $99. Pre-ordering is available.

Note that prices are approximate, subject to change, and do not include taxes, shipping, or other related expenses. For Adobe Audition 3 pricing outside North America, go to your local version of the Adobe website or check with your Adobe Authorized Reseller.

A 30-day trial version of Adobe Audition 3 will be available for download from the Adobe website shortly after the product begins shipping.