Peak 2.6 from BIAS Now Shipping

Jun 19, 2001

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BIAS, Inc. has announced the release of BIAS Peak 2.6, the latest version of their popular two-channel digital audio editing program for the Macintosh. In addition to several key enhancements, full editions of Peak 2.6 include, bundled at no extra charge:

• BIAS Vbox SE 1.0 - a unique multi-effects control environment for VST Plug-In effects.
• Waves AudioTrack 3.0 - a highly efficient signal processing plug-in that features 4-band fully paragraphic EQ, a compressor/expander, and a gate.
• Roxio (formerly Adaptec) Toast 5 Lite - the best "lite" CD recording software on the market now burns disc-at-once, fully Redbook-compatible audio CDs, directly from Peak's playlist.
• Over 300 Megabytes of drum loops and samples from PowerFX - hundreds of high-quality music and sound effects from one of the industry's top sound developers.

Both full editions of Peak 2.6 - Peak VST 2.6 (for VST, Premiere, and AudioSuite native signal processing), and Peak TDM 2.6 (identical to Peak VST, plus support for Digidesign TDM signal processing) - are shipping immediately. Upgrade editions are also now available, as described below.

New Operating Features, plus Extended Hardware & Plug-In Support

Peak 2.6 add many useful new enhancements, further bolstering the program's role as the premier tool for stereo mastering, waveform and loop editing, and effects processing.

New full-edition features include:

• DAE 5.1 compatibility (for use with Digidesign's Pro Tools)
• monitoring of third-party ASIO hardware through the Sound Manager
• export of QuickTime movies optimized for playback on both Windows and Macintosh platforms
• 50% faster encoding of MP3-format files
• higher bit-rates for both MP3- and Shockwave-format audio files
• VST plug-in delay compensation when bouncing to disk
• the option to disable all VST plug-ins after a bounce
• a useful "Swap Channels" DSP tool
• support for multiple time units when editing markers
• a Kurzweil sampler button built right into the toolbar
• easy left or right audio scrolling, using Control-Arrow key combinations

Both Peak VST and Peak TDM ship with more than 25 free VST plug-ins, including reverb, compression, distortion, and other effects. Other product highlights include built-in IDR dithering technology from Waves; support for SMDI transfers using Ultra-wide SCSI devices; Guess Tempo, Loop Surfer, Repair Click and other time-saving functions - along with a sleek new user interface, advanced metering, and "disk-free" authorization, as introduced in Peak 2.5.

BIAS Vbox SE & Waves AudioTrack In addition to Roxio Toast 5 Lite and the PowerFX loops and samples, full editions of Peak 2.6 also come bundled with BIAS Vbox SE and Waves AudioTrack. Vbox SE is a special Peak-integrated edition of Vbox, an amazingly versatile multi-effects control environment. Using a programmable matrix, users can combine, route, and mix up to dozens of individual effects in parallel, series, and series-parallel combinations - for millions of sonic permutations - all from within Peak 2.6. Vbox SE can also be used in any other VST host program, including BIAS Deck 3.0, Steinberg Cubase, and Emagic Logic. (A standalone version, Vbox - which can run with or without a VST host program - is available for US$129.)

Waves AudioTrack 3.0 is an especially useful all-in-one signal processor, combining a 4-band fully paragraphic EQ, a compressor/expander, and a gate - all in one highly-efficient plug-in. (The bundle includes the native VST version of AudioTrack, a $75 value.) "We're very happy to offer the AudioTrack plug-in from Waves to Peak users," said Christine Berkley, VP of Marketing at BIAS. "With its great features, user interface and sound, AudioTrack demonstrates why Waves is so highly regarded."

Paul Bundschuh, VP of Marketing at Waves, echoed the strong match between the two companies and products: "We're pleased that BIAS has chosen to bundle AudioTrack with Peak 2.6. Certainly, AudioTrack is a fine complement to Peak. But furthermore, Waves and BIAS are committed to sonic excellence and the Mac platform, so it's a natural union."

Pricing & Availability

BIAS Peak 2.6 is available in two full editions, each bundled with BIAS Vbox SE, Waves AudioTrack, Roxio Toast 5 Lite, and a 300MB+ collection of PowerFX loops and samples. BIAS Peak VST ($499) includes support for VST, Premiere, and AudioSuite plug-ins. BIAS Peak TDM ($699), otherwise identical to Peak VST, adds support for TDM plug-ins.

Both versions are available immediately through BIAS' worldwide network of dealers and distributors, or may be ordered directly from the BIAS website. BIAS is pleased to offer its loyal customer base several inexpensive upgrade options. For instance, users of the 2.5 version of Peak VST or Peak TDM can upgrade to 2.6 for as little as $29 (including Vbox SE) by choosing the web download option, or can receive the full upgrade edition on CD for just $49 (including Vbox SE, Waves AudioTrack, Roxio Toast 5 Lite, and the PowerFX loops and samples collection).

BIAS also offers a range of PowerBook editions - each bundled with the Digigram VXpocket digital I/O PC card - to bring professional digital audio recording and editing to the laptop. Among the choices: Peak LE PowerBook ($799); BIAS Peak PowerBook ($999); BIAS Studio PowerBook ($1179; includes BIAS Peak, BIAS Deck and other bundled software); plus various other editions.

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