Free Digital 8*Bus Update Adds Over 30 Features

V3.0 Screenshot
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October 3, 1999 -- Mackie Designs announced a major upgrade to their digital console, the Mackie D8B. Dubbed "Version Three" (V.3.0), the new operating system software features third party plug-in support, and includes third-party plug-ins, many new surround sound mixing features, innovative networking capabilities, and several new user-requested features.

In addition to supporting the Mackie effects (or MFX) card that ships with every D8B, V.3.0 adds support for the new Mackie UFX digital signal processing card based on the more powerful Motorola 56303 DSP chip. At the heart of D8B's open architecture, the UFX, combined with V.3.0 software, allows insertion of plug-in effects into common console signal paths, including mastering-type effects for the L/R out and surround channels. With each UFX card capable of running up to four independent software plug-ins at once, the D8B's four processing slots allow up to 16 third party plug-in effects to be utilized simultaneously.

Underscoring V.3's distinction as a major upgrade is an impressive list of plug-ins from leading effects companies including TC Electronic, Massenburg DesignWorks, Drawmer, and Antares.

At the Mackie AES booth (972), TC Electronic unveils three D8B effects packages: the TC2000 and TC FX effects bundles and a TC Reverb package that comes free with each UFX card. Massenburg DesignWorks shows off a new high-resolution, double sample rate mastering EQ available for the D8B, Sonic Solutions editing system, and Sony Oxford(tm). Drawmer introduces the first of two dynamics packages for the D8B. Anatares, in a historic first, demonstrates its popular Auto Tune(tm)real time pitch correction software operating in a digital recording console.

Mackie's head of software development, Bob Tudor, stated "Our customers are excited about being able to run such fine third party effects in the D8B. We're very proud to be the first console manufacturer to offer customers effects from the top talents in our industry... without forcing them to buy bigger patchbays."

Pointing out the difference between mixing with a mouse, Greg Mackie added, "And it's great to be able to grab a knob to tweak effect settings and hear the result immediately while viewing the changes on a big screen." That 'analog console-like experience,' Mackie believes, makes a huge difference to veteran mixers in particular.

New surround capabilities in V.3 include depth-of-center control (LCR mixing with divergence), and LFE level control. Also included is the addition of the new Dolby(r) 6.1 EX surround format, updated GUI, metering and panning functions and improved LCRS and 7.1 mixing capabilities.

Further setting the D8B apart from digital consoles of any price is Mackie's proprietary "MixLink"- new networking technology. In addition to allowing cascading and remote console mirroring, it empowers laptops and other computers to control any or all portions of a D8B remotely via standard Ethernet cabling or wireless Ethernet.

V.3 also includes a large helping of additional features requested by the fast-growing base of D8B users. Most notable of these are:

1) New key (sidechain) inputs for all 48 onboard dynamic processors featuring 20-20k parametric EQ for frequency dependent processing such as de-essing; 2) "Faders-feed-tape" output-to-tape level control providing an alternative to pot twisting; and 3) Time Offset (delay) per channel for managing delay and phasing when utilizing external processors.

New "user-requested" features include the ability to reassign channels to alternate D8B fader decks (Thanks, Mick Guzauski!), Multiple Undo List, Bus Solo, support for Dolby EX, assignable MIDI Send commands on transport buttons (REW, FF, STOP, PLAY, REC), Auto Punch mode, a 48-channel fader bank view screen, and multiple direct outs per channel. Another unique features is a multiple surround panner window including low frequency effects channel level control (how much of a channel gets assigned into the effects sub).

V.3 of the Mackie Real Time OS Software will be available directly from Mackie Designs in the fourth quarter of 1999 for free. It will also be bundled at no extra charge with the UFX card. Third party Plug-Ins are also slated to ship in the same quarter.

For more information, visit Mackie's web site at www.mackie.com.