POLYSIX - Legendary Analog Korg Poly Synth from 1981 / Mono/Poly Big Sister

[@fulge0903]

That oscillators drifing, ensemble and SSM filter makes this synth so magic and perfect for producing retro genres

[@VultureCulture]

It's the all time best for sounding so far from that "VST sound"

[@vernonchelski7385]

I bought a Polysix from Chuck Levin's Music Center in Wheaton, Md. for $50 from the shop. The battery leaked onto a circuit board and damaged it. I gave them $50 for it and fixed it myself. I have a video of it on my channel.

[@VultureCulture]

That is so awesome!! Thank you for restoring a piece of history!

[@vernonchelski7385]

@@VultureCulture more projects here kzbin.info/door/felPOfWPrsNy620Afp-TrQ

[@msaxx606]

I'm getting a POLYSIX on Monday for a solid price. The guy has confirmed so its looking like its actually going to happen. Dude you just hyped me up SOOO much for the POLYSIX. I freakin love the way this thing sounds and yea amazing what that filter can do!!!! Thanks for this video. Was super stoked watching you get stoked off the sounds hahaha! THANK YOU

[@msaxx606]

Can only imagine how sweet it'll be to run this puppy through some guitar pedals. Ps is it only capable of mono output? Or was that just how you had it set up for the vid? Either way it sounds absolutely legendary as the title says! cheers

[@VultureCulture]

It is a mono output synth sadly! But running it through good pedals is tons of fun! Enjoy that bad boy!

[@msaxx606]

Ya, I have the maxon cs 550 which goes in mono and comes out stereo. i think it's gonna be permanently living in the polysynth's chain in the studio. Thanks again for the in depth vid!!

[@RayyMusik]

I was very proud of my “poor man‘s Prophet“ back in the day, frequently making patches within 5 minutes and then pondering for half an hour which of the 32 slots to overwrite. Besides its sound quality that synth also looks amazingly good - I still miss it.

[@VultureCulture]

It really is a treasure! Although mine's in the shop right now - they're famous for having issues. So are 106's I suppose.

[@RegebroRepairs]

I replaced the PolySix hole with a Deepmind 12. It hasn't got any "magic" but it can create even fatter pads. Not very inspirational, but highly utilitarian.

[@user-JM1967]

Great synth! And what do you think about Korg Minilogue?

[@VultureCulture]

Minilogue XD with 4 voices, hybrid architecture, incredible fx, is one of my highest recommended synthesizers. Doesn't really sound like a Polysix but can sound really warm and analog.

[@SacSynths_Jack_Z]

Only very early Prophet 5s had the SSM 2040 filter, most had a CEM filter. However, the polysix, the Voyetra 8, the Siel opera6/DK600, and the Kawai sx240/210 (+ a couple others) had the SSM 2044 filter which is a masterpiece. Discreet VCOs with an SSM filter and those amazing analog effects make the Polysix a classic. I'll keep my Polysix over my Juno 6 or 106 any day

[@VultureCulture]

It really has something magical. I'm kinda the VST's sound just as good guy but even I have to admit there's something there.

[@biggrime]

Still a synth I love to get my hands on

[@VultureCulture]

It's as close to magic as they come

[@brucec.822]

I bought one new when it first came out and loved it. Later on I sold it and regretted it. Recently I bought another one with the Kwi Six upgrade. I love this synth and will never let this one go. It's a great synth!

[@VultureCulture]

It's amazing! How do you like the Kiwi mod?

[@brucec.822]

@@VultureCulture The Kiwi Six really makes the Polysix even better. To me mainly when saving patches. You don't have to think where am I going to save this. There is so much more memory that you don't have to worry about it. Plus they include all the patches that the Polysix came out with. So you can use them as a stepping stone to making your own patches!

[@VultureCulture]

That's awesome. And yeah, that's one big issue with the P6, I wish I didn't have to overwrite a patch to save a new one

[@MilesAwayOfficial]

Sick video! Would love to try one of these sometime.

[@VultureCulture]

It's surprisingly good for being 30+ year old samples

[@MilesAwayOfficial]

@@VultureCulture woah hold up the poly six plays samples??? I always thought it was the DCOs or VCOs

[@VultureCulture]

Hahaha I thought your comment was on my Proteus Plus Orchestral video 😂 Yes the Polysix is a six voice VCO analog synth. I'm an idiot 🤦‍♀️

[@whatistau]

Very picky synth but one of the most beautiful. Tthe resonance of this filter is crazy. "Arpanet - Ntt Do Como" main lead is only Polysix resonance., No other synth could do that till this day.

[@VultureCulture]

I'll have to check that out!

[@DEADLINETV]

I only have access to the PolySix VST by Korg and I use that a lot for my Synthwave music. The bass is perfect for it. Great video, I appreciate it that you make these!

[@VultureCulture]

Thank you for commenting! It makes YouTubing feel less like screaming into the void 🤣 The PolySix and Synthwave are 🤌

[@DEADLINETV]

@@VultureCulture I can imagine! I'll make sure I'll comment on every video I watch here!

[@VultureCulture]

You're too kind 🙏

[@lundsweden]

That's a really nice synth. Poor man's Prophet was a bit of a mean nickname really, or possibly a compliment, depends on how you look at it.

[@VultureCulture]

It's such a gorgeous sound I keep coming back to over all these years.

[@jeremyhelm2833]

The "Ensemble" effect is the bomb. It's what separates the P6 from all the other 1 Oscillator poly synths of the era. Plus, the Unison mode is outrageous. The only thing I really wish they offered was portamento. I have/had a few P6's and was considering adding portamento. It would not be programmable, just 1 knob and a switch. But.. I stopped being obsessed with that feature when I picked up my OB's.

[@jeremyhelm2833]

The P6 never really competed with the Juno-106. The P6 was released about same time as the Juno-6 (mid/late 81?) The 106 came out like... 3 years later? First came the non-programmable Juno-6 (which sounded very good but I wanted patch memory). My friend had just bought a J6 and I used it for about a month while my P6 was on back order. Shortly thereafter, the 60 (programmable version of the 6) was released. That sounded very good, exactly like the 6. The 106, which employed digital oscillators (big mistake... it sounded like poop) was not released until 84. It had portamento which was cool but it sounded nothing like the 6/60.

[@thierrygander3870]

I haded one back in 1984 as i was 14 years old.All my youth a great Synth great filter as soon as the poly 8 will come out it will be mine for sure too much memories are bond with it

[@jamus1217]

One knob per function is the dream 🤘

[@VultureCulture]

It really makes a difference

[@amonster8mymother]

I like the fizzy sounds.

[@amonster8mymother]

What are your favorite fizzy sounds? Do you have a few? I'm gonna watch you to see if I can program those. I'm not sure if mine does that?

[@amonster8mymother]

I guess that's pulse and pwm.

[@michael_CRC]

Didn't the Polysix come out one year before Roland's Juno 6? It was ment to compete with te Prophet5 not the Juno.

[@VultureCulture]

That is correct and something I got wrong in this video

[@amonster8mymother]

My polysix has the battery replaced and lost the presets so I program them myself. I wish I could get some of those presets they sound great. ❤

[@VultureCulture]

You can load the original patches into your Polysix from this site: sunshine-jones.com/korg-factory-patch-cassettes/

[@amonster8mymother]

@@VultureCulture thank you. I dont think it will load. I tried it already with a cassette player. Dont think it's working. Or I havent figured out how it's supposed to work.

[@RoofLight00]

Thanks for this video, I have one with a midi kit fitted and don't use it as much as I really should. I have a bunch of old analogue synths as ell as a Juno 106 and they're similar in some respects and completely different in others. The arpeggiator and chord memory are brilliant and I really need to get back into it. Those delicate arps made me sit up and go 'wow'. :)

[@VultureCulture]

It really is magical

[@RoofLight00]

@@VultureCulture I'm so lazy, I need to get my arse back into it. Never enough time in the day!.....

[@VultureCulture]

I feel that deeply lol

[@amonster8mymother]

It's missing the delay that you have on the dw8000. That one has a really great delay. ❤

[@MIDERA]

Nice video. I actually have both a Prophet 10 REV4 and the Polysix. When I got the P10, which has SSM filters in it, I was certain I'd just sell the Polysix the next week. For some reason, I was surprised by how the Polysix was in some ways 'better' than the P10. The P10 takes over the sound, it's just really got almost too much oomph behind it, making it somewhat less able to interact pleasantly with FX. I find synths that are somewhat thinner actually really do well with FX units. The P10 gets muddy really quickly. If I could only keep one, I'd for sure keep the P10, the polymod section takes it to a completely other level, but I would not be happy about it. I prefer the Polysix over the JX3P and I actually think it's one of the coolest looking synths out there, perhaps even more so than the Juno 6/60... which I think both look better than the 106. On your comment on the Keybed - you must have a new keyboard put into it, I don't know. Mine feels like garbage compared to my other synths. Only one worse in my opinion is the AN1x. You probably have a different mod in yours than I do for MIDI. I have the KIWI mod which does add quite a lot of features (although some, like a random LFO, are only accessible via MIDI, and appear to NOT save with the patch unfortunately). The part that sucks for me is that the arpeggiator speed is actually modifiable within the menu system, which can be confusing. I have to flip a switch, hit the 'D' button, then go to page 8, and adjust the rate, because the ARP is set to the slowest speed for all patches... Otherwise if I just flip the ARP on, you will hear nothing due to the extremely slow speed. KIWI should fix this so that the speed is always at its fastest, otherwise they've slowed down the workflow considerably. I like that you can tempo sync it, but not at the expense of slowing down workflow. Hearing the aliasing on your upper registers seemed strange. I don't think I have heard that myself... but maybe I'll go check.

[@VultureCulture]

So awesome to read your comment! I love your videos and I got my Polysix because of you! Thank you 🙏

[@MIDERA]

@@VultureCulture Oh wow, that's quite an honor :) Glad you're enjoying it. I just sold my JX3P. I think it sounds better in a lot of ways, but I just hated interacting with it (and the PG200, in fact, maybe more so because of the PG200). The Polysix just invites me to play it. Also, it's got a nice size/heft that's just right in the middle (The P10 a bit too big for my liking, but also thicker than the JX3P). If you know the person who worked on your Polysix, I'd be curious about whether they replaced the keybed and how hard it was - I really don't like mine. Feels very clacky, although that isn't normally a criticism I hear of the Polysix (clacky keys).

[@VultureCulture]

I actually bought a JX3P since this video and am waiting on a Retroaktiv programmer for it. ebay.com/usr/siliconballet was the buyer I bought it from. There's definitely some issues with mine I've discovered since I recorded this video (the presets get corrupted every once in a while, the range knob doesn't always work)

[@MIDERA]

​@@VultureCulture Retroaktiv controllers look really nice. I just haven't had a synth that needed it. I also stayed away from the KIWI mod (although he's doing a new one that might be interesting) because of how my Polysix acts. I really don't like the convoluted UI, even with an overlay. Murray's a good guy though, but I think he gets into feature creep and doesn't get enough beta testing. That eBay user is Modeless Factory - I too got my JX3P from him! It had some issues and he fixed it. You can (and should) find him on Facebook and buy stuff through there so you can avoid extra fees from eBay. Sometimes he gets unresponsive though - but he's been good. I bought both the JX and the PG200. And be glad you didn't get a PG200. Might look cool and go up in value, but the encoders are STIFF and I just never enjoyed it, as stated before. I actually liked editing my JX3P more before I got the PG200, which might be sacrilege. You've got problems with your Polysix? If so - you might want to consider the KIWI mod or there was someone making a new board for it (I'd guess the battery issue affected yours to some degree, possibly?).

[@VultureCulture]

Nice to know that he's on Facebook! Right now none of the issues are bad enough that I feel the need to open her up, but I may consider the Kiwi mod one day. I think the Retroaktiv stuff is pretty incredible, although I also have a SynthArk Controller for my SQ-80 that's killer.

[@amonster8mymother]

Yes. I have one. ❤

[@wiseradical3386]

You had me at the 11th ''this sounds crazy''. Just kidding, really awesome demo mate 👍👌

[@VultureCulture]

I'm definitely guilty of not realizing I'm repeating myself 🤣 Thank you 🙏

[@amonster8mymother]

Also it missing reverb so I use my lexicon mpx1 for reverb. I like the lexicon reverbs. ❤

[@VultureCulture]

Lexicon makes the best.

[@amonster8mymother]

I think theres a range and scale trim for the keyboard for the polysix. I have to get the manual. Do you have the service manual?

[@amonster8mymother]

@@VultureCulture yes hopefully if you make another video about fx I will comment there. At the moment I am commenting with a guitarist who knows rack fx quite well. 👍

[@VultureCulture]

@amonster8mymother I don't unfortunately

[@GEOSynths]

Cool Video and quite relevant :)

[@VultureCulture]

Thank you Jamie!

[@amonster8mymother]

I was just watchiing the tubbetec guy and he samples his poly61 with 4 samples per octave plus he makea. A sample for three strikes!! He says this is slightly off calibration!!! Ive never heard of this have you?? ❤

[@crnogor]

Fantastic synth ! You miss to represent how lush , organic , warm pads and strings , it can make . I will never captured how people from Korg were stiff in mind , and miss to offer this synth with 2 OSC !

[@VultureCulture]

I wish there was a two-osc Polysix that would be so powerful!

[@crnogor]

@@VultureCulture Agree ! It will be a ''monster ''.

[@amonster8mymother]

Do you get a different tone with each strike?

[@synthesist3003]

I was only One year old when this came out!!! I have the korg kronos wich include Polisix engine and I love the sounds you can make with it, in fact it has a 64 voice polifony. Great demo!!!

[@VultureCulture]

Wow, that's awesome! I'll be checking out the Polysix VST soon, which I believe is the same modeling.

[@synthesist3003]

The beauty of using it in korg kronos si that you can combine it whith other engines like the MS 20. Imagine these Two beasts playing toghetheriiiiiiii

[@jackie.daggers]

YESS gimme dat Poly goodness (I take it you fixed the buttons?)

[@VultureCulture]

Ehhhhh 🤦‍♀️

[@VultureCulture]

Sometimes they work sometimes they don't. Still gotta open her up, honestly terrified.

[@sentimental7167]

@@VultureCulture Not that difficult, there are many infos online. Once cleaned all the keys and deoxited the switches, everything pretty foward. Keep the battery alive and if its still the original, get it out as soon as possible. This ruined my pcm-board beyond repair. Eventually had to be replaced. Once the acid is in, even cleaning won’t prevent it from creeping further.

[@OllieA11]

Would you be able to share the patches?

[@VultureCulture]

Unfortunately all the patches on my PolySix got corrupted since I recorded this video 😭

[@uv77mc85]

They must have used different keybeds on various production runs because I had one of these a couple years ago which felt awful, really cheap and plastic, like a toy but I have another one now that feels really nice.

[@VultureCulture]

Mine is a really nice one but it's been rebuilt, I do have a friend who has one and says it's the worst keybed ever lol

[@sentimental7167]

Saw this vid after commenting on the other one - there your journey goes, nice! The SSM chips to my ear sound much more rich than the Curtis chips, which are great in their own way. The thing I really missed on the Polysix is noise though.

[@VultureCulture]

I can say that comparing my PolySix and my SQ-80, I much prefer the sound of the P6's filter.

[@sentimental7167]

@@VultureCulture The SQ-80 sure is a beauty of its own. Then, I have heard different Polysixs and some had different sounding filters, more or less resonance. Decalibration sure adds to the character but what also really got me always - no audible steps, this thing sweeeps and sings…

[@VultureCulture]

It's glorious

[@carlosviteri6373]

Hey man I liked a lot your review. I have been watching several videos about this synth because I just saw that somebody is selling one in a city nearby. the thing is that I'm not pretty sure about what to do because I think It have to be repaired but is also really cheep just 100 dolars. Now because your nice review I think I will buy it ahaha best reggards from colombia!

[@VultureCulture]

Hoping the purchase works out for you! For a $100 even if it's fried you can probably sell the body for more than that. It's likely that the internal battery has leaked on the motherboard for that price. Probably difficult to repair

[@citadel314]

Creamy and lush... pure class.

[@VultureCulture]

It's pretty incredible.

[@citadel314]

@@VultureCulture And then there was the Polyeight... Uli has been super clever to sense the pulse of the market for these legendary analogs. After resurging the ARPs and the MS-20fs, I hope Korg seriously considers a comeback [at least] of the MonoPoly. They were testing the waters on a past GearSlutz thread...

[@GeorgeL909]

I'm really enjoying the synth videos. I would definitely watch you revisit some of your synths and delve into some deep esoteric sound design, making weird and unusual sounds and exploring the synths further. That would be entertaining as fuck

[@VultureCulture]

That's the plan! I have a few more synths I want to do intros on, but then I want to get deep on a few of them. Thank you for watching my videos!

[@GeorgeL909]

@@VultureCulture awesome, looking forward to it!

[@VultureCulture]

Do you have a favorite you want me to dig deep on?

[@mcmike100]

I sold them when they were new. They were a nice inexpensive poly synth. They were never legendary.

[@VultureCulture]

Maybe I'm just hearing them with rose covered glasses.

[@mcmike100]

@@VultureCulture We sold a lot of them. It was the first "affordable" poly synth with programming, and it sounded nice.

[@Lowerhaightstreet]

ita a legend by today's digital standards.

[@ericascott9413]

Now I have GAS

[@VultureCulture]

25 synths later and I still think the Polysix is the best value to sound synth you can buy

[@ericascott9413]

@@VultureCultureI may get to try out one soon!!! I hope it’s still available then; it’s fluid like a Druid 😊

[@sarahhey8654]

Looking forward to the Behringer Poly Eight version!

[@VultureCulture]

I bet Behringer will be able to nail it, it's very similar to the Mono/Poly although I believe the oscillators are different

[@sarahhey8654]

@@VultureCulture Yeah they'll probably be slightly different but hopefully capture the vibe of this awesome machine!

[@falangistavaleroso9689]

My worst synth. Great voice the beard bald.

[@VultureCulture]

Thank you

[@amonster8mymother]

I dont like the fx. I use the fx from my Korg A3s. ❤

[@spurv]

Ads driving me crazy. Bye.

[@diamondmine9773]

polysix KILLS the juno 106. not even close

[@VultureCulture]

LAHV the Polysix!