FinalScratch Connects Digital Media to Vinyl

RELEASED NOVEMBER 16, 1998

For more information contact:

N2IT
Mark-Jan Bastian, markjan@n2it.net
Tel: +31 20 4450459
Fax: +31 20 4450459

FinalScratch Connects Digital Media to Vinyl
N2IT announces first DJ mixing software for BeOS

  Amsterdam, Netherlands, November 16, 1998: Amsterdam-based N2IT announced the first version of their disk jockey mixing software, FinalScratch. FinalScratch is the first computer tool that lets DJs map digital media to spinning vinyl, the DJ's musical instrument. The hardware/software combination gives DJs the ability to use turntables to synchronize and interact with various media types.

FinalScratch's architecture allows the user to synchronize multiple tracks of audio and video and manipulate them the way a DJ would. It lets users "needle drop" to set song position, change the RPM of the record for pitch and tempo manipulation, "scratch" by changing direction backwards and forwards, and synchronize each track's tempo based on beats per minute. DJs no longer need multiple hardware players to accomplish this task. For instance a DJ might have a track that is a bass line, another of drums, another of effects and several of video clipsall controlled by a single turntable. Using FinalScratch, DJs no longer have to interact with digital media using a computer mouse when mixing.

FinalScratch works with any turntable without any hardware modifications. Actions such as spinning the vinyl back and forth, and repositioning the needle are immediately translated to similar operations on the digital media FinalScratch controls. The product consists of a set of specially prepared vinyl records, a custom amplifier, and software that tracks the vinyl's position precisely.

Included with FinalScratch is SoundPlay, a popular MP3 audio player for the BeOS. The combination of FinalScratch and SoundPlay allows DJ92s to instantly mix music stored in the MP3 format, using the intuitive interface that vinyl records provide. For more information on SoundPlay see: http://www.xs4all.nl/~marcone/soundplay.html

Although initially targeted for audio uses, FinalScratch can be extended via third-party add-ons to support synchronization of media of virtually any kind. It makes extensive use of the new Media kit found in the BeOS Release 4. Any Media Kit savvy application can quickly take advantage of FinalScratch92s controls.

"Final Scratch has the potential of being a breakthrough product. Remix artists love tactile surfaces like vinyl disks on turntables. Final Scratch lets them get their 'hands on' digital media," said Timothy Self, Audio Developer Evangelist for Be.

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More information on FinalScratch can be found at:
http://www.n2it.net/products/finalscratch.html

About Be

Be, Inc., founded in 1990 by Jean-Louis Gassée, is a software company focusing on building new foundations for the next generation of digital content and media design tools. With a team of industry-leading engineers and business executives in the United States and Europe, the company is dedicated to removing the limitations of existing computer architectures and delivering a new level of price performance.

In July 1997, Be published the first public release of the Be Operating System (BeOS), the core product of this strategy. Additional information on Be and the BeOS is available online at http://www.be.com/. Be, Inc. is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.