$309 💸 Vintage Analog Synthesizer Shouldn't Sound This Good | Korg Poly 800

[@VultureCulture]

Need a free, great-sounding chorus and reverb plugin? Check out Inktomi: vultureculture.live/pages/inktomi

[@VincentPresley]

Since I had no idea what any parameters meant when I bought this as a teenager, I used to roll D&D dice to make patches. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t but I love that I was nerdy enough to do that. Then I wrote down all the parameters for every single patch in a mini Star Wars notebook. I still have it.

[@VultureCulture]

That is so freaking awesome! 🐉

[@griffithmorgan4966]

Vincent, those of us who know you in other places have known for a very long time that you are a nerd. :P Speaking of D&D have you watched my documentary, Secrets of Blackmoor yet?

[@VincentPresley]

@@griffithmorgan4966 Busted! I’ll have to look that up. Maybe watch Mazes and Monsters again too.

[@kenzieprice6745]

Synth snobs just dont get it. It's not really about features anymore. You know people still like to play pianos and guitars? There are infinite choices now. Free soft synths with more features than your expensive analogs! Paraphonic synths play differently than polyphonic. You can do cool things with them. Not worse, not better, just different. To me it's about unique sound character, workflow, and overall vibe. The poly 800 has it. It's really common in indie rock and synthwave circles. Good thing they don't spend all of their time reading synth snob forums to convince them they should hate it.

[@VultureCulture]

THIS COMMENT. Look I love the big, bad analogs but truthfully this little synth with it's fat filter is actually special and great sounding. Can it beat a Juno at what it does? Probably not but it's close.

[@griffithmorgan4966]

I think this is a really relevant comment. According to the gear crowd if you do not have the proper synths then you clearly can't make synth music. Also, you may be playing an old synth that has been deemed to be garbage. If you can't buy into the synth club by getting the latest greatest then you definitely aren't making true synth music. The sense of exploration seems to have disappeared from synth music. I rarely hear something where I am charmed to see an interesting combo of things or a creative new approach in regard to some minor detail.

[@RetroPlus]

I remember you, and i totally agree with this!

[@kenzieprice6745]

@RetroPlus It's always fun spotting your comments on the most random dark depths of youtube videos! We must have the same tastes. Ya'll check out the new hawk 800 mod the developer is working on for these. Sounds pretty fun.

[@MikaelNitscheDrums]

I love this synth so much, and that's not nostalgia speaking either! All those limitations and quirky things add upp to a very unique sounding synth that's dark and gritty but also bright and sparkly. It's basically what a dark cyberpunk reboot of My Little Pony would be like in a synth.

[@VultureCulture]

Such a great analogy 😂

[@griffithmorgan4966]

I am a huge fan of it as well. I post badly made videos of my badly played music on youtube. I did a test recording a while back using a poly800 going through 3 cheap Iset reverbs and was able to get that reverb overdrive sound. Poly800 can sound amazing going through guitar pedals and you can look up the video if you are at all interested. I have a sense of humor about my synthin and since everyone is so pompous about this stuff, I used the mock title on the video of: Solo For Korg Poly800. (a pretend academic sounding title like I have a clue what I am doing.) It also just screams if you put it through an earthquaker afterneath pedal.

[@peter160266]

The korg poly 800 was my first "serious" synthesizer, bought it New in 1984. I developed many new sounds, write them on paper and sold on the Dutch market, long time before internet. I placed an add in the dutch magazine "music maker" selling 20 sounds. It was fun to do and earn some money with my synth. Of course it was a pleasure to make music with the poly 800 🎹🎹🎹

[@VultureCulture]

That is so freaking cool! Goede tijden!

[@Duncan_1971]

Was at college in 1989. Spoke to the music department and got the key to use this during my lunch breaks for a few months. It's a wonderful little synth! I think they were pleased that someone was making use of it.

[@VultureCulture]

Such a great instrument! Any other synths you messed around with?

[@decimal1815]

Ah, back in the days when schools and colleges had cash to buy synths!

[@nedpedersen3661]

My first synth, leading to many, many others. Took it out to the curb when it wouldn't power on anymore. Didn't realize, or forgot, that it can run on batteries, which I neglected to try. Last year, I got nostalgic and bought another one, which I keep warm with frequent play. Thanks for giving it the video treatment.

[@VultureCulture]

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@UcPhotos.Online]

Nice demonstration of how just by manipulating the filter envelope shapes you can get so many fantastic different sounds. I am definitely going to experiment more with filter envelope shapes when playing on synths !

[@VultureCulture]

Especially with 6-stage envelopes like this, they're incredibly flexible!

[@LouisSerieusement]

in the poly800, the sound source comes from a chiptune (one that was used in arcade games) that korg utilized to deliver 8 voices of polyphony. so there is no VCO, they called it DCO but all comes from the chip (the OKI MS-M5232) The chip schematics were lost in times so no one knows what's inside the chip. I like to think about it as an hybrid synth, VCF and chorus are analog but sound source is this unusual chiptune sound source. Great video

[@griffithmorgan4966]

I was just pondering if the POLY800 was "Analog" or not. You've answered my question. Interesting to know it is kind of digital. Still sounds awesome as hell.

[@LouisSerieusement]

@@griffithmorgan4966Yeah in this synth the line between digital and analog is really blurred. Also it depends on your definition. I talked to an engineer that considered the poly800 as analog, because the clock was analog (and it clocks the oscilators). And yes it sounds awesome, I love it :D

[@VultureCulture]

@LouisSerieusement yeah, it's more analog than a Juno 106 in that sense which has a digital clock it divides down

[@michaelkampf1001]

i got this synth in 1984..we had our first school band...the poly 800 does van halens jump sound and springsteens glory days or i m on fire...more was not needed in the eighties :)))) i still use the poly today....

[@VultureCulture]

It really is a great instrument capable of some fantastic sounds!

[@charleslee1879]

I'm pretty sure they used multiple Oberheim OBX's (or the other similarly named model) on Jump, but one of the 800s built in patches does sound very similar)

[@VultureCulture]

@charleslee1879 yeah probably a layered OB-X

[@markkleinschmidt99]

I have a Poly800 stored in the attic back from the 80s including the cassette with files on it

[@VultureCulture]

Nice! Maybe time to bust that bad boy out and play with it some!

[@fortnermedia3994]

The Poly-800 was my first synth at age 15. Never understood why it got so much hate over the years. Despite the limited polyphony it was very capable and I squeezed every drop of sonic variety out of it.

[@VultureCulture]

There is a lot to squeeze!

[@wackerburg]

I love mine! Lucky to have the reversed-colour-edition

[@VultureCulture]

Nice!! 🖤

[@dwaynecarroll6098]

I had a lot of fun programming mine. It’s on my list to re-purchase!

[@VultureCulture]

It's really not as bad as people make it seem.

[@griffithmorgan4966]

I got mine for 150 and 138 with a case. Yup, I own 2 of them! Since the synth is hated they just sit on the sales sites for months. Look for an ad that has been up for a a couple weeks, or longer, and message a low ball offer. Hardly anyone wants these and you can get them for nothing. just make offers and if they reject you, be polite and say thanks. Then you move to the next seller. Sooner or later someone will cave and you will score a deal.

[@JohnBassarcticsoundstudios]

The flute sound was my favorite. And the hold button on it.

[@VultureCulture]

Flute sound is pretty special

[@petercarrington948]

I had a Korg DW6000 which is very similar. It gets regularly panned but I loved it.

[@VultureCulture]

Dw6000 is sick, same chorus and filter! Any other synths you love from that era?

[@petercarrington948]

@@VultureCulture I had a Juno 6 , SH09 but I also had the very underrated Elka EK22 which was brilliant! Other favourites I didn't own were the Korg Polysix (although battery leakage was a concern) and the Roland JX3P. Also always dreamed of owning a Pro One.

[@LucyOLastic]

I borrowed this synth and I got a few songs out of it using the chord memory function which was interesting. I'd pop a major 7th chord in there and be amazed how it somehow it played back what sounded like inversions, or minor 7th chords too. I worked out some good jazzy chord progressions I would have struggled to get otherwise, played with one finger. It's a very fizzy sounding synth, which I liked. It had dark tones too. The joystick was very useful too. They should reissue it.

[@VultureCulture]

It is way more cool than it's reputation would have you believe! Any other cool synths from back in the day that you liked?

[@hummer222]

43:50 the sound of 1984 right there 😊👾🕹️📼

[@VultureCulture]

Such an awesome patch!

[@giovaxx69]

I remember I reverse engineered its firmware and patched it to make the cutoff filter respond to dedicated MIDI CC messages in realtime. It improved a lot and wondered why Korg didn't implemented it in the first place. That was back in 1990!

[@VultureCulture]

Would have been a game changer!

[@LouisSerieusement]

I have two poly800 in rack version (EX-800). One that is modified with atomahawk and one non modified. My favourite synth, went into it because they are cheap (have them for 250euros (each), one 6 years ago or so, and one this year)

[@VultureCulture]

What's the atomahawk mod?

[@LouisSerieusement]

@@VultureCultureit's a guy in the US selling kits to mod the poly/ex800. it basically replaces the CPU and firmware : it gives you FM mod for VCF, 2 filter slopes (24/48db, because filter design can do this from the start but the mod gives you access). Ultra high resonance (on/off), 4 differents LFO's, and velocity for the cutoff, and 2 velocity operators for any of the ENVs stages (velocity is the best of this mod). Also a protocol using 2 midi CC to map any parameters of the synth (I use this for the cutoff obviously, because I did not soldered any pots on it) The only downside is that it is such a pain to master this level of complexity on this tiny screen. it took me years to get a good grasp on it, but love it. Also can make the synth a bit slow to react to notes events if you push it too much. the website to order the kits is hawk800.com (well there are none for sell right now because he is designing the new version "hawk832") Sorry for the book I just wrote x) Cheers from France :D !

[@serhiymarchenko8361]

For Poly-800 mk.1 there is SysEx mod available - MDK. My understanding it uses code from Poly-800EX (module) and “maps” (switches) code memory on the fly between SysEx and keyboard scanner code.

[@VultureCulture]

Ahhh super cool!

[@irradix213]

This was the one for my studio mentor,, he gave me one of them but that whole studio got cleaned out while i was out of town looking at another to move into, that cleared that up, I'll probably get another for this retrofuturist horror rig

[@Gerald_Daniel]

I've taken a break from social media and am catching up on the marathon tonight and really have to claim that the POLY-800 is definitely worth buying, not just the Alphas; but one thing that's true for almost any synths, of course applies to the Poly-800 as well. One can make it sound same stupid as totally great. That's a general statement not a personal.

[@VultureCulture]

Welcome back!

[@geoffk777]

The Poly-800 was my first (kind-of) poly synth. I got it new in 1985 and the reason was simple--it was the cheapest thing on sale, so I could (just barely) afford it. It was light and compact and some of the sounds were Ok, but I can't recommend one today and I trashed my original one. First off, the Poly is not a true polysynth--it is paraphonic, with all voices sharing one filter and envelope. This means that you can't hold notes and play new notes with proper articulation because the original notes are still holding the single filter and envelope open. It's actually a huge limitaion. Next, there are no performance controls--just a single set of up/down buttons. Tis was common on synths of the era like the DX7, but it means that changing anything in live performance is basically impossible. It's sold as an 8-voice synth, but it's very thin in that mode, with only a single oscellator pervoice. It's really a 4-voice synth for any half-way decent sounds. And even in 4-voice mode, man people complained that it sounded "toy-like" at times. The analog chorus is nice, but noisy and the sequencer is handy for loops, but not especially powerful or versatile. The keyboard is ok, but the joystick is very fragile (mine broke) and AC power uses a wall-wart. In general, the build is plasticky and cheap. So what should you get instead? For an inexpensive polysynth, a Modal Cobolt 5 blows this away with better oscillators, velocity sensitivity and aftertouch, true polyphony and better effects. Plus you can get one for about $300 brand new with a warranty. If you really want the Poly-800 sound and experience, than Fury-800 is a *free* VST that sounds very close to the original and has the identical interface and feature set. Side brag: I spent a lot of time twaking my old Poly for different sounds and I actually hit on a chourus, vocal-like sound. I actually got this patch published by Keyboard magazine in the 80's.

[@VultureCulture]

That side brag is awesome! If you ever get a chance to find a link or a photocopy send it my way!

[@mitchelstephen7536]

Aww don't feel bad, The Kawai K1 was the first synth I bought (my dad bought me the Poly 800) from my summer job when I lived with my parents, when I was 17. I have some of the very most expensive analogs now, an Oberheim Xpander, Jupiter 6, MKS 80 with the programmer.... but that isn't the point of Alex's review. kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6fUYXubgbt8bq8

[@schance1666]

Worked all summer in a sandwich shop at 16 to buy this synth for $325. Still got it! My first poly-synth. Great synth, especially for the money!

[@VultureCulture]

A true classic that goes too often overlooked!

[@byronvisiado09]

I love this synth! I bought one fo these some years ago for $180. It was my first analog synth. It's synthwave in a box bascially haha. Got some great use out of it but then the plugin version of it came out and it's so good that I stopped using it :(. Ended up trading it for an MS-20.

[@VultureCulture]

If I could trade mine for a second MS-20 I would 🤣 Any other greats from back then I should check out?

[@sacaircooled]

Great synth! I own one as well

[@TheRyanKirk]

I have one that won’t power on. It was my dad’s and I played it a ton when I was a kid. I don’t think it’s the external power cord… I’ve yet to open it up though. Any suggestions?

[@VultureCulture]

I'd recommend finding a good synth tech in the area, unless you're handy with electronics. Best of luck!

[@baddriddimworkshop]

I have been thinking about geting an EX, the expander version, you can find em for 300, and later when a good period comes i could do some mods myself. I'm really fond of big mega poly analog keyboards but i'm more of a producer and i dont play that well to take full adantage by playing anyway. Lately ui have been investing a bit in gear, one of those sessions you do once every ten years, well now that i aint a kid no more, and can have the money, i learned of myself that i wasnt able to spend 5k in a synth... In a big station i maybe could, but at the end for my poly analog i found me a good bargain on a prophet 08... So just as a producer and pretty used and versed in sound design, i'm thinking one of those could be a cool add-on for the cost; the big sound is there, and if it's a sequencer playing it, honestly if this has two VCOs, it's still a better option regarding price and sound quality than a bunch of equivalents with knobs out there... and then adding options and boxes is always of great fun.... Oh, and the EX is in metal...

[@billrebsamen1810]

Yes the brassy pad at 20:00 in... I agree!... and from a $300 synth. Yeah... you could score a John Carpenter movie with this bad boy and a few effects pedals!

[@VultureCulture]

Totally!

[@AlineKiler123321]

The last patch y 1:34:59 ou made took me right into a analog dream awesome you could easily play it for hours and hours incredible what you could do with that forgotten synth. I once had a polysix back in 1983 but this is so heavy. Thanx from TAO from Sweden

[@VultureCulture]

Cheers! Glad you enjoyed the stream! 🙏

[@themurph]

Guitar strap that bad boy

[@VultureCulture]

YES SIR!

[@corticallarvae]

I loved the poly for what it was… when I had one… I would get another even though I have a wall of eurorack madness..

[@VultureCulture]

One day I must take the eurorack plunge

[@PHAEDRIDER]

i had one, modded the filter and everything . it really is a great synth, but i sold it because i already had a few polysynths. that was , like , 15 years ago and the guy i sold it to still has it and says the filter mod is why .

[@VultureCulture]

I really want to filter mod mine!

[@oscarvanderburgh9915]

Ha! I’m very confused about how this synths creates polarized opinions. I think it’s fair to say that it was a cheap synth. But it breaths 80’s and it has it’s own character. It’s absolutely a great deal for a small group of ppl!

[@VultureCulture]

I agree! It's absolutely stellar for capturing beautiful 80's tones.

[@stefanpaulus7594]

A good opportunity for young people who don't have much money yet. I also had all the affordable classics from Korg.

[@VultureCulture]

Always wanted to check out a Poly-61, I think that's the last cool affordable Korg since I haven't tried

[@urh8523]

I love this synth. I have one of those myself. Great poly synth.🤗

[@VultureCulture]

It really is! Any other favorites?

[@MS-1]

Sample pack of the C2 notes from all the patches run through your analog gear please lol? I been feeding my microfreak a steady diet of analog synths to fatten her up.

[@VultureCulture]

I need to make this happen!

[@lenochod7950]

I have two, like the earlier version with chorus more though. It is capable of producing some seriously perverted analog basses 🤘😝

[@VultureCulture]

Love a perverted bass!!

[@mrkeeny]

Deviants

[@AnthonyPtak]

I got one at a garage sale for $7. In 2004, sold it for $200. Regrets forever. The synth also had battery power capacity and could be used as letter. I restored the patches to factory settings and replaced the coin battery backup.

[@VultureCulture]

Ugh that's painful! Did you get any cool synths to replace it?

[@marcbrasse747]

The V2 version with the stereo delay is more versatile but the one shot chorus of the V1 surely has character. There however is one aspect in which it clearly does not sound as expensive as the competition. It’s paraphonic so everything you play goes through one single filter. So no chance to play anything really complicated in one go. Furthermore the layering option makes it only 4 voice in stead of 8 voice. But it was a real pricebreaker and if one’s playing skills sucked anyway, like mine did at the time, its limitations did not matter that much. Still glad I went for the Mono/Poly even before the Poly 800 came out though. Even in spite of the BIG price difference. By the way: Ever heard of the Moog-slayer mod for the Poly 800. It’s easy and makes it sound even better. Google it! 😁

[@VultureCulture]

I definitely want to Moog Slayer mine now that I've done a couple videos on it

[@perfectpitch4151]

Cheers Alex! Unrelated to this vid, but perhaps you or your community have ideas... For live shows, I'm currently using a mox6 for bread and butter keyboard sounds (accoustic and electric piano). Mox6 is quite limited in that respect. Can you recommend any synth or modules or vst plugin with better accoustic and electric piano sounds (Several samples per note type of deal with organic/natural dynamics)? Without breaking the bank... Thanks!

[@VultureCulture]

I can't really speak to hardware but XLN's Addictive Keys is pretty reasonable. If you can spring for Keyscape you'll never spend money on piano/key samples again

[@perfectpitch4151]

Checked out Keyscape and it sounds great! 349€ is very reasonable for what you get. Thanks for the response!

[@VultureCulture]

@perfectpitch4151 glad to help!

[@billrebsamen1810]

Dang it! I missed another live feed! But, alas, had to take my wife out for her obligatory Valentines dinner. Too cool...I never owned one of these but I spent plenty of time playing around with the Poly 800 at my friend's music store! Certainly a within reach synth back in the day! and still today! Man, with a Poly 800 and a DX-100 (which I did own) you could cover a lot of ground back in those days...and not throw your back out!

[@billrebsamen1810]

I must say though the Poly 800 MkII (if I had known about it back then) would have instantly taken my money with it's built in Digital Delay and some early Midi SysEx.... but around that time I was saving up for a D-50 which for me was fairly live changing!

[@VultureCulture]

Keep the wife happy!! Happy wife = more synths!! DX-100 would have been a great combo!

[@billrebsamen1810]

@@VultureCulture well...inspired by your video here I'm checking with a local friend who has a Poly 800 that he's thinking about selling. Also thinking about tracking down a DX-100 a friend has access to no too far away. Kind of a Schroeder-sized synth set up straight out of a Peanuts cartoon!!

[@mitchelstephen7536]

Yes, I had a Poly 800 and one of my friends had a DX 21, and we would borrow each others synths to finish a demo (on a our cassette 4 tracks) every once in a while.@@VultureCulture

[@baulsmahoney]

Love this synth, I have one. Great video

[@VultureCulture]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@BobbyMBoMor-z6s]

Its a digital synth right?

[@VultureCulture]

Analog oscillators and filter.

[@warzsawa80]

This vid is fuckin’ amazing! I’m gonna buy this synth

[@VultureCulture]

If you want to buy mine (this exact synth!) it's for sale here: Korg Poly-800 Analog Synthwave Beast! reverb.com/item/82141367?

[@opticalman6417]

there is one of these in the uk on reverb with filter knobs added and its going very cheap

[@VultureCulture]

That's awesome!

[@cosmosynthesizer]

I had this P800 in the early 90ies. My first Synthesizer was the Casio CZ-1. I used both a lot, synced them with a RZ-1 and used the Korg 4 some solid Strings, Brass and Bass Sounds. It was stolen late 97 and I bought another one in 2016 with the Mod for Filter and syx. But I didn't keep it, it was just too basic. I prefer my Kurzweil K2000 an ensoniq Synths. For a beginner a good start, even for programming. But it needs delay and Chorus

[@VultureCulture]

I can't wait to check out the CZ-1! Any other synths I should check out?

[@cosmosynthesizer]

@@VultureCulture the Casio CZ-1 can be massive, check the hidden waves. It makes it a monster. I still have my syx files (and there a lot of sounds with that special waves). Just ask. I'll send them. The Kurzweil K Series are the best digital warm Synths ever. And I love the Ensoniq Synths or Samplers. They are very special and fat. I'll never sell them.

[@VultureCulture]

@cosmosynthesizer which ensoniqs are your fave? I have an SQ-80

[@cosmosynthesizer]

​@@VultureCultureI adore my KT32. I live the Keyboard and the Sounds. I had the EPS 1, the envelopes and the extra Filter ENV are just pure genius. Beside the EMU ESI 32 one of the best sounding Sampler.

[@VultureCulture]

@cosmosynthesizer awesome, thank you 🙏

[@marcelfrehse]

nice one. but I"ll stick with my beloved Poly-61 ^^

[@serhiymarchenko8361]

I have both. Poly-61 is great indeed.

[@VultureCulture]

Gotta check out a 61 at some point!

[@marcelfrehse]

@@VultureCulture yeessss you should!

[@griffithmorgan4966]

Is yours the midi version? Or do you, uh, err, actually play your synths? just saw one for sale online and thought about getting it.

[@machfront]

Poly-800: watch an 80s sci-fi b-movie without watching an 80s sci-fi b-movie. 😁 I love it. Never understood the hate. Ya wanna give me money to buy something else? No? Then shut up. Haha! TBH, though, I was a bass player most my life (1989 at age 15 til today) simply also loving synth. I only was able to get into it when software made it financially viable for me. I have many “better” synths on my iPad today. But, it’s not about features….its about character! Especially character of a given era and type. Maybe I’m not snob enough, but it’s always sounded cool to me! 🙂 (Interesting side note: the 1988 sci-fi b-movie “The Vindicator” which is sort of a take on Frankenstein….the protagonist’s girlfriend is an aspiring amateur musician and has a Poly-800 in her home. Heh)

[@VultureCulture]

What an awesome fact! Can't wait to use that for a trivia question!

[@sandik964]

Could get one for 80€, should i risk it?

[@VultureCulture]

I need more information. What condition is the synth in? Lots of photos? Seller assures everything works?

[@sandik964]

@@VultureCulture Well yes it seems to be in a good condition, i think its pretty expensive for one of those, these days isnt it? Considering i paid 200 for a DX7

[@VultureCulture]

@sandik964 a quick check on reverb and you'll see they're selling for $300-400. $200 is a great deal for a DX7

[@tavil1296]

I almost got one yesterday for 200 what a shame he marked it sold 2 minutes after I solidified the pick up time

[@VultureCulture]

Ugh that sucks! $200 and it was going to fly out the door

[@nickdestruct]

came back to to this vid to say i seen one listed today on reverb for 495. ty for the sub gift btw. i grabbed the drum pack and done made a few tracks with em

[@VultureCulture]

Fuck yeah! Glad you're enjoying them!

[@JohnBassarcticsoundstudios]

This song was recorded back in 1983 using the Korg Poly 800 Synced with the Roland 707 Drum Machine. Recorded to the Fostex A8 8 Track Reel to Reel. The Polly 800 I used didn't have the mod in the picture Enjoyed your video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnKri4ifaNiIbc0si=BYYWnL-FxGYplDUW

[@VultureCulture]

Awesome! 🙏

[@theonecalledvino8165]

My first synth I bought in 1987

[@VultureCulture]

Nice! Still an awesome piece of gear!

[@PaulioBee]

I've had this video lined up for a while. I paid around £120 for mine, which is probably around $100. And prices of analogue gear had already gone silly at that point. It's certainly not a do everything machine, but if we worried about what machines CAN'T do rather than what they CAN do, we would conclude that all synths from the early days sucked.

[@VultureCulture]

For sure. The vast majority of "legendary" synthesizers didn't even have velocity lol

[@aural_escape]

The moog slayer mod can self resonate the resonance, it can get harsh if you let it. 🙂

[@VultureCulture]

I would love a fully resonant filter on this bad boy

[@FrancisMaxino]

This keyboard I used in high school as the achool rock band keyboardist, most of the presets sucked in fact it was hard to get a decent sound out of it that wasn't some boring pad which simply vary in tonality, it is still cheap because it is still crap and the only decent sound was the cool synth bass sound, we got a DX7 the next year and this was MUCH better. It is also really so hard to program the Poly-800 and I still think it is a crap keyboard even if it is 'analog'. In this case being analog makes it very over-rated and they are worth what you paid for it. The Rolands at the time were much much better like the Juno...

[@VultureCulture]

I'm surprised you found the Poly-800 hard to program when you prefer the DX7!

[@newYorkStories]

This was my very first synthesizer in 1985!

[@VultureCulture]

Love that! What was your second?

[@newYorkStories]

There was a very long gap between my first synthesizer when I was a teenager, until I bought my next. But my friend and I - who were making music together, stored his synths at my house, so the sent list at my house were: Poly800 (1985) Kawaii K4 (1989) Emu EMaX (1994) Yamaha MODX (2018) Waldorf Streichfett (2018) Roland D-05 (2019) Roland VP-03 (2019) Roland SE-02 (2019) Roland JU-06A (2020) Arturia Microfreak (2019) Moog Mother-32 (2019) Moog DFAM (2019) Moog Subharmonicon (2019) ASM Hydrasynth (2019)

[@VultureCulture]

I definitely want to check out an Emax at some point!

[@doordedeur]

The Siel DK-70 is almost a copy of the Poly-800.

[@VultureCulture]

Super interesting!

[@decimal1815]

I remember when the Poly 800 came out in the 80s. It sounded flat and lifeless without effects and was horrible to program, with limited ranges available for most parameters. It was cheap, but that was the only plus point. No way I would buy one now - there are much better modern synths available for the same cash.

[@VultureCulture]

Pretty much always going to get better value with a modern synth than a vintage in terms of features. What modern synth would you get for $350?

[@decimal1815]

New synths: Microfreak will be a more versatile synth IMO. Cobalt 5s also good. You've also got tiny portable synths like the Pro-vS mini that could be a cheap alternative with a MIDI controller. If you really need analogue and full-size keys, I'd get a used DM6 which is a fantastic 6-voice polysynth with some great features and a proper user interface.

[@coconutlust470]

I have the module version EX-800. It's exactly the same but comes in a tasteful metal chassis. I replaced the presets with a great soundset from AnalogAudio1 that's highly recommended. The sysex upload process was a first for me - it's done via an mp3 that transfers the data like an old-school modem. Felt like walking into the past but I guess that's part of the point with vintage analog.

[@VultureCulture]

That is! It was through the cassette port right? I still have a couple of preset cassettes for some synths lol

[@griffithmorgan4966]

It's a weird mindset that declares a synth to be bad. Even the whole argument against this synth for being "only Paraphonic!" is strange. Most of the people dissing on gear haven't actually tried the particular synth, or they just didn't spend enough time with it to find its special uses for sounds. A couple months back I posted on reddit that the poly800 has a dedicated envelope for the filter. I thought that was kind of exciting considering how basic the synth is, as well as the fact that it does not have direct knob/slider control. With the exception of a few people who aren't always in rage mode, I got fairly beat up over even being excited about that. So while I got a fair amount of abuse, I also learned a crap ton more about the poly800 and some other synths, which is kind of the point of synth forums. Gear hate is really weird to me, especially because as a kid I had to make do with what I could find used cheap. Sorry, I tend to write novels when it comes to this subject. I just feel like the whole point of being into synths is the aspect of discovery as you've shown in your video. Get any synth and it will have specific properties unto itself that are special and unique. I used to see ads for 800's as a kid. I was a poor teen and could not afford it. Then during covid times I got back into synths and started buying what I could afford, which is anything under 200 bucks. I was finally able to own my teenage dream synth, which I got for 150 bucks. Then a few months later one came up with a hard case for 138 local pickup - hard to resist getting a back up machine. Trawling through a facebook group I found that someone had posted a list of Korg synth models along with quantity produced. According to that list the poly800 was one of their biggest production runs at 100,000 units. Based on how plentiful they are I would suggest only making offers on a poly800 of 150 to 200 bucks, as there are usually at least 5 to 10 just sitting on ebay for months. Sellers will be eager to sell. The other day I was needing a bass patch and it was amazing how good a sound I could get out of it for a bass patch. It's plucky and synthy! Like most older players I have over a dozen dozen synths I've collected over the years and this one stays in the actively used set up.

[@VultureCulture]

No worries for the novel! The Poly-800 is truly great and no one should be shaming anyone over it. I was shocked at how good it sounds

[@griffithmorgan4966]

@@VultureCulture Even more interesting when you build your own patches.

[@texacomann]

Behringer pro 800 is the much much better Synthesizer. 😅 I have a siel dk 80, and still ❤it.

[@VultureCulture]

Would love to check out a siel dk 80!

[@texacomann]

@@VultureCulture But I live in Germany Heidelberg

[@markkilley2683]

But not cheap in Japan etc. I played heavily in the 80's.

[@VultureCulture]

What's it go for in Japan?

[@markkilley2683]

@@VultureCulture $700-1200 Aus dollars.

[@anthonyptak8650]

I got one at garage sale for $7. Sometimes you just get lucky.

[@VultureCulture]

Holy shit that's amazing!

[@anthonyptak8650]

I sold it though because I needed to, regretting it now of course. I had restored the patch data to factory settings and it was sounding pretty great especially loved the joystick style modulation and pitch bending plus you could battery power this synthesizer and it had strap handles for keytar ready players!

[@Vinylazer]

Do you like this synthesizer?

[@VultureCulture]

I do! I think it's great!

[@Vinylazer]

Thanks for the answer! This is one of my first synths from the 80's, I purchased it around 2014-2015. But then i sold it, forcedly. I really liked its sound, despite the price/style/plastic body i managed to make some cool sounds back then. Now i have Poly-61 and have been dreaming of it for a long time :) But still, i miss this synthesizer!@@VultureCulture

[@VultureCulture]

Poly-61 is a really awesome synth; I want to check it out sometime!

[@maydaygoingdown5602]

Had one of these back in the day, worst synth I ever owned, sounded meh, and terrible for changing parameters on the fly such as cut off using the button, (way to slow). Absolutely crap, hated it so much I ended up chucking it on a skip when I moved house.

[@VultureCulture]

What's a better synth in this price range?

[@pongtrometer]

I’ve got all of “ SEXUAL DARKNESS ‘’ Greatest hits 😂👾🎹

[@Kaffimusic]

When I was a teenager, I bought this new. Polyphonic, yeah... no, it´s paraphonic. One filter, one envelope. Retriggers with every new key. Did you mention that? Meh. Owned this piece of crap way too long, can´t stand the sound no more. Never again. Better buy a small and new VA for that money.

[@VultureCulture]

It's got 3 envelopes per voice and you can turn retriggering on and off.

[@Kaffimusic]

@@VultureCultureIt has one filter. Not per voice. Just one. And that´s the point.

[@gula_rata]

I recommend skip this and just get the Korg DW8000．That is way better.

[@dan-h2g]

Some people have "rookie" ears and think this is a great synth. Poly 61 from this era is the real sleeper. Who needs a juno 106? Everyone.

[@BARFVADER420]

“rookie” ears?? Come on dog don’t be so pretentious. The Poly 61 owns but it’s like twice the cost of the 800 and if you can find one less than $600 it probably has a battery leak issue. Idk if the 800s have the battery leak issues either but for a $300 synth you can find almost anywhere the 800 fucking rules. The 61 is a poor man’s Juno but I’m never getting rid of mine 💕

[@VultureCulture]

I just learned the 61 has the same filter (or similiar) to the MS-20 mk 2

[@dan-h2g]

Same as a dw8000 and 6000 and more. It's a great filter. The problem with the 800 are the oscs and paraphonic filter. It's pure plastic. Nonetheless, people will make great stuff with the 800. It's got something of itself. By the way, your one of the best revivers. @@VultureCulture

[@VultureCulture]

Thank you 🙏

[@prOkrEAt]

Seems like a rookie yt comment to me. I've owned one of these for 40 years now. Love the review. Makes me want to power mine back up again. Screams 80s video game sound.

[@wphanoo]

Not sure why some people get excited about this. Sounds very basic and bland. Vintage and analog doesn't mean good.. but yeah ok it's a piece of history

[@geoffk777]

Not even true analog. The oscillators are digital. And I agree with you.

[@serhiymarchenko8361]

I think for many that was their first synth. And paraphony while bringing limitations can be quite fun in some cases. You can produce good sounds with it (filter is not bad after all), but those “sweet spots” will be pretty narrow. Chorus is nice to have too. With some mods it might be more interesting (external audio input, FM). And because it is so simple, you will dial in patches quickly. And, in the end, it is solid piece of synth history - “people’s synth” (together with Casio CZ). Sound quality is not stellar, but that is the point.

[@serhiymarchenko8361]

Speaking of Poly-61. I recently got one cheap. Obviously, it had battery leak issue (and other issues), but it wasn’t too bad, so I was able to fix it. I was surprised by sounds I can get with it. Despite limited features, what it does it does very good. Oscillators are cool (osc 1 is VCO), envelope is very nice and fast (SSM VCAs), filter is nice and juicy (Korg OTA-based, similar to later MS-20 one). Arp is fun and I can sync it to anything.

[@geoffk777]

@@serhiymarchenko8361 Yes, it was many people's first synth or first (sort of) polysynth. But the question is "Is this the best way to spend $300 in 2024"? And, sadly, it really isn't There are much better and more modern polysynths available for the same money (Cobolt 5s for one).

[@serhiymarchenko8361]

@@geoffk777That’s fair. There is no right answer to this type of question - people have different needs. But I agree, it is objectively not the best synth for $300 among ALL other synths available, but is probably the cheapest one among the vintage ones (I’ve got mine much cheaper than $300 BTW. So it was more curiosity and “history lesson” for me).

[@ZXZ-im5gn]