@@VultureCulture I’ll have to get back to you by then. 😁 I know both quite well but never compared them directly. Let’s put it this way: Both have theirs strengths and weaknesses. For most people the Poly 800 might be the better choice but as far as versatility goes there is no comparison. And I personally love the Mono/poly’s character. Both sound good though.
@@VultureCulture Oh wait a minute! I think I am starting to smell a wet rodent here! I expect some CS80 / CS70M comparison style conclusions anyway but could it be you found out that the Poly 800 actually physically uses a double portion of the Mono/Poly’s oscillators? 🤔
Yes, mine was a Poly 800 II (with the programmable delay/chorus). I had to beg my Dad for a whole year, and he got a promotion at work and bought it for me for Christmas when I was 15.
I still have my Poly 800 when bought new for me in 1984 by my dad. He passed 2 years later and that synth has been cared for like no other. Still have the OG manual and cassette to reload the programming. The cassette has been dubbed every couple of years to a new one to avoid media corruption. Love this synth.
Full a bucket has a software version of Poly-800 called FB800. It has two modes of note, a vintage mode with the limitations of the original, snd “god mode” which has a separate filter per voice.
@@VultureCulture FB-799 and FB-7999 are the Poly 800 and DW-8000 recreations. I have both. And compared to the actual hardware, it is really hard to hear much difference. I use both plugins on the road and leave the vintage gear in the studio
I have both the Poly-800 and the Poly-800 II... I recognized the "tone" and got the test correct. The 800 was meant to ride the "strap-on" craze. I have the Poly-61, DW-8000, M1, N364 and an RK100. Korg was a beast in the 80s
@VultureCulture The only real difference is that the MKIII got rid of the chorus and replaced it with a delay. I think the chorus benefits the sounds creation more than delay
Grateful for the wealth of knowledge in this lil mini doc. The context of it’s era, and how its relative to other synths of it’s time. This is a real treasure. Thank you for sharing✨
I didn't guess as I had no clue. Neither does 99% of the people, even though they say they can. You ever see Jim Lill's air guitar test? Yet people still 'hear' how nice wood is on electrics
Sick video! Poly 800 was my first synth in 97. I have an ex800 with the hawk mod/computer- it blows up the potential of the synth, midi cc programming, an lfo that can mod another lfo or sweep the level of the osc ‘partials’
I can definitely tell but I've had all of those synths. The Poly800 was my first synth and one of the only synths from my past that I have zero interest in getting again. All voices through a single filter, midi was OMNI only (useless. I think the MKII fixed that), and my Poly800 always had to be loaded up with heavy C-cell batteries or it would not save data. Not sure if mine was an early model and that was changed or if mine had a dead internal battery. That was before I understood any of that stuff. It did teach me synthesis and I quickly followed up the Poly800 with a Roland SH1000 ($200), a Mono/Poly, an ESQ1 (which taught me more synthesis and multi-track sequencing), and a Jupiter 4. All of it bought from bagging groceries and working at a gas station. Probably worth the money now if you want a cheap synth. I do get tempted to try a Poly800 with "Moog Slayer" mod sometimes but I never bother.
Great video Alex. Very well spoken, informed and layed out. You have really gotten good at this. I always like to see the more polished edits like this and glad you finally tackled the poly 800!
For shame. I had a poly800 in the late 90s and I got the answers 100% wrong! Haha. I loved that synth. It has its niche for sure - those slow envelopes make it great for pads, synth strings and brassy sounds and the breathiness of its palette really lends to that. The EGs really give it a strength that you don't really find much in other synths. I love the way you can have a short envelope attack on one oscillator to give a punchy(ish) note with a shorter decay then longer break time and slope to a low sustain and set a really long attack on the second oscillator (or the noise) to gradually swell up through sustained notes and give a beautifully dynamic evolving sound. Coupled with the chorus and detune it really makes up for any criticism the synth snobs can throw at it about DCOs and unlike pretty much anything else around when it was released. I wish I'd had some of the outboard FX I have now back when I owned a Poly. Just adding an MS70 or an avalanche run on the back end would take this to a whole other level of lush texture.
You probably already know this, but Korg was pretty creative to use the oscillator chip used in many arcade machines (OKI MSM5232). So it is not a coincidence you can get “gameboy” sounds out of Poly-800. This also explains why it was paraphonic - that chip had only 1 (or 2) outputs and generates all 8 voices. But there is control over volume of each channel in the chip though.
@@VultureCulture Great point, it's so surprising how they made the paraphony sound smooth and transparent. I can usually hear paraphony and it pisses me off.
Hey man. I love your videos, vibe and presentation. The Poly 800 is almost like a digital access control version of the synthesizer side of the Korg Delta. You should check one out if you can. (If you’ve not already, I should add).
Finally someone that knows how to explain and demo this synth without trashing it. I love it's sound. I use an EX800 which is full metal with knobs :) but no keys.
@VultureCulture It's pretty much the same synth and controls minus keybed mod or pitch. it has a more complete midi implementation and the chorus is there. The knobs are volume parameter and value.
@@VultureCulture See I just pulled it out of the closet now and I was wrong about the knobs, they are volume, tune and sequencer speed.... rofl no sliders. Up and down buttons to change values. I mean it is what it is, but it works great I programmed many patches on mine and it's not problematic.
Never thought on finding my old P800 here on YT. I got mine brand new in 1985 :-D still have it. Cool stuff, thanks for sharing. Example B sounds like mine ;-) unfortunately my wife destroyed it while cleaning my studio... no comments, please....
hey Alex, I have an idea for the channel. There are so many times during streams that I want to hear patches in context , I think you should prepare three moments of zen to use in the live streams . giant inktomi reverb reverb ready when you really get into an inspiring patch . A diodes and rust drum pattern with an accompanying sequence for mono, unison, leads ,bass, sounds, etc, where you can play with parameters, rather than play against a drum beat. and then a textural, icy digital droning neon Chronicles patch that you can stack pads on when you get something nice and warm going . or conversely, a warm neon Chronicles patch, when you're doing a digital synth
That is a fantastic idea! 💡 I'm convinced listening to synths in solo results in such a skewed perception. Generally the bassiest synth wins. Whenever I go to use a synth like the DW-8000 in a mix it's borderline useless because it's so dark 😂
For me it is the interface of the MonoPoly as much as the sound that matters. I constantly end up in places I had no idea I was going when I first flip it on. Being able to cover a fair bit of pad, organ, and brass/wind section stuff is also a big plus, but you have to value WYSIWYG over patch storage to really love this synth - which I do. I know many hate Behringer, but for my budget them doing that clone was heaven sent.
Excellent video! This was my first synth and I loved it. I always ran it through guitar effect pedals to give it a little "help". I don't have mine anymore, but Full Bucket Music made a FREE VST that sounds incredibly close to the real thing. It's called Fury-800. Edit: They also have a FREE Mono/Poly VST called Mono/Fury, but I never owned one, so I don't know if it's close or not.
Yep. Heard it! But closer then I thought. Example A really had that Mono/Poly + Polysix touch. It’s off course a subjective matter but to me the older instruments sound more bombastic / orchestral. Still the Mono/Poly is the one to go for. It’s much more versatile. A giveaway can for instance be that the Mono/Poly has 2 modulation generators (Korg speak for LFO). Furthermore there are the cross mod effects section, individual waveform selection and detuning per oscillator, pitchend and expression wheels in stead of that darn joystick, etc. Put a good stereo chorus on a Mono/, add a good digital reverb and it really starts to shine.
This was an excellent demonstration. Next do the Sequential Six Track. Yes I know many other people have done one, but your review would be an hour and a half long, I love that.
While I think the SixTrak is awesome and a great value buy, because I have the Prophet 600 I don't think I'd get a lot out of it not present there sadly. Great suggestion though! 🙏
Guessed all three correctly as I own both the MonoPoly and the Poly 6 and they both have distinctive sounds. Great video and learned a lot. Perhaps a better comparison would be against the Poly61.
Yes, the Poly has a few tricks up its sleeve and it's good fun to take this synth to its limits. First thing to check though is the battery compartment, as this is its one true weak spot!
I remember Chuck Level was a part of the ad campaign for the Poly-800. The picture was of him jumping in the air with the Poly-800 strapped around him like a Keytar. If I remember, it had guitar hooks for a guitar strap to hook on.
The Poly 800 II was my first synth, I got it second hand in the late 80s for about £300 (#inflation?) It was the reverse keys model and came with a flight case, original manual and PSU. I still own it and love it. Oh and one if the great things about it was the strap tabs, yes I have used it as a keytar.
The MP4 can do a million things neither of the other two can do. Never had a Polysix but have played it at stores and friends' places. Had an EX-800 though. And I still have my MP4.
@@VultureCulture Gotta be honest I skimmed though the video. But there is no way the 800 can do all the stuff the MP4 can do. The MP4 also makes sounds that the 800 might be able to emulate, but you can also make sounds that the 800 would never be able to do. I also remember those things have a weird aliasing in the highs.. unless I had 2 broken ones with the same issue. Of course the price is great if that's all you have to buy an older synth but why not save up for a JX-3P instead when you are more than halfway there.
Interesting. I was very close to purchasing a Poly 800 MK2 for my first synth. Ended up getting a DW8000 because of the 61 keys, velocity, and aftertouch.
I've never owned that many, I've mostly been a sax player. Also do mainly software things (which I have a ton of) now. I owned the DW8000 for like 35 years. I used to have a Roland SC-33. I've also owned a Yamaha XG-50, Modal CRAFTsynth, and an IK Multimedia Uno Synth (the original one, which is my only hardware synth which I run through effects chains on iPad, laptop, or my Boss ME-50. I still use those Yamaha XG and Roland sounds in software, although there's a lot of better stuff around now. @@VultureCulture
Really nice, insightful walkthrough and, to be blunt, _much_ more interesting and in-depth than what I’d thought would just be click-bait. 😂 Subscribed! Cheers on the, “We all know the most important thing affecting… sound is how it looks!” 😂 That said, I always thought the Poly-800 looked pretty cool; all the compact efficiency of an α-Juno but with that cool little programmer’s module humped up to one side. My chief complaint being the build quality and all that plastic not looking or feeling so good up close and personal. I am really surprised to find out what a unique offering this is in the Korg Canon! I’ve personally disliked most Korg offerings (until recently; I’m shocked to discover I now own four Korg synths!) but this little Poly-800 seems not only extremely capable on its own merits but really can contribute a unique and welcome voice to a rig! I was super excited when I bought a PolySix about 20 years ago, but that excitement quickly turned to disappointment. The sound was adequate but its practical synthesis capabilities were very limited relative to what I had hoped for. Anyway, great comparison video!
@@VultureCulture hey there! I’ve got the opsix SE because I’m a sucker for marketing 😆 Oh! And because it’s one of the funnest synths I’ve ever played! Being able to twiddle like analog on a FM synth is seriously great. I also have the Prologue 8 which I find to be a very capable synth, definitely on the Good side of Korg sound, IMHO. Matching the Prologue is the Drumlogue; those two complement each other nicely both in sound and in workflow. I had a Nautilus but it didn’t excite me the way I thought it would - definitely a capable and fun instrument in its own way, but I found the workflow obtuse with too much reliance on the touch screen. So, in its place (?) I bought a DSS-1! 😆 I’d had one in my first “pro” studio back 25 years ago and am pleasantly surprised at how useful and capable it is today, not to mention how fun and even easy to use!
...being familiar with the specs I've guessed right, warmer sound than Polysix, monophonic VCF (could hear the restart), no PWM a..s. .f . & yes, POLY-800 is the most underrated vintage analogue & your quote "Cat nip for the musician" to me became already legendary.😆
Got them right but am honestly shocked! I had one back in the day and immediatelly dumped it when I got my D50. I actually missed it afterwards. Nice little guy that I completely forgot about!
Mine was stolen too! It didn’t help that I think I left it outside at 4 am when unloading all my equipment from a bandmate’s car after a late gig! Not one of my smarter moments!
I'm afraid this review will make the Poly 800's price jump. I simply identified sounds from my childhood. I was looking for them in other equipment and couldn't find them, and now I want one. Thanks for the quality content and deep but comprehensible review.
It seems that the P800 already made a price jump last year. Because last time I looked just out of curiosity, it was around 200 (Euros), and now 300 is considered cheap. I remember that 5 years ago there were some offerings around 100. But that was before this synth got more popular. I have two of them, one half-dead (my original) and one for parts.I made many sounds on it, and I never missed knobs or faders, though I came from MS-20 and Sielorchestra 😉
Okay so I have a limited knowledge of this stuff: You said the 800 has MIDI. So am I able to control it using a MIDI pattern I write on Reaper, or can it be used to write MIDI patterns to the DAW? Would I be able to use it as a MIDI controller. Say, I fire up Spitfire Albion or Decent Sampler or Sample Science and I'd be able to manipulate those sounds from the Korg keyboard itself?
The Poly 800 was my second synth in 1987 (1st was CZ-101) I considered it a proper synth, It sounded proper and fat compared to the Casio. Still have it today!. It's a special little gem with it's own character. Recorded tons with it. I just think it still gets slated for it's single filter, that was not much of an issue for me. Thank you for your video perfectly describing and comparing key differences between the three Korgie's.
My back in the day my dream synths was a simple Roland Juno-106!. My all time dream synth was the Oberheim OBX. Behringer are doing wonderful things these days.@@VultureCulture
Just curious vulture culture when you buy a japaneese synth do you need a special type of converter or plug protection. I wanna make sure it doesn't mess up or explode. when you connect a old synth to a plug outlet here in north america? 220v+- 10% 50w 50hz synth what do I need.
I use this: VCT VT-200J Japanese Step Up / Down Voltage Transformer Converts Japan 100 Volts To 110V OR 110V to 100 Volt - 200 Watt,Black a.co/d/aoR2X4a Also I made a video about buying synths from Japan you should check out: ruclips.net/video/4a5T3enQLxQ/видео.htmlsi=mZpum4Pju9QgjSt2
My first synth was the Poly 800 II. i think i got it in 1987. I remember being utterly fascinated by the Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 that was on display at the synth shop in Orlando back then. it had an ethereal glow around it. :)
@@VultureCulture oh yeah. The shop was "Discount Music" with a large very tall sign that was clearly visible as you traveled along Interstate 4 in Orlando, FL. I was in need of some new sticks for my Ludwig 7-piece at home. After walking inside and seeing their synth section , which was the bigges tI had ever seen in all of my 17 years of existence at the time I immediately reordered my priorities and spent the next couple of hours with their Prophet 5, Emulator II, Jupiter 8, their DX7, there was the Oberheim that sounded just like it did in Van Halen's jump, and Rush's Moving Pictures album.. These were all brand new with their insane price tags letting me know they were all the top dogs there. I put on the headphones and was just stunned by the depth of the sound, and texture that I was hearing. Nothing I had ever touched or experienced at that time came close to the sounds I was hearing as I browsed the program numbers. That's exactly when my obsession with those brands and particular synths made there mark on me. It was 1986 and I remember the feeling and setting like it was yesterday.
Honestly, my is collecting the dust. I got it moded with slayer mod and it has delay time knob. got too many vintage korgs already and just got me UB-xa so I'll spending time with that. Sound-wise is very quirky and lo-fi but it'll add a vintage flare to any track. I would pick DW over it and P6 and P61 sounds much better and rewarding to play.
@@VultureCulture I haven't heard the OG so can't compare it but it sounds decent and very obie and heavy built. bit of high frequency roll of compared to obx8 but I have faith B will keep improving it. I dont regret getting it for about 1100usd
LOL, I just realized... where did you buy your cool lights from? You could make an episode all about lighting. I can see you just put a flatscreen behind the subject. But the green door.. A basic Lowel kit would do it, what do you use?
Now we all know you could run a wet fart through a microcosm and it'll sound like Enya, but I'm actually really curious to see what sounds you make with a 40 year old budget Synth. It's also one of the few that I've never had a vst it plug-in equivalent so I'm curious, as the iMonopoly is one of my favs for leads on ios.
I used a Poly800 back in the 80s and only because it was the cheapest synth that could play chords. I could hear it sounded thin and uninteresting compared to the kit-built monosynth I was also using - far better.
Saw your other video and of course YT fed me this one too. Funny how people choose to hate one thing over another. I've played the 800 and the Juno 106. I find the Juno filter to be a bit sludgy and mushy. I made some nice howling res patches on the Juno, but I can't afford a Juno now, whereas I own 2 Poly 800s. Juno does not have a dedicated envelope for the filter like the 800 does. People also complain because you can't "Play Filter" on it due to no knobs. Whatever, not everything needs to be hands on. Just use the envelope to sweep it. Whenever you see a poly800 on sale offer half going price. I got mine for 150 + 50 S&H. Found another locally with a dego case for 138. Korg made 100,000 of these. They are everywhere.Sorry, it's not a FIZMO.
Good video, but you missed something about the Mono/Poly (MP). You said the MP’s oscillators can’t be tuned to intervals, but that’s not the case! Here’s an easy way to do it: -Enable Poly mode -Enable Hold (optional, but try it) -Press a key, then another, etc. (no need to hold keys down if Hold is on) -Press Chord Memory -Play!
Ah, that's chord memory, which both the Polysix and Poly-800 have as well. A different but related function. Can you use it to store a fifth chord and then play two different notes for a total of 4 notes played back?
@@VultureCulture Chord Memory lets you set each osc to any pitch. Osc 1 will be the reference, and the other oscs can be set to the same*, higher, or lower pitches. * Using Poly and Hold makes it easy to assign the pitches one osc at a time. You can hit the root twice and then the fifth twice, for example. Hope that answers your question, but I’ll check back tomorrow. Maybe you can do a video on it!
A few extra odd Poly 800 tidbits: The EX expander is said to be velocity sensitive while the keyboard versions do not react to velocity via MIDI! I guess they figured that part of the MIDI specs out just in time for the EX but where to late for the slightly earlier keyboard version. Early days of MIDI, eh? And there also was a version of the V1 available with reversed color keys. I am not sure one can hear the difference though. 😁
Poly 800 was my first synth. Never liked it. In my first band, we used Roland D50 and Polysix. The D50 was amazing, but the Polysix almost always sat best within the song. I do own a Mono/Poly, I got it as a defective unit many years ago. Will try to find time to repair it some day, it is in quite good shape, not much used.
I’ve had my poly 800 for over a year, and it’s been great, but the detune isn’t working right (it works for a minute but then just stops completely) so I’m not playing it at the moment.
From Wikipedia: After production of the original keyboard ended in 1985, the enhanced Poly-800 MkII was released. It featured a digital delay instead of a chorus effect, and included limited MIDI SysEx functionality. It was produced until 1987.
I had both the PolySix and the 800 back in the 80s, so it wouldn't be fair for me to guess. I never liked the 800 and got rid of it quick smart. Still have the PolySix though. 350 is overpriced to be honest. I sold mine for 199 GBP in 87. 25 quid more than I bought it for.
@@VultureCulture none cheaper that I can think of. I think the Jen SX1000 is probably a bit more costly, its only a Mono, but is a much nicer synth. There was also a desktop module version of the Poly 800 - if you can pick one of those up for 2, 2 fiddy that would be better value than the keys version. My main problems with the 800, and the poly61 are the membrane controls, the led "screen" (lol) and the thin sound. I know the PolySix is only a single osc voice, but the chorus and ensemble effects are lush. Especially the ensemble. The sum really is greater than the whole. The JX3P might be the next in value, but for me It has exactly the same caveats as the 2 Korgs mentioned plus unless you get the programmer, its pretty much a preset synth. You could look at some of the RolandJV rack synths. Well, I guess they're romplers really, but they have a lot of features to play with. Yes, they're digital, but can come in at under 200 quid uk, depending on what version and how stacked it is.
@@VultureCulture Don't het me wrong, I'm not saying the Poly 800 is strictly a bad synth, thats just my personal opinion. But it is a biatch to program 😀
Ah yes the Lowly Poly 800. It was my first synthesizer and I bought it in 1984 for $600 brand new. I wanted something to emulate lush string sounds in the Poly 800 never failed me. I still have it by the way. I'll never sell it
@RebeccaTurner-ny1xx I was able to program some really thick strings in my livestream on it (linked at the end of the video) Bass patches are the only ones where the lack of low end really hampers it
hang on, you just gas lit me... i have an original MS20 and it has PWM, which you said it does not have. it's not voltage controlled, but it has it. i even did the mod to make it VC (easy mod to do). still have my Poly800 - the first synth i ever bought. great friggin little synth that could!!
I'm not sure but I feel like PWM refers to automatic modulation by an LFO, not manual pulse width adjustments, but maybe I'm dead wrong. I would love to mod mine to be the same as yours!
@@VultureCulture Totally not trying to bust on you, you know a metric shit ton about synths and I learn a lot from you, but my point is PWM refers to PWM, not the VC or LFO aspects of controlling it. To be honest, I'm not even sure if you can/cannot mod the PWM using the LFO - I haven't unpacked it in a year since my wood sides broke (which made it sound great)! The mod (for VC) is literally two wires and a jack - super easy. Love your channel, bud.
@schance1666 thank you! And yeah, you've made me reconsider my sloppy usage of the phrase and I need to figure out a phrase for automatic pwm vs manual pwm
@@VultureCulture Do you have an oldie or a mini? You can do the same mod on both (but i think the mini is all SMD, which might require some magnification!). PWM is one of my favorite synth thingies of all time. What an effect, so much depth. I'm def going to mod my Poly800 for the filter control, etc - that is, once I'm done rebuilding my JD800 and JP8000! Just finished my SQ80, ESQ1 and EPS16+. Man, what 13 years in storage will do to your synths!!!!
It is not about how each both sounds like. If you not making music and releasing your production, it is just a furniture or electrical appliance at home…
@@VultureCulture Clef B30 Microsynth. It was serialized in Practical Electronics magazine then released as a kit. I still have mine but the keyboard kept malfunctioning and I'm in the process of adding CV control and making it into a module.
@@VultureCulture If you search YT for "clef b30 fifth crusade" there's a recording I made in 1986. The EQ in the Tascam 244 was used quite a lot for sound sculpting in the recording and the mix.
@@VultureCulturehow are they similar? One has dco’s, one vco’s, one has knobs, one doesn’t. The digital parameter access on the 800 makes it radically different. The Monopoly & Poly 6 would have made more sense, in mono mode. They share the same components, and neither are made of plastic.
My guess was ABA, my process was "which example sounds the less impressive". WelI, I wasn't entirely wrong. I was correct to the respective extent of 33% 😁 Cheers!
@@VultureCulture Here in Australia, The Alpha Juno 1 is very cheap ((under $300 U.S.D sometimes). The Alpha Juno 2 is more expensive (around $700 U.S.D) and the rack version MKS-50 the most expensive of the Alphas (around $900 U.S.D). Bizzarely the Korg Poly 800 is at least $500 U.S.D, although the Mk II is a little cheaper.
You interchange “oscillator” and “voice”, which is both confusing and inaccurate. The 106 has one oscillator per voice of 6 voices - to say it has 6 oscillators would mean each voice has 6 sources of sound generation, which it doesn’t. The MonoPoly doesn’t have 4 oscillators, it has one oscillator for each of 4 voices. It’s a fairly important distinction. Love your content, tho. Nice to see the 800 getting some love! Oh, and the DW6000 has the same analog chorus as the 800, while the 8000 and 800MkII have the same digital modulated delay.
The Mono/Poly definitely does have 4 oscillators. Yes it breaks down to 1 osc per voice if you are playing it in poly mode. You can also play it in mono mode with 4 oscs all set to different waves, octaves, etc. There's also the unison/share mode that will divide the oscillators depending on how many keys you are playing.
I spoke intentionally. The Juno series really has 6 oscillators. I don't think anyone thinks I mean six oscillators per voice. This is important in a synth that has 8 oscillators but can double them up per voice for 4 voices. Thank you for the confirmation that it's the same chorus on the 6000! I thought it likely was but wasn't sure 🙏🙏
Okay, I was wrong on the first test. But you can hear that little ring on the second one ..and then couldn't tell on the third one again ... and I used it for years... So your purpose with this is thread justified. LOL Then lent it to my singer and he stole it from me when I was 20. What a little bastard.
Aww well... two years later (1993 )I bought an Oberheim Xpander, still have it. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up :) I worked with this this guy who was 10 years more experienced than me, and told him what I wanted in an analog synth, and he said they don't make what you want today, buy an old Xpander. Nowadays we have an analog resonance. @@VultureCulture
I would NOT recommend this keyboard unless you are a serious hobbyist. Yes this keyboard sounds great but it is not great to own. Tape-loaded memory patches that fail or are difficult to troubleshoot, scattered information about fixing the issues, no available patch sheets online. I don't think I'll be able to sell it for what I bought it for. Feels like an expensive brick. Maybe spending the few extra for a Juno is worth it.
I didn'like it, only 4 voices if using 2 osc per voice , sound with no depth at all. Much better the poly 61 or the juno 106 for that, that I have and like so much
Owned it back in the 80's and it killed all inspiration after owning a Juno 6. Limited analog, mostly first gen digital chips. The attack was so sloppy that i always rechecked if it really was set at zero. The paraphonic filter killed many music ideas. No hands on controls, which is the reason why JX8P is so inexpensive, even though it sounds wonderful. Poly 800 sounds like shit because it IS shit! A second hand JX3P would at least give usable sounds.
Reaction up front: Oh hell yes! You will hear the difference! Behringer however nailed the originals sound quite well in their replica of the Mono/Poly. So for a bit more then the money needed for a good second hand Poly 800 … 🤩😁👍
Got it Dead right but I owned the Poly 800 so I'm used to it. The third example had me torn where I thought both A & B had qualities that were admirable in that frequency range. Poly800 is an underdog but stands the test of time. BTW I think there is a Seil out there in the wild that has part of the same chip configuration. Props for hitting us with the mono signal and the LUFS balance.
Nice! Yeah I bet once I've gotten used to it I'll start to pickup on some of its give-aways. The oscillators are completely unique sounding. I need to learn about this Siel!
Hey man, i love the channel, and i love the idea, it's not about showing the expensives and showing there's magic all around in the world of synth. but there is one thing extremelly scandalous from someone doing what you are doing. HOW COME NO CZ YET ? ! ? You know your channel will not be complete untill you showed how the CZ is one of the king of synth, you know that dont you? you know that people hide the cz'z are hiddeen because they are affordable and popular, asnd neverthe less, they are as juicy and wet as a p------... Now bro you have been left alone for now because we like what you do, but, and this is a friend's advice, you should get a CZ man, and reveal the truth to the world, because if you dont, there might be a time when the 'BRING BACK THE CZ'z" movement will start hasling you. And believe me you wouldnt want that day to come...Come on bro, if i were you i'de think about it. I meen seriously., the kling of fucking the snobs aint got no CZ in da rack? Ha! What a joke... Come on man think about it, tonight when you go to bed, and tomorow when you dont shave, think !. ALL POZWER TO DA C'Z'L, sons of phase dist unite! the time has come.... so get yaself a 300 bux cz1k, and rock it! but maybe you just decided to keep the champ for the end... (lol love the channel bro, greetinmgs from france)
Thanks! I actually have a CZ-1 lurking in the background of a bunch of my videos but it's broken! I'm desperate to find another one that I can cannibalize for parts, need three new main chips (cpus?).
@@VultureCultureoh damn! wel i wish you to find one. I'm pretty shure you've got a follower somewhere that would be whilling to sennd one over, at least for parts... Did you try to see if those chips were findable somewhewre? UTSOURCE maybe, sometimes they have old stock from japanese gear
@@VultureCultureif i remember well, they have the yam fm chips. it's a bit like ali but only for electronic parts, and a lot of nos or even used stuff...
@TeslaDanser I was surprised it competes with the Polysix with the polyphonic stuff better than it does with the Monopoly, mostly because of the oscillators
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
It just needs some wood side panels and it will sound perfect.
😂😂😂😂
It actually had knobs at each end so you could use it as a keytar. The knobs thankfully were removable if you wanted them gone
"Everyone knows: the most important thing about how a synthesizer sounds is how it looks." ♥
The knobs change everything.
That's a tattoo worthy quote. So good.
@jessemair3684 😂😂
There's a lot of truth in that; so many people hear with their eyes.
@@MisAnnThorpenot me I look with my fingers.
The Poly 800 was my first synth back in 86. Its constraints make its sound quite distinctive.
I agree. Nothing to sniff at if you listen to it within that context.
Really excited to hear what you think about this comparison.
@@VultureCulture I’ll have to get back to you by then. 😁 I know both quite well but never compared them directly. Let’s put it this way: Both have theirs strengths and weaknesses. For most people the Poly 800 might be the better choice but as far as versatility goes there is no comparison. And I personally love the Mono/poly’s character. Both sound good though.
@@VultureCulture Oh wait a minute! I think I am starting to smell a wet rodent here! I expect some CS80 / CS70M comparison style conclusions anyway but could it be you found out that the Poly 800 actually physically uses a double portion of the Mono/Poly’s oscillators? 🤔
Yes, mine was a Poly 800 II (with the programmable delay/chorus). I had to beg my Dad for a whole year, and he got a promotion at work and bought it for me for Christmas when I was 15.
I still have my Poly 800 when bought new for me in 1984 by my dad. He passed 2 years later and that synth has been cared for like no other. Still have the OG manual and cassette to reload the programming. The cassette has been dubbed every couple of years to a new one to avoid media corruption. Love this synth.
Very awesome. My all time beat my expectations synth.
Full a bucket has a software version of Poly-800 called FB800. It has two modes of note, a vintage mode with the limitations of the original, snd “god mode” which has a separate filter per voice.
Nice! I definitely need to check it out on the channel sometime
@@VultureCulture FB-799 and FB-7999 are the Poly 800 and DW-8000 recreations. I have both. And compared to the actual hardware, it is really hard to hear much difference. I use both plugins on the road and leave the vintage gear in the studio
I have both the Poly-800 and the Poly-800 II... I recognized the "tone" and got the test correct.
The 800 was meant to ride the "strap-on" craze. I have the Poly-61, DW-8000, M1, N364 and an RK100. Korg was a beast in the 80s
So many classic synths from korg in that era.
Preference between the Poly-800 mkI and mkII?
@VultureCulture The only real difference is that the MKIII got rid of the chorus and replaced it with a delay. I think the chorus benefits the sounds creation more than delay
@@jknorratl I only have a mkI - did the mkII also add sysex for bank/patch?
Grateful for the wealth of knowledge in this lil mini doc. The context of it’s era, and how its relative to other synths of it’s time. This is a real treasure. Thank you for sharing✨
Appreciate you Jinji 🙏🙏🙏
I didn't guess as I had no clue. Neither does 99% of the people, even though they say they can. You ever see Jim Lill's air guitar test? Yet people still 'hear' how nice wood is on electrics
That's too funny! Yes I agree, the differences are a wash.
Sick video! Poly 800 was my first synth in 97. I have an ex800 with the hawk mod/computer- it blows up the potential of the synth, midi cc programming, an lfo that can mod another lfo or sweep the level of the osc ‘partials’
That's fascinating. I have to look into that!
I can definitely tell but I've had all of those synths. The Poly800 was my first synth and one of the only synths from my past that I have zero interest in getting again. All voices through a single filter, midi was OMNI only (useless. I think the MKII fixed that), and my Poly800 always had to be loaded up with heavy C-cell batteries or it would not save data. Not sure if mine was an early model and that was changed or if mine had a dead internal battery. That was before I understood any of that stuff. It did teach me synthesis and I quickly followed up the Poly800 with a Roland SH1000 ($200), a Mono/Poly, an ESQ1 (which taught me more synthesis and multi-track sequencing), and a Jupiter 4. All of it bought from bagging groceries and working at a gas station. Probably worth the money now if you want a cheap synth. I do get tempted to try a Poly800 with "Moog Slayer" mod sometimes but I never bother.
Great video Alex. Very well spoken, informed and layed out. You have really gotten good at this.
I always like to see the more polished edits like this and glad you finally tackled the poly 800!
Thank you Kenzie! 🙏🙏🙏
Wait... 2:06 was that Mario Kart?? 🤘
YES! Rainbow Road 😂😂
For shame. I had a poly800 in the late 90s and I got the answers 100% wrong! Haha.
I loved that synth. It has its niche for sure - those slow envelopes make it great for pads, synth strings and brassy sounds and the breathiness of its palette really lends to that. The EGs really give it a strength that you don't really find much in other synths. I love the way you can have a short envelope attack on one oscillator to give a punchy(ish) note with a shorter decay then longer break time and slope to a low sustain and set a really long attack on the second oscillator (or the noise) to gradually swell up through sustained notes and give a beautifully dynamic evolving sound. Coupled with the chorus and detune it really makes up for any criticism the synth snobs can throw at it about DCOs and unlike pretty much anything else around when it was released. I wish I'd had some of the outboard FX I have now back when I owned a Poly. Just adding an MS70 or an avalanche run on the back end would take this to a whole other level of lush texture.
I appreciate your honesty!
Yeah, it's a totally underrated synth that sonically can do a lot more than a lot of "classic" synths from that era.
I 100% agree with you especially about the strings. I loved it for that. Certainly it's not an Oberheim of course But it wasn't meant to be Either
You probably already know this, but Korg was pretty creative to use the oscillator chip used in many arcade machines (OKI MSM5232). So it is not a coincidence you can get “gameboy” sounds out of Poly-800.
This also explains why it was paraphonic - that chip had only 1 (or 2) outputs and generates all 8 voices. But there is control over volume of each channel in the chip though.
That is correct, even though each voice has its own amp the output is a single pin.
@@VultureCulture Great point, it's so surprising how they made the paraphony sound smooth and transparent. I can usually hear paraphony and it pisses me off.
Hey man. I love your videos, vibe and presentation. The Poly 800 is almost like a digital access control version of the synthesizer side of the Korg Delta. You should check one out if you can. (If you’ve not already, I should add).
I would love to check out a Delta sometime!
And thank you very much 🙏
Finally someone that knows how to explain and demo this synth without trashing it. I love it's sound. I use an EX800 which is full metal with knobs :) but no keys.
Nice! What controls do you have on the EX800?
@VultureCulture It's pretty much the same synth and controls minus keybed mod or pitch. it has a more complete midi implementation and the chorus is there. The knobs are volume parameter and value.
@VultureCulture There's an arcade soundchip heritage to this synth that could get it's price bumped up for chipmusic lover lore. Oki MSM5232
@33ordie nice!
@@VultureCulture See I just pulled it out of the closet now and I was wrong about the knobs, they are volume, tune and sequencer speed.... rofl no sliders. Up and down buttons to change values. I mean it is what it is, but it works great I programmed many patches on mine and it's not problematic.
Never thought on finding my old P800 here on YT. I got mine brand new in 1985 :-D still have it. Cool stuff, thanks for sharing. Example B sounds like mine ;-) unfortunately my wife destroyed it while cleaning my studio... no comments, please....
Nuuuuuuuu 😂😂
@@VultureCulture Yes, I know... Don't let the ladies do the cleaning in your studio, do it yourself... :-D lessons learned
hey Alex, I have an idea for the channel. There are so many times during streams that I want to hear patches in context , I think you should prepare three moments of zen to use in the live streams .
giant inktomi reverb reverb ready when you really get into an inspiring patch .
A diodes and rust drum pattern with an accompanying sequence for mono, unison, leads ,bass, sounds, etc, where you can play with parameters, rather than play against a drum beat.
and then a textural, icy digital droning neon Chronicles patch that you can stack pads on when you get something nice and warm going .
or conversely, a warm neon Chronicles patch, when you're doing a digital synth
That is a fantastic idea! 💡
I'm convinced listening to synths in solo results in such a skewed perception. Generally the bassiest synth wins. Whenever I go to use a synth like the DW-8000 in a mix it's borderline useless because it's so dark 😂
For me it is the interface of the MonoPoly as much as the sound that matters. I constantly end up in places I had no idea I was going when I first flip it on. Being able to cover a fair bit of pad, organ, and brass/wind section stuff is also a big plus, but you have to value WYSIWYG over patch storage to really love this synth - which I do. I know many hate Behringer, but for my budget them doing that clone was heaven sent.
Amazing review. Thank you
My pleasure!
Excellent video! This was my first synth and I loved it. I always ran it through guitar effect pedals to give it a little "help".
I don't have mine anymore, but Full Bucket Music made a FREE VST that sounds incredibly close to the real thing.
It's called Fury-800.
Edit: They also have a FREE Mono/Poly VST called Mono/Fury, but I never owned one, so I don't know if it's close or not.
Awesome! I'll have to check that out!
Yep. Heard it! But closer then I thought. Example A really had that Mono/Poly + Polysix touch. It’s off course a subjective matter but to me the older instruments sound more bombastic / orchestral. Still the Mono/Poly is the one to go for. It’s much more versatile. A giveaway can for instance be that the Mono/Poly has 2 modulation generators (Korg speak for LFO). Furthermore there are the cross mod effects section, individual waveform selection and detuning per oscillator, pitchend and expression wheels in stead of that darn joystick, etc. Put a good stereo chorus on a Mono/, add a good digital reverb and it really starts to shine.
This was an excellent demonstration.
Next do the Sequential Six Track.
Yes I know many other people have done one, but your review would be an hour and a half long, I love that.
While I think the SixTrak is awesome and a great value buy, because I have the Prophet 600 I don't think I'd get a lot out of it not present there sadly.
Great suggestion though! 🙏
The Korg Poly-800 is very good. Still, after 35 years. There are more expensive modern analog synths giving back less for more money.
Absolutely 👏
Guessed all three correctly as I own both the MonoPoly and the Poly 6 and they both have distinctive sounds. Great video and learned a lot. Perhaps a better comparison would be against the Poly61.
Yeah Poly 61 is going to have that more DCO sound for sure.
I had no idea as far as what to guess but I really enjoyed the video.
I'm glad you did! 🙏🙏🙏
Yes, the Poly has a few tricks up its sleeve and it's good fun to take this synth to its limits. First thing to check though is the battery compartment, as this is its one true weak spot!
I remember Chuck Level was a part of the ad campaign for the Poly-800. The picture was of him jumping in the air with the Poly-800 strapped around him like a Keytar.
If I remember, it had guitar hooks for a guitar strap to hook on.
It does in fact lol
Informative video as usual. Well done!
Appreciate you 🙏🙏🙏
The Poly 800 II was my first synth, I got it second hand in the late 80s for about £300 (#inflation?) It was the reverse keys model and came with a flight case, original manual and PSU. I still own it and love it. Oh and one if the great things about it was the strap tabs, yes I have used it as a keytar.
I need to keytar mine too!
Had a Poly 800 in the 80’s. Got rid of it due to aliasing and noise. May buy one again. I had a blast building sounds with mine!
Such a fun synth to program and highly underrated.
The MP4 can do a million things neither of the other two can do. Never had a Polysix but have played it at stores and friends' places. Had an EX-800 though. And I still have my MP4.
I mean, I think I covered the major differences, the arp, cross mod + hard sync
@@VultureCulture Gotta be honest I skimmed though the video. But there is no way the 800 can do all the stuff the MP4 can do. The MP4 also makes sounds that the 800 might be able to emulate, but you can also make sounds that the 800 would never be able to do. I also remember those things have a weird aliasing in the highs.. unless I had 2 broken ones with the same issue. Of course the price is great if that's all you have to buy an older synth but why not save up for a JX-3P instead when you are more than halfway there.
Used to own one so i got the sound test right. It has a very unique character that i actually still like. Maybe i should re-buy.
Any other retro synths you liked from back in the day?
Interesting. I was very close to purchasing a Poly 800 MK2 for my first synth. Ended up getting a DW8000 because of the 61 keys, velocity, and aftertouch.
I would rather have the DW-8000 as well. What was your second synth?
I've never owned that many, I've mostly been a sax player. Also do mainly software things (which I have a ton of) now. I owned the DW8000 for like 35 years. I used to have a Roland SC-33. I've also owned a Yamaha XG-50, Modal CRAFTsynth, and an IK Multimedia Uno Synth (the original one, which is my only hardware synth which I run through effects chains on iPad, laptop, or my Boss ME-50. I still use those Yamaha XG and Roland sounds in software, although there's a lot of better stuff around now. @@VultureCulture
Really nice, insightful walkthrough and, to be blunt, _much_ more interesting and in-depth than what I’d thought would just be click-bait. 😂 Subscribed!
Cheers on the, “We all know the most important thing affecting… sound is how it looks!” 😂 That said, I always thought the Poly-800 looked pretty cool; all the compact efficiency of an α-Juno but with that cool little programmer’s module humped up to one side. My chief complaint being the build quality and all that plastic not looking or feeling so good up close and personal.
I am really surprised to find out what a unique offering this is in the Korg Canon! I’ve personally disliked most Korg offerings (until recently; I’m shocked to discover I now own four Korg synths!) but this little Poly-800 seems not only extremely capable on its own merits but really can contribute a unique and welcome voice to a rig!
I was super excited when I bought a PolySix about 20 years ago, but that excitement quickly turned to disappointment. The sound was adequate but its practical synthesis capabilities were very limited relative to what I had hoped for.
Anyway, great comparison video!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video 🙏🙏🙏
What Korg synths do you have now?
@@VultureCulture hey there! I’ve got the opsix SE because I’m a sucker for marketing 😆 Oh! And because it’s one of the funnest synths I’ve ever played! Being able to twiddle like analog on a FM synth is seriously great. I also have the Prologue 8 which I find to be a very capable synth, definitely on the Good side of Korg sound, IMHO. Matching the Prologue is the Drumlogue; those two complement each other nicely both in sound and in workflow. I had a Nautilus but it didn’t excite me the way I thought it would - definitely a capable and fun instrument in its own way, but I found the workflow obtuse with too much reliance on the touch screen. So, in its place (?) I bought a DSS-1! 😆 I’d had one in my first “pro” studio back 25 years ago and am pleasantly surprised at how useful and capable it is today, not to mention how fun and even easy to use!
@mrdavies7894 that's awesome! I think the OPsix SE is the muscle car of FM synths!
🤣 Well put!
...being familiar with the specs I've guessed right, warmer sound than Polysix, monophonic VCF (could hear the restart), no PWM a..s. .f . & yes, POLY-800 is the most underrated vintage analogue & your quote "Cat nip for the musician" to me became already legendary.😆
Got them right but am honestly shocked! I had one back in the day and immediatelly dumped it when I got my D50. I actually missed it afterwards. Nice little guy that I completely forgot about!
Any other forgotten about synths you think I should check out?
It was pretty easy for my ears - that was fun
The Poly 800 was the first synth I ever bought back in 1991! Sadly it was later stolen but I loved it!
That's tragic!!
Mine was stolen too! It didn’t help that I think I left it outside at 4 am when unloading all my equipment from a bandmate’s car after a late gig! Not one of my smarter moments!
I'm afraid this review will make the Poly 800's price jump. I simply identified sounds from my childhood. I was looking for them in other equipment and couldn't find them, and now I want one. Thanks for the quality content and deep but comprehensible review.
I'm afraid of having that effect on the market as well. I like to think my channel is small enough that it's not major.
Thank you for your comment
It seems that the P800 already made a price jump last year. Because last time I looked just out of curiosity, it was around 200 (Euros), and now 300 is considered cheap. I remember that 5 years ago there were some offerings around 100. But that was before this synth got more popular. I have two of them, one half-dead (my original) and one for parts.I made many sounds on it, and I never missed knobs or faders, though I came from MS-20 and Sielorchestra 😉
Okay so I have a limited knowledge of this stuff: You said the 800 has MIDI. So am I able to control it using a MIDI pattern I write on Reaper, or can it be used to write MIDI patterns to the DAW? Would I be able to use it as a MIDI controller. Say, I fire up Spitfire Albion or Decent Sampler or Sample Science and I'd be able to manipulate those sounds from the Korg keyboard itself?
Absolutely!
@@VultureCulture Thanks~! 👍👍👍
The Poly 800 was my second synth in 1987 (1st was CZ-101) I considered it a proper synth, It sounded proper and fat compared to the Casio. Still have it today!. It's a special little gem with it's own character. Recorded tons with it. I just think it still gets slated for it's single filter, that was not much of an issue for me. Thank you for your video perfectly describing and comparing key differences between the three Korgie's.
It's much less of an issue than it seems like it would be! Any other faves from back then?
My back in the day my dream synths was a simple Roland Juno-106!. My all time dream synth was the Oberheim OBX. Behringer are doing wonderful things these days.@@VultureCulture
Just curious vulture culture when you buy a japaneese synth do you need a special type of converter or plug protection. I wanna make sure it doesn't mess up or explode. when you connect a old synth to a plug outlet here in north america? 220v+- 10% 50w 50hz synth what do I need.
I use this: VCT VT-200J Japanese Step Up / Down Voltage Transformer Converts Japan 100 Volts To 110V OR 110V to 100 Volt - 200 Watt,Black a.co/d/aoR2X4a
Also I made a video about buying synths from Japan you should check out: ruclips.net/video/4a5T3enQLxQ/видео.htmlsi=mZpum4Pju9QgjSt2
My first synth was the Poly 800 II. i think i got it in 1987. I remember being utterly fascinated by the Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 that was on display at the synth shop in Orlando back then. it had an ethereal glow around it. :)
Still does :)
Any other ethereal glow synths you remember?
@@VultureCulture oh yeah. The shop was "Discount Music" with a large very tall sign that was clearly visible as you traveled along Interstate 4 in Orlando, FL. I was in need of some new sticks for my Ludwig 7-piece at home. After walking inside and seeing their synth section , which was the bigges tI had ever seen in all of my 17 years of existence at the time I immediately reordered my priorities and spent the next couple of hours with their Prophet 5, Emulator II, Jupiter 8, their DX7, there was the Oberheim that sounded just like it did in Van Halen's jump, and Rush's Moving Pictures album.. These were all brand new with their insane price tags letting me know they were all the top dogs there. I put on the headphones and was just stunned by the depth of the sound, and texture that I was hearing. Nothing I had ever touched or experienced at that time came close to the sounds I was hearing as I browsed the program numbers. That's exactly when my obsession with those brands and particular synths made there mark on me. It was 1986 and I remember the feeling and setting like it was yesterday.
Honestly, my is collecting the dust. I got it moded with slayer mod and it has delay time knob. got too many vintage korgs already and just got me UB-xa so I'll spending time with that. Sound-wise is very quirky and lo-fi but it'll add a vintage flare to any track. I would pick DW over it and P6 and P61 sounds much better and rewarding to play.
Idk if I think my P6 sounds better objectively, it certainly sounds different. How are you liking the UBXa?
@@VultureCulture I haven't heard the OG so can't compare it but it sounds decent and very obie and heavy built. bit of high frequency roll of compared to obx8 but I have faith B will keep improving it. I dont regret getting it for about 1100usd
@Sonikbytes such incredible value
Well, it is not difficult to recognize which is which, osc of poly 800 is very specific
Surprisingly not one person posted their guesses yet lol
LOL, I just realized... where did you buy your cool lights from? You could make an episode all about lighting. I can see you just put a flatscreen behind the subject. But the green door.. A basic Lowel kit would do it, what do you use?
I basically just use Enttec Dmxis and a bunch of cheap led wash lights you can get off Amazon :)
Now we all know you could run a wet fart through a microcosm and it'll sound like Enya, but I'm actually really curious to see what sounds you make with a 40 year old budget Synth. It's also one of the few that I've never had a vst it plug-in equivalent so I'm curious, as the iMonopoly is one of my favs for leads on ios.
This is a video I've wanted to make for a long time!
2:07 what song is this from? It’s driving me crazy lol
Rainbow Road from Mario Kart
Wow! I, like many others, definitely slept on the Poly-800. Quite an underrated synth. It also has that Moog Slayer mod going for it.
I need to get mine modified and with filter FM as well
@@VultureCulture For some unknown reason I see modded module and key versions on CL in the deep south if you're up for a drive.
I used a Poly800 back in the 80s and only because it was the cheapest synth that could play chords. I could hear it sounded thin and uninteresting compared to the kit-built monosynth I was also using - far better.
Saw your other video and of course YT fed me this one too.
Funny how people choose to hate one thing over another.
I've played the 800 and the Juno 106. I find the Juno filter to be a bit sludgy and mushy. I made some nice howling res patches on the Juno, but I can't afford a Juno now, whereas I own 2 Poly 800s.
Juno does not have a dedicated envelope for the filter like the 800 does.
People also complain because you can't "Play Filter" on it due to no knobs. Whatever, not everything needs to be hands on. Just use the envelope to sweep it.
Whenever you see a poly800 on sale offer half going price. I got mine for 150 + 50 S&H. Found another locally with a dego case for 138.
Korg made 100,000 of these. They are everywhere.Sorry, it's not a FIZMO.
Agreed!
Good video, but you missed something about the Mono/Poly (MP). You said the MP’s oscillators can’t be tuned to intervals, but that’s not the case! Here’s an easy way to do it:
-Enable Poly mode
-Enable Hold (optional, but try it)
-Press a key, then another, etc. (no need to hold keys down if Hold is on)
-Press Chord Memory
-Play!
Ah, that's chord memory, which both the Polysix and Poly-800 have as well. A different but related function. Can you use it to store a fifth chord and then play two different notes for a total of 4 notes played back?
@@VultureCulture Chord Memory lets you set each osc to any pitch. Osc 1 will be the reference, and the other oscs can be set to the same*, higher, or lower pitches.
* Using Poly and Hold makes it easy to assign the pitches one osc at a time. You can hit the root twice and then the fifth twice, for example.
Hope that answers your question, but I’ll check back tomorrow. Maybe you can do a video on it!
@johnmahoney5393 I'll have to check it out!
A few extra odd Poly 800 tidbits: The EX expander is said to be velocity sensitive while the keyboard versions do not react to velocity via MIDI! I guess they figured that part of the MIDI specs out just in time for the EX but where to late for the slightly earlier keyboard version. Early days of MIDI, eh? And there also was a version of the V1 available with reversed color keys. I am not sure one can hear the difference though. 😁
I swear some of my commenters probably think they could 😂
@@VultureCulture Yep! 🤣
Nobody puts out stuff like this as consistently as Vulture, hit the button
🙏🙏🙏
I have both a Poly 800 and a Polysix. I got all of them right. :)
Nice! It seems like only the owners of 1 or more of the synths can tell them apart.
Love your channel btw!
The best “vintage” budget synth is a DSI Mopho keys for around 400.
Cheapest mopho keys on Reverb is $700 right now sadly.
@@VultureCulture it's a regional thing coz here they are 400 in the Netherlands
@TheTerracide fascinating
Poly 800 was my first synth. Never liked it. In my first band, we used Roland D50 and Polysix. The D50 was amazing, but the Polysix almost always sat best within the song. I do own a Mono/Poly, I got it as a defective unit many years ago. Will try to find time to repair it some day, it is in quite good shape, not much used.
D-50 vs Polysix is basically the dream setup.
I’ve had my poly 800 for over a year, and it’s been great, but the detune isn’t working right (it works for a minute but then just stops completely) so I’m not playing it at the moment.
Ugh that sucks! Do you have a synth tech in your area that could repair it?
@@VultureCulture I hope so. I’d love to hear that sick detune again some day.
The b are polysix, are a just one oscillator synth
Thank you for your guess!
Paid $25 for my Poly 800 in 2016, I think? A $50 MP and/or Poly 16 has so far eluded me.
Does the Mk 2 poly 800 have midi CC?
From Wikipedia: After production of the original keyboard ended in 1985, the enhanced Poly-800 MkII was released. It featured a digital delay instead of a chorus effect, and included limited MIDI SysEx functionality. It was produced until 1987.
Brilliant.
🙏🙏🙏
Is reverb a shop?
It's like eBay but for musical instruments.
I had both the PolySix and the 800 back in the 80s, so it wouldn't be fair for me to guess. I never liked the 800 and got rid of it quick smart. Still have the PolySix though.
350 is overpriced to be honest. I sold mine for 199 GBP in 87. 25 quid more than I bought it for.
Any cheaper synths from that era you do think are worth it?
@@VultureCulture none cheaper that I can think of. I think the Jen SX1000 is probably a bit more costly, its only a Mono, but is a much nicer synth. There was also a desktop module version of the Poly 800 - if you can pick one of those up for 2, 2 fiddy that would be better value than the keys version. My main problems with the 800, and the poly61 are the membrane controls, the led "screen" (lol) and the thin sound. I know the PolySix is only a single osc voice, but the chorus and ensemble effects are lush. Especially the ensemble. The sum really is greater than the whole.
The JX3P might be the next in value, but for me It has exactly the same caveats as the 2 Korgs mentioned plus unless you get the programmer, its pretty much a preset synth. You could look at some of the RolandJV rack synths. Well, I guess they're romplers really, but they have a lot of features to play with. Yes, they're digital, but can come in at under 200 quid uk, depending on what version and how stacked it is.
@@VultureCulture Don't het me wrong, I'm not saying the Poly 800 is strictly a bad synth, thats just my personal opinion. But it is a biatch to program 😀
New genre of synth videos..."snob shaming"! 🤣
YESSSSSSS
Fine in theory but most snobs - whether it be synths, wine, watches or anything else - take a pride in their snobbery!
Perhaps you might make a video on the Teisco 60f or its big brother/sister, the 110f, just to annoy the snobs?
B was smooth
Ah yes the Lowly Poly 800. It was my first synthesizer and I bought it in 1984 for $600 brand new. I wanted something to emulate lush string sounds in the Poly 800 never failed me. I still have it by the way. I'll never sell it
It's such a great synthesizer, totally underrated.
Lush string sounds? Poly-800? Hmmm... not really.
@@RebeccaTurner-ny1xx Meh... I liked it And granted this is 1983 i'm talking about but it sounded good to me and that's all that matters
@@butcharmstrong9645 Who could disagree?
@RebeccaTurner-ny1xx I was able to program some really thick strings in my livestream on it (linked at the end of the video) Bass patches are the only ones where the lack of low end really hampers it
hang on, you just gas lit me... i have an original MS20 and it has PWM, which you said it does not have. it's not voltage controlled, but it has it. i even did the mod to make it VC (easy mod to do). still have my Poly800 - the first synth i ever bought. great friggin little synth that could!!
I'm not sure but I feel like PWM refers to automatic modulation by an LFO, not manual pulse width adjustments, but maybe I'm dead wrong. I would love to mod mine to be the same as yours!
@@VultureCulture Totally not trying to bust on you, you know a metric shit ton about synths and I learn a lot from you, but my point is PWM refers to PWM, not the VC or LFO aspects of controlling it. To be honest, I'm not even sure if you can/cannot mod the PWM using the LFO - I haven't unpacked it in a year since my wood sides broke (which made it sound great)! The mod (for VC) is literally two wires and a jack - super easy. Love your channel, bud.
@schance1666 thank you! And yeah, you've made me reconsider my sloppy usage of the phrase and I need to figure out a phrase for automatic pwm vs manual pwm
@@VultureCulture Do you have an oldie or a mini? You can do the same mod on both (but i think the mini is all SMD, which might require some magnification!). PWM is one of my favorite synth thingies of all time. What an effect, so much depth. I'm def going to mod my Poly800 for the filter control, etc - that is, once I'm done rebuilding my JD800 and JP8000! Just finished my SQ80, ESQ1 and EPS16+. Man, what 13 years in storage will do to your synths!!!!
@schance1666 yikes! I have one of the old rev2 models
It is not about how each both sounds like. If you not making music and releasing your production, it is just a furniture or electrical appliance at home…
I wanted one back in the 80s but couldn't afford it. I built a kit monosynth instead.
Nice. Which kit?
@@VultureCulture Clef B30 Microsynth. It was serialized in Practical Electronics magazine then released as a kit. I still have mine but the keyboard kept malfunctioning and I'm in the process of adding CV control and making it into a module.
@@VultureCulture If you search YT for "clef b30 fifth crusade" there's a recording I made in 1986. The EQ in the Tascam 244 was used quite a lot for sound sculpting in the recording and the mix.
@oldunclemick nice;
These 2 synths are radically different in design. Why compare them?
They're pretty similar paraphonic synths from the same company released 2 years apart.
@@VultureCulturehow are they similar? One has dco’s, one vco’s, one has knobs, one doesn’t. The digital parameter access on the 800 makes it radically different.
The Monopoly & Poly 6 would have made more sense, in mono mode. They share the same components, and neither are made of plastic.
My guess was ABA, my process was "which example sounds the less impressive". WelI, I wasn't entirely wrong. I was correct to the respective extent of 33% 😁 Cheers!
Thank you for commenting your guesses!
I would argue the Roland Alpha Juno is better, as well as cheaper.
Guessing we'll see the head-to-head soon
Cheaper than $340?
We very well may!
@@VultureCulture Here in Australia, The Alpha Juno 1 is very cheap ((under $300 U.S.D sometimes). The Alpha Juno 2 is more expensive (around $700 U.S.D) and the rack version MKS-50 the most expensive of the Alphas (around $900 U.S.D). Bizzarely the Korg Poly 800 is at least $500 U.S.D, although the Mk II is a little cheaper.
@lundsweden yeah theyre a lot cheaper here and the alpha Juno tends to sell around $500
I was alive in 1985 and no one wanted a monosynth with no MIDI.
Even in 1995 lol. But prices were starting to rise by then for old synths.
And especially one that couldn't save patches.
*The Cheapest Vintage Analog*
"That's ridiculous the Alpha Juno is...... oh ..... damn."
😂😂😂
well f. I just selected which one sounded better and it was B-A-A
😂 Thank you for your honesty!
You interchange “oscillator” and “voice”, which is both confusing and inaccurate. The 106 has one oscillator per voice of 6 voices - to say it has 6 oscillators would mean each voice has 6 sources of sound generation, which it doesn’t. The MonoPoly doesn’t have 4 oscillators, it has one oscillator for each of 4 voices. It’s a fairly important distinction.
Love your content, tho. Nice to see the 800 getting some love!
Oh, and the DW6000 has the same analog chorus as the 800, while the 8000 and 800MkII have the same digital modulated delay.
The Mono/Poly definitely does have 4 oscillators. Yes it breaks down to 1 osc per voice if you are playing it in poly mode. You can also play it in mono mode with 4 oscs all set to different waves, octaves, etc. There's also the unison/share mode that will divide the oscillators depending on how many keys you are playing.
I spoke intentionally. The Juno series really has 6 oscillators. I don't think anyone thinks I mean six oscillators per voice. This is important in a synth that has 8 oscillators but can double them up per voice for 4 voices.
Thank you for the confirmation that it's the same chorus on the 6000! I thought it likely was but wasn't sure 🙏🙏
Wait, what? Say that again… Poly-polyphonic anti-log oscillated ocelot something or other? LOL! 😆😂🤣 (Sorry! -Good. Meds today!)
✌🏻😎🎹🌴🌞
Okay, I was wrong on the first test. But you can hear that little ring on the second one ..and then couldn't tell on the third one again ... and I used it for years...
So your purpose with this is thread justified.
LOL Then lent it to my singer and he stole it from me when I was 20. What a little bastard.
That bastard!
Thank you for commenting your guesses! 🙏🙏
Aww well... two years later (1993 )I bought an Oberheim Xpander, still have it. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up :)
I worked with this this guy who was 10 years more experienced than me, and told him what I wanted in an analog synth, and he said they don't make what you want today, buy an old Xpander.
Nowadays we have an analog resonance. @@VultureCulture
The Poly-800 is paraphonic, so technical it is'nt a poly synth.
Did you watch the video? I break down paraphony as well as all of the differences between the synths.
"Everyone knows the most important thing about how a synthesizer sounds is how it LOOKS... " ROTFL
I'm glad that joke hit 😂😂
I would NOT recommend this keyboard unless you are a serious hobbyist. Yes this keyboard sounds great but it is not great to own. Tape-loaded memory patches that fail or are difficult to troubleshoot, scattered information about fixing the issues, no available patch sheets online. I don't think I'll be able to sell it for what I bought it for. Feels like an expensive brick. Maybe spending the few extra for a Juno is worth it.
What do you mean by tape loaded patches failing? You're not able to load patches via cassette or audio file off the Internet?
I didn'like it, only 4 voices if using 2 osc per voice , sound with no depth at all. Much better the poly 61 or the juno 106 for that, that I have and like so much
No doubt the 61 and 106 are great. Any other cool synths from this era I should check out?
Owned it back in the 80's and it killed all inspiration after owning a Juno 6. Limited analog, mostly first gen digital chips. The attack was so sloppy that i always rechecked if it really was set at zero. The paraphonic filter killed many music ideas. No hands on controls, which is the reason why JX8P is so inexpensive, even though it sounds wonderful. Poly 800 sounds like shit because it IS shit! A second hand JX3P would at least give usable sounds.
Idk man, to my ears this synth can sound pretty damn good. The mk II fixed the attack envelopes, although I don't mind them.
Reaction up front: Oh hell yes! You will hear the difference! Behringer however nailed the originals sound quite well in their replica of the Mono/Poly. So for a bit more then the money needed for a good second hand Poly 800 … 🤩😁👍
Monopoly clone is my favorite behringer synth
@@lorensteele2962 Still thinking about getting one to at last fill the Mono/Poly-les hole in my heart. 😁
@@marcbrasse747 ruclips.net/video/ri0xqUuWEOg/видео.htmlsi=zZ6zlIjMmAaFXJ59
Got it Dead right but I owned the Poly 800 so I'm used to it. The third example had me torn where I thought both A & B had qualities that were admirable in that frequency range. Poly800 is an underdog but stands the test of time. BTW I think there is a Seil out there in the wild that has part of the same chip configuration. Props for hitting us with the mono signal and the LUFS balance.
Nice! Yeah I bet once I've gotten used to it I'll start to pickup on some of its give-aways. The oscillators are completely unique sounding. I need to learn about this Siel!
hi
Hello there!
a, b, b poly800
lol, at least I got the difference right
You're the first person to actually be brave enough to comment their guesses! So thank you!
Hey man, i love the channel, and i love the idea, it's not about showing the expensives and showing there's magic all around in the world of synth. but there is one thing extremelly scandalous from someone doing what you are doing. HOW COME NO CZ YET ? ! ? You know your channel will not be complete untill you showed how the CZ is one of the king of synth, you know that dont you? you know that people hide the cz'z are hiddeen because they are affordable and popular, asnd neverthe less, they are as juicy and wet as a p------... Now bro you have been left alone for now because we like what you do, but, and this is a friend's advice, you should get a CZ man, and reveal the truth to the world, because if you dont, there might be a time when the 'BRING BACK THE CZ'z" movement will start hasling you. And believe me you wouldnt want that day to come...Come on bro, if i were you i'de think about it. I meen seriously., the kling of fucking the snobs aint got no CZ in da rack? Ha! What a joke... Come on man think about it, tonight when you go to bed, and tomorow when you dont shave, think !. ALL POZWER TO DA C'Z'L, sons of phase dist unite! the time has come.... so get yaself a 300 bux cz1k, and rock it! but maybe you just decided to keep the champ for the end... (lol love the channel bro, greetinmgs from france)
Thanks!
I actually have a CZ-1 lurking in the background of a bunch of my videos but it's broken! I'm desperate to find another one that I can cannibalize for parts, need three new main chips (cpus?).
@@VultureCultureoh damn! wel i wish you to find one. I'm pretty shure you've got a follower somewhere that would be whilling to sennd one over, at least for parts... Did you try to see if those chips were findable somewhewre? UTSOURCE maybe, sometimes they have old stock from japanese gear
@baddriddimworkshop I hadn't heard of utsource ill have to check it out!
@@VultureCultureif i remember well, they have the yam fm chips. it's a bit like ali but only for electronic parts, and a lot of nos or even used stuff...
ABB
Could NOT be more wrong😅
hahahaha it was a revealing test
I did the thing not to do; the one that sounds worse is the poly800. Turns out I really like the poly800 haha
@TeslaDanser I was surprised it competes with the Polysix with the polyphonic stuff better than it does with the Monopoly, mostly because of the oscillators
@@VultureCulturemonopoly definitely in my top 10 of synths that'll never go away