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The most important thing in rating this instrument is to view it as a synthesizer with endless possibilities to create own waveforms. If you look at it as a sampler its no wonder if you are dissapointed. But as a synthesizer this thing is the most versatile piece of gear I have ever seen. From fat analog to cold digital sounds it is all possible. Especially the hybrid sounds have their own character which remind me on the PPG Wave 2.2 and 2.3. The difficulty with the DSS-1 is that it is not easy to understand and to program. From 1989 to 1996 this was my only synthesizer and so I was forced to get everything I needed out of this machine. After all those years I can tell you it is possible.
A unique features of this machine is to get directly into the sample-ram to edit every single sampleword which is usefull to create one cycle waveforms for subtractive synthesis but which is also a lot of work with over 1000 samplewords. The waveforms on the Korg disks are created with additive synthesis so the classic waveforms like saw, square, triangle are not perfect. With editing every sampleword you can give them a perfect form. Especially the perfect sawtooth sounds much more punchier and fat. If you remind that the original waveforms inside are played with 32KHz samplerate the sampleword editing also allows you to create waveforms with 48 KHz on your own which is also a lot of work but results in a much better sound, especially in the lower octaves.
I can also recommend a usefull modification to get the filter into self-oscillation which expands the sound possibilities very much. For this you have to open the DSS-1 and to recalibrate the trim pots for each of the eight filter modules. This is not very easy and you have to know exactly where you are allowed to recalibrate and where not. If you are interested in this modification please send an email and I can give exact introductions for this operation.
The DSS-1 is a very good synth for all kinds of pads because of its "cheap" filters with a liquid sounding resonance and its VCA section with operates with linear amplification (this means slow attack and decay). Try sampling wavesequences or wavetables from synths like the Korg Wavestation or the Waldorf Microwave and treat it with a filter sweep from the DSS-1 and you have something close to the PPG sound.
Another strong point is the ability to use the DSS-1 as an external digital delay when you give any signal into the sampling input without starting the sampling process. Any parameters of the digital delay you programmed before are kept for your external signal. Also try this with decreasing the bit resolution and a low sample rate of 24 or 16 KHz. The resulting aliasing gives an exciter effect to the sound (but with an interesting lo-fi character).
Even if its a lot of work and patience try to get into the depth of this machine; its worth it. Don�t judge the DSS-1 as a bad machine before doing so. It belongs to the most underrated synths ever.
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