BIAS has released version 5.0 of Peak Pro which includes several powerful new features, especially in the areas of mastering and professional CD preparation. Peak's Playlist has been substantially re-vamped. In addition to the list view window, the Playlist includes a graphic waveform view featuring optional staggered or linear views with optimized Quartz-2D drawing and transparency, allowing crossfades and tracks to be adjusted visually. The Playlist also features unlimited undo/redo, as well as support for keyboard triggerable controls for auditioning and nudging, as well as bounce to multiple word lengths via POW-r dithering.
Peak Pro 5 now offers 100% replication-ready CD burning with ISRC entry, writing CD track indexes, PQ subcode editing, CD-Text, and other advanced features conforming to the full Redbook specification. Users of Peak 5 Pro will also soon be able to purchase an optional extension for DDP file export - making BIAS the only company offering a cost effective non-hardware dependent DDP authoring solution for the Mac. Many major record labels require mastering engineers to deliver their pre-masters in DDP format.
Peak Pro 5 also includes a number of other significant new features. Vbox, Peak's graphic effects routing window, now supports Audio Units plug-ins as well as VST plug-ins. As in previous editions, plug-ins can alternatively be instantiated via the 5 available inserts. Also new for version 5 is support for VST and Audio Units instruments within both Vbox, and the plug-in inserts. Peak Pro 5 also offers instrument playback via a dedicated keyboard window or from an external MIDI keyboard. Many of Peak's on-board DSP algorithms have been improved, including Change Pitch, Change Duration and Sample Rate Conversion, and new DSP items have been added such as Auto-Define Regions, Strip Silence and Envelope From Audio. Peak's popular convolution-based sampling reverb DSP function, ImpulseVerb, has a new brushed-metal "skin" and now offers gain control for both impulse response and source.
Peak Pro 5 includes additional new features and enhancements, including a new high-resolution Tape Style Scrubbing via CoreAudio. The Batch File Processor now enables the preservation of file resolution and type. A new Recover Audio File command enables users to recover some damaged files, and the New Region Split command makes the region creation process faster and easier than before. Peak Pro 5 now includes support for Unicode, allowing the use of non-English file names, and support for file names longer than 32 characters has been added. Peak Pro 5 enables recording of files up to 10 GB, and an improved sample rate conversion algorithm ensures higher quality audio playback than previous versions. A new waveform drawing algorithm enables more audio phase information to be seen in the audio waveform display, and SMPTE HD units have been added to the time display. And lastly, Multimedia developers will appreciate the addition of Snap to CD Frames, PS2, Xbox Units, or Custom Expression Evaluator in the Actions menu.
Peak Pro 5 is available now through authorized BIAS dealers and distributors and has an MSRP of US$599. Customers who purchased the full edition of Peak before April 1, 2005 can upgrade to Peak Pro 5 for US$179. Customers who purchase the full version of Peak after April 1, 2005 can upgrade to Peak Pro 5 for a nominal fee of US$39.
