SCOPE/SP System from CreamWare Targets the Pro Audio Studio

April 15, 2000 -- At MusikMesse 2000 in Frankfurt, CreamWare announced the long awaited high-end product of the SCOPE family aimed at studio professionals. Until now, CreamWare has primarily addressed project studios with Pulsar and audio developers with the complex 15-DSP development system SCOPE. With SCOPE /SP (SP stands for "Studio Package"), CreamWare now offers a system especially designed for use in professional music studios.

"We took the time necessary to make SCOPE technology accessible for studio professionals. With SCOPE /SP, we now present the first fully-integrated, professional-grade 'virtual studio'. For the first time, studio users can benefit from all of the new possibilities which software technology opens up - without having to forego professional attributes such as audio quality, timing and stability." says Frank Hund, CEO of CreamWare GmbH.

SCOPE /SP comprises a PCI card with 15 SHARC DSPs and a comprehensive software package which handles synthesis, sampling, effects, mixing and other tasks. SCOPE is an autonomous system which can be used either as a "giant plug-in" in combination with any sequencing or recording program (thanks to a complete driver set) or as a stand-alone system within its own computer, connected to the rest of the studio via MIDI and audio cables in the conventional manner. The wide range of integration possibilities allows the system to be adapted ideally to any existing studio configuration. The standard SCOPE /SP is equipped with three ADAT optical digital interfaces, as well as with MIDI, Wordclock and ADAT 9-pin I/Os.

Thanks to its independent, powerful DSP engine, SCOPE /SP allows the simultaneous usage and unrestricted interconnection of a multitude of software plug-ins - without such typical host limitations as capacity and latency impairing their usability. "In contrast to host software, a DSP system can guarantee the availability and polyphony of an instrument - a basic requirement for professional usage." explains Michael Ruf, leading developer at CreamWare. "Furthermore, all SCOPE instruments can be played 'live', just like any conventional hardware instrument, so you can put them to work immediately in any existing MIDI setup. Try doing that with a purely software solution."

SCOPE /SP includes more than a dozen different synthesizers (virtual analog, FM, drum synths) and samplers (AKAI compatible), as well as a complete modular synthesizer system. These instruments can be interconnected with other modules such as mixers, effects and drivers in a "virtual studio space". Precise details of the SCOPE /SP software package will be made available with the release of the system. However, all Pulsar devices and an expanded version of the STS-4000 Sampler will be included. As SCOPE packs its own generous measure of processing power, the host computer is scarcely affected and can continue to be used for recording and editing as before.

"I believe that with SCOPE /SP, we have put together an extremely attractive and productive package which no creative, future-oriented studio can afford to be without" says CEO Frank Hund. "SCOPE unites the advantages of the latest software technology with the reliability and performance of a DSP-based hardware solution. At last, all of the exciting developments in the realm of software can be applied in a professional studio context as well."

Availability of SCOPE /SP is planned for the second quarter of 2000. The system will be available for both Windows and Macintosh. The suggested retail price is expected to be below US$ 5000.

For more information, visit CreamWare on the web at www.creamware.com.