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Introduction to PARIS


PARIS stands for Pro Audio Recording Integrated System.

By definition, PARIS is a digital audio workstation, or DAW. It is a hardware/software tracking and mixing environment, normally including a hardware-based DSP "daughterboard" (with the exception of the EdsFiveHundred EDS500 cards; systems based on the EdsFiveHundred EDS500 do not have this "daughterboard"). The "daughterboard" is based around the proprietary EsP2 ESP2 processor, which is also used by Ensoniq in the DP series of effects processors. The PARIS software also has some rudimentary MIDI capabilities, generally disabled by users.

PARIS is an unusual platform because it remains one of the only DAWS in its current price range (well under $500 for a full "Bundle 3" system) to combine the advantages of hardware with the flexibility of software. Viewed as a DAW, PARIS is sorely lacking in amenities. Viewed as "high-quality analog tape deck plus high-quality analog mixer - yet with immense advantages", PARIS snaps into better focus.

These advantages include:

1) the potential of true zero-latency monitoring under nearly all circumstances
2) particularly well-designed AD/DA conversion, leading to audio quality that still stands up credibly to present-day standards.
3) integrated hardware-DSP-based effects which permit, for example, zero-latency monitoring through compression and reverb without external mixer
4) a high-throughput interleaved file format (.paf) which permitted high track-counts from then-current drives (now largely been nullified by technological advances).
5) an analog-like response to "ParisIntoTheRed pushing into the red" or "spanking" PARIS. Some argue this to be due to the ParisPatent covert inclusion of analog-modelling technology.
6) dedicated hardware control surface that reacts with the promptness of integrated hardware

Limitations include:

1) obsolescence: last official software release was Paris V3.0 in 2000; support discontinued and now solely user-driven; parts in increasingly short supply.
2) a resulting slippage in comparative features with modern DAWs including such now-taken-for-granted-as-essentials as "grid support for multiple tempos"
3) a resulting lack of direct support for current operating systems (third party initiatives have met with both success - Win XP drivers - and failure - Mac OSX drivers)
4) a resulting lack of compatibility with newer filetypes: no support for filetypes beside mono .paf, 'wav and .sd2; minimal support for interleaved stereo files (limited to export and import); rudimentary OMF support; no REX file support.
5) a resulting lack of support for samplerates above 48k (this is argued by devotees to be mitigated or nullified by PARIS' inherent audio quality and today's most common destination formats).
6) a non-standards-compliant GUI - constrained-expansion windows that fit neither Apple or Windows guidelines; hard-coded key bindings


PARIS consists of four discrete components -







Various third-party initiatives specific to PARIS include:












Key PARIS Figures


This is a partial and evolving list, sure to grow. If you don't see a missing figure, please add it in!

Stephen St. Croix (born Stephen Curtis Marshall; b. 1948 - d. 2006 - R.I.P. Stephen) IntelligentDevices Intelligent Devices - PARIS software, also responsible for the graphic design of Paris
EdmundPirali Edmund Pirali, IntelligentDevices Intelligent Devices - PARIS software
BillMauchly Bill Mauchly - (Ensoniq designer) DP4 CPU design, PARIS mixer code; WaveBoy WAVEBOY plugins
JohnSenior John Senior - analog portions of PARIS
MatthewCraig Matthew Craig - PARIS ASIO drivers
ChuckDuffy Chuck Duffy - originator of the Paris Newsgroup and its community, WinXp drivers, PARIS ChunkWorks Skunkworks Plug-ins
ChrisThoman Chris Thoman - WinXP drivers
SteveDellaMaggiora Steve "steve the artguy" Della Maggiora - keeper of invaluable PARIS newsgroup archives
DougWellington Doug Wellington - maintainer of the parisFAQs.com website; DriverOsx OSX driver development (status unknown)
MikeAudet Mike Audet - Mike Audet PARIS Plugins
AaronAllen Aaron Allen - PARIS "Brian Tankersly" tutorial DVD
BrianTankersly Brian Tankersley - for many years a tireless advocate and resource for PARIS
MichaelArnao Michael Arnao (Ensoniq s/w engineer) Responsible for Ensoniq FX development, 1992-; symbolic assembler for ESP2 chip
SakisAnastopoulos Sakis Anastopoulos - pioneered the use of Paris as a mastering environment, wrote tutorial on Dithering
Derekvonkrogh derek von krogh(synthesist/producer/sound engineer) - pioneer Paris power user
DougJoyce Doug Joyce - for many years a tireless explorer of the outer fringes of Paris hardware
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