Peak upgrade to add SMPTE

MacWeek, Jan 26, 1998 by John Poultney

Berkley Integrated Audio Software Inc. this quarter will deliver a major upgrade to its Peak audio-editing package.

Peak 2.0, which BIAS will preview at this week's North American Music Merchants trade show in Los Angeles, will feature SMPTE synchronization, direct CD authoring and encoding for Real Networks Inc.'s RealAudio 5.0.

BIAS said SMPTE synchronization will increase Peak's usefulness to users of professional video systems. In addition, the upgrade will include support for recording and playback via DAE (Digidesign Audio Engine), easing connections with audio hardware from Digidesign, a division of Avid Technology Inc.

For the first time, Peak users will be able to author CDs directly using the software's Playlist function; BIAS said this new feature supports most popular CD-Recordable drives. A new QuickTime video window will let users work with digital video files; the window will synchronize with Peak's audio-scrubbing feature, the company said. Also new to Version 2.0 will be the capability to select the right or left stereo channel for processing or editing.

BIAS said Peak's revamped user interface will support Mac OS 8's Appearance Manager in all dialog boxes and add a customizable tool bar and a floating palette with select, pencil, scrub, and zoom functions. A Contents window will display loops, regions and markers within an audio file; users will be able to drag these directly into a play list.

The new version will support more samplers, and it will include a Loop Tuner function for finding the best spot for looping samples. Users will be able to send altered samples or sample groups directly back to their original location in the sampler.

Other new features will include multiple track selection when importing tracks from audio CDs, a tempo calculator for determining tempos in regions, enhanced meters that detect clipping and real-time effects processing using Adobe Premiere plug-ins.

Peak 2.0 will cost $499; registered users of Version 1.5 will be able to upgrade for $129. Owners of earlier versions will be able to upgrade for $279.

Berkley Integrated Audio Software Inc. of Sausalito, Calif., can be reached at (415) 331-2446 or (800) 775-2427; fax (415) 331-2446; http://www.bias-inc.com.