All BIAS music apps moving to Mac OS X

The music software makers at BIAS have been on a roll with new products, including some that are Mac OS X compatible.

One such product is BIAS Peak 3, the new version of the digital audio editing application. There’s also a Mac OS X savvy version of BIAS Peak LE 3, the entry-level edition.

“Being at the cutting edge of audio development for Mac OS X is truly exciting,” said Jason Davies, BIAS’ vice president of Worldwide Sales, in announcing the product. “The OS X-ready release of Peak and Peak LE 3 marks a significant turning point for our product line. Our users will be amazed at how well Peak performs under OS X.”

Peak 3 for OS X follows the November release of Peak DV 3.0, the digital video edition of Peak, which made BIAS the first developer to release a pro audio tool for Mac OS X. BIAS Vbox 1.1, the VST plug-in multi-effects control environment, is also now available for Apple’s new operating system. And a Mac OS X version of Deck, BIAS’ multitrack recording and mixing digital audio workstation, is due soon, meaning the entire BIAS product line will be OS X native.

While Peak 3 and Peak LE 3 are fully “Carbonized” (OS X native), they will run under Mac OS 8.5 to 9.2.x. Peak also offers full support of Carbonized VST plug-ins (non-Carbonized VST plug-ins will run in Peak 3 under OS 9). Davies said that both applications take full advantage of Mac OS X’s advanced capabilities, including protected memory space for enhanced system stability; the Aqua user interface; and CoreAudio, the audio I/O component of OS X that supports multichannel, multiclient hardware, and beyond 24-bit/96kHz resolution.

Peak 3 ships with the new BIAS Freq, a mastering-quality 4-band paragraphic EQ that’s fully native for Mac OS X — and, again, also compatible with OS 8.5 to 9.2.x. BIAS Freq brings high-end audio equalization to Peak, with -18dB to +18dB gain values, 0.1 to 10 Q values, sweepable 20Hz to 20kHz frequency values, high- and low-cut filters, individual band bypass buttons, 24dB stereo input/output meters, and a Carbon Event driven interface. For more demanding applications, plus more extensive filtering and bandwidth control options, the 10-band BIAS SuperFreq is an advanced VST plug-in, available as a download-only purchase from the BIAS Web site for US$79.

As a true Carbon Event-driven Mac OS X plug-in, SuperFreq’s controls are fast and smooth, Davies said. I t also sports Mac OS X’s Aqua interface or, under Mac OS 9.x, a high-tech brushed metal interface. SuperFreq boasts everything for professional-caliber equalization, including -18dB to +18dB Gain Values; 0.1 to 30 “Q” (bandwidth) values; sweepable frequencies from 20Hz to 20kHz, individual band bypass buttons; 24dB stereo input/output meters; and filters including Peak, Notch, High Shelf, Low Shelf, High Cut, and Low Cut. Optionally, SuperFreq can be launched as an 8-band paragraphic EQ, rather than the standard 10-band.

Peak 3 includes a number of other feature enhancements, including improved-quality Sample Rate Conversion; faster on-board MP3 encoding; and high-end dithering algorithms from Pow-r. Also, BIAS Vbox SE, the VST multi-effects control environment formerly bundled with Peak, is now available as a built-in, fully-integrated OS X-compatible feature within the application.

Peak LE 3 includes a number of enhancements that are also available in the full version, Davies said. The Cursor Palette is new, with integrated BPM-based looping. The Contents Window is now growable. Markers, loops and regions can now be sorted within it. And a new Transport has been added with growable audio meters. Additionally, Peak LE now supports VST Plug-ins, a feature previously available only in Peak LE VST, Peak VST and Peak TDM.

Peak 3 and Peak LE 3 are available now at suggested retail prices of $499 and $99 respectively.

The aforementioned Vbox 1.1 for Mac OS X is a graphic control environment for VST plug-ins that can combine, repatch, and mix multiple VST plug-in effects. It integrates into any VST host program, including BIAS Peak, BIAS Deck, Steinberg Cubase, Steinberg Nuendo, Emagic Logic, and others, for real-time effects processing. Vbox also works as a standalone application that can process and save audio files.

BIAS Vbox for Mac OS X will be available for a suggested retail price of $99. (Vbox SE for OS X is bundled free with BIAS Peak 3 and BIAS Deck 3.5.)