Adobe Audition Not Playing [FIXED]

At times you will encounter issues with Adobe Audition not playing. The problem usually results from bugs or improper connections. This article points out how to address these issues and properly configure Adobe Audition and system settings to resolve playback issues in Adobe Audition.

Possible Issues and Troubleshooting

If you hit the play button and the playhead does not move, or you’re unable to hear anything, troubleshoot using the following steps:

  1. Incorrectly selected Device Class – In this case, click on the edit menu, scroll down to the Preference option, and hover your mouse over this option to open a new dropdown list on the right. In this list, click on the Audio Hardware option. On mac OS follow this: Audition>Preferences
audio hardware adobe audition

This will open the dialogue box shown in the screenshot below.

preferences audio hardware audition

In this dialogue box, change the first entry which is Device Class. In the screenshot, the option selected is ASIO. Click on the entry to reveal additional options. These are the two additional options: MME and WASAPI. From these two, pick MME. A pop-up box will appear notifying you that changing the device class will result in channel mappings, playback, and recording. Click OK.

modify channel mappings audition

You should see additional settings under the picked device class, and the audio should start playing automatically. Click OK to finalize.

  1. Incorrect inputs and outputs options – If you opened the preference dialogue box (as described in the previous section), and found out that your device class was already set to MME, and yet your audio was not playing then make the following changes.

First, check the input entry.

This will vary for different users. Here is a quick example.

If you happened to record using a mic that was plugged into the computer using a USB cable and the cable was removed when you were about to playback, you have to readjust the settings first.

The USB mic input read now needs to be reverted to No Input.

Whenever you plug any cable in or out, Adobe Audition will give you a prompt notifying you of a change in audio devices plugged into your machine.

audio devices changed audition

Once you are done configuring your input settings, click on the next entry which is the Default Output entry.

default output options audition

Follow the same step as in the Default Input entry, ensuring the correct output option is selected. This issue may arise whenever you unplug or plug in a cable to your computer.

From the screenshot above, you can see that I have a pair of headphones plugged in. Although there are two options, they function just the same.

A third option will appear if I am playing back via speakers connected to my laptop using a USB.

Listening is not just limited to your computer speakers, headphones, or external speakers. you can use a pair of Bluetooth headphones. If that is what you are using, make sure to select the Default Output entry.

C. Skip selection playback issue – A and B are the common solutions to the Audition playback issue. The issue addressed in C is a less common problem that I have encountered seldom in past.

Sometimes during an edit, the audio would go on mute when played back. When that happened, I would save my work and relaunch the application. This usually happens with longer audio files that I have been editing for some time.

When removing an unwanted part, you first make a selection, then playback and ensure the audio plays with the unwanted selected part being skipped.

After looping for some time the audio will stop being audible but the sound bars at the bottom part of your interface will be moving.

sound bars adobe audition

If this happens, save your progress and then close the application. Open it again and re-import the file that you were previously working on. You should now be able to hear your audio.

Alternatively, you can import a new file, play it, then pause and get back to the audio that you were working on. It should play without any issues. This is a better opinion since you do not have to close the application.

These are just temporary fixes since the issue will keep reoccurring as described. The better and more permanent solution is to ensure that your software is updated.

D. Disabled playback in sound settings – Lastly, make sure that the computer audio settings are properly configured. To get to these settings, right-click on the speakers’ icon on the taskbar, and from the options that appear, click on sounds.

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This will open a new dialogue box.

speakers playback on computer

Click on the first tab which is the playback tab as highlighted in the image above.

You will have a list of speakers available on your computer. Make sure that the speaker being used, whether it’s Bluetooth, system speaker, or USB, is enabled.

If it isn’t, enable it by right-clicking the speaker that you are using, and from the pop up click on enable.

enable speakers on computer

Click OK to apply these changes.

Conclusion

When launching Audition, it is always helpful to know the settings used the last time it was open. Such awareness is key in knowing how to configure the settings, especially if you unplug or plug in a new device. Lastly, always make sure that your software is up to date.

If you experience an issue not addressed in this article you can always share it with the Adobe community Here to get some feedback.