The Audity 2000 is a synth made by EMU in 1998.Audity 2000
is a modular synthesizer.By that ,I mean that you can make build complex synthesis modules , use the very flexible patch cords.
In older days the analog monsters used patch cords for the various
units to communicate with each other.Audity 2000 is offering virtual patch cords and n arsenal of modules ,including FLIP
FLOP unit for the serious programmer to design HIS synthesis module.This is a great deal in terms of easy programming,
for example some very well known modular synth doesn't include the FLIP-FLOP unit.Of course ,you need to spend time to understand
how to use patch cords effectively.
Audity 2000 is using a sample and hold synthesis method.That means that the row waveforms
are stored in a 16MB memory chip.Samples of Audity are dance ,techno ,trance oriented ,and will fit any hardcore sound designer
/ producer excellent.
Sample and hold synthesis technique is offering large polyphony ,which can
be an advantage in certain situations.Each patch include four "layers".Each layer have its own waveform
,envelopes ,filter...and so on.
Working with sample and hold and layers have a big Plus: making your patches sound thicker
is easy...just duplicate a layer ,modify it using another filter,or a similar sample....
Filters of Audity 2000 are simply excellent.50 types of filters are available for using.There
are filters for almost every situation out there.From 2 poles ...to 12 !
There are also available 2 effect units to choose from.Without beeing impressive ,Audity's
effects are USEFULL.
Audity's architecture and powerfull filters is basically used in a series of later EMU's
synth modules ,including the XL1 ,Proteus 2000, Orbit 3,and more.So many people asking "why should I get a second hand Audity
instead of a XL1???".
First of all ,you got to look at the facts.Audity 2000 is eqquiped with 3 stereo analog outs
,and one SPDIF out.Thats a total of 8 outs.Xtreme Lead has one stereo pair only.So ,in a live event for example your routing
options are far better with 6 analog outs.One could route the drum patch to 1 stereo track ,the bass to another ,and the lead
patch to a third.
Second and more important ,is the set of samples Audity is eqquiped.Audity can be a replacement
for your virtual analog synth.I see many people doesnt like the weird factory patches.For me ,they just saw how FAR Audity
can go.But of course ,Audity is a synthesizer,not a sample playback module , so some programming is needed.Thanks to the excellent
manual ,learning curve is fast and easy.
Some of you may also wonder ,"why should I spend cash on hardware and not get some VST plug
in?"
Well ,yes thats an option ,but good vsynths are also somewhat expensive.Then
they need some CPU power.And then take some memory in YOUR APPLICATION.And then ,either your system [pc and
music host doe example Cubase or Logic] becomes very complex and loaded ,or your mixes are seriously compromised.
I DID TRIED the plugin path.So I bought EMU's excellent Emulator X sampler to get rid of
Audity.Emulator X is using the same sound synthesis engine ,and filters.Now ,dont get me wrong Emulator X IS the BEST sampler
outthere.But still ,I had to open the system ,wait for it to load ,make a project, load the sampler....a time consuming process.For
me system stability is the major factor when working.I hate to loose 2 or 3 hours work thanks to a crash.And I use a powerfull
system....no matter what your system is ,resources are valuable.ALWAYS
And believe this or not ,I couldnt get the sounds I EASILY get from Audity2000.And because
,all of these is about making your MUSIC,I got a second Audity 2000 unit.I got to admit i missed my Audity 2000 much.
I was lucky enough to find another Audity....
The sound is the very strong point of Audity 2000 for 2 reasons:
1.You can get what you want easilly, you will get UNIQUE SOUNDS and
2.filters are powerfull for real time tweaking
and there is layer stacking.
Once again you will have to sit down and understand and learn some basics of sound synthesis.And
experiment with Audity.
Sound may be not as fat as a good VA ,but its not tinny and digital.
Polyphony of the unit is upto 64 voices with OS versions 2.00 or 2.01, and 32 voices with
OS version 1.0x.
Because out there is lot of confusion about upgrading the OS of Audity.You CAN upgrade the
2.00 to 2.01 version ,if you have the EMU's loader software ,the .dli file ,and JAVA runtime installed.If you have OS version
1.0x you NEED a hardware upgrade kit,without it you cannot upgrade the OS to version 2.00.
One last note about upgrading.BE VERY CAREFULL before you attempt any OS upgrade: YOUR AUDITY
2000 COULD BE RENDERED COMPLETELY USELESS IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG.The memory chip part that contains the OS data is
completely erased during this process.IF DURING THIS PROCCESS SOMETHING GOES WRONG ,YOUR AUDITY UNIT WILL NOT EVEN BOOT UP.
And then ,you will need the hardware kit to fix it.Please note that Creative has bought EMU
systems, so make sure to check that in the case something go wrong YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GET IT FIXED.
My advise is ,leave your Audity as it is.And have a look at the OS version when bying .Versions
1 [any version] ,and 2.01 are very good and stable OS versions.