Mackie Designs Inc. and Antares Audio Technologies Announce Software Partnership

May 9, 1999 – Woodinville, Wash. – Mackie Designs and Antares Audio Technologies today announced an exclusive partnership for the development of Auto-Tune real time pitch correction software for the Mackie Digital 8•Bus console.

Auto-Tune is a fully automatable software Plug-In that provides the ability to correct the pitch of a voice or solo instrument, without distortion or artifacts, while preserving all of the expressive nuance of the original performance.

Antares Vice President of Business Development Neil Richard commented, "We're very excited about our partnership with Mackie. The idea of offering Auto-Tune's real time pitch correction capabilities in a digital console makes a lot of sense. Mackie's digital board is clearly the only digital console that can make such a combination possible."

The Mackie Digital 8·Bus is the first console with an open software architecture designed to run third-party software plug-in applications. Auto-Tune can be used simultaneously on any audio channel or combinations of channels of the Digital 8·Bus. The number of simultaneous uses depends upon the number of Mackie UFX effects processing cards that are installed in the card cage of the D8B console.

Mackie Designs' President Roy Wemyss stated, "Antares is the world leader in pitch correction. Their software is extremely powerful yet very intuitive. We're very pleased to announce our partnership with Antares and proud that we will be able to offer Auto-Tune's capabilities to our broad base of D8B customers."

Digital 8·Bus Product Manager, Bobb Haskitt added, "The D8B's SVGA display makes it possible to view and edit detailed Auto-Tune pitch automation information graphically. No other console has that ability. Our expansion card approach also enables customers to use Auto-Tune on more than one track per session without having to buy more than one Auto-Tune plug-in."

Antares Audio Technologies is renowned as a developer of innovative, DSP-based audio software and hardware, including the ATR-1 Intonation Processor and the forthcoming AMM-1 Microphone Modeler, as well as the award-winning Auto-Tune (Pitch Corrector), MDT (Multi-band Dynamics Tool) and JVP (Antares Voice Processor) DSP plug-ins.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including those described above and the following: changes in demand for the Company's products, product mix, the timing of customer orders and deliveries, the impact of competitive products and pricing, constraints on supplies of critical components, excess or shortage of production capacity, difficulties encountered in the integration of acquired businesses and other risks discussed from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports. In addition, such statements could be affected by general industry and market conditions and growth rates, and general domestic and international economic conditions. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.

About Mackie
Mackie Designs Inc. is known worldwide as a leading manufacturer and marketer of high-quality, affordable professional audio systems. Mackie products can be found in professional and project recording studios, video and broadcast suites, post production facilities, sound reinforcement applications including churches and nightclubs, retail locations and on major musical tours. Mackie Designs Inc. products are marketed by 54 distributors to more than 100 countries around the world.

"Mackie." is a registered trademark of Mackie Designs Inc. in the United States and other countries.

For more information please contact: Mackie Designs Inc. • 16220 Wood-Red Road N.E. • Woodinville, WA 98072 • Phone: 425-487-4333 • Fax: 425-487-4337 • Internet: www.mackie.com