A month ago I made the official switch from PC to Mac and in doing so I had to find a new audio editor for posting various church service elements (preaching, teaching, music etc).  When I was on a PC, Sony’s Sound Forge was an easy choice but moving to Apple I had to do some research.

Initially I tried to do it in Garage Band.  I was successful, but it was really cumbersome when compared to other audio editors and DAWs I’ve used (SoundForge, ProTools & Sonar) .  Since that point I’ve managed to grasp the basics of GB but it is still not the most efficient tool when editing a stereo file.

After that, I tried Amadeus Pro for a week or two. I downloaded the trial seeing that it was a $40 piece of software that did everthing I wanted it to do. But after using it for a couple weeks found the UI somewhat awkward.  Nice, full featured software, just awkward compared to what I’d been using for years (Sound Forge). That’s when another Google search turned up Peak LE 6 by Bias.

Peak LE 6 is more like to Sound Forge and it’s interface is awesome.  It has all the features I need and plays nice with the Waves Gold Native plugin bundle that I own (I should mention that Amadeus Pro worked with the AU version of Waves plugins too).  So now, my process for posting audio is something like this.

1. Launch Peak 6 LE and open audio file(s) directly from CD
2. If this is a lengthy spoken word file convert from stereo to mono
3. Apply Waves L1 Ultramazimizer to get levels consistent. Note that this could also be done with an included compressor or the Apple AU compressor that is a part of OS X Leopard / Garage Band.  I just own the Waves plugin so I use it.
4. Trim, cut and fade where appropriate
5. Save file as mp3 to be downloaded or streamed in flash (32kbps mono for spoken word and 128kbps stereo for audio)

Some other features in Peak 6 LE are:  The ability to podcast (complete with audio ducking to lower music level during voiceovers) as well as the ability upload your podcast via ftp from directly within the software.  iTunes integration which allows you to export audio files directly to an iTunes playlist.  Support for three simultaneous real-time AU/VST effect/instruments and a record timer that automates record stop time.

Peak LE 6 also includes some bundled software aptly named the “Peak LE Production Pack”.  The BIAS Freq-2 pro-quality paragraphic EQ.  WireTap Pro which allows you to capture internet and system audio with no loss of original quality.  SFX Machine LT  a real time VST plug-in with many special effects.  32 VST audio effects from Maximum Digital Audio (delay, limiter, dithering, de-ess, tone generator, and more). Top quality audio loops from PowerFX audio and 100+ high quality sound effects from Hollywood Edge.

Peak LE 6 is available to purchase as a download on the BIAS website for $129. There is a free trial download too but it won’t allow you to save anything duing the trial period.