What is Deck II?

Deck is among the earliest pieces of non-linear digital audio editing workstation software available for the Mac. It can be used to edit and arrange regions of audio on multiple tracks and control fades and volume and pan automation.

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Deck II has always been the premier Mac multi-track recording program, providing features that used to require expensive audio hardware. More features, better performance, and some user-interface improvements in version 2.5 make a good thing even better. It’s also the first Deck II version that runs on PCI Power Macs and the first that’s not copy-protected.

Deck II 2.5 adds support for Adobe Premiere-format audio filters such as those from InVision Interactive and Wave. It’s too bad Deck II and SoundEdit 16 don’t share a plug-in format.

On Power Macs, Deck II now provides up to four real-time, nondestructive effects (ones you can apply without altering an original recording). You can choose from several types of equalization as well as chorus, delay, and gain.

Deck II 2.5 boosts up to 32 the number of simultaneous tracks you can work with, although you’ll need a fast disk array and a 604-based Power Mac to reach these heights. Version 2,5 is also speedier on Power Macs than earlier versions.

Deck II can now import tracks from audio CDs, and you can specify any sample rate when exporting files. Version 2.2 could export at only a few common rates. Deck II 2.5 received a minor interface lift — the sliders are flashier and the program’s automation features are less arcane. However, although Deck II 2,5 is die better program, its closest competitor, Digidesign’s Session Software, still has the edge when it comes to ease of use. Also, unlike Session Software, Deck II 2.5 doesn’t let you group faders — for example, to adjust the volume of two tracks simultaneously. To automate a volume adjustment, you have to create the adjustment for one track and then apply the automation data to the other track.

Heid, Jim. (June 1996). Audio Production Programs. Macworld. (pg. 52).

Download Deck II for Mac

Architecture

68K + PPC (FAT)

Compatibility notes

Emulating this? It could probably run under: Basilisk II