From: CONRAD_GEIGER@NEXT.COM@INET# Internet Gateway
Subject: Metaresearch, Inc. Ships SoundWorks Release 3.0 for NEXTSTEP
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lee Buhler, Metaresearch, Inc. Phone: (503) 238-5728 Fax: (503) 232-
6323
Metaresearch, Inc. Ships SoundWorks Release 3.0 for NEXTSTEP
PORTLAND, Ore., March 24, 1993 - Metaresearch, Inc. today announced the
shipment of SoundWorks Release 3.0, the third generation of its hard disk
recording, editing, and mixing package for the NeXTSTEP platform. SoundWorks
Release 3.0 takes full advantage of the new features of NeXTSTEP 3.0,
including real-time mixing and ATC (Audio Transform Coding) sound compression.
All of the new sound tools are designed to work together seamlessly, making it
possible to reuse sounds, mixes, effects, and marks in many different ways.
"SoundWorks Release 3.0 adds a host of new features, giving developers,
researchers, and commercial users new tools for creating and processing
sounds", said Lee Buhler, president of Metaresearch. "After receiving dozens
of requests from our customers, we've redesigned SoundWorks from the ground up
to be more flexible, easier-to-use, and much more powerful. We've combined a
digital recorder, editor, effects processors, multi-track mixer, and many
other sound utilities all in one package, which is available immediately."
CUSTOMIZABLE EFFECTS
A new Effects Panel in SoundWorks 3.0 makes it simple to create and apply
digital effects to sounds. Each effect has its own inspector and its own set
of parameters, which can be customized and saved for future use. With a click
of the mouse users can apply custom envelopes, pitch changes, reverbs, delays,
or any other effect to any number of sounds or marks simultaneously. Effects
can also be combined together in any fashion. A "tape rewind" effect could be
created, for instance, by combining the reverse effect with a pitch change
envelope. The list of effects currently includes gain, envelope settings for
amplitude, pitch, and pan/balance, echo, normalization, graphic EQ, reverb,
backwards, and trimming. Effects operate as plug-in modules, and Metaresearch
expects to release new effects modules every few months.
Users can even design and create their own effects modules, which are
dynamically loaded by SoundWorks as needed. A standard API has been designed
so that all effects can interact together. Several examples of effects as
well as an EffectsTester application are included with SoundWorks so that
users can create and design their own effects.
REAL-TIME MIXING
A new Mixer allows any number of sounds to be mixed together in real time,
each with its own pan, levels, and envelope settings. The number of tracks
that can be mixed at any given point varies according to the system
configuration. Up to 12 tracks at the 44.1kHz sampling rate (CD-quality) can
be mixed and played simultaneously on a NeXTdimension with16 MB RAM, and more
sounds may be mixed on faster machines.
The SoundWorks mixer has a very intuitive interface for creating and testing
sophisticated mixes, all in real time. In addition to the standard level and
pan controls for each track, all sounds are positioned along a graphical
timeline display where they can be positioned and reordered in the mix. Any
number of sounds may be added to each track, and any number of tracks can be
used in a mix. Groups of sounds can be moved together and reordered in any
fashion, sounds can be moved between tracks and alignment guides and
selection controls make it a snap to place a sound exactly where it is needed.
By adjusting an envelope superimposed on top of each sound Sounds in the Mixer
can be edited by double-clicking on them, allowing effects from the Effects
Panel to be applied to any sound in the Mixer.
A wide range of display and memory functions allows users to customize the
layout of the mixer to suit their tastes. This feature makes the user
interface cleaner, faster, and less confusing when many sounds are used in a
mix. In addition, each mix configuration may be saved and recalled with a
single mouse click, making it a breeze to try out several different mixes
before creating a final cut. All mixes can be saved to disk for later use.
NEW EDITING FEATURES
Each sound in SoundWorks can be edited with its own Edit Window, which has
been enhanced under Release 3.0. In addition to a faster display, zero-
crossing line, and customizable display settings, a new autolocator function
makes zooming to any position and scale factor possible with a single mouse
click. Other selection controls make it easier and faster than ever to locate
any section of sound. All envelopes used for effects (for the gain or pan
effects, for example) are now superimposed on top of the sound in the Edit
Window. This simplifies the process of creating an envelope, since all of the
selection and zoom controls of the EditWindow can be used. Sounds can also be
copied and pasted between Edit Windows. Those sounds that are incompatible
are automatically converted before pasting.
A new paste panel allows users to paste sounds several times at any interval
or spacing with the option of mixing the sounds together with existing data.
NEW MARKING FEATURES
An extremely flexible marking system is another of the many sound tools in
SoundWorks Release 3.0. A Marks Panel displays a list of marks for the
current selection of sounds. Marks can be added either with controls in the
Marks Panel or by selecting a region in the Edit Window and typing a name for
the mark. Marks can be copied and pasted between sounds, and can be stored
either with the sound they describe or as separate marks files containing
information for several different sounds. Once defined, marks are treated
just like any other sound and can be played, edited, processed, or mixed.
Marks occupy virtually no hard disk space, making it feasible to create
extremely detailed lists of sound segments that can be mixed together.
Since marks files are stored as ASCII text, any text editor can be used to
create and edit marks in addition to the Marks Panel. A mark can be selected
in the Edit application, for example, and pasted directly into the Marks Panel
where it is applied to the currently active sound. Conversely, marks in the
Marks Panel can be copied and pasted into any other document which accepts
text.
RECORDING AND PLAYBACK ENHANCEMENTS
SoundWorks Release 3.0 can simultaneously record and play sounds of any
sampling rate and format. Finally, it is possible to HEAR what's being
recorded in real time! Sounds with non-standard sampling rates can be played
back either through the appropriate output device (the A/D 64x or ProPort, for
example), or by using real-time linear interpolation of sound data.
All of the popular recording and playback devices are supported, including
Metaresearch's Digital Ears, the Singular Solutions A/D 64x Digital Interface,
and Ariel Corporation's Digital Microphone, ProPort and DATPort. Changing the
recording or playback device is as simple as pressing a button on a home
stereo. With the appropriate audio device attached to a NeXT computer, users
can record and play sounds from DAT decks, CD players, tape decks,
microphones, SCSI devices, or the built-in NeXT input. Each device used by
SoundWorks is a plug-in module, and Metaresearch expects to release new device
modules as appropriate so that SoundWorks will run on any NeXTSTEP
environment, including NeXTSTEP for Intel based computers and the new CCRMA
MusicKit expansions.
SoundWorks supports the new Audio Transform Coding (ATC) compression
algorithm, developed by Julius Smith of the Center for Computer Research in
Music and Acoustics (CCRMA). With ATC, it is possible to achieve compression
ratios of up to 10:1 with virtually no loss of sound fidelity. SoundWorks' 40-
band graphic equalizer and overall gain control allows users to adjust the
playback EQ of any ATC sound, and to store equalizer settings for later use.
SoundWorks also supports random access to ATC sound data, allowing users to
fast forward or rewind through a compressed sound to locate particular
passages. Compressed sounds are automatically uncompressed during playback.
SUPPORT FOR OTHER SOUND FORMATS
SoundWorks Release 3.0 supports all popular sound formats from other
platforms: .au, .aiff, .voc, .wav, .sf, .hcom and raw data sounds all work
with SoundsWorks. Open a file or simply drag and drop a sound into the main
Sounds window and SoundWorks automatically converts the sound to the standard
NeXT sound format. Sounds can be saved to any format for exporting to other
programs.
A new Format Panel allows arbitrary sampling rate conversion as well as
formatting between the standard NeXT sound formats. The Format Panel retains
the "look and feel" of the NeXT Font Panel, making it easy to re-format any
selection of sounds.
SHARING INFORMATION ACROSS DOCUMENTS AND APPLICATIONS
In addition to dragging-and-dropping of sound icons between all SoundWorks
sound tools and other applications, several new NeXTSTEP services have been
added to SoundWorks. Sounds can be opened, edited, processed, or formatted
from any other application through the Services menu. Users can select a
portion of any sound and instantly save that selection or send it to another
application or document, all without having to go through the steps of
creating a separate soundfile.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS AND PRICING
SoundWorks Release 3.0 runs on any NeXT machine running NeXTSTEP 3.0,
including NeXTcube, NeXTstation, and Turbo machines. For optimum
performance, however, Metaresearch recommends that SoundWorks Release 3.0 be
run on systems with at least 12 MB of RAM on monochrome systems and at least
16 MB of RAM on color systems.
The current price of SoundWorks Release is $395.00; educational and quantity
discounts are also available. Registered owners of SoundWorks Release 2.x can
upgrade to Release 3.0 for only $45.00. Upgrades will be shipped on a floppy
disk with the 3.0 User Manual.
ABOUT METARESEARCH
Metaresearch, Inc. designs multimedia hardware and software for NeXT
computers. Its Digital Ears was the first CD-quality audio input device for
the NeXT computer. The Color Digital Eye, the first 24-bit color digitizer
introduced for the NeXT, can grab images at multiple resolutions and frame
speeds. The Color Digital Eye comes with two software applications,
ColorSnapShot and ColorMovieWorks. SnapShot can be used to create still-frame
images while ColorMovieWorks captures real-time video. Metaresearch was
founded in 1982 by Professor Richard Crandall, Reed College physics professor
and scientific advisor at NeXT, Inc. Metaresearch is headquartered at 516 SE
Morrison, Suite M-1, Portland, Oregon 97214. For further information, please
call 503/ 238-5728, send a FAX to 503/ 232-6323 or send e-mail to
<info@metaresearch.com>.
SoundWorks is a registered trademark of Metaresearch, Inc. Digital Ears, Digital Eye, SnapShot, and MovieWorks are trademarks of Metaresearch, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned belong to their respective owners.
