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. |
