Korg DW8000, Mono/Poly, MS-20...

--- In DW8000@yahoogroups.com, "Alexander" <arf_hotdogdeity@y...> wrote:
> I almost bought a poly61, they any good? (i got a poly800 instead...
> nice little board. but you gotta play around with it to get anything
> that doesnt sound like a nintendo)


I got a Poly800 last year and sadly, I just don't like it at all.  It's in perfect shape, but I have 
to agree with you, it sounds like a nintendo.  -Actually, I think I've heard better sounds 
from a nintendo.  The synthesis is subtrative filtering, basically the same as a DW8000, 
but you only have two waveforms to start with sawtooth and square), and the keyboard 
isn't velocity or aftertouch sensitive.  -Not that I'm complaining about what it is, I mean for 
its day, it was fine, especially against synths like the Yamaha DX-100.  

To me, its greatest weaknesses are:  (1) Lack of any complex waveforms.  It just has two.  
(2) 4 note polyphony.  (3) No velocity sensitivity.  (4) No aftertouch sensitivity.

It has a pretty nice filter sweep, but that's about it.  Without velocity or aftertouch, every 
sound, even interesting ones, starts to sound pretty mechanical really fast.  

It can also run off batteries and has attachment points for a guitar strap, which is pretty 
cool, but you'd still need audio or midi cables to play it live, and without velocity or 
aftertouch, it's not terribly useful as a controller for other sound modules.

I think I'll probably be selling my Poly 800, as its sounds are just too simple, especially 
without any velocity control for expressive dynamics.