Computer-Based Digital Audio Workstations & Plug-Ins

By David Korn

April 28, 2000

FRANKFURT: PCI audio cards were everywhere at Frankfurt. This year, even models that list below $500 feature 24-bit/96kHz recording. This will undoubtedly invigorate the hard disk market - and the sample rate conversion business when users remember that CDs remain at 44.1kHz.

Most manufacturers now offer Mac OS compatibility, most often through ASIO drivers - a big change from two or three years ago. On the other hand, the recent strategy shift at Be toward Internet appliances seems to have frozen most audio software development for BeOS, most notably at Steinberg and Emagic. However, Bias was showing an early version of Peak running on this platform.

The main attraction at both Steinberg's and Emagic's booths was online collaboration through Rocket technology. Tracks (audio or MIDI) were built in real time, with input from musicians around the world - or the corner. Of course, Cubase users will work only with Cubase users, and Logic users with their siblings. Digidesign is expected to join around the end of the year, or so I've heard.

More and more plug-ins are being ported to RTAS, the "native" format used by Pro Tools LE, the last of which are the Orange Vocoder from Prosoniq and the C4 from Waves - also for MAS, VST, and DirectX. Funny . . . wasn't that supposed to be a Pro Tools MIXplus exclusive when it was introduced?

Software Audio Editors

BIAS Peak 2.5 supports VST plug-ins.	Prosoniq sonicWORX 2.0 supports VST plug-ins.
SEK'D The Sequoia audio editor for professional edits.	TC/Works Spark XL is now compatible with Direct Connect.

Software Audio Sequencers

Digidesign Pro Tools 5.0.1 supports Windows 98.	Steinberg Meet the Cubase VST 5.0 series.

Software Drivers

RME New Mac drivers for the DIGI96 series cards.

Software Hard Disk Recording & Editing

SEK'D Samplitude 5.57 features more track count and new MIDI options.

Software Multimedia

Sonic Foundry Vegas Video mixes sound and picture.

Software Signal Processors

Kind of Loud Technologies Digital and DTS recorders, plus stereo for TDM, RTAS, and MAS.	Prosoniq The Orange Vocoder plug-in ports to the RTAS platform.
Waves A parametric processor for a variety of native platforms.

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