Korg DSS-1

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DSS-1 by Korg
Synthesis type: Digital Sample-based Subtractive
Polyphony: 8
Timbrality: Monotimbral
Oscillators: 12-bit waveforms/samples
Filter: 8x NJM-2069
Attenuator: 8x
LFO: 2 - pitch & filter
Keyboard: 61-key
Left hand control: Joystick
Velocity sensitive: yes
Aftertouch: yes
External control: MIDI
Memory: 256kb-2Mb
Onboard effects: 2x DDL
Produced: 1986 -
Original price: $2600

The Korg DSS-1 was a 12-bit polyphonic sampling synthesizer released in September 1986. It came out at a time when many of the popular synthesizer companies were beginning to get into sampling, an area of sound design that had previously been left to a handful of fledgling companies such as Fairlight, E-mu, and Ensoniq. Like Yamaha, however, Korg did not stay long in the sampling arena. The DSS-1 (along with the rackmount DSM-1) turned out to be the company's only sampler until 1998 when Korg started including sampling options on their Triton and Trinity series of workstations, and on their Electribe series of drum-and-phrase samplers.

[edit] Concept and Features

The DSS-1 can sample at 12 bit resolution, with a maximum sampling frequency of 48kHz. The usual sample editing features are included, such as trucate, loop, crossfade, keymapping, and so on. Multisamples can contain up to 16 individual samples. A single floppy disk can hold 4 "systems", each of which stores 32 patches including all subtractive synthesis parameters and the multisamples used in those patches. The maximum internal sample memory is 256k on a factory standard unit, with some (now rare and hard-to-find) hardware upgrades that increased the memory up to 2MB. A single DSS-1 floppy disk can hold up to 512k worth of multisamples, but only a max of 256k can be loaded into the machine's internal memory.

Also onboard the DSS-1 is a simple, non-realtime additive synthesis engine. This allows you to create single-cycle waveforms by either drawing them with a data slider, or by setting the relative amplitude levels of 128 sine waves. The result is usually a rather static and buzzy waveform which only takes on life after being synthesized through the DSS-1's analog subtractive synthesis engine.

The basic concept of the DSS-1 is that it's a 12-bit sampler with analog sound shaping circuitry. Therefore, the internal structure of a DSS-1 sound is set up much in the same way as on a standard subtactive analog synthesizer and won't cause confusion with people already familiar with subtractive synthesis. To phrase it another way, the DSS-1 is essentially an analog polysynth with the conventional VCO or DCO oscillators ripped out, and replaced by the sampler. The subtractive analog engine on the DSS-1 allows for two oscillators to be combined and/or detuned just like on a conventional synth. But instead of choosing from between just 3 or 4 different waveforms, you can choose from up to 16 single-cycle waveform loops or full-blown samples as your oscillator sources. These digital oscillators are then fed through a fully-resonant VCF and a VCA section. The DSS-1 has the same VCF as on the Korg DW series and the Poly-800 (Korg custom filter # NJM-2069). It is a very lush, aggressive filter.... very close in sound to a Moog filter or a classic SSM-2044 filter found on such synthesizers as the Korg Mono/Poly and Poly-Six.

Modulation sources include two individual sine-wave LFOs (which Korg calls "MG" for "modulation generator). There is one LFO for pitch and one for filter. There are also two separate modulation sources for the built-in twin digital delays (more on that later). The DSS-1 has two 6-stage envelope generators (one for filter and one for amp). Other features on the DSS-1 are: auto-bend (which allows for a pitch glide up or down to a destination pitch), oscillator sync (very unusual on a sampling instrument), and bit-crushing from 12 down to 6 bits to introduce some grunge to the sound. Oscillator sync in combination with autobend (on the slaved oscillator) allows the DSS-1 to create some truly bizarre textural sweeps.

At the tail end of the DSS-1's audio path are two built-in digital delays. The audio signal from the VCA is converted back to digital, run through the twin DDLs (which can be run in parallel or in serial), and then converted back to analog for the final output. As mentioned earlier, both DDLs share two separate modulation sources (separate from the MG section) for modulation of the delayed signals. The DDLs are very flexible and only add to the DSS-1's sonic potential, with the ability to create dramatic chorused, flanged, or ping-pong effects. In parallel mode, the DDL section creates stereo sound by each DDL sending its sound through the unit's separate left and right outputs.

The DSS-1 has its operating system stored on ROM chips, so if you lose your floppy disks you can still boot the system up (unlike the E-mu Emulator, Ensoniq Mirage, and early Roland samplers which required you always have a floppy disk containing the OS). However, each time you boot up the DSS-1 you will not have any sounds available at your fingertips until you load a system into memory from floppy disk. This can usually take anywhere from 20 to 40 seconds, depending on the size and number of multisamples contained in that system. The floppies that the DSS-1 understands are the older DSDD (double-sided double-density) disks that were also used on the Ensoniq Mirage and on early Macintosh computers.

For performance control, Korg offers up their standard 4-way joystick (same one found on DW series and Poly-800), and excellent aftertouch and velocity control. One can also assign a parameter to one of the data sliders for tweaking in realtime. Unfortunately, there is no portamento, no arpeggiator, and no built-in sequencer.

[edit] Sound

Sonically, the DSS-1 has more diversity in sound than any Korg synthesizer released up to that date. The 12-bit resolution and the capability for full-blown samples gave it an edge over the 8-bit DW-6000/8000 digital waveform synthesizers. The DSS-1 can be used as a hybrid synthesizer as well as a sample-playback keyboard (i.e. "ROMpler").

Now, with its comparatively tiny 256k of RAM memory, the DSS-1 is most useful as a powerful hybrid polysynth with a sampling option, rather than as a regular sampler.

[edit] Notable Users