All I know about the DSS-1 is that it is fabled for it's sound & filters. There was also a rackmount version the DSM-1 which featured 16 individual outs. The best information I could find is this review by Thomas Kolb. Visit his website, he's reviewed alot of kit click
So here's some clips from his review:
THE KORG DSS-1 - Author: Thomas Kolb, 1998
The DSS-1 is one huge and powerful machine. Not only in its physical size which is quite substantial, but the possibilities to create your own sounds are nearly endless. The synth features both conventional digital subtractive synthesis, harmonic synthesis and sampling for its sound source. There is even a possibility to actually "draw" your waveform with a data slider.
The sampling board uses 12-bit resolution, but the quality of the samples are not very high - in fact they sound amazingly grungy, full of strange artefacts, specially at the low end of the keyboard. The provided memory is ridiculously low: only 256 KB and no possibility to upgrade, allowing the synth a total of 5.5 seconds of sample time at 48 kHz. So forget about drum loops and sampled guitar licks - the DSS-1 is a first and foremost a synthesizer, and synthesis is what it's good at. I found that the best samples are no more than just ten milliseconds, cycled to create new, complex synthesizer waveforms.
The harmonic synthesis function is nice but completely useless - there is no way I will sit down and edit hundreds of parameters just to make one waveform. And as far as I know, there is no computer interface to the DSS-1.
The "slider draw" function is the most efficient way to create a waveform - you just punch a button to start recording and "draw" your waveform with one of the data sliders. The result is completely unpredictable, which is quite fun. Of course you will quickly realise that rapid, jerky movements of the data slider will produce timbres with lots of overtones and harmonies, while slow and gentle movements will make dull and soft timbres. Creation of different pulse-waves is dead simple - just move the slider from one end to the other in one quick move.
Once the waveforms have been created, there is a vast number of parameters to be set to tailor each sound to your liking. Most of the parameter settings are fairly straightforward and should give no problem to the experienced synthethist - although some parameters, like "bit resolution" are not so clear in their function and the result they yield.
To further spice up the result, there is a dual digital delay section provided, with echo, chorus, phaser and flanger effects. The dry signal appears at the centre of the stereo field and one effect per channel, left and right can be set individually.
There is also a great "unison" feature in which all oscillators are slightly detuned and fire at once for each key depression, which makes it possible to create some real big and impressive, fat monophonic noises.
Unfortunately the usage of this machine is all but user-friendly, and the teensy LCD display - although backlit - does little to help. My biggest complaint is that the sounds are all stored in volatile memory - they will vanish into cyberspace when the unit is turned off and need to be reloaded from disk. You have to remember to keep saving, saving and saving all the time - the waveforms, the setups, the parameters. And the disk drive is a slow bastard - probably the slowest one I've ever seen - it takes a full minute to load one sound bank.
It's a pity, because with some careful effort, the machine can be made into one of the cruellest sounding beasts I've ever heard so far - and I've tried a lot of synths, believe me.
Good review!...... and that's pretty much how I know of this unit outside of the spec's. It has an amazing sound, and although the memory is small, it's a sonic ....like he says... a beastie !!...... well worth checking out if you see one... they are very rare & like most old & rare MIDI kit nowadays they command big prices
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