NOTE: THIS REVIEW IS FOR PEAK 2.5 VST

I enjoy using Peak. Peak has always felt like a tool that you can count on, is simple to use, works reliably, and requires little manual thumbing to get the most out of it. The new version of Peak has quite a few additions to its already impressive list of tools, most notably VST plug-in support. As VST is rapidly becoming the standard for audio plug-in development, this will undoubtedly open up a whole new world of possibilities for a lot of people.

In my studio, I have just recently converted from a 16-bit Pro Tools system to the Digi001, so most of my plug-ins are in TDM format. Peak does support TDM but only in the more expensive PeakTDM version. However, Peak 2.5 VST comes with 16 VST plug-ins, and after only a few minutes of web surfing I tracked down 6 or 7 more freeware plug-ins. I found it very easy to add the plug-ins I had downloaded, and their implementation flawless using each plug-in developer's interface where it existed and Peak’s native one where it didn’t. Preview is in real time and response times were good using a G4/400.

All of the included VST plug-ins sounded good and worked reliably, though I would question how much you would use some of them. Others such as "beat box" I had never seen anywhere else. This plug-in turns any audio file into an 808-style beat box rhythm track, with results ranging from cool to disturbing. Right out of the box, Peak’s native DSP and the included VST suite gives you a lot of options. The work I do ranges from film post-production to web multimedia to Hip-Hop production and I have never yearned for anything that Peak couldn’t deliver.

One of my favorite things about Peak is its wide range of file support, and here, Peak really steps out into the multimedia world. You can now save your files as Real Audio, Macromedia Shockwave, or MP3 files, in addition to the standard AIFF and WAV formats. For someone like myself who does a fair amount of multimedia work, I find this very useful. I tested the Real, Shockwave, and MP3 implementations on both platforms and found they worked very well. I found that using Peak to create Real files yielded better results and was easier than using Real’s own encoding tools. Especially handy is the ability to tune my settings to get the best possible audio quality at the lowest bitrates, with professional EQ’s to make sure I keep the best and leave the rest. And since I do all of my audio work on the Mac, but development on a PC, it saves me several steps. In addition, the Import Audio Track function has added CDDB support so that title and artist information is saved with your files ripped from CD’s.

Bias advertises that there is a whole new "Professional" look to Peak. Well, the good news is that you will not need to relearn a whole interface, but don't expect a drastic difference when you open it up. The GUI has new colors and buttons, and it is a little easier on the eyes, but this is more of a minor touchup then a real facelift.

All in all, it's a very strong package for a point release and free upgrade for many users of 2.0. With Peak 2.5VST, Bias cements its presence as one of strongest professional stereo editing applications for the Mac. And having used the major editing applications for both Mac and PC platforms, I can say that Peak may very well be the best of all.

Have more questions about this product? Please write me at:
brent@audioMIDI.com

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