Version 3.01 Software for Akai's DD8 and DD8
Plus Akai Digital Products Offer New Level of File Format Compatibility
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| DD8 Plus |
October 3, 1999
Akai Digital showed their new DD Version 3.01 Software at
the AES Convention in New York City. The upgrade offers unprecedented interformat
compatibility and brings new features to the range of Akai Digital Products including
the DD8 Plus, DD16PB, DD1500 and DL1500.
A random-access digital film dubber, the DD8 Plus is designed as a plug and
play replacement for tape-based digital recorders and analog magnetic tape playback
machines. It records to and plays from magneto optical disks or removable hard
drives. The Akai DD8 Plus is the first affordable digital dubber delivering the
extremely low noise floor and wide dynamic range required for feature films, thanks
to its 24-bit linear data format and 96K sampling rate.
The Akai DD8 Plus offers the highest level of cross-platform compatibility
available. It's never been easier to work on one system and finish on another.
Able to directly read and write nearly all standard DAW formats in film production
without the need for OMF transfer, the DD8 Plus allows project files to be created
in one format and finished in another with none of the hassle and uncertainty
associated with common import/export functions.
Direct playback of nearly every other DAW format is supported, including Timeline/Tascam
MMR-8; Waveframe; Fairlight MFX3plus /FAME/ DaD; BWF and SD-11 files on FAT-16
DOS disks created on Zaxcom Deva. Macintosh OMF1 files with SD-II or AIFF audio
files including AVID AudioVision and Media Composer are also directly supported.
The DD8 and DD8 Plus also support direct playback and recording of ProTools Session
files to and from Macintosh disks.
New features enhancements include unlimited crossfade length between two cues
on a single track, level triggered recording, and the ability to separate machine
settings from project specific settings. File conversion between supported formats
is a snap and instant response from the jog wheel during TRIM functions means
no more waiting for your machines to catch up with your hands. Additionally the
new DD-PLUS disk format supersedes Normal and Extended formats.
Designed as a truly modular system, the DD8 and DD8 Plus offer a wide range
of options allowing each application to dictate the required components. This
design approach not only allows users a multitude of configuration options, but
is a very cost-effective solution to an often financially prohibitive upgrade
path. Whether a facility currently uses mag-film dubbers, analog multitracks or
digital tape-based recorders, the DD8's I/O options allow it to be configured
for easy plug and play integration.
For applications requiring more than 8 channels of playback, up to sixteen
DD8 units can be handled by a single remote control surface, offering the ability
to control 128 tracks individually. Alternatively, the Akai DD16PB Plus and the
DD16-Kit for the DD8 offer 16 discreet playback tracks in either' analog or digital.
The 24-bit data format, 96K sampling options and enhanced compatibility support
is available to users of versions earlier than 2.0 as a CPU upgrade (DD8 Version
2.0 Kit).
Software version 3.01 is now available for the DD8 and DD8 Plus. The update
can be downloaded free of charge from Akai Digital's Post-Production Software Updates page at
http://www.akaipro.com/.
For more information, visit Akai at www.akai.com. | 
