M-Audio, an industry-leading manufacturer and distributor of hardware and software for computer-centric
musicians, is pleased to announce the beta release of the industry’s first 64-bit drivers, named Audio64, for pro audio applications. The new
Audio64 drivers, developed for the AMD Opteron™ processor, will be available for M-Audio’s renowned Delta and FireWire series audio interfaces,
making them fully compatible with the forthcoming Microsoft® Windows® XP64-bit Edition and “Longhorn” operating systems, in addition to the
current set of operating systems.
“At M-Audio, we are committed to staying ahead and forging new directions in the field of music technology,” says marketing director Adam
Castillo. “64-bit drivers are just the next step in offering our users even more power and flexibility. M-Audio was the first company to release audio
drivers for Mac OS X, and the first to bring USB MIDI to the Mac and PC markets when that bus was introduced.”
Working closely with AMD, M-Audio is again taking the lead in developing drivers to ensure compatibility ahead of the adoption curve. M-Audio has
announced a beta test program for the Audio64 drivers, making them available to the public for the first time. Users will be encouraged to supply
feedback to M-Audio via a feedback form.
AMD64 technology with Direct Connect Architecture and support for simultaneous 32-bit and 64-bit computing provides the ideal platform for
handling the demanding task of low-latency digital multi-track recording. Direct Connect Architecture helps eliminate the bottlenecks inherent in a
front-side bus and instead directly connects the memory controllers and the I/O to the central processor units, improving overall system
performance and efficiency. 64-bit systems can process a larger number of real-time digital audio streams with low CPU overhead. In addition to
64-bit applications, AMD64 technology supports today’s 32-bit applications natively as well.
“By virtue of announcing 64-bit driver support for their FireWire products, it is clear that M-Audio is a leader in PC-based pro audio,” says Charlie
Boswell, marketing director for AMD’s Digital Media & Entertainment group. “The AMD Opteron processor-based platform is quickly becoming the
first choice of the audio professional because it delivers superior 32-bit performance while providing revolutionary native 64-bit processing power
and scalability. The availability of M-Audio’s AMD64 drivers signal the 64-bit PC-audio revolution has begun.”
The 64-bit drivers are currently available through M-Audio’s beta test site at www.m-audio.com/audio64beta.