BIAS
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Audio software |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Founder | Steve Berkley, Christine Berkley |
| Defunct | June 2012 |
| Headquarters | Petaluma, California , United States |
| Products | Peak, SoundSoap, SoundSoap Pro, Master Perfection suite, Deck, Deck LE |
BIAS (initially known as Berkley Integrated Audio Software) was a privately owned firm headquartered in Petaluma, California, which discontinued its business activities in June 2012.
History
Steve Berkley, a composer and software developer, originally created Peak to facilitate sample editing for his musical projects. The software started as a tool for transferring samples between hardware samplers and Macintosh systems, eventually becoming the commercial sample editor called “Peak”. In 1994, Steve and Christine Berkley established BIAS Inc. in Sausalito, California.
Products
The flagship product from BIAS was Peak, a stereo sample editor. SoundSoap is an audio restoration and noise reduction plug-in and standalone program designed to eliminate unwanted sounds such as clicks, crackles, pops, hum, rumble, and broad-spectrum noises like tape hiss and HVAC interference. SoundSoap Pro provides enhanced features including advanced controls and a built-in noise gate aimed at professional audio restoration tasks. The Master Perfection suite comprises six plug-ins tailored for mastering, sound design, and audio processing.
Deck is a straightforward multitrack digital audio workstation (DAW) intended for recording analog inputs such as instruments and microphones. Although it includes basic MIDI capabilities—such as transport controls and synchronized MIDI file playback—it is not designed as a MIDI sequencer. Deck is optimized for multimedia production and post-production workflows, supporting synchronization with digital video formats including QuickTime movies for mono, stereo, and 5.1 surround sound mixing. Two versions were offered: the full-featured “Deck” and the beginner-friendly “Deck LE,” both compatible with Mac OS versions ranging from 8.6 through Mac OS X.
Product timeline
1/96 – Introduction of Peak 1.0 at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA.
11/96 – Release of Peak LE, an entry-level stereo editing tool.
1/97 – Debut of SFX Machine 1.0 multi-effects plug-in.
9/98 – Acquisition of Deck DAW from Macromedia by BIAS.
12/98 – Launch of Peak 2.0 featuring support for DAE, TDM, AudioSuite, QuickTime movie integration, Premiere plug-in compatibility, and CD burning.
8/99 – Availability of Peak on the BeOS platform.
1/00 – Peak 2.1 introduces support for ASIO drivers to enhance third-party hardware integration.
9/00 – Implementation of VST plug-in support in Peak 2.5.
1/01 – Deck 2.7 adds ASIO driver compatibility; launch of Deck LE as an entry-level DAW option.
7/01 – Release of Deck 3.0 with real-time VST plug-in capabilities.
8/01 – Introduction of Vbox 1.0 effect plug-in routing matrix.
11/01 – Debut of Peak DV 3.0 as the first professional audio application for Mac OS X.
1/02 – Release of Peak and Peak LE 3.0 supporting Mac OS 8.6, 9.x, and X; introduction of SuperFreq parametric equalizer plug-in.
6/02 – Launch of Deck 3.5 as the first professional DAW on Mac OS X offering 5.1 surround sound mixing.
7/02 – Entire BIAS product range gains compatibility with Mac OS X.
8/02 – Vbox 1.1 released supporting both Mac OS X and Windows platforms.
12/02 – Introduction of SoundSoap for Mac OS X and Windows XP.
8/03 – Release of Peak 4.0 adding direct CD burning functionality, Audio Unit support, sample-based ImpulseVerb effect, and Sqweez compressor plug-in.
5/04 – Launch of SoundSoap Pro for Mac OS X and Windows XP.
10/04 – SoundSoap 2 introduces Click & Crackle removal, audio enhancement features, plus support for Audio Unit/RTAS/DirectX formats with drag-and-drop file handling.
8/05 – Release of Peak Pro 5 featuring industry-leading sample rate conversion technology, graphical waveform playlist visualization, and DDP export support.
9/05 – Introduction of Peak Pro XT & Peak LE 5; XT bundle includes Peak Pro 5, SoundSoap 2, SoundSoap Pro, and Master Perfection Suite plug-ins.
6/06 – Launch of Peak 5.2 Universal version running natively on both PPC and Intel Macintosh systems.
11/06 – Release of SoundSoap 2.1 Universal version compatible with PPC and Intel Macs.
June 2012 – BIAS Inc. announces the termination of all operations, concluding its involvement in the audio software industry.