Data Becker Makes Beautiful Music With New Software Titles; MP3 Wizard 2.0 and Dance Factory Let Users Find, Record, Re-Mix And Play Music Anywhere They Want

Business Wire, May 31, 2000

Business/Technology Editors

NEEDHAM HEIGHTS, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 31, 2000

DATA BECKER Corporation, a publisher of high-quality, value-priced computer software for work and play, today introduced MP3 Wizard 2.0, a $29.95 software package that lets users turn audio files into music CDs and listen to them anywhere. Building on the company's popular MP3 Wizard software, the new title is an all-in-one music command center that adds support for all popular audio formats. It now works with portable MP3 players and provides a meta search tool for finding audio files anywhere on the Web.

The company also introduced Dance Factory, a complimentary title priced at $29.95 that puts users in the DJ booth, enabling them to create and mix their own dance tunes with just a few clicks of the mouse. Together, the two software packages expand DATA BECKER's growing line-up of best-selling music titles.

"The market for music software is growing rapidly with estimates that twice as many titles were sold in 1999 as compared to the year before," said Howard March, company president and CEO. "DATA BECKER understands this market. We're among the top software publishers of music titles. With the addition of MP3 Wizard 2.0 and Dance Factory to our catalog, we offer users the latest -- and most affordably priced -- software available to find, record, re-mix and play music anywhere they want. That's music to users' ears."

Ultimate Digital Recording Tool

With MP3 Wizard 2.0, users can take advantage of a complete audio control center to download songs from the Internet, convert songs to WAV and record direct to CD for playing on the PC, in home stereos, in the car, or anywhere. MP3 Wizard 2.0 also lets users record songs directly to the most popular MP3 players, including Diamond Rio PMP300, Pontis MPlayer3 and Creative Nomad. The title supports all popular audio file formats, including WAV, MID, CDA, and all MP3 frequencies.

The title's integrated MP3 meta search engine quickly looks for the most popular music titles on the Internet and creates a link list. Once a user's favorite songs are selected, information about the album, artist, and title is automatically imported to the CD. MP3 Wizard 2.0 provides users with a central "repository" of songs which can be categorized and organized however the user wishes, thus, giving users total control of their portable MP3 player from the same interface used to manage and burn MP3 files.

MP3 Wizard 2.0 also offers:

--Support for 80 minute CDs

--A mixing function for professional crossfades between songs

--Echo, reverb, flanger, and normalizing effects for enhancing CD quality

"MP3 Wizard 2.0 is a one-stop music-shop, providing everything the music aficionado needs to turn a computer into a comprehensive digital recording command center," explained March.

Start a Party With Dance Factory

Dance Factory turns users into disc jockeys. The easy-to-use software lets wanna-be DJs create dance mixes and loops from thousands of sound clips and music samples. Users can choose from a variety of musical styles, including techno, rap, pop, hip hop or rave, and can create customized songs using original WAV files. It takes just minutes. Using just a few mouse clicks, music lovers simply drag-and-drop samples to create the ideal dance mix. Songs can then be played on the computer or recorded to CD for use at parties and other events.

With Dance Factory, users can:

--Record up to 32 tracks

--Create their own WAV files

--Take advantage of over 3,000 samples or 30 complete songs that come included or import sound clips from DATA BECKER's SoundClips 10,000 software title and other WAV programs

--Use the Mix Arranger for easy song creation

--Use the Vocalizer to add vocals, reverb, phaser and pitch effects

--Create bass and drum patterns to add to songs

--Add effects for enhanced CD quality

--Create complete dance mixes with no music training

Availability and Pricing

MP3 Wizard 2.0 and Dance Factory are available in a variety of retail stores throughout the United States and Canada such as Best Buy, Comp USA, Fry's, Electronics Boutique, Micro Center, Office Depot, and Staples, as well as through Internet retail channels and at www.databecker.com. Both titles have a manufacturers suggested retail price (MSRP) of $29.95. For more information call DATA BECKER at 781/453-2340 or visit www.databecker.com.

System Requirements

Available on CD-ROM, MP3 Wizard 2.0 and Dance Factory require Windows 95/98 with 32 MB of RAM; a 16 bit sound card; and 800 x 600 high color graphics. MP3 Wizard 2.0 requires a Pentium 233 MMX or higher and a CD writer. Dance Factory requires a Pentium 166 MMX or higher, 120 MB of hard disk space, and a 4 x CD-ROM drive.

About DATA BECKER

DATA BECKER CORPORATION (www.databecker.com) is a privately held publisher of high-quality, value-priced computer software for the North American retail market. DATA BECKER CORPORATION, founded in 1999, joins its associate company, DATA BECKER GmbH & Co. KG (Dusseldorf, Germany), one of the leading publishers of computer software, books, and magazines throughout Europe. Together they form a worldwide publishing powerhouse with operations in every major consumer software market. DATA BECKER's diverse software titles fall into categories including music creation/recording, home design, entertainment and games, and web productivity/utility. Flagship titles include MP3 Wizard, Your Handwriting, Jumbo Jet 2.0, and Complete Home Designer 3.0. Visit www.databecker.com for complete product offerings.