Unify patch-design methodology - PlugInGuru Forums

Have Polyverse Gatekeeper control Macro knob 1

Aptos-PH — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 20:53:11 +0000

I’ve successfully put gatekeeper in an empty effects layer and made it assign to a cc control in Filterverse in an instrument layer. What I’d rather do is have gatekeeper control one of the Unify macro knobs and have the macro knob control the synth. This way I can have the macro knob move more than one of the synths parameters. I can’t figure out how how to make Gatekeeper (which can pick a cc number to control) make the Unify macro controller knob move. Any ideas?

Randomization methods

pauldirks — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 22:26:28 +0000

Hi Everyone, I am looking for some tips for midi randomization, especially of things like note length, CC, velocity etc. Any other tools other than Jitterbox? Other approaches I should consider?

I have a general case use of making some long, evolving orchestral textural instruments (think Arkhis) out of my own orchestral plugins, but my approach is variable-- sometimes using BlueArp as a trigger, sometimes using textural instruments themselves with pan and volume automation (no problem there). I am playing around with using midi files as well (note or CC triggering).

One more specific example would be to randomize incoming midi note-on triggers, either via BlueArp or midi files. Another would be to randomize triggers for different articulations via CC.

Would love to hear how you do randomization in Unify! Thanks in advance,

Paul

Wrap-Around Technique in Harp & Celeste Patch

pauldirks — Wed, 04 Dec 2024 16:01:28 +0000

Hi Everyone, I purchased Unify on the recent BF sale and am now digging into patch design. The goal is to build custom orchestral drones, pads, shimmers, evolutions. I also have Corestation to use with BBCSO Core. I am looking at the Harp & Celeste patch in which there is a wrap-around technique within combobox which just maps the limited range of the Celeste across the entire keyboard. A useful and simple technique. However, it would be much more effective if it blended multiple overlapping Celeste instances so that the transitions aren't as obvious--for instance, in the current iteration E3 is a higher tone (probably an E5) than F3, which drops down an octave. If you could mask the transition by crossfading two Celeste instruments that would be better and blend the transition point.

Any suggestions on modifying this patch for a better and subtler wrap-around technique? Would you need to do this within combobox or could you just use a unify layer (I would assume so?) But then, it isn't clear to me why combobox is used in the first place, rather than a unify layer. Suggestions? Solutions? Tips?

Thanks!

Paul

Should I upgrade stock Unify plugins?

robosax — Sat, 27 May 2023 13:57:50 +0000

Hi,

I've upgraded the Unify version of OB-Xd to the latest version (v2.13) and made a bunch of patches with it. My beta testers, who are still using the Unify version report that it doesn't open my latest v2.13 presets.

I'm wondering what would be the best way to go. Should I ask potential users of my Library to upgrade their Unify OB-Xd, or should I downgrade my latest version back to the Unify version?

Will Unify ever update to the latest version of OB-Xd?

I've also upgraded to the latest Chow Tape Model. So far the Unify version does open up the newer presets, but that might be a problem in the future too.

If I were to downgrade back to Unify versions, how would I do that? Do I need to do a full re-install of Unify? Is there a way to install just the Unify OB-Xd?

Thanks for your help,

robo

BBC SO DiscoverStation and Miroslav Philharmonik 2

George G — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 17:57:55 +0000

Hello,

In addition to BBC SO Discover and BBC SO DiscoverStation, I also own the Miroslav Philharmonic 2 Library.

Would it be theoretically possible for me to attempt to roll my own version of discoverystation for use with this library?

Can one access and use discoverstation as a template to do this without infringing on any intellectual property or copyright? I certainly understand if that is not the case.

Is there interest to include Miroslav Philharmonic 2 Library as a feature add to future version of DiscoverStation or perhaps it's own library?

Thank you all for your time.

STANDALONE MODE SEQUENCER (Not sure why this works, but it does!!!) FOR BACKING TRACKS and Live Performance.

glenjdiamond — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 18:10:15 +0000

I've been thinking about how to use Unify Standalone for Backing Tracks and I think I may have stumbled across something that appears to trigger embedded instrument layer MidiBox's using Upper Level MIDIBox's from a parent Unify layer (Hopefully the pictures below will make more sense than my crude attempt at explaining this!!!).

1st Unify Layer - This has no sequencing in it. It has an instrument layer set up for "Latch Mode" (and as we drill into it's layer we will reveal the sequencing trickery!!).

The other two instrument layers within the "1st Unify Layer" are nothing special - just a keyboard split for LOWER and UPPER for the live playing

Screenshot-2022-03-17-174422.png

The next screenshot is showing us how the LOWER live instrument layer is set up. It has the "Follow Host" ticked in the transport layer just in case any LFO's are synchronised to the BPM.

Screenshot-2022-03-17-174542.png

It will be similar for the UPPER live layer.

The next screenshot is looking at the Latched Instrument Layer . It is important that the "Follow Host" is NOT TICKED (leave it blank). Manually set the BPM Tempo within the transport of this layer. You will notice that there are two MIDIBOX's in the MIDI Layers. These MIDI boxes are how we tell the instrument layers when to play (one long note that lasts three bars , starting at bar one -- that will tell an instument layer to play it's own midi file for three bars and leave a break for the whole of the fourth bar). So these SEQUENCER MIDI files act differently to instrument layer MIDIBOX MIDI files. It doesn't matter what key is "note on" depressed, so long as a note is being played it will allow other MIDIBOX's further down the chain to play in sequence with the start of when the Latch was activated.

Screenshot-2022-03-17-174820.png

And the next two screenshots show how the MIDI files were set up. One of them plays a long note from bar 1.1.1 to bar 3.4.68

The other MIDI file plays a shorter note lasting from bar 4.1.1 to 4.4.68

Screenshot-2022-03-17-175459.png

Screenshot-2022-03-17-175612.png

The next two screenshots show you how I use a drum machine to play the same set of drums. Each layer has the same MIDI file (setup to only play one sound) to allow me to have different effects for each drum sound.

All the embedded instrument MIDI files are the same. Except, that one pattern will play for bars 1/2/3 and a different pattern will play for bar 4. This is because the previous layer had the sequencer MIDI files with the long notes.

Screenshot-2022-03-17-175845.png

Screenshot-2022-03-17-175957.png

So long as the initial "Latch" layer is activated, the other MIDI files will keep looping.

I would think that you would need to expand the SEQUENCER MIDI files (the ones with the long notes in) to be the length of your composition.

If the SEQUENCER MIDI files are shorter than your compositional backing track, they will just keep looping anyway until you press the Latch Key to stop and restart the backing track.

This technique isn't limited to drum tracks. You could have other tracks for backing melodies. And if you have a MIDI to DMX VSTi it will be possible to control DMX DJ lighting devices so that the lights react with your backing track.

I would like to move Unify to my other drive because I need to free up memory on my c drive. Can I uninstall it in programs and just install it into a new directory?

methodman3000 — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 23:51:52 +0000

Is it just a matter of uninstalling Unify in my C:\ directory and moving it to my F: to make more space or do I have to re register it. I can't seem to locate my registration password. Thanks. I am planning on spending some time on it this week.

Discovery Station needs Bugfix.

tocan — Fri, 24 Dec 2021 17:49:29 +0000

Discovery Station needs a Bugfix for the Kontakt SE

I install since hours the Christmas present for Daniela. Its the Kontakt Libary for Discovery Station. Main Problem in the Live Christmas Streams IT will ne played live for Subscribers and theory friends. Patch by Patch so îs the plan. I for the Moderation in English.

Main Problem îs not only one Kontakt Libary îs used so IT Points also top the Factory Libary. Because the Libary îs a paid protected Libery i for not find a way to link with simbolic links.

I wonder that noone use it for one test. I for not find a fix and no automatic Installer.

Mary Christmas by the way this Christmas was in front several complaints that the server and shop îs blocked for specific countries. So people can not buy

Synthesizers that share/display their patch presets within Unify

terrybritton — Sun, 19 Dec 2021 20:10:37 +0000

In Unify, if you add a layer using one of your synth plugins (VST2 only), chances are it may display all of its available presets from a convenient drop-down list within Unify! So even if a synth has not been "Unified" yet, you can still enjoy quick access to its presets from within Unify.

With such synths, clicking on the "target" button to the right of the synth name will display an additional flyout called, "Change Program". The flyout menu will contain all the presets that synth shares. Sometimes synths have multiple banks of patches, in which case selecting the bank from within the synthesizer's GUI will change the drop-down listing to that bank's preset list. (The old Linplug synths work that way!)

Many older VST2 synths and effects share their presets this way. Try a few!

To start, if you own Reaktor just about all of the synths, sequencers, generators and FX items share their presets, along with any you add/save yourself.

The following is a list of qualifying Reaktor items for you to explore:

Flesh
Kontour
Micro Prism
Molecular
Monark
Polyplex Kick
Polyplex One-Shot
Polyplex Percussion
Polyplex Snare
Polyplex User
Polyplex Ensemble
Prism
Prism FX
Razor
Rounds
Skanner XT
Spark
TRK 01 Bass
TRK 01 Kick
The Finger
The Mouth

Reaktor Blocks:
Blip
Curve Trax
Drive
Dual Gen
Duality
Elaine
Kyaraben
Lumikko
Monark Mikro
Morph Twin
Motor Beat
Organ Blaster
Quadrapolis
Quant FM
Shift Run
Squares
Steps
Submotion
XY

Reaktor Blocks Wired:
Lumikko
Submotion
XY

Reaktor Factory Library:

Effects:

Analogic Filter Box
Anima
Banaan Electrique
Classic Vocoder
Cyan
Echomania
EnFX Delay
EnFX Distortion
EnFX Filter
EnFX
Flat Blaster
Flat Blaster 2
Fusion Reflections
Grainstates FX
Longflow
Resochord
Space Master 2
Space Master 5.1 Surround
Space Master Quadrapolis
Space Master Stereo
Spring Tank
Two Knees Compressor

Grooveboxes:

Aerobic
GoBox
Krypt Apparat
Krypt
L3
Limelite
Massive
Newscool
Random Step Shifter
Ryhthmaker
Scenario
SineBeats 2
Splitter
Vectory

Sequenced Synthesizers:

Akkord
Atmotion
Blue Matrix
Vierring
WaveWeaver
Sequencers:
Spiral
SQ16
SQ8
SQ8x8
SQP
SQX

Sound Generators:

Metaphysical Fumction A
Metaphysical Fumction B
Skrewell
Space Drone

Synthesizers:

2-Osc
Carbon
Carbon 2
Equinoxe Deluxe
FM4
Gaugear
Green Matrix
Grobian
Junatik
Kaleidon
Lazerbass
Nanowave
Oki Computer 2
Photone
Sound School Analog
Steam Pipe
Steam Pipe 2
SubHarmonic
Sum Synth
Titan

Reaktor Factory Selection R2:
Carbon 2
LazerbassNewscool
Space Drone

Have fun!

Terry

Using MidiEditor and LoopBe1 with Standalone Unify (Win10)

glenjdiamond — Sun, 09 May 2021 10:36:16 +0000

These are two free utilities (non commercial use only) and useful for editing and auditioning Type1 MIDI files (multi-track files)

MidiEditor

LoopBe1

LoopBe1 is a virtual MIDI cable, once it is installed there will be an icon in the system tray (bottom right of windows 10) and there is only one option and that is to "mute/turn off" the device. Pluginguru Unify (standalone) will automatically detect the LoopBe1 virtual MIDI input device.

What does this mean!?

Say we want to edit one of the MIDI drum grooves within Unify.

I have found a multi-track MIDI drum pattern patch within the Cloudcity library - it's called ...
BPM DRUM - Hip Skip Welcome To Miami

I can see that the patch contains one instrument layer consisting of MIDIBOX, JITTERBOX, followed by GURUSAMPLER.

In amongst the Macro Knobs (bottom of Unify), I can see there is a dial for selecting each of the 25 MIDI tracks within MIDIBOX.

MIDIBOX has one midi file "Skip Hip 25 Grv Stack.mid", it is 8 bars/measures in length and the track selection pull down menu reveals that this is a multi-track midi file and judging by the names of those tracks it would appear that a bit of a wild adventure may have happened down there in Miami!! The MIDIBOX sends the MIDI data to JITTERBOX and then on to GURUSAMPLER containing "DRUM KIT - Hip Skip Kit"

In order to make ourselves an "edit" for any of those multi-tracks we can do that by installing MidiEditor.

Before any edits are made... in Unify, we need to "bypass" the MIDIBOX and the JITTERBOX so click each of the "B" boxes so they turn light grey with a white "B". This allows us to audition the MIDI notes individually, otherwise MIDIBOX will take over and start to play the drum loops and change their pitches up and down the keyboard (just like it is supposed to do). Bypassing the MIDIBOX will allow us to make edits and hear each sample that has been assigned to each of the keys.

The attached graphic shows you what happened when I dragged the light blue midi file name from within MIDIBOX onto the MidiEditor.

MidiEditor.png

Initially all of the tracks are visible (and audible) so we need to fix that to just the track we want to edit.

Also, we need to check the MIDI setup within MidiEditor - at the top left there is a MIDI pull down menu, click that and select settings and tick/enable the MIDI I/O for "LoopBe Internal MIDI". This will enable us to audition our edits and unify will play us those edits.

To the far top right of MidiEditor is a tab called "Tracks" and it has four buttons. Hover over each of the buttons. We want to click the "Mute All Tracks" button and also click the "Hide All Tracks" button.

The editor will turn blank as everything is now hidden.

From the tracks tab, within one of the tracks, .. for this example I will select Track 1 "Mony Talks" and there are four buttons in that track. I will click the "Track Visible" and "Track Audible" buttons. Notice that there is a "Tt" button for renaming the track.

So long as you have "Bypassed" the MIDIBOX in Unify, when we press the "Play" button in MidiEditor, it should now only be playing back the 8 measures of MIDI data within Track 1 (Mony Talks). We can now make edits to the notes.

The piano roll to the left is where you can listen to each of the individually assigned samples within the "DRUM KIT - Hip Skip Kit" ... I have noticed that there is an arbitrary note length for the audition so your tapped rhythms on that piano roll will be reduced - it's just a quirk of the editor.

Have Fun!

File, save as -- this will initially send you to the library where the original MIDI file exists... it's probably good etiquette to save your edited file to your user library within unify so navigate to there and save your edited MIDI file. Then go back into unify, click the "B" bypass buttons to re-enable MIDIBOX and/or JITTERBOX - then double-click into MIDIBOX and drag your edited MIDI file into the light blue midi file name.

If you are happy with your edits, save the unify patch to your user library.