BIAS Deck 3.5 Now Shipping

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BIAS, Inc. announced that Deck 3.5 - a significant new version of their award-winning multitrack digital audio workstation software for the Macintosh - is now shipping. This important upgrade brings full support for Mac OS X, plus key professional features such as OMF file importing and 5.1-channel surround mixing.

"We're really excited to bring Deck 3.5 to market at this time," said Jason Davies, VP of Worldwide Sales for BIAS. "With this release, Deck becomes the very first surround-capable multitrack DAW available for OS X. Along with its existing QuickTime and VST plug-in capabilities, and now with its surround mixing and OMF features, Deck 3.5 is an invaluable tool for professionals working in film, digital video, video games, and other rich media."

Cutting Edge on Mac OS X

The release of Deck 3.5 follows the release of Peak 3, the first professional stereo sample editing application released for Mac OS X. Deck 3.5 takes complete advantage of the benefits of Mac OS X, including CoreAudio support for multichannel and multiclient hardware, low latencies, high sample rates, and a fast, highly stable, multithreaded operating environment. Deck 3.5 is a Carbonized application, and therefore will also run under OS 8.6 or 9.x.

An Advanced Audio-for-Picture Tool

In addition to import/export QuickTime movies, with better-than- frame-accurate synchronization, Deck 3.5 now supports importing OMF sessions from video editing and authoring applications such as Final Cut Pro, Avid, and others. Sessions from OMF-capable DAWs - including Pro Tools, Digital Performer and Nuendo - can also be imported. Deck is also ideal for spotting effects, editing dialogue, processing soundtracks, and recording ADR voiceovers. Additionally, Deck 3.5 includes the ability to output surround sessions to many popular DVD authoring applications that include AC3 or DTS encoding - such as Apple's DVD Studio Pro - making it an excellent dedicated audio editing and mixing tool for DVD authoring. Affordable Solution for 5.1 Surround Mixing

Deck 3.5 now offers built-in 5.1-channel surround mixing, making it the most affordable high-performance, surround-capable DAW on the market. While this will have most obvious appeal to audio-for-picture professionals, Deck 3.5 is also perfect for music producers - whether they're repurposing stereo media for surround mixes, or crafting multichannel audio mixes from the ground up.

The surround interface includes a 360-degree surround mixer, a "virtual joystick" with a choice of three optional panning algorithms: Radius, Variable-Width, and Room Ambiance. Each channel in the mixer displays its own 360-degree panning window - and just like Deck's conventional stereo channels, each also supports up to four simultaneous VST signal-processing plug-ins. The master output window features a smooth fader for all of the six surround outputs (including the subwoofer/LFE channel), plus individual meters. Additionally, the interface offers complete control over output assignments for each of the six channels (requires ASIO or CoreAudio audio hardware with at least 6 output channels, and drivers).

Pricing and Availability

Deck 3.5 is available now through the worldwide network of authorized BIAS dealers and distributors. Deck has a suggested retail price of US$399.00. Those who purchased BIAS Deck 3.0 after October 1st, 2001 are eligible for a free upgrade to Deck 3.5 (proof of date of purchase is required). Previous owners of Deck 3.0 can upgrade to Deck 3.5 for US $149. Upgrades from versions earlier than 3.0 are US $349. Visit the BIAS Website for complete details on upgrade options and pricing.

For more information, visit their web site at www.bias-inc.com.