Adobe Audition Razor Tool Greyed Out [FIXED]

The Razor Tool is found in the toolbar section of the Adobe Audition interface between the move tool and slip tool. The keyboard shortcut to activate it is the R key.

You can also activate it by clicking on the Edit option in the menu tab and then scrolling down to the Tools option. A new dropdown list will open when you hover your mouse over the Tools option. Click on the Razor option to activate the Razor tool.

The razor tool is handy in splitting the audio into two.

You can access the tool by clicking on the razor tool icon whenever you are editing in the multitrack view. You can also activate it by pressing R on your keyboard. Once you hover your mouse on any waveform a razor icon will appear. This razor icon has a blue line.

Why Is The Razor Tool Greyed Out?

The razor tool is located in the toolbar section of the Adobe Audition interface between the move tool and slip tool. The keyboard shortcut to activate it is the R key. Whenever the razor tool is in use it is highlighted in blue just like in the image attached below.

But sometimes this tool is greyed out and selecting it for use is not possible. The same case goes for other buttons and tools in the interface.

The Razor Tool is greyed out because you are in the waveform view and this tool is not applicable to that view but to the multitrack view.

The razor tool is supposed to be used exclusively in the multitrack view. The function of the razor tool is to cut the audio clips in one or more tracks in the multitrack view.

Cutting clips allows you to delete parts of the audio file or move parts of it to rearrange a sequence. If you switch back and forth from the waveform to the multitrack view you will notice that the tool is greyed out and then available for selection respectively.

Editing your files under the multitrack does not overwrite your audio file. The edits that we do in the multitrack include adjusting the volume, fading in and out, or deleting parts of the audio. Such kinds of edits do not alter your basic file settings. This is a non-destructive type of editing and the razor tool only works when you are not making permanent changes to your file.

If the flow of your audio is systematic and flows from part A to B and you change this in multitrack where B starts and we end with part A the initial flow of the audio file remains as a flow from A to B.

On the other hand, if you cut out part B and paste it at the start of the audio so that part A comes last in waveform view you are making permanent changes to the audio file unless you undo the change.

Therefore the only change to make to have this tool available for selection is to switch between the waveform to the multitrack.

Alternative Solution to the Razor Tool Grey Out

If you’ve tried going through the steps above and you’re unable to fix the greyed-out razor tool, there is another way to achieve the same functionality. An alternative way to split the clips is by using the command keys Ctrl + K. For this shortcut you have to select the clip first before cutting the clips. Clips are selected by simply clicking on them.

Therefore this is not ideal where you are doing repeated splitting as you will have to select the file with every split that you intend to do. With the Razor tool, you just click on R on your keyboard and can do the splits.

The only element that this alternative beats the razor tool is the fact that it is a function that needs to be turned on and off the button. For the razor tool, you must click on the razor tool icon to switch it off. Apart from this, it is quite a useful and quick route.

Other Issues with the Razor Tool

Sometimes you might encounter a case where the toolbar is not present in your interface.

If this is the case click on the Window option on the menu tab. Under the drop-down options click on the Tools option to have the Tools Bar available.

Sometimes you can have the razor icon looking like this.

The razor icon is canceled out. This is because there is no audio form in any of the multitrack to split. The same goes for an instance where you are hovering it over a section that has no audio wave you will get this same canceled razor icon.

Conclusion

Whenever you are using Adobe Audition, the tools or buttons might be either greyed out, available for selection, or active and the Razor tool is no different. The sections highlighted in the image below are where you’ll see the greyouts

The parts labeled as A are active sections. This is because of their blue color. One indicates that the file is in waveform and the other is the loop tool which allows the audio to start to restart playing once the audio ends. The parts labeled as B are greyed out and selecting these tools is impossible. Lastly, C parts are open functionalities that are open for selection.

Users tend to think that the software might be having an issue if the selection of some tools is not possible. In that instance, some might uninstall the program and try reinstalling it. A lot of these tools and buttons are greyed out due to their functionalities are not applicable to the editing process that you are in. The same is true for the Razor tool, which is only available in the multitrack view. It will be greyed out in waveform view, but that doesn’t mean something is wrong. It is just how Audition works!