BIAS Peak - 5.2 User Manual

Peak

Version 5.2

Software User’s Guide

TM

INSTALL LICENSE AGREEMENT

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“LICENSEE”), and Berkley Integrated Audio Software, Inc. (“BIAS, Inc.”). BY
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BIAS offers two distinct license options – SINGLE USER and MULTI-USER
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SOFTWARE licenses at a single SITE to be simultaneously installed,
authorized, and used on up to 5 COMPUTERS at said SITE), provided
that (a) each COMPUTER is owned by (or leased to) and under exclusive
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any COMPUTER(S) with BIAS Software installed shall not be sold, rented,
leased, loaned or otherwise be removed from the LICENSEE’s
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2. SOFTWARE AUTHORIZATION. You must register and AUTHORIZE this
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software) or by phone [phone] [phone]). Once the
SOFTWARE is registered and AUTHORIZED, it may not be returned.

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5. USE RESTRICTIONS. As the LICENSEE, you may physically transfer the
SOFTWARE from one computer to another provided that the
SOFTWARE is used on only one computer at a time if you have
purchased a single user license or, if you have purchased a multi-user
single site license, on up to the number of computers for which you have
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You may not modify, adapt, translate, reverse engineer, decompile,
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“commercial computer software documentation”, and pursuant to FAR

12.212 or DFARS 227.7202, and their successors, as applicable, use,
reproduction and disclosure of the Software and Documentation are
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8. TERMINATION. This License is effective until terminated. This License
will terminate automatically without notice from BIAS if you fail to
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including modified copies, if any.

9. UPDATE POLICY. BIAS may create, from time to time, updated versions
of the SOFTWARE. At its option, BIAS will make such updates available
to LICENSEE and transferees who have paid the update fee and returned
the registration card to BIAS.

10. BIAS PRODUCT SUPPORT.

Unlimited Complimentary Self Help Options

If you have questions about installing or using your BIAS products, please
check the manual or user guide first, and you will find answers to most
of your questions there. If you need further assistance, please check the

Peak 5 User’s Guideii

support section of the BIAS web site, which contains answers to
frequently asked questions, troubleshooting tips, and more:

http://www.bias-inc.com/support/faq/

Limited Complimentary Technical Assistance

Ninety days of complimentary technical support assistance for up to
three incidents is available with the initial purchase of Type 1 BIAS
products (Peak Pro, Peak Pro XT, Master Perfection Suite, SoundSoap
Pro, Deck). Ninety days of complimentary technical support assistance
for a single incident is available with the initial purchase of Type 2 BIAS
products (Peak LE, Deck LE, SoundSoap 2). The support period begins
when the product is initially registered and authorized. Type 3 products
(OEM versions) are excluded.

An additional thirty days of complimentary technical support assistance
for a single incident, beginning on the expiration of the initial ninety days
of complimentary support described above, is available with the
purchase of paid upgrades to Type 1 and Type 2 BIAS products.

To receive e-mail or telephone technical support, you will need a valid
serial number and must be registered for a current BIAS product. Please
keep your original product serial number (located on your original
owner’s certificate) in a safe place as it will be required for support.

Customers who prefer support by email, please contact:

[e-mail]

Customers who prefer support by telephone, (connect and toll charges
apply), please have your computer running and close by the phone and
call us at:

[phone]
(9AM-5PM Monday-Friday PST – excluding BIAS holidays)

Fee-based Technical Support Options

Fee-based Support is available for those customers whose support period
has expired or for Type 3 (OEM version) customers. Please call:

[phone]
(9AM-5PM Monday-Friday PST – excluding BIAS holidays)

For customers living outside of North America, please contact your local
BIAS distributor, or contact BIAS directly. A list of BIAS distributors may
be found at:

http://www.bias-inc.com/distributors.html

BIAS Support Policy and Hours

BIAS, Inc. support policy and hours are subject to change without notice.

Sales and Non-Technical Customer Service

For product information, sales, and other non-technical customer
service, please email or call:

[e-mail]
US: 1-800-775-BIAS (2427)
International: [phone]
(9AM-5PM Monday-Friday PST – excluding BIAS holidays)

No technical support is available at the numbers or email address above.

11. MISCELLANEOUS. This Agreement is governed by the law of the State of
California, without regard to conflicts of law principles.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY AND LIMITED WARRANTY

THE SOFTWARE AND DOCUMENTATION (INCLUDING INSTRUCTIONS FOR
USE) ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND. FURTHER,
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ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR, OR
CORRECTION.
BIAS warrants to the original LICENSEE that the media upon which the
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from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service for a
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BIAS’ entire liability and your exclusive remedy as to the media shall be, at BIAS’
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of the original warranty period or thirty (30) days, whichever is longer.
THE ABOVE ARE THE ONLY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR
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(INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS
INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, AND THE LIKE). BECAUSE
SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION
MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

This Disclaimer of Warranty and Limited Warranty is governed by the laws of the
State of California, without regard to conflicts of law principles.

Should you have any questions concerning this Agreement, or if you desire to
contact BIAS for any reason, please contact in writing:

BIAS Customer Sales and Service
140 Keller Street
Petaluma, CA 94952
USA

Copyright 1996–2006 BIAS, Inc.

License Agreement/Credits

iii

Credits:
Peak 5 Software: Steve Berkley, Andrew Kimpton, Guillermo Garcia, David Ralley,
Wayne Jackson, Eric Eizenman.

Apple Events™, AppleTalk™, Audio Units™, GarageBand™, Final Cut Pro™,
iMovie™, iPod™, iTunes™, Logic™, Macintosh™, and OS X™ are registered
trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.

Cubase™ and VST™are registered trademarks of Steinberg Media Technologies,
AG.

Pro Tools™ and Sound Designer II™ are registered trademarks of Digidesign,
Inc.

Digital Performer™ is a registered trademark of MOTU, Inc.

CDDB™ is a registered trademark of Gracenote, Inc.

FileMaker Pro™ is a registered trademark of FileMaker, Inc.

PS2™ is a registered trademark of Sony, Inc.

Xbox™ is a registered trademark of Microsoft, Inc.

Live™ is a registered trademark of Ableton, AG.

Jam™ is a registered trademark of Roxio, Inc.

SFX Machine LT™ is a registered trademark of The Sound Guy, Inc.

E-32™, E-64™, E-IV™, E-4000™, and E-5000™ are registered trademarks of E­mu Systems, Inc.

A3000™, A4000™, and A5000™ are registered trademarks of Yamaha, Inc.

SP™ and SX™ are registered trademarks of Peavey, Inc.

K2000™, K2500™, and K2600™ are registered trademarks of Kurzweil, Inc.

User’s Guide:
Zac Wheatcroft, Bruce Bennett, Steve Berkley

Special Thanks to:
Christine Berkley, Jason Davies, Paul Knowles, Dan Spirlock, Gabe Khofri, Ben
Ventura, Lisa Stefan, Victor Cebreros, Megan Peterschmidt, Cory Stück, Kristen
Jacobs, Ben Hester, Kelly Evans, Larry Nilsen, Michael Van Landingham, Andrew
Stone, Brent Hurtig, Seamus Walsh, Andy Marcus, Ian & Christina Nyquist, Steve
Cerilli, Ernest Cholakis, Bil Bryant, Howard Frederics, CKSDE, Michael Anse,
Michael Barrett, Marvin Bass, Chris Borgia, Daniel Brennan, Sean Charles, Donnie
Christian, Barry Diament, Jeff Dinces, Dr. Fred Bashour, Jason Fernandez, Scott
Frankfurt, Chris Griffin, Barry Higgins, Gary Hobish, James L. Jackson, Julian
Kwasneski, Drew Lavyne, Jeremy Lee, George Leger III, Ray Legnini, Ken Loge,
Elvio Magliocca, Darin Marshall, Peter McConnell, Arnaud Melese, Jim Miller,
Heather Perkins, Paul Pierron, Marc Poirier, Fernando Rodriguez, Marc
Rosenberg, Brad Sarno, Jeremy Scidmore, John O. Senior, Luke Slater, William
Storkson, Craig Sylvern, Rudy Trubitt, James Wadell, Brandon Ware, Jim
Wintermyre, J. Mark Andrus, Michael Barrett, Robbie Berman, Bruce Bennett, R ay
Brunelle, BT, Will Carpmill, Chris Clanin, Luke DeLalio, Dennie Edwards, Tom
Erbe, Terje Finstad, Daniel Fisher, Kelly Fitz, Mikail Grahm, Brian Hamilton, Tom
Hays, Morris Hayes, Matt Isaacson, Carson Kendall, peer landra, Igor Len, Randy
M., Jose Ignacio Martin, Christophe Masson, Riccardo Mazza, Ron Macleod, David
Mash, Peter McCabe, David McIntyre, Melvin & Milo Mole, Jeff Moore, Itai Neoran,
NIN, Drayson Nowlan, Martin O'Donnell, Larry Oppenheimer, Dan Phillips, Scott

Plunkett, Gene Porfido, Les Quindipan, Ralph, Bob Rice, Brad Sarno, Arne
Schulze, Seva, Eli Shauriki, Ronen Shloush, Craig Snoke, Alex Stahl, M. Stevens,
Morten Stjernholm, Mark Tinley, David Torn, Rudy Trubitt, Tsvika, Earl Vickers,
Charles Wiltgen, Michael Winter, and Tsuyoshi Yasukawa.

Peak 5 User’s Guideiv

BIAS Product Support:

Unlimited Complimentary Self Help
Options

If you have questions about installing or using your BIAS
products, please check the manual or user guide first,
you will find answers to most of your questions there. If
you need further assistance, please check:

http://www.bias-inc.com/support.html

for frequently asked questions, an extensive database of
related articles, troubleshooting tips, and more.

Limited Complimentary Technical
Assistance

Ninety days of technical support assistance for up to
three incidents is available with the initial purchase of
Type 1 BIAS products (Peak Pro, Peak Pro XT, Master
Perfection Suite, Deck, SoundSoap Pro). Ninety days of
technical support assistance for a single incident is
available with the initial purchase of Type 2 BIAS
products (Peak LE, Deck LE, SuperFreq, SoundSoap 2).
Type 3 products (OEM versions) are excluded. Thirty
days of technical support assistance for a single incident
is available with the purchase of paid upgrades to Type
1 and Type 2 BIAS products. The support period begins
when the product authorization code (PAC) is initially
issued following the product registration. To receive e­mail or telephone technical support, you will need a
valid serial number and must be registered for a current
BIAS product. Please keep your original product serial
number and PAC in a safe place as it will be required for
support. For customers preferring e-mail assistance,
please use the email form available on our web site at:

http://www.bias-inc.com/support.html

Or, email:

[e-mail]

For customers preferring telephone assistance, (connect
and toll charges apply), please have your computer
running and close by the phone and call us at:

[phone]

9AM-5PM Monday-Friday PST – excluding BIAS holidays

Fee-based Technical Support Options

Fee-based Support is available for those customers
whose support period has expired or for Type 3 (OEM
version) customers. Please call:

[phone]

9AM-5PM Monday-Friday PST – excluding BIAS holidays

For customers living outside of North America, please
contact your local BIAS distributor, or contact BIAS
directly. A list of BIAS distributors may be found at:

http://www.bias-inc.com/distributors.html

BIAS Support Policy and Hours

BIAS, Inc. support policy and hours are subject to change
without notice.

Product Support Options

v

Sales and Non-Technical Customer Service

For product information, sales, and other non-technical
customer service, please email or call:
[e-mail]

US: 1-800-775-BIAS (2427)
International: [phone]

9AM-5PM Monday-Friday PST – excluding BIAS holidays

No technical support is available at the numbers or email
address above.

Peak 5 User’s Guidevi

vii

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Introducing Peak

Welcome!......................................................................................................................................................................................................19

Who is Peak Designed For?............................................................................................................................................................20

What’s New in Peak 5.0/5.2?..................................................................................................................................................................20

Minimum System Requirements........................................................................................................................................................21

Maximizing Peak’s Performance.................................................................................................................................................................21

About Your User’s Guide...........................................................................................................................................................................21

About Peak LE..............................................................................................................................................................................................22

Getting Help with Peak...............................................................................................................................................................................23

Conclusion..................................................................................................................................................................................................23

Chapter 2 - Installing, Registering, & Activating Peak

Installing Peak.............................................................................................................................................................................................27

Registration & Authorization......................................................................................................................................................................28

Deauthorizing a Computer..........................................................................................................................................................................30

Conclusion..................................................................................................................................................................................................30

Chapter 3 - Peak Basics

Introduction........................................................................................................................................................................................33

A Brief Explanation of Digital Audio..........................................................................................................................................................33

Sampling & Sample Rate........................................................................................................................................................................33

Bit Resolution..........................................................................................................................................................................................33

About Disk-Based Recording & Editing.....................................................................................................................................................34

Nonlinear Versus Linear Recording......................................................................................................................................................34

Nondestructive Editing..........................................................................................................................................................................34

Hard Disk Storage Requirements..........................................................................................................................................................34

Hard Disk Maintainance........................................................................................................................................................................34

Creating a New Peak Document........................................................................................................................................................35

Opening Existing Audio Documents..........................................................................................................................................................35

Opening WAVE Files................................................................................................................................................................................35

Opening Compressed Audio Documents.............................................................................................................................................35

Recently Opened Documents...............................................................................................................................................................36

Opening Dual Mono Files..........................................................................................................................................................................36

Dragging & Dropping Folders, Disks, & CD Audio Tracks.....................................................................................................................37

Recovering Damaged Audio Files..........................................................................................................................................................37

Saving & Closing Documents......................................................................................................................................................................38

Using the Save As & Save A Copy As Commands..................................................................................................................................39

Using POW-r™ Dithering.......................................................................................................................................................................39

Saving Compressed Audio Documents.................................................................................................................................................39

Closing Audio Documents......................................................................................................................................................................40

Peak Windows & Palettes.............................................................................................................................................................................40

Peak Audio Document Window..............................................................................................................................................................40

Transport Window...................................................................................................................................................................................43

Peak 5 User’s Guideviii

Contents Window....................................................................................................................................................................................43

Setting Preferences......................................................................................................................................................................................44

Setting Peak’s Playback Parameters.......................................................................................................................................................44

Dynamic Scrub Time..............................................................................................................................................................................45

Scroll During Playback............................................................................................................................................................................45

Move Waveform During Playback..........................................................................................................................................................45

Show Marker Times................................................................................................................................................................................46

Auditioning..............................................................................................................................................................................................46

Blending..................................................................................................................................................................................................46

Auto-Import Dual Mono.........................................................................................................................................................................47

Choosing Colors for the Audio Document Window............................................................................................................................47

Choosing a Time Format........................................................................................................................................................................47

Audio File Meter, Tempo & Timestamp Settings..................................................................................................................................48

Choosing A Scratch Disk.........................................................................................................................................................................48

Keyboard Shortcuts................................................................................................................................................................................49

The Toolbar...................................................................................................................................................................................................50

Quitting Peak................................................................................................................................................................................................51

Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................................................................51

Chapter 4 - Playback & Recording

Introduction.........................................................................................................................................................................55

Core Audio...................................................................................................................................................................................................55

Configuring Peak for Playback.....................................................................................................................................................................56

Playback Options....................................................................................................................................................................................57

Core Audio Settings Dialog....................................................................................................................................................................58

Configuring Peak for Virtual Instrument Playback................................................................................................................................59

Playing Audio with Peak..............................................................................................................................................................................60

The Transport Controls..........................................................................................................................................................................60

Triggering Playback of Multiple Audio Documents..............................................................................................................................60

Playing Virtual Instruments....................................................................................................................................................................61

Configuring Peak for Recording..................................................................................................................................................................61

Recording Options..................................................................................................................................................................................62

Record Settings.......................................................................................................................................................................................62

Multi-Document Recordings (Long Recordings).......................................................................................................................................64

Recording Audio...........................................................................................................................................................................................64

The Record Dialog..................................................................................................................................................................................65

Configuring Peak to Record Through Effects Plug-Ins..........................................................................................................................65

Recording.....................................................................................................................................................................................................66

Recording into a QuickTime Movie.......................................................................................................................................................67

Importing a Track from an Audio CD..........................................................................................................................................................67

Making Audio Connections.........................................................................................................................................................................68

Using the Macintosh’s Built-In Inputs & Outputs.................................................................................................................................68

Third-Party Audio Interfaces...................................................................................................................................................................70

Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................................................................71

Chapter 5 - Editing

Introduction.................................................................................................................................................................................................75

Editing Audio with Peak...............................................................................................................................................................................75

Interactive Editing...................................................................................................................................................................................75

Table of Contents

ix

Nondestructive Editing...........................................................................................................................................................................75

Unlimited Undo & Redo.........................................................................................................................................................................75

The Audio Document Window...................................................................................................................................................................76

An Audio Waveform................................................................................................................................................................................76

A Selection...............................................................................................................................................................................................76

A Marker...................................................................................................................................................................................................78

A Loop.....................................................................................................................................................................................................78

Audio Between Adjacent Markers..........................................................................................................................................................78

Audio Info Area.......................................................................................................................................................................................78

Audio Info Dialog....................................................................................................................................................................................79

Selecting Audio.............................................................................................................................................................................................79

Markers & Selections as Navigational Aids.............................................................................................................................................80

Auditioning Audio........................................................................................................................................................................................80

Scrubbing.....................................................................................................................................................................................................80

Dynamic Scrubbing................................................................................................................................................................................80

Jog Scrubbing..........................................................................................................................................................................................81

Tape-Style Scrubbing..............................................................................................................................................................................82

Using Unlimited Undo & Redo....................................................................................................................................................................82

Essential Editing Functions..........................................................................................................................................................................84

Scratch Disks...........................................................................................................................................................................................84

Clearing the Clipboard to Reclaim Disk Space.....................................................................................................................................84

Cutting Audio..........................................................................................................................................................................................84

Deleting Audio........................................................................................................................................................................................85

Copying Audio.........................................................................................................................................................................................85

Pasting Audio...........................................................................................................................................................................................85

Replacing Audio......................................................................................................................................................................................86

Inserting Audio........................................................................................................................................................................................86

Duplicating Audio...................................................................................................................................................................................86

Cropping a Selection..............................................................................................................................................................................87

New Document from Selection..............................................................................................................................................................87

Silencing a Selection...............................................................................................................................................................................88

Inserting Silence into a Document.......................................................................................................................................................88

Repairing Clicks & Pops.....................................................................................................................................................................88

Show Edits..................................................................................................................................................................................................90

Using Crossfades & Blending to Smooth Edits........................................................................................................................................90

Creating Fade Ins & Fade Outs..................................................................................................................................................................92

Editing a Fade In/Fade Out Envelope..................................................................................................................................................92

Creating & Using Markers..........................................................................................................................................................................94

Creating Markers...................................................................................................................................................................................94

Delete Markers......................................................................................................................................................................................96

Regions.......................................................................................................................................................................................................98

Creating Loops...........................................................................................................................................................................................99

Turn Loop Flag On/Off on Save.................................................................................................................................................................101

Crossfading Loops......................................................................................................................................................................................101

The Crossfade Loop Dialog..................................................................................................................................................................101

Crossfade Variations..............................................................................................................................................................................101

Using Loop Surfer.......................................................................................................................................................................................103

Making Loops into Regions..................................................................................................................................................................105

Using the Guess Tempo & Threshold Commands to Find Tempo..........................................................................................................106

Using Loop Tuner.......................................................................................................................................................................................106

Exporting Regions..............................................................................................................

........................................................................107

Editing QuickTime SoundTracks in Peak..................................................................................................................................................109

Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................................................................109

Peak 5 User’s Guidex

Chapter 6 - Playlists & CD Burning

Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................................................113

Basic Playlist Concepts...............................................................................................................................................................................116

Creating a Playlist..................................................................................................................................................................................116

Adding Regions to a Playlist..................................................................................................................................................................116

Selecting Playlist Events.......................................................................................................................................................................116

About the Move Event & Trim Event Cursor Modes...........................................................................................................................117

Deleting Playlist Events........................................................................................................................................................................117

Using Undo & Redo..............................................................................................................................................................................118

Creating Transitions between Playlist Events......................................................................................................................................118

Auditioning Transitions.........................................................................................................................................................................118

Burning an Audio CD............................................................................................................................................................................119

Saving a Playlist......................................................................................................................................................................................119

Detailed Overview of Controls, Modes & Tools.......................................................................................................................................119

Miscellaneous Controls.............................................................................................................................................................................120

Saving, Closing & Opening Playlists....................................................................................................................................................120

Adding Regions to a Playlist..................................................................................................................................................................120

Undoing & Redoing..............................................................................................................................................................................123

Indexes..................................................................................................................................................................................................123

Control Area...............................................................................................................................................................................................123

Playlist Function Buttons......................................................................................................................................................................123

Counter Display....................................................................................................................................................................................127

Transport Controls................................................................................................................................................................................127

Crossfade Audition Controls................................................................................................................................................................128

Slip & Shuffle Mode Controls..............................................................................................................................................................130

Nudge Controls.....................................................................................................................................................................................131

Mode Checkboxes & Behaviors...........................................................................................................................................................137

Adding Disc-Specific CD-TEXT Metadata............................................................................................................................................139

Waveform View Area..................................................................................................................................................................................140

View Controls........................................................................................................................................................................................140

Waveform Display Area.........................................................................................................................................................................142

Cursor Modes & Tools...........................................................................................................................................................................145

High-Precision Editing Mode...............................................................................................................................................................147

Selecting Playlist Events.......................................................................................................................................................................147

Deleting Playlist Events.........................................................................................................................................................................148

Creating Transitions between Playlist Events......................................................................................................................................148

Setting Track Start Offsets....................................................................................................................................................................152

List View Area.............................................................................................................................................................................................153

List View Columns, Controls, & Data Fields........................................................................................................................................153

Changing the Order of Columns..........................................................................................................................................................159

Selecting Playlist Events........................................................................................................................................................................159

Deleting Playlist Events.........................................................................................................................................................................159

Changing the Names of Playlist Events................................................................................................................................................160

Changing the Order of Playlist Events..................................................................................................................................................160

Creating Transitions between Playlist Events......................................................................................................................................161

Editing Crossfades.................................................................................................................................................................................162

Setting Track Start Offsets.....................................................................................................................................................................164

Adding Metadata to Discs & Tracks......................................................................................................................................................165

Applying Effects Plug-Ins to Playlist Events..........................................................................................................................................167

Output Options..........................................................................................................................................................................................170

Burning Audio CDs....................................................................................................................................................................................170

CD Burning Options.............................................................................................................

................................................................170

Table of Contents

xi

Burning from a Playlist.........................................................................................................................................................................171

Burning from an Audio Document......................................................................................................................................................171

Burning from a Jam Image File.............................................................................................................................................................171

Creating a New Document from a Playlist................................................................................................................................................172

Exporting a DDP Fileset.............................................................................................................................................................................172

Exporting a Jam Image File........................................................................................................................................................................173

Exporting as Text........................................................................................................................................................................................174

Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................................................................174

Chapter 7 - DSP

Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................................................177

Processing Audio with Peak’s DSP Tools...................................................................................................................................................177

Peak’s Audio Processing Tools...................................................................................................................................................................177

Add.........................................................................................................................................................................................................178

Amplitude Fit........................................................................................................................................................................................178

Auto-Define Tracks................................................................................................................................................................................179

Bit Usage................................................................................................................................................................................................182

Change Duration...................................................................................................................................................................................182

Change Gain..........................................................................................................................................................................................182

Change Pitch.........................................................................................................................................................................................184

Convert Sample Rate............................................................................................................................................................................185

Convolve................................................................................................................................................................................................186

Crossfade Loop.....................................................................................................................................................................................186

Envelope from Audio............................................................................................................................................................................188

Fade In & Fade Out...............................................................................................................................................................................189

Find Peak...............................................................................................................................................................................................189

Gain Envelope.......................................................................................................................................................................................189

Harmonic Rotate...................................................................................................................................................................................190

ImpulseVerb...........................................................................................................................................................................................190

Invert......................................................................................................................................................................................................192

Loop Tuner.............................................................................................................................................................................................192

Mono to Stereo & Stereo to Mono.......................................................................................................................................................192

Mix..........................................................................................................................................................................................................193

Modulate................................................................................................................................................................................................194

Normalize..............................................................................................................................................................................................194

Normalize (RMS)...................................................................................................................................................................................195

Panner....................................................................................................................................................................................................196

Phase Vocoder.......................................................................................................................................................................................196

Rappify...................................................................................................................................................................................................197

Repair Click...........................................................................................................................................................................................197

Repair Clicks..........................................................................................................................................................................................198

Remove DC Offset.................................................................................................................................................................................199

Reverse Boomerang..............................................................................................................................................................................200

Reverse..................................................................................................................................................................................................200

Strip Silence...........................................................................................................................................................................................200

Swap Channels......................................................................................................................................................................................202

Threshold..............................................................................................................................................................................................202

Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................................................................204

Peak 5 User’s Guidexii

Chapter 8 - Plug-Ins

Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................................................207

Plug-Ins Included with Peak 5...................................................................................................................................................................207

Installing Plug-Ins.......................................................................................................................................................................................209

Audio Units Plug-Ins..............................................................................................................................................................................209

BIAS Plug-Ins.........................................................................................................................................................................................209

VST Plug-Ins..........................................................................................................................................................................................209

Organizing Plug-Ins with Folders..............................................................................................................................................................210

Using Effects Plug-Ins.................................................................................................................................................................................210

Inserts....................................................................................................................................................................................................210

Vbox.......................................................................................................................................................................................................210

The Vbox Matrix.........................................................................................................................................................................................212

Box Controls..........................................................................................................................................................................................212

Editing Effect Plug-In Parameters.........................................................................................................................................................214

Moving Plug-Ins.....................................................................................................................................................................................214

Changing Input Routing.......................................................................................................................................................................215

Creating Serial Plug-Ins Chains.............................................................................................................................................................215

Creating Parallel Plug-Ins Chains..........................................................................................................................................................215

Master Wet/Dry Controls......................................................................................................................................................................215

Master Input/Output Levels.................................................................................................................................................................215

Loading & Restoring Vbox Presets.......................................................................................................................................................216

A/B Comparisons..................................................................................................................................................................................216

Vbox Preferences..................................................................................................................................................................................216

Recording Through Effect Plug-Ins...........................................................................................................................................................216

Plug-Ins Envelope......................................................................................................................................................................................217

Plug-In Latency Compensation.................................................................................................................................................................217

Using Effect Plug-Ins with the Batch Processor........................................................................................................................................218

Using Virtual Instrument Plug-Ins.............................................................................................................................................................219

Configuring Peak for Virtual Instrument Playback..............................................................................................................................219

Loading Virtual Instruments on Inserts...............................................................................................................................................220

Playing Virtual Instruments.......................................................................................................................................................................220

Recording Virtual Instruments..................................................................................................................................................................220

Deactivating Virtual Instruments..............................................................................................................................................................221

Playing Virtual Instruments Alongside Audio Documents.......................................................................................................................221

Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................................................................222

Chapter 9 - Batch File Processor & Apple Events

Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................................................225

Batch File Processor...................................................................................................................................................................................225

Input Area..............................................................................................................................................................................................226

Process Area..........................................................................................................................................................................................226

Save Changes Area................................................................................................................................................................................227

Errors & Cancelling Batch Processes...................................................................................................................................................228

Peak’s Audio Librarian Tools......................................................................................................................................................................229

Apple Events Support...........................................................................................................................................................................229

“Savvy” Core Suite of Apple Events......................................................................................................................................................229

Peak Events............................................................................................................................................................................................229

Example Scripts.....................................................................................................................................................................................230

Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................................................................230

Table of Contents

xiii

Chapter 10 - Samplers

Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................................................233

Working with SMDI Samplers....................................................................................................................................................................233

SMDI Samplers......................................................................................................................................................................................233

SMDI Samper Error Messages & Troubleshooting..............................................................................................................................235

A Note about the Yamaha A3000...............................................................................................................................................................236

The Sampler Preferences Dialog...............................................................................................................................................................236

Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................................................................236

Chapter 11 - Peak Menus

Introduction...............................................................................................................................................................................................239

Peak Pro Menu............................................................................................................................................................................................239

About Peak.............................................................................................................................................................................................239

Help.......................................................................................................................................................................................................239

Preferences............................................................................................................................................................................................239

Hide Peak...............................................................................................................................................................................................243

Hide Others...........................................................................................................................................................................................243

Quit Peak...............................................................................................................................................................................................243

File Menu....................................................................................................................................................................................................243

New........................................................................................................................................................................................................243

Open......................................................................................................................................................................................................244

Close......................................................................................................................................................................................................244

Close All.................................................................................................................................................................................................244

Save........................................................................................................................................................................................................244

Save As...................................................................................................................................................................................................245

Save a Copy As.......................................................................................................................................................................................245

Import CD Track....................................................................................................................................................................................245

Import Dual Mono................................................................................................................................................................................246

Recover Audio File................................................................................................................................................................................246

Export Dual Mono.................................................................................................................................................................................246

Export Regions......................................................................................................................................................................................246

Export as Text........................................................................................................................................................................................247

Batch Processor.....................................................................................................................................................................................247

Burn Audio CD......................................................................................................................................................................................247

Recently Opened Documents..............................................................................................................................................................247

Edit Menu...................................................................................................................................................................................................248

Undo......................................................................................................................................................................................................248

Redo.......................................................................................................................................................................................................248

Edits.......................................................................................................................................................................................................248

Cut.........................................................................................................................................................................................................248

Copy.......................................................................................................................................................................................................249

Paste.......................................................................................................................................................................................................249

Replace..................................................................................................................................................................................................249

Duplicate...............................................................................................................................................................................................249

Insert......................................................................................................................................................................................................249

Insert Silence.........................................................................................................................................................................................249

Silence...................................................................................................................................................................................................249

Delete....................................................................................................................................................................................................250

Delete Except Audio.............................................................................................................................................................................250

Crop.......................................................................................................................................................................................................250

Peak 5 User’s Guidexiv

Clear Clipboard.....................................................................................................................................................................................250

Select All................................................................................................................................................................................................250

Insertion Point at Selection Start/End..................................................................................................................................................250

Set Selection..........................................................................................................................................................................................250

Select Loop............................................................................................................................................................................................250

Previous Selection/Next Selection.......................................................................................................................................................250

Action Menu...............................................................................................................................................................................................250

Zoom Out..............................................................................................................................................................................................251

Zoom In.................................................................................................................................................................................................251

Increase Vertical Zoom.........................................................................................................................................................................251

Decrease Vertical Zoom........................................................................................................................................................................251

Fit Selection...........................................................................................................................................................................................251

Zoom Out All the Way...........................................................................................................................................................................251

Zoom at Sample Level...........................................................................................................................................................................251

Zoom at Sample Level (End)................................................................................................................................................................251

Snap To..................................................................................................................................................................................................252

Snap Start & End...................................................................................................................................................................................252

Snap Start..............................................................................................................................................................................................252

Snap End...............................................................................................................................................................................................252

Loop this Selection...............................................................................................................................................................................252

Nudge Loop Backward.........................................................................................................................................................................252

Nudge Loop Forward............................................................................................................................................................................252

New Marker............................................................................................................................................................................................252

Markers from Tempo.............................................................................................................................................................................253

New Region...........................................................................................................................................................................................253

New Region Split...................................................................................................................................................................................253

Capture Region to Playlist.....................................................................................................................................................................253

Markers to Regions................................................................................................................................................................................253

Nudge....................................................................................................................................................................................................254

Go To......................................................................................................................................................................................................254

Loop Surfer............................................................................................................................................................................................254

Guess Tempo........................................................................................................................................................................................255

Audio Menu................................................................................................................................................................................................255

Stop/Rewind..........................................................................................................................................................................................255

Play/Pause..............................................................................................................................................................................................255

Play Selection........................................................................................................................................................................................255

Play with Auditioning............................................................................................................................................................................255

Stop & Extend Selection.......................................................................................................................................................................255

Fast-Forward..........................................................................................................................................................................................256

Record....................................................................................................................................................................................................256

Record Settings.....................................................................................................................................................................................256

Hardware Options.................................................................................................................................................................................258

Hardware Settings.................................................................................................................................................................................258

Meters....................................................................................................................................................................................................258

DSP Menu...................................................................................................................................................................................................258

Add.........................................................................................................................................................................................................258

Amplitude Fit.........................................................................................................................................................................................259

Auto-Define Tracks................................................................................................................................................................................259

Bit Usage................................................................................................................................................................................................260

Change Duration...................................................................................................................................................................................261

Change Gain....................................................................................................................

......................................................................261

Change Pitch.........................................................................................................................................................................................261

Convert Sample Rate............................................................................................................................................................................262

Table of Contents

xv

Convolve................................................................................................................................................................................................262

Crossfade Loop.....................................................................................................................................................................................262

Envelope from Audio............................................................................................................................................................................262

Fade In & Fade Out...............................................................................................................................................................................263

Find Peak...............................................................................................................................................................................................263

Gain Envelope.......................................................................................................................................................................................263

Harmonic Rotate...................................................................................................................................................................................263

ImpulseVerb...........................................................................................................................................................................................264

Invert......................................................................................................................................................................................................264

Loop Tuner............................................................................................................................................................................................264

Mono to Stereo & Stereo to Mono.......................................................................................................................................................265

Mix..........................................................................................................................................................................................................265

Modulate................................................................................................................................................................................................265

Normalize..............................................................................................................................................................................................266

Normalize (RMS)...................................................................................................................................................................................266

Panner....................................................................................................................................................................................................266

Phase Vocoder.......................................................................................................................................................................................267

Rappify...................................................................................................................................................................................................267

Repair Click...........................................................................................................................................................................................267

Repair Clicks..........................................................................................................................................................................................267

Remove DC Offset.................................................................................................................................................................................269

Reverse Boomerang..............................................................................................................................................................................269

Reverse..................................................................................................................................................................................................269

Strip Silence...........................................................................................................................................................................................269

Swap Channels......................................................................................................................................................................................269

Threshold..............................................................................................................................................................................................270

Sampler Menu............................................................................................................................................................................................270

Send to Sampler....................................................................................................................................................................................270

Revert from Sampler.............................................................................................................................................................................270

Send All to Sampler...............................................................................................................................................................................270

Revert All from Sampler........................................................................................................................................................................270

E-mu, Ensoniq, ASR-X, Kurzweil, Peavey, Yamaha Sampler...............................................................................................................271

Plug-Ins Menu............................................................................................................................................................................................271

Vbox.......................................................................................................................................................................................................271

Inserts....................................................................................................................................................................................................271

Bounce...................................................................................................................................................................................................272

Options Menu............................................................................................................................................................................................272

Time Units.............................................................................................................................................................................................272

Sample Units.........................................................................................................................................................................................272

Use Loop in Playback............................................................................................................................................................................272

Scroll During Play..................................................................................................................................................................................273

Move Waveform During Playback........................................................................................................................................................273

Compute Max File dB...........................................................................................................................................................................273

Show Edits.............................................................................................................................................................................................273

Show Marker Times..............................................................................................................................................................................273

Show Overview......................................................................................................................................................................................273

Show Cursor Info..................................................................................................................................................................................273

Auto-Import Dual Mono.......................................................................................................................................................................273

Auto-Adjust Bounce for Latency...........................................................................................................................................................274

Audio Info..............................................................................................................................................................................................274

Dynamic Scrub Time.............................................................................................................

...............................................................274

Auto Snap..............................................................................................................................................................................................275

Keyboard MIDI Input............................................................................................................................................................................275

Peak 5 User’s Guidexvi

Movie.....................................................................................................................................................................................................275

“Open” Dialog After Launch.................................................................................................................................................................275

Window Menu............................................................................................................................................................................................275

Transport...............................................................................................................................................................................................275

Toolbar...................................................................................................................................................................................................276

Contents................................................................................................................................................................................................276

Movie.....................................................................................................................................................................................................276

MIDI.......................................................................................................................................................................................................276

Playlist....................................................................................................................................................................................................276

Tiling Windows......................................................................................................................................................................................276

Stacking Windows.................................................................................................................................................................................276

Hide All Audio Document Windows....................................................................................................................................................276

Toggle Contents Drawer.......................................................................................................................................................................277

Links Menu.................................................................................................................................................................................................277

Appendix 1 – Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard Shortcuts...................................................................................................................................................................................279

Appendix 2 – Peak Actions

Peak Actions...............................................................................................................................................................................................285

Appendix 3 – Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting – Before Calling for Help..............................................................................................................................................289

Appendix 4 – Recording & Playback with Mac OS X Audio HAL & FireWire DV

Recording & Playback with Mac OS X Audio HAL & FireWire DV............................................................................................................295

Glossary

Glossary......................................................................................................................................................................................................301

Index

Index...........................................................................................................................................................................................................309

Chapter 1
Introducing Peak

Peak 5 User’s Guide18

Chapter 1: Introducing Peak

Welcome!

BIAS Peak™ is an advanced audio application that
provides superior tools for recording, editing, and
processing digital audio on the Macintosh computer.
Peak was specifically designed to meet the needs and
demands of audio professionals. By combining high­quality direct-from-disk digital audio editing features
with lightning fast destructive & nondestructive editing
environments, Peak provides unsurpassed audio editing
power, and makes a superb addition to multitrack audio
application programs, such as BIAS Deck™, Cubase™,
Digital Performer™, Live™, Logic™, Pro Tools™, and
practically any other application that deals with digital
audio. Peak offers advanced sampler support, and works
directly with many popular MIDI sampling keyboards
and rackmount samplers. Peak is also the perfect audio
complement to digital video editing programs, such as
iMovie™ and Final Cut Pro™.

Peak Features:

• Direct-to-disk recording and playback at all sample
rates supported by the sound hardware on your
Macintosh, or supported through third-party audio
hardware

• User-configured waveform display

• Support for commonly used audio document
formats, including AIFF, Sound Designer II™,
WAVE, QuickTime™, Raw, System 7 Sound, Sonic
AIFF, Paris™, Jam Image, AU, MP3, and MP4(AAC)
formats

• Non-destructive file-based editing with unlimited
undo and redo

• Professional editing abilities, including user-definable
fade curves, silence, and complete support for
cut/copy/paste with multiple undo and redo

• By using an application that supports Apple Events, such
as FileMaker Pro™, you can catalog your Peak sound
files and audition them from within the application

• Support for third-party digital audio hardware,
such as M-Audio™ or Mark of the Unicorn™ digital
audio interfaces, through Core Audio.

• Support for 8-, 16-, 24-, and 32-bit audio files

• Support for third-party VST™ & Audio Units effects
and instrument plug-ins, allowing you to add
advanced signal processing features to Peak. Plug­ins from companies such as BIAS, Cycling `74™,
Steinberg™, Waves™, and Apple™ can be used
with Peak for digital filtering, noise reduction,
reverb, equalization, and other effects in real time

• The ability to create 100% Red Book compliant
(with CD-TEXT, ISRC codes, and PQ subcodes)
audio CDs directly from a Peak Playlist or audio
document

• Sophisticated Tools for looping, including Loop
Surfer™, Loop Tuner™, and Guess Tempo™

• Sampler Support

• Advanced Playlist editing and mastering options

• Automated batch file processing

• Customizable Toolbar and Keyboard Shortcuts

• QuickTime Movie window with scrubbing

Chapter 1: Introducing Peak

19

1

Who Is Peak Designed For?

Peak is designed for a wide variety of users, ranging from
composers and multimedia producers to sound
designers, mastering engineers, video editors, and remix
editors. Peak’s comprehensive recording, editing,
mastering, looping, and processing capabilities make it a
powerhouse tool for virtually any aspect of digital audio
production. If you are interested in sound and possess
imagination and creativity, Peak is for you.

What’s New in Peak 5.0/5.2?

Version 5.2 of Peak software offers the following updates
and enhancements:

• Universal application supports both Intel and
PowerPC-based Macs

• Updated authorization system allows Peak to be
authorized by serial number or USB key

Features new as of version 5.0 include:

• Completely redesigned Playlist with unlimited
undo/redo

• International Standard Recording Code (ISRC)
support

• PQ subcode support

• CD-TEXT support

• DDP File Export*

• POW-r™ Dither in Playlist

• Advanced Change Pitch algorithm

• Advanced Change Duration algorithm

• Advanced Sample Rate Conversion algorithm

• VBox 2.0 effects routing interface – now supports

Audio Units plug-ins, and VST/Audio Units
instruments

• MIDI support (for virtual instruments)

• Freq-4 v. 2.0 EQ Plug-In

• Automatic plug-in latency compensation

• Adjust Parameters while recording through plug­ins

• Support for Unicode & long file names (longer
than 32 characters)

• More accurate waveform display

• Auto-Define Tracks DSP tool

• Strip Silence DSP tool

• Envelope from Audio DSP tool

• RMS Normalize DSP tool

• New Region Split

• High Resolution Tape-Style Scrubbing

• Snap To options: CD Frames, Sony PS2™ &
Microsoft XBox™ loop boundaries, and custom
units

• Recover Audio File

• Preserve File Attributes in Batch Processor

• Multi-Document Recording (Long Recordings)

• Edit History in File Drawer

• HD Time Units (59.97 & 60 fps)

• Save Loop Flags in On/Off position

• Automatic Window Tiling

• New ImpulseVerb User Interface

• New Toolbar icons

• Support for Mac OS X v. 10.4 “Tiger”

Peak 5 User’s Guide20

Minimum System Requirements

To use Peak you will need:

• G4, G5, or Intel-based Mac (>500MHz processor
recommended)

• Macintosh OS 10.3.9 minimum (10.4 recom­mended, Intel-based Macs, and burning CD-TEXT
require 10.4)

• Minimum 1024 x 768 screen resolution

• 256 MB RAM (512 MB or more recommended)

• 330 MB available free disk space

• 18 ms hard drive (average seek time) or faster

• QuickTime 6.0 or later

• Support for third-party audio hardware may
require compatible Core Audio drivers

For the most up-to-date information, please visit:

http://www.bias-inc.com/products/peak/

Mac OS X v. 10.4 “Tiger” and a compatible CD

burner are required for burning CD-TEXT and
subcode metadata from a Peak Playlist document.

Maximizing Peak’s Performance

The following tips are optional, and will help you get the
best performance out of Peak and your Macintosh, but
they are not required.

To maximize Peak performance:

• Set your monitor to no more than thousands of
colors (the lowest setting that displays properly is
recommended for older Macintosh computers).

• Turn File Sharing off, unless you need it.

• Disconnect your Macintosh from any networks and

turn off AppleTalk, unless you need to be on a
network.

• Optimize your hard drive. (See Chapter 3 to learn
about proper hard disk maintenance.)

• Use a separate (i.e., a drive that is not also hosting
the operating system or Peak application) fast hard
drive as a scratch disk/record disk – BIAS
recommends at least a 7200 RPM rotational speed,
8 MB cache or higher, 18ms access time or better,
and a fast data transfer connection, such as SCSI,
FireWire 400/800, ATA, etc.

About Your User’s Guide

Peak is designed to be simple and intuitive. Your User’s
Guide is designed to help you set up and use Peak for
digital recording and editing as quickly and easily as
possible.

This User’s Guide assumes that you are familiar with
standard Macintosh operating techniques, including:

• Setting up, starting, and using your Macintosh

• Choosing commands from menus

• Clicking, double-clicking, selecting, Shift-selecting,
dragging with the mouse, and other common
operations

• Opening, copying, saving and deleting files

• Opening, closing, scrolling, moving, re-sizing, and
selecting Macintosh windows

If you don’t know how to perform these tasks, please
refer to your Macintosh User’s Guide and spend a little
time learning about your Macintosh before going any
further. This will make using Peak much easier and more
enjoyable.

The Chapters in your Peak User’s Guide are arranged in

Chapter 1: Introducing Peak

21

1

the order in which you would typically perform tasks
when embarking on an audio project:

• Chapter 1 introduces you to Peak and explains
some of the requirements for using it

• Chapter 2 explains how to install Peak and configure
your Macintosh for recording and playback

• Chapter 3 introduces you to some basic concepts
of digital audio and disk-based recording, as well as
basic Peak operations

• Chapter 4 explains how to configure, record to,
and playback audio from hard disk in Peak using
Core Audio. It also explains how to import audio
from compatible CD-ROM drives

• Chapter 5 introduces you to the concepts and
techniques of nondestructive editing with Peak

• Chapter 6 explains how to create regions and
sequence their playback using Playlists, as well as
how to burn audio CDs export a variety of common
file formats

• Chapter 7 explains how to use Peak’s native DSP
tools

• Chapter 8 explains how to use Audio Units & VST
plug-ins, and how to use Vbox to enhance Peak’s
audio production capabilities

• Chapter 9 explains how to use Peak’s Batch File
Processor as well as how to use Apple Events for
file management

• Chapter 10 explains how to import samples
directly from compatible samplers (to edit or
process the audio using all of Peak’s functions) and
send the modified sample back to the sampler

• Chapter 11 describes each of the commands found
in Peak’s menus

• Appendix 1 lists the default Keyboard Shortcuts for Peak

• Appendix 2 provides a troubleshooting guide for
commonly encountered problems

• A Glossary and Index complete your Peak User’s Guide

Look for important tips and notes whenever you
see this exclamation mark.

About Peak LE

Peak LE is a limited-feature edition of “Peak Pro”, and not
all features are available. Peak LE has a streamlined
feature set and includes the essential tools required for
music production, basic CD mastering, and editing the
audio content in files commonly used in non-linear video
editing systems.

If you are using the limited edition (LE edition) of Peak,
not all features will be available. Specifically, the
following features are not available in Peak LE:

• Add

• Advanced Playlist functions – Peak LE features a
basic Playlist

• Amplitude Fit

• Bit Depth and Sample rate limited to 24-bit/96kHz

• Bit Usage

• Convolve

• Crossfade Loop

• Customizable Keyboard Shortcuts

• Customizable Toolbar

• Dither

• Envelope from Audio

• Find Peak

• Harmonic Rotate

• Import Dual Mono

• ImpulseVerb

• Includes a 2-band edition of the Freq EQ plug-in

Peak 5 User’s Guide22

• Limited to using one effect/virtual instrument plug­in at a time

• Loop Surfer and Loop Tuner

• Meters Dialog

• Modulate

• Mono To Stereo

• Panner

• POW-r™ Dithering

• Phase Vocoder

• Rappify

• Recording Input Levels

• Recording Notepad

• Remove DC Offset

• Repair Click

• Repair Clicks

• RMS Normalize

• Sampler Support

• Specialized Apple Events for Playback from a
database such as FileMaker Pro

• Stereo To Mono

• Strip Silence

• Swap Channels

• Threshold

• Vbox is not included

Features that are not supported in Peak LE will

show this icon in the manual. Features
unavailable in Peak LE will appear greyed out in
their menus.

Getting Help with Peak

Peak provides a variety of helpful resources when you
run into questions. The first type is Toolbar Help, which
shows you the function of each icon in the Toolbar or
Transport. If you hold the mouse cursor over a
Toolbar/Transport icon for 2 seconds, the Toolbar Help
for that icon’s function will appear.

The next type of help is available under the Peak menu.
Choosing Help will open the .pdf format Peak User’s
Guide, which was installed along with Peak.

You may also use the Links menu to access additional
documentation, tutorials, and technical support online,
via the BIAS website.

BIAS recommends using these resources before
contacting Technical Support. The answers to most
common technical questions can be found online. Best
of all, using online help resources is free, easy, and
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
If you do need to contact Technical Support, please see
the BIAS Technical Support Policy on page 5 of this user’s
guide.

Conclusion

Now that you know a little about Peak, proceed to the
next chapter to learn how to install your software and get
started using it.

Chapter 1: Introducing Peak

23

1

LE

Peak 5 User’s Guide24

Chapter 2
Installing, Registering, & Authorizing Peak

Peak 5 User’s Guide26

Chapter 2: Installing, Registering, & Authorizing Peak

Installing Peak

Peak’s auto-installer software makes installation very easy.
The steps below will guide you through the process.

Your complete Peak system consists of:

• CD-ROM installer

• Serial number

• Authorization File

Before you install Peak, please check the
Minimum System Requirements on Page 21.

To Install Peak:

1. If you are using any virus protection software, turn it off
or temporarily remove it, and restart your Macintosh.

2. Insert the Peak installer CD-ROM into your CD-ROM
drive – when its icon appears on your computer’s
desktop, double-click the Install Peak icon.

3. When prompted about the Installer package
running a program to determine if it can be
installed, click the Continue button.

4. When the Installer dialog appears, click the
Continue button.

5. Read the Software License Agreement – then click
the Continue button to proceed.

6. Click the Agree button if you agree to the terms of
the Software License Agreement.

7. Select the hard drive/volume on which you wish to
install Peak, and click the Continue button.

8. Click the Install/Upgrade button (depending on the
configuration of your user account, you may need to
enter your account password. If prompted for your
password, enter it and click the OK button. If you do
not know your account password, please contact
your system administrator for assistance).

9. When the installation is complete, a message will appear
indicating that the installation was successful. Click the
Close button to quit the Installer. (Don’t forget to turn
back on any virus-protection software that you may be
using the next time you restart the computer).

What Peak Installs:

• Peak Application

• Plug-Ins

• Peak Impulses

• Peak Envelopes

• Documentation

If you would like to register and authorize Peak at this point,
launch the Peak application (which is installed into your
Applications folder by default), and have your Owner’s
Certificate handy, and follow the directions in the next
section.

If you upgraded from an earlier version of Peak
which used a BIAS USB Key for authorization, and
prefer to continue using the key for authorization –
simply plug in the key and Peak will work with it.

Chapter 2: Installing, Registering, and Authorizing Peak

27

2

Registration & Authorization

Peak must be authorized to work on your computer. You must
register Peak with BIAS in order to authorize it. BIAS offers a
variety of methods to authorize your computer – though
registering and authorizing via the internet with the computer
on which Peak will be run is by far the fastest and easiest
method. This and alternate methods are outlined below.

Serial Number-Based Authorization System

Peak’s standard authorization system consists of the
following components:

• BIAS Authorization Manager – A simple application
for managing BIAS software licenses.

• Serial Number – Located on Owner’s Certificate.

• Registration Account – Your registration and
authorization information on the BIAS Server.

• Authorization Request File – A file transferred from
your computer to the BIAS server, which adds the
computer you are authorizing to your BIAS
Registration Account.

• Authorization File – A file transferred from the BIAS
server to your computer, which authorizes it to run Peak.

Optional BIAS USB Key-based Authorization

Users who prefer the BIAS USB key-based authorization
system to the standard serial number authorization
system may purchase a key separately, or use an existing,
authorized USB key from a previous version of Peak.

Multi-user or site-license keys are also available, and may be
more convenient than using serial numbers in academic
“lab”, or corporate settings. For more information on
purchasing BIAS USB keys, please contact BIAS Sales, at:

US Toll-Free: 1-800-775-2427

International: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

You must register with BIAS in order to authorize
your computer – Peak will not launch unless your
computer is authorized to run it.

The registration/authorization process provides the
following services:

• Registers your software with BIAS - making you
eligible for technical support and product updates.

• Authorizes your computer so it can run Peak. You
may authorize up to two computers for use with
Peak – for example, a studio or office computer,
and a laptop for home or mobile use.

Keep in mind that for each license of Peak – the

software may only be used by one user, on one
computer system at a time. If you have used both
of your authorizations, and need to authorize a
new computer, you will need to first de-authorize
one of the authorized computers before you are
issued a new authorization for the new computer.

To Register & Authorize a Computer to Run Peak:

1. Launch Peak – the first time it is launched on an
unauthorized computer, you will be prompted to
use it in trial mode, or to authorize it – click the
Authorize button.

2. When the BIAS Authorization Manager appears,
select BIAS Peak Pro 5.x in the “Please Choose a
Product” section – then enter your Peak serial
number and email address in the appropriate
fields, and click the Authorize button.

Peak 5 User’s Guide28

Your serial number appears on the Owner’s Certificate, included in the
Peak Pro package, or on the electronic receipt from a downloadable
purchase (not shown here).

If you use more than one email address, be sure to

make a note of which one you registered with –
this will make managing your BIAS Registration
Account faster and simpler in the future.

3a. If you have previously registered another BIAS

product, using the same email address, Peak will be
authorized automatically – please continue to step 4.

3b. If the BIAS Registration system does not recognize

your email address (i.e., if this is the first BIAS product
you are registering, or if you enter a different email
address than with previously registered BIAS
products) – a dialog will appear, prompting you to
enter your registration information. Enter your
registration information, and click the Submit button
– a dialog will appear indicating that you have been
successfully registered – please continue to step 4.

4. A dialog will appear indicating successful authorization –
click the OK button, and then click the Done button to
exit the Authorization Manager, and begin using Peak.

Alternate Methods of Registration/Authorization

If the computer on which you plan to use Peak cannot be
temporarily connected to the Internet, even for this one­time authorization process, there are a number of other
ways to register and authorize Peak.

Authorizing Peak with an existing BIAS USB Key (Dongle)

If you have upgraded from an earlier version of Peak,
which used a BIAS USB Key for copy protection, and
prefer to continue using key-based authorization –
simply plug in the key and your computer will be
authorized with the existing Peak authorization on it.

If you choose this method of authorization, be
aware that you will need to have your BIAS Key
with you, and plugged into your computer when
you wish to use Peak!

Registering & authorizing Peak using another
computer with internet access

To use this method of registration/authorization, you will
need to run the BIAS Authorization Manager application
from your installer CD-ROM – or copy the BIAS
Authorization Manager application from your installer CD­ROM to the internet-equipped computer’s hard drive.

To Register & Authorize using Another Computer with
Internet Access:

1. Launch Peak on the computer where Peak will be used
(i.e., the computer without internet access) – the first
time an unauthorized copy is launched, the Welcome
to Peak dialog appears, click the Authorize button.

2. In the BIAS Authorization Manager dialog, select BIAS
Peak Pro 5.x in the “Please Choose a Product” section
– then enter your Peak serial number and email
address – your Peak serial number is printed on the
Owner’s Certificate included in the Peak package (see
picture on previous page).

3. Click the Alternate Authorization button – the
Alternate Authorization dialog appears.

4. In the Alternate Authorization dialog, click the
Generate Authorization Request button – the
Serial Number/Email Address dialog appears.

5. Confirm that the email address and serial number
are correct, and click the OK button to save an
Authorization Request File to your hard drive.

6. Transfer the Authorization Request File to another
computer that has Internet access (via a LAN, by
burning it to CD, copying to a floppy diskette, flash
drive, external hard drive, iPod, digital camera, etc.)

7. Launch the BIAS Authorization Manager
application on your internet-equipped computer.

8. In the “Please Choose a Product” section, choose
BIAS Peak Pro 5.x.

9. Click the Alternate Authorization button in the
BIAS Authorization Manager application..

10. Go directly to step 3 in the Alternate Authorization
dialog – click the Open Authorization Request button.

11. In the Open dialog that appears, locate and select

Chapter 2: Installing, Registering, and Authorizing Peak

29

2

the Authorization Request File, then click the Open
button – this will transmit the Authorization
Request File to the BIAS Server.

12a. If you have previously registered another BIAS

product, using the same email address, the BIAS
server will transmit an Authorization File back to
your internet-equipped computer – click the Save
button to save this to the internet-equipped
computer’s hard drive. Please proceed to step 13.

12b. If the BIAS Registration system does not recognize

your email address (i.e., if this is the first BIAS
product you are registering, or if you enter a different
email address than with previously registered BIAS
products) – a dialog will appear, prompting you to
enter your registration information.

12c. Enter your registration information, and click the

Submit button, then click the OK button when the
successful registration dialog appears.

12d. You will be prompted to open the Authorization

Request File a second time – locate it, and then click
the Open button – The BIAS server will transmit an
Authorization File back to your internet-equipped
computer – click the Save button to save this to the
internet-equipped computer’s hard drive.

13. Click OK to exit the Authorization Successful
dialog, then click the Done button in the Alternate
Authorization dialog, and again in the BIAS
Authorization Manager.

14. Transfer the Authorization File (the file is called “BIAS
Peak Pro 5.x”) from the internet-equipped computer
back to the host computer where Peak will be used
(via a LAN, by burning it to CD, etc.).

15. Go directly to step 4 in the Alternate Authorization
dialog – click the Open Authorization File button.

16. In the Open dialog that appears, locate and select
the Authorization File, then click the Open button.

17. Click OK in the Authorization Complete dialog, and
Done in the Authorization Manager.

To Register & authorize Peak with no internet connection

If you do not have temporary Internet access on any

computer, or need help with any part of the
registration/authorization process, please contact BIAS at:

US Toll-Free: 1-800-775-2427

International: [phone]

Deauthorizing a Computer

If you need to de-authorize a particular computer that
will no longer be used to run Peak, you can do so by
following the steps below.

The computer running Peak must be connected to
the internet in order to deauthorize it.

To De-Authorize a Computer:

1. Launch Peak – and choose Authorization Manager from
the Peak menu (or launch the BIAS Authorization
Manager application from your installer CD-ROM).

2. In the BIAS Authorization Manager, select the
product you wish to de-authorize – the serial
number and email address used to authorize that
product will be automatically recalled and will appear
in the Serial Number and Email Address fields.

3. Click the Deauthorize button.

4. Click the Deauthorize button to confirm the
deauthorization process – the Deauthorization
Successful dialog appears.

5. Click the OK button – then click the Done button
in the BIAS Authorization Manager.

Conclusion

Now that you have installed, registered, and authorized
Peak, please proceed to the next chapter to learn several
basic concepts and functions essential to using Peak.

Peak 5 User’s Guide30