Synth FAQs part 1 - tuning the Behringer POLY D

I would like to start a new series of short synth tutorials. Here is the first one.
How to tune the Behringer POLY D.
For me as an old synth guy some basic things are quite obvious, but for other people it´s not. That´s why I do these tutorials.
Enjoy the music !!

[@synthartist69]

Once you get all the oscillators tuned, then go ahead and detune them...

[@RonaldFigura]

Well calibrated oscillators should stay tuned over all octave ranges. When in doubt, tune to the range being used, especially in the higher ranges.

[@_LOGA_]

Or you take a screwdriver and tune them at the back, so that everytime you set all the tuning knobs to 0 they're all in tune

[@whatevraa]

People said they didnt like the poly d cause it gets out of tune, but if this is how easy it is t oget it in tune then I dont know how helpless some people are lol! I am deffinently gonna buy this!

[@Bernd_Bruening]

This synth is old school par excellence. You need to tune it and dial in each sounds from scratch. People complaining about that would have trouble with a real minimoog as well.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

And once all oscillators are tuned, tune it with the main tuning dial to 432hz ^_^ I have the Poly D as well and was very surprised how tuning stable it is. The manual suggests you give it about 15 minutes to warm up enough to be tuning stable. And it's amazing how clean the output is. It's my second analog synth i ever had (well technically the third if you count the Dübreq Stylophone Gen X-1 as well) and the first one i had was a Korg Poly 61 with tuning stable DCOs. Not sure how the Poly D handles it but so far i haven't experienced any nasty drift.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

@@lmilostr It depends what you need. A fully restored vintage Korg Poly 61 will come at a certain price and probably more than what you'd pay for a Poly D from Behringer. Both Synthesizers are very different. The Poly D has 4 oscillators and is entirely monophonic. The Korg Poly 61 is a 6 voice polyphonic analog synth from the early 80s with just 2 digitally controlled oscillators. The whole interaction with both synths is very different to. since the Poly 61 has digital value keys for the parameter changes while the Behringer Poly D has everything directly accessible with knobs and switches. The 4 voices of the Poly D are only possible if every one of the 4 oscillators are exactly tuned to the same settings. It's really not true polyphony. Both synths are actually really easy to use by beginners. Keep in mind the Behringer Poly D also has the better MIDI implementation since the Korg Poly 61 has none, unless it was retrofitted or it is the Poly61M which was a later model that came with MIDI features. You may wanna play some sound demo videos of both synths and decide what you really want. Then you can decide what your budget allows you to buy. :)

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

@@lmilostr One more thing. The Behringer DeepMind 6 and Deepmind 12 are also worth looking at. I haven't played one myself yet so i cannot say for sure how good it is for beginners, because you are expected to do a little bit of Menu-diving on that thing. I would really only chose a Poly61 if you really find one in good condition for a VERY low price. Like bellow the 300-350 bucks.

[@torbenanschau6641]

I actually was more curious on how to find the reference without the 440 Hz which it is lacking. Will you go for an guitar tuner/different digital synth or is there any option within the device?

[@Bernd_Bruening]

Torben Anschau unfortunately there is no reference tone or anything else in the POLY D. All my synths have a tuning patch programmed for this. I take a digital synth with 442 Hertz as reference and tune all other synths accordingly by ear.

[@AdamTheAd-vanc3d]

I use a computer, digital or a vst instrument which I know will be perfectly tune my synth ( not a poly d btw). Of course this is not always ideal say you are gigging with the instrument. Still its very useful to use a digitally tuned reference as you know it will be bang on everytime.

[@crosoft1452]

Can you just focus the classes on the poly d? Like a poly D series of classes tips and tricks

[@Bernd_Bruening]

I´ve not decided how to procede this series yet. Is there anything special you´re interested in ?

[@LeeWooJINH8]

Could you make a detailed tutorial about the sequencer section of the Poly D? Good tutorials or descriptions can´t be found anywhere :( #thumbsup

[@damesmusictunestherealdjtu3722]

Whats that sound called when the tone holds the note whats the correct term for it do you know it

[@Bernd_Bruening]

I don’t know if I understood your question correctly, but it’s just a hold function. There is also the term „S&H“ for sample and hold.

[@SlavaChrome]

I’ll be glad to see the tuning via back panel screws

[@Bernd_Bruening]

Personally I wouldn’t touch the trimpots at the back of the synth, since they are well calibrated from factory. There are a lot of people having messed around with the Behringer Monopoly for example, not really knowing what they did and now complaining that it doesn’t sound right.

[@SlavaChrome]

@@Bernd_Bruening oh wow. I just heard from some users, that after two-three years, range and tune pots starts to move little bit

[@Bernd_Bruening]

@@SlavaChrome can’t really confirm. My Poly D is still doing a great job.

[@JahirYu]

Hello.. just got my ploy d. Just curious... what do you have the poly d routing through? And what are some of the patches you got going on back there. Cheers

[@Bernd_Bruening]

Well, standard routing: stereo line out, from premixer to big analog mixing console to audiointerface. I don’t/can’t save patch settings on the poly D. I just dial in/out what pleases my ears.

[@archivestereo]

Very good. On the regular Behringer D there is also a master tuning of the instrument with pots under the main panel. Is there anything like this you have to do with the Poly D as well?

[@Bernd_Bruening]

There are a few trimpots at the backpanel, but I wouldn't mess around with these unless you exactly know what you're doing.

[@bobsbiggestfan6281]

What do I do if my first oscillator is way out of tune? My Tune knob to the far left is at 12 o clock could it be drift?

[@Bernd_Bruening]

Tune the first oscillator to 440 Hz with the tuning knob on the far left. 440Hz is not always at 12 o’clock. Yes, the oscillator do drift depending on temperature.

[@SunriseWaterMedia]

How do you know if the first oscillator is in tune? Do you reference with another instrument?

[@Bernd_Bruening]

You need a 440 Hz reference. Patch 64 of all my polyphonic synths is a simple saw wave used for tuning purpose.

[@PonzWasTaken]

My Poly D acts strange. I'll tune all my oscillators so they sound perfect, do a little jam, and then I'll turn off the machine. It sits nicely on a stand next to me, but when I go to turn it back on (let's say about 30 minutes later) the oscillators are all slightly detuned again and I've got to re-tune them. Is this normal?

[@Bernd_Bruening]

Yes, that’s normal. Temperature dependent oscillator drift. I suggest to let it warm up for about 10 minutes and then tune the oscillators. If you follow this rule each time you turn it on, you’ll realize that it keeps in tune for quite a long time.

[@fleximarvellous]

I am new to Synth and got my Poly D arrived today, I followed your tuning instruction and found out that oscillator 4 is calibrated lower than the other 3. I have to twist it to +2 in order to get it tuned with the other 3 (+/- 0). Is this normal?

[@Bernd_Bruening]

+2 is a bit hefty. Verify that osc 4 control button is up (deactivated).

[@fleximarvellous]

@@Bernd_Bruening Thank you 🙏

[@Bernd_Bruening]

@@fleximarvellous I’ve edited my answer. Please check.

[@fleximarvellous]

@@Bernd_BrueningIt’s normal now after I turned the Poly off and on again, I have the Idea that the Synth behaves differently every time I turn it on. Example, the volume was muted when I twist the volume knob to Max, but it act normal now after Reboot.

[@Bernd_Bruening]

@@fleximarvellous that’s strange! I would wait a few days and observe how it reacts. In case it acts up again like that, I would return it.

[@heatsourcemusic2539]

Its a shame they didnt include a 440hz reference

[@Bernd_Bruening]

As far as I know the model D has got a 440Hz reference. With all my other analog synths I need to tune them every day. The last patch in all my synths is a pure sawtooth tone used for tuning. Reference tone is either coming from DAW or a digital synth.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Well there's plenty of tuning apps for phones and there's also Audacity which can generate tuning tones. And there's also an online tone generator like this one: www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/

[@hydorah]

@@KRAFTWERK2K6 Cool man! Useful site. Thanks

[@linusyay5748]

Wait are you german? 😀

[@Bernd_Bruening]

At least I feel honored that you ask! :D

[@PHYZIK.]

So that was a waste of time, you didnt actually do any tuning what so ever

[@Bernd_Bruening]

I TUNED the oscillator to each other. The overall tuning of the entire instrument needs to be done by ear, a guitar tuner or any tuner app.