Bitheadz Release Lite versions of Unity and Retro

US Low fat versions attractive to starving musicians 22/06/00

Retro Lite.
Based on the critically acclaimed Retro AS-1, "Retro Lite offers a powerful yet affordable solution for generating classic analog synth sounds" For previewing patches, an on-screen keyboard application is included that can be played using the mouse, the QWERTY keyboard, or any MIDI keyboard. Splits, layers, and arpeggios can be programmed using the MIDI Processor. For use with a MIDI sequencer, the Retro Lite Mixer is provided to facilitate easy loading and saving of multi-timbral set-ups. No additional hardware or software is required to use Retro Lite. However, users with additional audio or MIDI equipment will appreciate the high level of integration that can be achieved. Retro Lite sRetrohips with support for 24-bit/96kHz resolution, up to 64-voice polyphony, and the necessary drivers for use with 3rd party hardware and software. Priced at $79 Retro Lite ( MSRP) supports ASIO, Direct I/O, MAS 2.0, ReWire, and Sound Manager. For users interested in creating and editing custom patches, an upgrade to the Retro AS-1 Software Synthesizer is available which includes a more extensive patch library. A Windows version of Retro Lite is expected to ship in Q4 2000. Unity Player
Based on the highly successful Unity DS-1 Digital Sampler, Unity Player is designed for musicians and producers who don't need advanced editing features, but do require professional quality sample playback. It offers all of the playback features of Unity DS-1 at a very competitive (cheaper) price. Features like extremely fast load times and a huge capacity for sample storage are now available for users who want to use their computers for playback of high quality samples and instruments. Unity Player provides up to 128 phase-locked stereo voices and up to 128 MIDI channels for playback, the most of any professional class sampler. Other features include lightning fast response times for live play, library management tools for organization of sample banks, and the ability to automatically publish program names to a MIDI sequencer. Unity Player can be integrated into a wide variety of computer-based music setups. Support for audio streaming between the Unity sample engine and an audio sequencer has been implemented for applications such as MOTU's Digital Performer, Digidesign's Pro Tools, Steinberg's Cubase VST, and Emagic's Logic Audio. With this kind of seamless integration, Unity Player can take advantage of the many DSP plug-ins these companies have to offer, as well as the convenience of automated mixing. Unity Player also functions as an expandable sound module for laptop users interested in taking their sample libraries on the road. They said: "The sound quality of the 24-bit, 96kHz Unity sample engine rivals hardware based solutions costing thousands of dollars more. Plus, your sounds stay in the digital realm where you can record your sampled MIDI tracks to your sequencer with no loss of fidelity from D/A & A/D conversions". Unity Player is compatible with Unity DS-1 format programs. Akai and Roland sample libraries can be imported with the addition of the Osmosis Sample Conversion Utility, also available from BitHeadz. The Unity Player suite includes an on-screen keyboard application for previewing samples, a MIDI processor for assigning splits, layers and arpeggios, and an on-screen mixer for easy loading and saving of multi-timbral set-ups. Unity Player comes complete with over 300 megabytes of sample content, including a 12 megabyte General MIDI bank, several construction kits, and many samples of traditional acoustic instruments. Unity Player ($199 MSRP) supports ASIO, Direct I/O, DirectConnect, MAS 2.0, ReWire, and Sound Manager. An upgrade to the Unity DS-1 Digital Sampler is available for registered owners of Unity Player. A Windows version of Unity Player is expected to ship in Q3 2000.

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