Unity DS-1 Version 1.2.1 by BitHeadz Software

by Jeffrye Glenn Tveraas

April 28, 1999

"The time has come" the walrus said, "to talk of many things. Of shoes and ships, of sealing wax, of cabbages and kings". And although we all know the walrus was Paul, he ain't ever seen nothin' like this - until now that is. Reviewing this software sampler has been an exercise in some frustration and much elation but I'm here to tell you that BitHeadz has a real winner here folks. In a nutshell the DS-1 turns your computer (Macintosh or Windows) into a full fledged, no-holds-barred digital sampler and synthesizer that offers most all of the benefits of hardware samplers combined with deliciously easy computer sound creation and editing. It also functions well as a multi-timbral wavetable synth that's also GM compatible and will link to many software sequencers for a complete all-in-one great sounding production studio with nary a pernicious broom of cabling necessary.

I can envision a composer or sound designer armed with a Powerbook G3, a good sequencer/audio app (OMS or FreeMIDI compatible) and DS-1, creating and editing music and sounds virtually anywhere and producing many channels of in-sync music complete with EFX and just maybe an underlying drone taken from the cabin of the 737 while en route, transmogrified into the all-time kick drum / digeridoo, created sometime between the beverage service and baggage pickup. I can't afford it, but I can see it. But this is only one part of what Unity DS-1 has to offer, here's more.

Unity DS-1 Feature Highlights Up to 24 bit 48Khz sound quality Up to 64 note polyphony (CPU dependent of course) CPU use limiting to accommodate concurrent use of other MIDI applications Completely programmable - over 200 parameters available per program Drag and drop samples, multisamples, programs and algorithm modules Phase-locked stereo sample support All sample rates supported - also simultaneous use of different sample rates Built-in digital audio editor Built-in DSP functions such as normalize, crossfade, EQ, fade, reverse and more Up to 128 samples per MIDI note One or two oscillators (multisamples) per voice 8 octave range per oscillator - frequency modulation from any oscillator or filter 2 assignable stereo filters per voice 13 filter types - highpass, bandpass, lowpass and more - Polymodulation Number of modulators or routings limited only by CPU power 6 stage envelope modulators 6 LFO waveforms - ramp and random modulators LFO's can sync to MIDI clock 4 continuous MIDI controller mod sources available simultaneously 2 stereo insert EFX per voice (serial) 2 additional global EFX processors (parallel) 2 global EFX sends per MIDI channel Parametric and shelf-type EQ's Multiple stereo reverb and reflection algorithms Stereo chorus, delays, flange and phase - overdrive and distortion Delays can sync to MIDI clock Direct output to a digital audio file on disk in 8, 16 or 24 bit format Arpeggiator can be sync'd to MIDI clock

You can play it in real time simply by hooking up your keyboard controller via MIDI to your computer. Your CPU becomes the brains of the outfit allowing you to create, edit, loop, define, enhance, and otherwise play with whatever original sound or sample set you choose to. Record it yourself, take it off a CD, start with one of the hundreds of samples and multisamples already provided and go. Anything you can think of to do with a hardware sampler you can do with this setup, and probably easier too. (if it sounds like I'm simply waxing eloquent don't worry, some caveats appear later).

Truthfully I am impressed by this software. Does every sound it comes with sound great - no. What it does show is immense potential for sound enhancement and creation and that is far more important. This (or any) sampler can be quite a catalyst for your musical imagination, and once you learn it's intricacies (which will take some time) you can be creating sounds that heretofore existed only in your imagination and using them to enhance your music. After all isn't that what it's all about - your sound in your music? And using Unity DS-1 along with your computer makes sampling easier and more logical than ever.

First caveat - I am reviewing the Macintosh version. My outfit is a G3/266 with 128 MB of RAM running OS 8.5.1. Those of you who use Windows will find most operations are the same but you are dependent on the quality of your soundcard for the caliber of your output. Your mileage may vary. R.T.F.M.

Unity DS-1 is a modular application not unlike ClarisWorks or MS Works, several modules built into one application that function separately and/or together. They all run from an "engine" loaded into your OS that automatically boots whenever any of the Unity applications are opened. There is also a control panel that allows you to tailor your settings to your system. This is an important part of the program and I predict you will get to know it quite well (we were on a first name basis by the second day). Getting your RAM partitioned effectively is very important and Unity will use all the RAM you can afford to give it. If you have less than 32 MB I strongly suggest that you install more - much more, especially if you intend to run a sequencer or anything else along with it. I recommend a minimum of 64MB for shortest latency times especially when using uncompressed sound banks for maximum efficiency. You can load the banks in a compressed format to conserve RAM but then your CPU has to work much harder to uncompress sounds on the fly. Everything is a tradeoff.

The configuration editor, with the keyboard module displayed (Click for a larger image)

The first module is the primary application - the Unity DS-1 editor. It is here that you import, record, edit and modify sounds and map them into multisamples and turn them into oscillators. Then the fun begins. Muchos kudos to the graphic designers as well as the sound designers for this program. Your original sound becomes an icon just as all the other parameters are. You want to EQ your sound - add the EQ icon. You want reverb or flanging or anything else - add the icon. Then just double click on the icons to access the settings, make whatever changes you like and hear them right away. Route everything any way you like. When it sounds right, simply save it (please realize that this is akin to saying a car goes just by adding gas, accelerating and parking). It's simple but it has near infinite complexity and diversity and by its very design, it invites you to play with your sounds, perhaps to uncover new things that were never intended when you started. You are limited only by your imagination (and your sound source). Sound exciting to you? Then read on McDuff.

The Unity DS-1 waveform editor. (Click for a larger image)

The second module is the DS-1 MIDI Processor. You'll use this when you're playing your created sounds "live" in real time. It enables you to layer sounds or split your keyboard assignments or arpeggiate your notes or chords, transpose and otherwise modify the voicings. The arpeggiator is very versatile and has a latch mode and can sync to a MIDI clock if you like. The Unity editor need not be open to use this module although it can be if you want to modify your sounds while setting up your layers, etc.

This is a good time to mention that Unity comes with its own serial input utility to enable you to interface with it without using OMS or FreeMIDI unless you prefer to use them. I don't have any way to scientifically measure latency time here (latency is the time lag between key on and actual sound), but it seems to me that the latency was less using this serial driver instead of OMS. In fact, it played as well as any keyboard synth I've ever used, not that I would drag a computer to a gig. But for studio applications this greatly enhances its usability and value.

The main window of the editor (Click for a larger image)

The OMS and FreeMIDI drivers seem mainly for connecting Unity to a sequencer for multi-timbral playback and since everything is delayed the same amount, it becomes rather a moot point unless you're playing the DS-1 along with a sequence. There is a Windows MIDI device driver as well that does the same job for you MS folks so don't you get feeling all left out now. You know how you get sometimes.

The third module is the keyboard application. This is simply an on-screen keyboard you can trigger with your mouse to audition any of the sounds in any of the banks. You can trigger single notes or chords over a 7 octave range without having to engage the rest of your MIDI studio. It's very easy to use and it's the best way to examine all the sounds that come with the DS-1, almost 250 MB of them. Very generous of BitHeadz I think. Among the included banks are an 8MB and a 4MB General MIDI module, various strings and pianos, horns and vocals and lots of looped phrases that can be great grooves for song ideas. And there's a great cello bank included too...there's always room for cello, yes?