Unify Manual

Your complete reference to PlugInGuru's creative playground!

User Tools

Site Tools


faq

Frequently Asked Questions

If you're not ready to buy Unify, because you need some answers first, you've come to the right place. If your question isn't already listed below, contact us at UnifySupport@PlugInGuru.com and we'll add it!

What do I need to run Unify?

  • What kind of computer do I need?
    • Any recent Macintosh or Windows-based PC should be fine.
      • Unify runs fine on new Macs featuring “Apple Silicon” processors.
    • If your computer is powerful enough to run a DAW, it should run Unify.
    • You will need at least 2.5 GB of disk space for the Unify Standard Library.
      • The rest of Unify is just a couple of hundred megabytes.
    • Tons of RAM and a fast CPU with lots of cores are nice, but not required.
  • Do I need to own commercial plug-ins like Serum or Omnisphere?
    • NO! You can get started making music with Unify without ANY other plug-ins!
    • IF you do own other commercial plug-ins like these, you can use them to create your own combination patches in Unify.

What do I get with Unify?

  • Unify stand-alone apps for Mac and Windows
  • Unify plug-ins for your DAW:
    • Windows: AAX, VST and VST3 formats (VST® is a trade mark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH)
    • Macintosh: AAX, Audio Unit, VST, and VST3
  • Built-in instruments and effects:
    • Guru Sampler sample playback instrument
    • 16 custom effects: Delay, Distortion, Dynamics, EQ, Chorus/Phaser/Flanger, and four algorithmic Reverbs
  • Unify Standard Library
    • Over 2 GB of samples ready to play in Guru Sampler
      • Many adapted from previously published PlugInGuru libraries
      • Plus others from top sound designers (Airwave, Nato Feelz, Steve Taglione, and more)
    • 570 ready-made, ready-to-play combination sound patches
      • By John “Skippy” Lehmkuhl and other top sound designers
      • All built using ONLY built-in/bundled plug-ins—Nothing else to buy!

Is there a free version of Unify I can try before buying?

Will ALL of my plug-ins work in Unify?

  • SOME MIGHT NOT. Our beta testers and early-adopters have found several plug-ins that don't load properly in Unify, and even some that will cause Unify (and your DAW) to crash. With each new Unify update, we have been able to make it steadily more compatible and stable, but this process is still on-going.
  • If you have a favorite plug-in, and you know you'll be disappointed if it doesn't work, check with us first, before buying Unify.
  • However, remember Unify comes with many built-in and bundled instruments and effects, over 2 GB of samples, and 400 awesome patches, ready to play, out of the box, so you might want to buy now anyway.
  • We are going to be working VERY hard on plug-in compatibility issues from now on, so plug-ins that don't work today will work in Unify eventually.

Can I use Unify to load plug-ins my DAW won't support?

  • YES. Unify works as a bridge, allowing you to load plug-in types which your DAW itself may not support.
  • You can use Unify to load VST/VST3 (and Audio Unit on Mac) plug-ins into Pro Tools by Avid.
    • You can't load AAX plug-ins into Unify. Avid does not allow that.
  • You can use Unify to load VST/VST3 plug-ins in Logic Pro X and GarageBand.
    • Provided your VST/VST3's are built for Mac
    • You can't load plug-ins built for Windows into a Mac host, or vice versa.
  • You can load 32-bit VST plug-ins in Unify on a Windows PC using jBridge
    • Unify itself is 64-bit, but the Windows version includes built-in support for jBridge, an inexpensive 32/64-bit VST bridge program.
  • You can load 32-bit Audio Unit and VST plug-ins on a Mac using 32 Lives
    • One of our beta-testers has verified this.
    • This will NOT work with MacOS Catalina, which has removed support for 32-bit binaries

Will Unify work in my DAW?

The plug-in versions of Unify should work in any DAW that supports VST/VST3 (Mac and Windows) or Audio Unit (Mac only) plug-ins, but in a few cases, a bit of setup may be needed.

  • Can I use Unify in Avid Pro Tools?
    • YES. As of version 1.4.0, Unify includes an AAX plug-in.
    • Pro Tools uses its own proprietary AAX plug-in format, and cannot load VST/VST3 or Audio Unit plug-ins.
    • However, it CAN load Unify, and Unify can load those VST/VST3/AU plug-ins.
    • Unify can NOT load AAX plug-ins itself. Avid does not allow any third-party programs to do that.
  • Can I use Unify in Image-line FL Studio?
    • YES. Just make sure to turn on “use fixed-size buffers” for Unify.
  • Can I use Unify in Steinberg Cubase?
    • YES.
  • Have you tested every DAW under the sun?
    • NO, we can't afford to buy them all ;-)
    • However, we are not YET aware of any DAW or plug-in host program that cannot run Unify.

Why isn't Unify perfect in every way?

  • PlugInGuru.com is a small company. Just two people:
    • Veteran sound designer John “Skippy” Lehmkuhl and programmer Shane Dunne.
  • Plug-in technology is incredibly complex, and lots of important details simply aren't published, so have to be figured out by trial and error.
    • Even Shane's PhD in computer science and 35+ years as a programmer, and John's 35+ years experience in sound design with Korg are no match for all the stuff that simply isn't written down anywhere!
    • Huge companies struggle with this stuff too; they just hide it better :-)
  • Life is short—make music!
    • We didn't want to delay releasing Unify any longer, waiting for it to be “perfect”.
    • People have been bugging us for months to be able to buy Unify and get started with it.
    • Software is never truly “finished”, so why wait? Let's all get on with making music!

How can I share patches I create in Unify?

Can I make patch libraries for Unify?

faq.txt · Last modified: 2023/05/08 18:59 by 127.0.0.1