For the first time, the plug-in enables mastering engineers to use the iTunes Plus codec for real-time auditioning of their mix. This makes the plug-in a powerful and time-saving tool to mix directly for the “Mastered for iTunes” program, including clipping detection and the possibility for real-time corrections while mixing. For this new functionality, Sonnox has added the Apple versions of the AAC and HE-AAC codecs to the plug-in so that the exact clipping behavior of the iTunes encoding chain may be monitored.

In addition, Sonnox and Fraunhofer integrated the latest surround audio codecs MPEG Surround, AAC multi-channel, and HE-AAC multi-channel. These codecs provide superior audio quality for surround music and are used in surround broadcasting and streaming. Version 2 of the Pro-Codec plug-in makes Fraunhofer’s surround codecs conveniently available to producers of surround music.

Of course, the Sonnox Fraunhofer Pro-Codec still includes Fraunhofer implementations of all major MPEG audio codecs, including mp3, AAC, and HE-AAC as well as lossless codecs such as mp3HD and HD-AAC. This makes the Pro-Codec the most powerful codec plug-in available for digital audio workstations.

Due to its unique feature set, the Pro-Codec plug-in saves time during the mixing process and ensures a high audio quality of the output files. It was first released in June 2011 for $US495 and has recently been awarded the Sound On Sound Editors’ Choice Award 2011.

A consumer version of the Pro-Codec plug-in will be available soon as well.