hopla twee gegadigden voor de dss1 ..wel buitenland;-]
das egte intresse zegmaar;-]
KORG DSM1/DSS1
There weren't too many samplers around in 1986, and retail prices of £2000-plus for what we would now consider only modestly-specified machines were commonplace. It was against this background that Korg launched their only dedicated sampler, the Steve Winwood-endorsed DSS1, at an original price of £2259. It was termed by Korg a 'Digital Sampling Synthesizer' and in effect, it comprised a relatively sophisticated sampling section welded to what was essentially the synth section from Korg's own DW8000 keyboard (the DW's waveform generators were replaced by samples). With the DSS1, you can create hyper-customised samples in a way only really achievable these days on a synth like the Yamaha SY85, which has on-board sample RAM and allows you to treat samples through its synth section.
The DSS1 lets you both make samples and synthesize with them -- and nor is sampling the only way to create waveforms for the DSS1. You can actually draw your own 512-segment digital waveforms (rather laboriously, it must be admitted) using a data entry slider and the display. There's even a true additive synthesis function using 128 harmonics -- surely one of the few affordable ways of performing additive synthesis these days, barring purchasing a Kawai K5. Including as it does two flexible and comprehensive onboard digital delays, the DSS1 really is a sampling/synthesis system of rare power and potential, and with recent prices as low as £350, it could be an interesting addition to your sonic arsenal. However, be warned that there is a price to pay. Failings include the limited basic sample memory (256K, which yields a reasonable 5.5 seconds of sample time at 48kHz, going up to 16 seconds at 16kHz), a long-winded operating system, very slow disk drive, and, sadly, a lack of multitimbrality. Korg did release two memory upgrades -- a 2X expansion, and an 8X expansion which also added a SCSI port and speeded up the disk drive. Needless to say, if your appetite is whetted by this assessment of the DSS1, try to find a machine with upgraded memory.
A little over a year after the release of the DSS1, a rackmounting brother, the DSM1, followed. This unit offered quadruple the memory and double the polyphony of the DSS1, as well as adding four-part multitimbrality and 16 individual audio outputs -- a strange move, considering the four-part multitimbrality! The DSM1 also lost the neat digital delays of its keyboard counterpart. If you can find a DSM1 these days (they come up rather infrequently, to say the least) you probably won't find one at anything like as low a price as the DSS1, probably due to the above enhancements.
The DSS1 was acclaimed by contemporary reviewers as a powerful sound designer's tool. These days, it's rather a curiosity, but an appealing one -- after all, where else can you get sampling and synthesis in the same box for this kind of money? If you are smitten with the idea of the DSS1, try not to pay much more than our price guide -- it is an instrument with great potential, but it also demands lots of operator input.
KORG DSS1/DSM1
• Sample Time: 5.5 seconds at 48kHz, going up to 16 seconds at 16kHz.
• Sample Rates: 16kHz, 24kHz, 32kHz, 48kHz.
• Polyphony: 8-note (16-note for DSM1).
• Multitimbrality: None (4-part for DSM1).
• Keyboard: 61-note velocity- and aftertouch-sensitive.
• Outputs: Stereo.
• Target Price: £350.
• SOS Review: DSS1 April 1987.
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