Unity 6: The Upgrade We’ve All Been Waiting For

If you've been thinking about buying another pedal to fix your rig, stop. You don't need more effects. What you need is smarter control. In fact, I would even go as far as to say you're probably closer to a pro-grade rig than what you think. Let me show you why the Unity 6 could be the missing piece that you've been looking for. Hey friend, Robert McClellan here, and I just wanna say from the very outset of this video that I am not being paid for this review. I have personally used this product for well over three months. In fact, I've actually waited this long to do the review in order to give you a more balanced approach. All right, let's get into it. So let's begin with the fundamentals. The Unity 6 is a MIDI controller and a loop switcher with six mono loops rearranged digitally. So no patch cables, no soldering. It's a clean, efficient core for any pedal board. But the real power lies in MIDI. Now it has 32 MIDI messages per preset, five presets per bank, and 127 banks. So if you do the math, that's over 22,000 MIDI messages at your disposal. Now that's not overkill, that's scalability. So whether you're sending program change commands to a delay or controlling your entire DAW stage, the Unity 6 actually adapts to the size of your rig and to the size of your ambition. Now each of the four switches in the rotary encoder are programmable far beyond just a simple press. So you're working with multifunction triggers here. So there's press, release, long press, long press release, long press scroll, double tap, double tap hold, and double tap hold release. I mean, the options are nearly endless here. So this gives you a layered contextual control. For example, tap to turn on a reverb, hold to switch presets on that reverb, and then double tap to control your delay's subdivision, all from one foot switch. Now this not only reduces clutter, but it also increases fluidity mid-performance. What's more is even the rotary dial itself is programmable with those same actions, which allows you a tactile navigation or even a dynamic tap tempo input. So touching a little bit more on these loops, the six mono loops are fully rearrangeable. And that means that your fuzz doesn't have to stay after your compressor just because you plug it in that way. You can reorder effects without ever recabling. Now I believe that this is crucial for players who use time-based effects creatively or even alter their rig for different genres. As far as expression pedal support, it goes far beyond just your typical volume swell. In fact, each expression pedal can fire eight unique MIDI messages, and that's per pedal. Likewise, each one can have its own min and max values. In other words, a single sweep of your foot can trigger filter sweeps, preset changes, mix shifts, and more simultaneously. Now another great feature of the Unity 6 is it includes four UniPorts. Now these are fully assignable and can operate as expression inputs, TRS MIDI outputs, external tap tempo controls, JHS red remote toggles, or even amp switchers. One controller, four universal jacks, infinite configuration. Okay, now let's talk about something that's often misunderstood, and that is wireless control. The Unity 6 has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and you can program your entire rig through a browser or from any device, whether it be iPhone, Android, Mac, PC, doesn't matter. No apps, no cables, and no drivers are needed. Because you can use Bluetooth, you're able to wirelessly receive MIDI from software like Ableton Live, Loop Community Prime, or Multitracks Playback, and then relay that MIDI data back to your board. Now I get it, some players do avoid wireless out of fear of latency or failure, and that's a valid point, but here's what I've found. Latency is near zero. Reliability, especially post-firmware 1.3, has been very solid. Now please understand me, I'm not saying that this replaces your wired rig. It actually just expands it. It adds a second layer of control without a second layer of clutter. So there are also some subtle features here that most overlook, and honestly, they matter. First and foremost, a chromatic tuner with industry-leading accuracy. This tuner isn't just fast, it's harmonically precise. It locks on fundamentals and upper partials with ease, and in real-world terms, that means that it tunes accurately, even when your guitar doesn't want to cooperate, and that happens quite a bit. So secondarily, it has a built-in clean boost, which is programmable, and you can set that from three to 12 decibels. So you can use it post-loop to raise your overall output without touching your amp, or say you want to use it as a secondary effect, maybe for solos. So if you have that one drive pedal that you want to use for guitar solos, and you want to give that an extra six to 12 dB boost, here you go. Now another not-so-subtle feature is the scribble strips. These are full-color per-switch with on-off indicators, and this is not just eye candy. It actually gives you immediate feedback on what each switch will do before you ever press it. Now, some of you are asking the right question, is this overkill? And to that, I would say, if your entire board is simply just a tuner, a compressor, maybe even a slap-back delay, then yes, this is probably more than what you need. It could definitely constitute as overkill. But if you're building a complex live rig, or like myself, a hybrid studio setup, or maybe even you're integrating software and hardware together, then this level of control isn't just a luxury, it's a necessity. And frankly, most guitarists are operating well beneath the potential of their gear, not because they're lazy, but because they've never had a controller that made this complexity manageable. Again, I reiterate, you don't need another pedal. You need a system that makes your pedals work together intelligently. Now, I would say this, if you've never used MIDI before, there is a little bit of a learning curve to it, but it's definitely worth it, because the Unity 6 actually rewards your understanding. It's not plug-and-play, no, by any means, but it is program and own. And when you take the time to build around it, your entire rig becomes responsive, expressive, and musical at a whole new level. And believe me, that's not a sales pitch. That's what happens when control meets intention. Now, if this helped you think differently about how to build your rig, let me know in the comment section down below, what are you currently using as a MIDI looper or switcher, and what are you trying to control? And if you found value here, make sure to subscribe, click the bell icon, so that every time I go live, we do go live at least once a month, you'll be the first to know. Until next time, remember that we can dream alone, we can even create alone, but together, we can achieve so much more.