Spark 1.5

If you need to record and prepare tracks for CDs or the Web, or if you're tweaking sounds for music samplers, check out TC Works' Spark 1.5. This professional-level audio editor offers a more polished user interface than its chief competitor, Bias's ( http://www.bias-inc.com ) $499 Peak (

; Reviews, September 1999). Spark 1.5 also has superior audio plug-in features--such as the ability to run VST-format plug-ins within Mark of the Unicorn's Digital Performer--although Peak 2.1 is often much faster at basic editing chores. (For background on plug-ins, see "Make Some Noise," August 2000.)

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