Fun thing! press down a chord of your choise, make sure audio is on , then switch power on. Listen to the poly glide from everywhere phase into the chord as the expo stabilizing!
Thank you for this video. The PolySix was my first synth and I have had it sitting in my closet for the last several years. After watching your video I have contacted a repair shop in Dallas and asked them to go through the board and make it right again... It has always been a very solid synth...
Sometimes I'm hearing sounds from the old rave days of the late 80's/early nineties. I'm getting MDMA flashbacks :) Great synth and video. The Poly 61 is also a cool synth.
The Poly 6 used the SSM2044 filter and the SSM 2040 was in the Monopoly. I just noticed how the fundamental drop was almost unnoticeable as you cranked that resonance up. Love this synth. I wish Korg would do a modern dual stacked Poly 12 , would be awesome based on this architecture. Imo it would kick the Prologue in the asscheeks !
I’m a little late on this video, but it is my favorite synth. I can still program sounds on it that I haven’t heard before. It always inspires. I bought mine in 1986 for $400, spent $450! Putting the Korg midi kit in. It adds sync for arpeggiator, 512 presets, sustain pedal input and gets rid of the extra note on the up down arp setting. Also to set the filter tracking at max resonance, hit the hold button, an push low and hi C then adjust the filter tracking til they are in tune. Then you filter will track correctly….maybe… well maybe not perfectly …lol
I bought the poly6 new in 81, having already borrowed/used a Juno 6/60 for numerous gigs while saving up the $1400 for the P6. There was never a question between the 2. I could get Mellotron sounds from the poly6. Done.
Great vid Starsky. Played with this one a few times, but never had the luxury of owning one. It sounds very good! Just wondering and thinking out loud: "So when will KORG re-release a synth like this? Or even better a P6/P-61 hybrid on steroids?" :-)
Yeah I know right. Recently I I've done well enough to buy some vintage gear. And everything I've looked up either isn't around because everybody's hoarding everything or if it is listed it's too much. Now regret that I didn't buy a bunch of gear every last decade at least. Because now certain gear just seems like a dream to own casually.q
@@joebrewer4529 I was lucky enough to just barely jump onto the very end of the train last year with Prophet 600 and Akai S900. Now those are being sold at absolutely pointless prices - let's not even speak about even slightly more known pieces of gear. As a sidenote - Teensy++ boards are now out of production and Prophet 600 GliGli upgrades will become progressively costlier themselves, further driving prices up for that one.
@@wrmusic8736 yeah this is breaking my heart. With my current situation I got really excited and I thought I would finally be able to get some of that stuff. I wanted an s900 as well. With a combination of some of the newer equipment the sampler thing is killing me at this point because I just wanted to buy a bunch of rack milk samplers and then sequence it from different kinds of equipment. I really wanted an MPC 4000. I really wanted to collect several racks ofl samplers. It's bugging me up because what you used to could buy those samplers for I could have set up like a couple of racks of samplers for under $2,000. I finally came to the conclusion the disease my dog is a sampler ranger recording everything into the daw and just doing it that way instead of doing everything in the computer. It would have been cool to have about eight rack mounts going into a class compliant interface going into the akait Force. Actually a good example of all this. At the beginning of 2020 I sold my Medusa synth. And I was like even the aftermarket even if I don't get another new one I should be able to get a used one reasonably. And at the end of last year they had those used for around $700. Which I expected. Which is fine. And now everyone I keep looking up is like $1, 800. I even want to get like an old task in cassette recorder with MIDI just to experiment what it would have been like to have something like that back in the day making electronic music. Just for the experience and even down to the whole sort of aphex twin cassette sound thing from ambient works. Just to have fun and now when you look at these prices it just doesn't seem like it would be as much fun.
@@joebrewer4529 yeah I realized the worth of old samplers way way too late. Every modern sampler today is so clinically transparent - it's no fun and there are no modern alternatives in sight. And Isla S2400 costs so much that might as well buy a pair of S950 for that price.
@@wrmusic8736 it's funny I didn't jump into late. It was screwed me up was reading everybody else's interpretation of something I thought I wanted to buy thinking they knew that they knew what they were talking about. I wanted to get in in MPC 4000 or an MPC 5000. Roland mv8800. But between the way people talked about these things online or guitar center people not even knowing what the hell they're trying to sell you. I didn't make a move. And it was so confusing back then because you just realized people didn't know what they were talking about. The only good thing is going to happen modern lives is synthesizers have gotten cheap and affordable. Like I wish I would have gotten the MPC 4000 because I didn't understand that the sampler infrastructure which nobody knew what it actually was. For the time. That thing was a beast and I should have bought it back in 2002. Biggest mistake ever made.
This Korg Poly6 is 10 times the synth the Juno 6, 60, 160 are. The Juno's have a great sound but it is limited, more used for that "Juno sound", the chorus is great. But the Poly6 can do so much more, and I don't mean bells and whistles (literally or figuratively), it can just create so many more moods, or feelings, than the Juno can. Don't get me wrong, back in the day, when these were the garbage analog synths of the garbage analog world... they were still freaking expensive, but nothing like the collector prices we're seeing these days, but I should have sold my car and bought one of the Junos, a Mono/Poly, a Poly 6, and 61. But... The Poly6 just has vibes for days, or at least the vibes that I like. It's a sure fire synth. Sometimes you sit down at a synth, and just nothing happens... you just don't find anything unique, or vibey, or moves you, or interests you. But I find the Poly6 ALWAYS lights up and brings the fire. It always produces a mood, or a feeling that captivates me, and inspires me to build a track around. And then I can add 4 more parts to the track off the Poly6, and those parts can be equally as engaging. I'd take one Poly6 over 4 Juno's of any of the original 3 vintages. 4 realz.
Well, I sold my Juno and kept my Polysix so I suppose I must agree with you to some some extent. That said, I don't consider the Korg to be a particularly versatile synth, if I'm being honest. I know a top synth programmer who has worked with some very well known artists and he said that he didn't even bother to replace all of the preset patches with his own custom patches due to the sameness of the overall sound. Unfortunately, I can't claim to be a master programmer unlike this bloke but I very much got the same impression as him. The main, if not only reason I keep mine is that I hear it very much as being a classic '70s type string machine. In that area I feel that it excels in a way that the Juno 6 could never hope to compete. I say that in full awareness that the Juno is very capable of making quite gorgeous string type sounds.
@@MisAnnThorpe that's a good point. Once you've got the basic tone int your head you can always hear it.. it does, however, mean you can dial stuff in from the presets very quickly - I do this with the 106.With just a single oscillator I think its quite common. I have Mddart Pianoteq (not sure that's how its spelt!) which is a modelled piano. After I tweaked it to its extreme and made a banjo sound I can still hear the banjo when using a steinway model .. ;)
Also, I understand that people love their Roland chorus' but I think it is the main reason why certain Roland synths are so (too?) readily identifiable. Turning the chorus off on my Juno 6, when I had it, meant that, yes, the sound was a lot less present (I don't do "ph*t"!) but it was well worth it, as it allowed the unadorned sound, room to breathe . Once you engage that chorus - whether it be on a Juno 6/60 or JX8P/10 - all sonic subtlety becomes lost in a thick layer of saccharine that makes everything sound the same. In fairness, used occasionally and in the right place, it provides the perfect finishing touch.
Thank you for the reupload Skarsky. And man, at 28:23 is it just GORGEOUS! Makes me wish I had one and I tried getting close to that patch just with the VST but it sounds very different.
I figured out what the issue was with the original - I edited a short section where I was trying to get the cat away from the camera! UA-cam must have messed up the edit (it was done within its own software).
@@TheLastSpartan138 yeah I’ve thought about it but always try to find something interesting to say. From my initial tests it doesn’t sound the same but close enough - and the additional effects etc make it a good buy. Maybe I’ll do a short review at some point.
I find the sounds from the Polysix to be a lot less thin than the Juno 106. I hope Korg does a reissue of this, but it would be awesome if it was a Polyten or Polytwelve and added a second VCO.
I have a polysix and I find it to be very organ-like at it's core. Also, for me, I would say the FX section is definitely something that makes this synth stand out, particularly the ensemble. Basically gives you a Solina String sound. Also I have no clue what you at @28:00 lol "let's put a little wee bit on those oso"??
This is by far the most comprehensive overview of the Polysix I've seen on the UA-cams. I've never actually played with one in the flesh (only a MonoPoly). It has a very unique sound and flavour to it... Very sizzly in character. I want. They can be had in my area of Canada for around $800-$1000. The issue however, is that if you're buying one you're going to want to look inside because these suffer badly from Korg having used shitty batteries that leak all over the board and the acid then eats up the traces. Several Korg synths of this era suffer from the same issue.
Yeah.. this one has a new board that takes standard batteries.. Only problem with that is when the battery dies you loose all the resets. I gave up re-programming them and couldn't get the tape input to work. It's probably knackered! :)
@@StarskyCarr If you leave the power on when replacing the battery you won't lose the presets but you may get electrocuted. Die for your art with korg.
Polysix much more like a “poor mans” prophet than a Juno…. I love mine.. very 80’s sounding synth. Effects very noisy, like all 80’s chorus’s…. Sadly they suffer from battery leakage on the logic board which is terminal! Fortunately, kiwisix replacement now available and comes with midi (standard) Plus…Adds 4 x 32 memory banks and all factory patches stored in ROM. My biggest complaint was only a single mono output, hence it doesn’t sound as big as the Juno. (In stereo) with effects on
@@RayyMusik It definitely requires soldering and cutting of traces on circuit boards. It is not a plug-and-play upgrade. I'm doing videos of this upgrade right now on my UA-cam channel.
All that cat is thinking of is soft pads and PHAT beats. And maybe snacks. For me the Polysix is better than the Juno but that is objectively for my needs.
Had one in the 80's - wouldn't stay in tune from one week to the next - had to take the top off and retune the pots regularly. Right pain as I was gigging. Sound was ok, got rid of it in the end.
This was my first synth back in 1982. I really liked the sound, but it was just too limited. It's only absolute bare bones. No portamento, no noise and since it's a single oscillator, it doesn't have sync, cross mod, and independent pitch mod. It's also multi trigger only. It was a very warm sounding synth and great for the price, but it was very limited.
I don't care what stats, or features people wanna talk about this synth lacking, that kind of talk is for school boys. Get a vst if you want infinite modulation sources and destinations, eighteen trillion oscillators, lfo's and adsr's. The synth and me resonate. We get along. Magical things happen when I work on that synth, and just earlier and just later of thase vintage Korg synths. I could talk about chips, and I'd be right, but it's just all about what happens when I program, write and play on that (and those) synths. The sounds and forms I like come out. Boom, there it is. Other synths don't give me those sounds. Doesn't mean I'd like to limit myself to the Poly6, I like some other synths, but this synth is a don, and does what I love. I wish Uli's team really knew the Mono/Poly, and actually re-created it's unique character and capabilities, its quirks. There is so much more than just oscillators (which they didn't bother to replicate) or filters that makes synths unique, or valuable. I'm praying that this is Behri's version one of analog synths, an that with the stacks of cash that they make from these, that they'll do a version 2 and go a lot further into the nitty-gritty of what makes these classics so unique. And I hope they continue to develop their own original synths, or buy Hydrasynth, and arm that mofo with analog oscs, filters, an adsr's, and keep all the digital control. :) Synth freaks are, by nature, dreamers.
yeah.. did you see the bit where I set up the chord mode playing 5 of the same note with one different.. a great way to almost mix a couple of notes. Set up 5 voices playing the low note and just a single one playing an octave or 2 up. All very cool and quite unique.
Bought this for a song at the end of the aughts, sold it out of desperation AND upon the uneviling of the Korg Minilogue and it's bigger siblings. No regrets, but a couple 🤣
Love my Poly 6 in spite of it's quirks and regular required services. Have a Juno 6 on the way to build on that 80's sound. In general however I love the darker sound of the Poly 6 and the Korg line from that era coming from delta though all the way to the Poly 800
I would love so much to have a cat which sleeps quietly on a couch behind me when I'm in my studio. But I don't have the right cat, he (it?) is always outside, hunting countryside rats, maye fighting with badgers, who knows, and chasing female cats, comming back dirty at night, sometimes wounded... (Oh, yes, it's my own cat on my YT channel icon) Anyway, good video, mate, I always loved the Poly6, has a serious look, dark blue, "pro" rotating knobs, wooden sides (the real thing for a 70s synth), little plastic pieces to fold the cable behind, etc... 😉
Excellent Video Starsky: This is a vintage Gem for sure, but bargain? Hmmm. Korg Monopoly, Tridents and Polysix Prices are going through the roof these days, just like all things Retro😮💨. Still, this is a great demo. Thank you!
I wouldn't say this is the last afffordable relatively-powerful vintage polysynths left on the market these days. Have you tried an Oberheim Matrix 6 ? They can be bought for low as $1200 for one in really great shape. Those just don't have knobs liike the polysix, but is a far more more powerful synth and a lot better sounding musically-wise and much more versatile programmable-wise. Oberheim designed and built synths the right way back then. I have a Jupiter 6, and a matrix 6. I paid a lot more for the Jupiter 6 than I did for the Matrix 6, both are in great shape and sound very inspiring, but if I could only have one, its going to be the matrix 6. Don't even have to think about it. And the Jupiter 6 is awesome ! But the Matrix 6 is one of the best poly synths ever made for its place in the market or otherwise.
To my memory the Polysix was $1995 USD when they came out. A high school friend paid that for his in early 1982. Also, I remember seeing Juno 60s for retail of $1795 USD. Poly 61s were $1495 USD. I think you're thinking about the Korg Poly 800 from 1983 that was $799 USD. BTW, I own all I have listed above except Polysix. Had one from 1989 to 1993. Bought it for $100 and sold it for $300. Had to replace battery and fix keybed. Other than the price issue, great video as always!
Sounds great to me. Yeah definitely a more 70s vibe than the Juno and for me as a former Juno 60 owner maybe even better. Has that string machine, phasey vibe...
I cant believe these things still go for so low granted they have problems with battery leaking. You could get a cheap Korg poly 61M and Polysix put a midi interface on and it trigger both synths via midi at a same time for one massive vintage analog heavenly monster that would rival today's most modern synth sound and price on the market
Thanks for your video, nice to hear the original sound it has owned... my original sounds have been gone, perhaps the pre-owner who changed the Nicad akku didn´t bridge the electronic with a battery before soldering off the old akku. By the way ... you´ve created nice sounds and I got a couple of ideas .
I started to reprogram mine with the original patches after the battery died - did the first few then realised I’d never use the rest of them! So gave up and started programming my own as usu. I had intended on comparing with the original patches on the apps but life’s too short 😂
Can it produce bread and butter analog tones similar to how Polysix does them? Yes. Can it produce a tone exactly like Polysix? No. But that's the case with any analog synth comparison.
Having owned both - yes. If you wanna get neurotic and compare tones under a microscope I'm not gonna say they're EXACT, but the Minilogue is gonna get you where you probably want to go
One of my first poly synths. Still have it, not using it… i really should sell it… but my friend just keeps on telling me i m crazy. I prefer the j60 and the prologue!
I heard that they keys on Grace Jones' "My Jamaican Guy" were done on a Korg polysix, but I also saw a documentary in Sly and Robby's studio with a Prophet propped against the wall one of them said they'd used for ages. Anyone know which one thy used? Always loved that key sound.
My first poly synth in 1982. I spent many nights creating new patches - and wondering where to store them. If it had 320 slots and Midi, I‘d still buy it again. Behringer, where are you?
Behringer is no help here. Look at the Mono/Poly. They turned an amazing sounding synth, and equally as important, a really quirky/unique architecture - almost broken or flawed, but really rewarding as a result, and just turned it into a generic sounding synth. I'm not anti-behringer for analog synths, or eurorack, but I was profoundly disappointed by the Mono/Poly, like they completely dismissed or missed everything that made the synth so rewarding, and just made a generic synth with oscs and a filter... We'll see what they can do with other synth copies. I think they'd be better off hiring a designer, and coming up with their own unique architectures and chips. But that is just me, and what do I know. People seem like they're more interested in purchasing the idea of a synth rather than a synth that works or sounds like the actual synth they are supposedly into.
@@alphanumeric1529 Oh, the original Monopoly didn‘t work with OSCs and a filter? Didn‘t know about that. In fact Behringer reconstructs those vintage circuits and chips specific for a certain synth. The difference to the original is not greater than among the originals themselves. I own a Poly D and am highly satisfied after playing several Minimoogs last century.
Was my first synth in 1993. I hate it, the battery leaked, will put kiwi midi board and will sell it, I will hold it until it reaches higher prices. I loved the Mono/poly and MS 20 on the contrary and Poly61. Edit: I really loved the ensemble fx on it, the only thing.
Haha not a fan then? This has a new motherboard so the battery leak isn’t an issue - although when the battery dies I lose everything. I really like the sound though. Overall it feels a bit ‘creepy’ I’m always worried something is just about to die on it.
@@StarskyCarr Worst synth ever for techno ( well the other 800 Korg might be even worse).😀. Ideal for tv films from mid 80´s and dated colombian soap opera dramas.😁
I've got one and mine was about 600 quid with a midi kit fitted about five years ago but I don't think they're that cheap now though! I see 'em go for 1500 upwards in good nick. Beware things like the dreaded battery leak which can ruin the circuit boards, potentionmeters going and such like. The repairs can be bloody expensive. Like all these old analogue synths they're great fun but can cost to upkeep as I've found to my cost over the years. Also avoid those bloody Kiwi upgrade things, imo they ruin the feel of the original synth and 'Frankenstein' it into something it shouldn't be. I don't use my PolySix as much as I should but I ain't ever gonna get rid of it! :)
I agree on the mods. I had a Jupiter 6 with the upgraded kit and it was a pita. I also took out the Gligli on the P600 - until I realised the filter envelope didn't work properly without it! which was weird.
@@StarskyCarr I think the Gigli mod on the P600 is the only mod I would advise (I’ve got one on my 600) and it ls unobtrusive which is why I like it AND it adds some cool and useful features to the prophet. Those Kiwi things are and abomination though, especially on Roland synths - imo. They ruin the look and for me, don’t really add that much to the sound.
It sounds really fat. I wonder if you would ever do a comparison between this and the Juno 6 or 60. The Juno 6 seems like the funnest of them all to me but not sure it sounds as good as this.
Why can’t synth manufacturers make a simple, no-menus, knob per function, vco 6 voice synth with a 61 key keyboard for under $1000?? The technology is ANCIENT! Instead we have the prophet 5 reissue, which as beautiful as it sounds, is underpowered for the ridiculous asking price.
There's always the Nymphes - although the form factor is completely different! Behringer announced a clone a while ago - I guess we're all waiting for the chips to arrive.
Fun thing! press down a chord of your choise, make sure audio is on , then switch power on. Listen to the poly glide from everywhere phase into the chord as the expo stabilizing!
Cool 😎
Thank you for this video. The PolySix was my first synth and I have had it sitting in my closet for the last several years. After watching your video I have contacted a repair shop in Dallas and asked them to go through the board and make it right again... It has always been a very solid synth...
"Acclimatize to the Liverpool climate" - meaning it stayed on the table for more than five minutes without it being nicked? :P
Heyyyyyyy-eyyyyyy, Scouser!
Ooh! Ah!
I wanna know-o-o-ow ow ow,
Where’s my video?
And my DVD?
And my T-ee Vee?
And m’ Stereo
And m’ Polysix … … …
Sometimes I'm hearing sounds from the old rave days of the late 80's/early nineties. I'm getting MDMA flashbacks :) Great synth and video. The Poly 61 is also a cool synth.
The Poly 6 used the SSM2044 filter and the SSM 2040 was in the Monopoly. I just noticed how the fundamental drop was almost unnoticeable as you cranked that resonance up. Love this synth. I wish Korg would do a modern dual stacked Poly 12 , would be awesome based on this architecture. Imo it would kick the Prologue in the asscheeks !
It was my first poly synth in 1981 but I don't have any more. Much better than JUNO. I love the whole sounds. warm and meilting.
My favourite synthesizer. Not just great sounding. She's a real looker. Yes, shout about it :)
great review as always. in fact, no one ever shows such genuine interest and love into the gear they review as you do. and that cat! thanks.
.. the cat's the best bit :)
literally purchased one today and was happy to see that there was a bran new video going over this synth.
The oscillators drifting, ensemble, phaser and SSM filter makes this synth so unique than its Roland competitors imo
I’m a little late on this video, but it is my favorite synth. I can still program sounds on it that I haven’t heard before. It always inspires.
I bought mine in 1986 for $400, spent $450! Putting the Korg midi kit in. It adds sync for arpeggiator, 512 presets, sustain pedal input and gets rid of the extra note on the up down arp setting.
Also to set the filter tracking at max resonance, hit the hold button, an push low and hi C then adjust the filter tracking til they are in tune. Then you filter will track correctly….maybe… well maybe not perfectly …lol
Always thought the Poly6 had more character than a juno 6 - the korg plugin version is always a go to for me.
Like the Poly6 better on the ipad, in terms of virtual synths. Don't know why. It just vibes harder.
@@alphanumeric1529 exactly the same here, dont know why the ipad version is better sounding than the vst
I bought the poly6 new in 81, having already borrowed/used a Juno 6/60 for numerous gigs while saving up the $1400 for the P6. There was never a question between the 2. I could get Mellotron sounds from the poly6. Done.
I hardly noticed your video because I was staring at your cat the whole time. 😻
So glad this was included with my Korg kronos. Great video! Definitely subbed! 😊
Great vid Starsky. Played with this one a few times, but never had the luxury of owning one. It sounds very good! Just wondering and thinking out loud: "So when will KORG re-release a synth like this? Or even better a P6/P-61 hybrid on steroids?" :-)
Sadly in 2022 there's no such thing as a vintage bargain anymore.
Yeah I know right. Recently I I've done well enough to buy some vintage gear. And everything I've looked up either isn't around because everybody's hoarding everything or if it is listed it's too much. Now regret that I didn't buy a bunch of gear every last decade at least. Because now certain gear just seems like a dream to own casually.q
@@joebrewer4529 I was lucky enough to just barely jump onto the very end of the train last year with Prophet 600 and Akai S900. Now those are being sold at absolutely pointless prices - let's not even speak about even slightly more known pieces of gear.
As a sidenote - Teensy++ boards are now out of production and Prophet 600 GliGli upgrades will become progressively costlier themselves, further driving prices up for that one.
@@wrmusic8736 yeah this is breaking my heart. With my current situation I got really excited and I thought I would finally be able to get some of that stuff. I wanted an s900 as well. With a combination of some of the newer equipment the sampler thing is killing me at this point because I just wanted to buy a bunch of rack milk samplers and then sequence it from different kinds of equipment. I really wanted an MPC 4000. I really wanted to collect several racks ofl samplers. It's bugging me up because what you used to could buy those samplers for I could have set up like a couple of racks of samplers for under $2,000. I finally came to the conclusion the disease my dog is a sampler ranger recording everything into the daw and just doing it that way instead of doing everything in the computer. It would have been cool to have about eight rack mounts going into a class compliant interface going into the akait Force. Actually a good example of all this. At the beginning of 2020 I sold my Medusa synth. And I was like even the aftermarket even if I don't get another new one I should be able to get a used one reasonably. And at the end of last year they had those used for around $700. Which I expected. Which is fine. And now everyone I keep looking up is like $1, 800. I even want to get like an old task in cassette recorder with MIDI just to experiment what it would have been like to have something like that back in the day making electronic music. Just for the experience and even down to the whole sort of aphex twin cassette sound thing from ambient works. Just to have fun and now when you look at these prices it just doesn't seem like it would be as much fun.
@@joebrewer4529 yeah I realized the worth of old samplers way way too late.
Every modern sampler today is so clinically transparent - it's no fun and there are no modern alternatives in sight. And Isla S2400 costs so much that might as well buy a pair of S950 for that price.
@@wrmusic8736 it's funny I didn't jump into late. It was screwed me up was reading everybody else's interpretation of something I thought I wanted to buy thinking they knew that they knew what they were talking about. I wanted to get in in MPC 4000 or an MPC 5000. Roland mv8800. But between the way people talked about these things online or guitar center people not even knowing what the hell they're trying to sell you. I didn't make a move. And it was so confusing back then because you just realized people didn't know what they were talking about. The only good thing is going to happen modern lives is synthesizers have gotten cheap and affordable. Like I wish I would have gotten the MPC 4000 because I didn't understand that the sampler infrastructure which nobody knew what it actually was. For the time. That thing was a beast and I should have bought it back in 2002. Biggest mistake ever made.
Always wanted one, your starting my gas again lol
Great video as always sir 🖐
This Korg Poly6 is 10 times the synth the Juno 6, 60, 160 are. The Juno's have a great sound but it is limited, more used for that "Juno sound", the chorus is great. But the Poly6 can do so much more, and I don't mean bells and whistles (literally or figuratively), it can just create so many more moods, or feelings, than the Juno can.
Don't get me wrong, back in the day, when these were the garbage analog synths of the garbage analog world... they were still freaking expensive, but nothing like the collector prices we're seeing these days, but I should have sold my car and bought one of the Junos, a Mono/Poly, a Poly 6, and 61. But... The Poly6 just has vibes for days, or at least the vibes that I like.
It's a sure fire synth. Sometimes you sit down at a synth, and just nothing happens... you just don't find anything unique, or vibey, or moves you, or interests you. But I find the Poly6 ALWAYS lights up and brings the fire. It always produces a mood, or a feeling that captivates me, and inspires me to build a track around. And then I can add 4 more parts to the track off the Poly6, and those parts can be equally as engaging. I'd take one Poly6 over 4 Juno's of any of the original 3 vintages. 4 realz.
I’ve become quite attached to it for exactly those reasons.
I sold my car for Trident
Well, I sold my Juno and kept my Polysix so I suppose I must agree with you to some some extent. That said, I don't consider the Korg to be a particularly versatile synth, if I'm being honest. I know a top synth programmer who has worked with some very well known artists and he said that he didn't even bother to replace all of the preset patches with his own custom patches due to the sameness of the overall sound. Unfortunately, I can't claim to be a master programmer unlike this bloke but I very much got the same impression as him. The main, if not only reason I keep mine is that I hear it very much as being a classic '70s type string machine. In that area I feel that it excels in a way that the Juno 6 could never hope to compete. I say that in full awareness that the Juno is very capable of making quite gorgeous string type sounds.
@@MisAnnThorpe that's a good point. Once you've got the basic tone int your head you can always hear it.. it does, however, mean you can dial stuff in from the presets very quickly - I do this with the 106.With just a single oscillator I think its quite common. I have Mddart Pianoteq (not sure that's how its spelt!) which is a modelled piano. After I tweaked it to its extreme and made a banjo sound I can still hear the banjo when using a steinway model .. ;)
Also, I understand that people love their Roland chorus' but I think it is the main reason why certain Roland synths are so (too?) readily identifiable. Turning the chorus off on my Juno 6, when I had it, meant that, yes, the sound was a lot less present (I don't do "ph*t"!) but it was well worth it, as it allowed the unadorned sound, room to breathe . Once you engage that chorus - whether it be on a Juno 6/60 or JX8P/10 - all sonic subtlety becomes lost in a thick layer of saccharine that makes everything sound the same. In fairness, used occasionally and in the right place, it provides the perfect finishing touch.
7:12 - 7:23 The sawtooth sounds exactly the same as the one on the Korg Volca Keys (in poly mode).
at 32:25 you sold a Polysix to me Starsky.... thanks!!! I am convinced now to get one.... 80's pouring down the valleys with that bassline...
Thank you for the reupload Skarsky. And man, at 28:23 is it just GORGEOUS! Makes me wish I had one and I tried getting close to that patch just with the VST but it sounds very different.
I figured out what the issue was with the original - I edited a short section where I was trying to get the cat away from the camera! UA-cam must have messed up the edit (it was done within its own software).
@@StarskyCarr That's hilarious. By the way, Is it possible for you to do a comparison between the Korg Polysix VST vs the real deal?
@@TheLastSpartan138 yeah I’ve thought about it but always try to find something interesting to say. From my initial tests it doesn’t sound the same but close enough - and the additional effects etc make it a good buy. Maybe I’ll do a short review at some point.
I find the sounds from the Polysix to be a lot less thin than the Juno 106. I hope Korg does a reissue of this, but it would be awesome if it was a Polyten or Polytwelve and added a second VCO.
15:28 I had to stop what I was doing and look to see what's going on. You got my attention 😂
Haha maybe I should get the cats to knock stuff over more often! Although they’ve already managed to break a very expensive camera. 🤦♂️
I have a polysix and I find it to be very organ-like at it's core. Also, for me, I would say the FX section is definitely something that makes this synth stand out, particularly the ensemble. Basically gives you a Solina String sound. Also I have no clue what you at @28:00 lol "let's put a little wee bit on those oso"??
This is by far the most comprehensive overview of the Polysix I've seen on the UA-cams. I've never actually played with one in the flesh (only a MonoPoly). It has a very unique sound and flavour to it... Very sizzly in character. I want.
They can be had in my area of Canada for around $800-$1000. The issue however, is that if you're buying one you're going to want to look inside because these suffer badly from Korg having used shitty batteries that leak all over the board and the acid then eats up the traces. Several Korg synths of this era suffer from the same issue.
Yeah.. this one has a new board that takes standard batteries.. Only problem with that is when the battery dies you loose all the resets. I gave up re-programming them and couldn't get the tape input to work. It's probably knackered! :)
@@StarskyCarr If you leave the power on when replacing the battery you won't lose the presets but you may get electrocuted. Die for your art with korg.
@@uv77mc85 Ouch!!
Polysix much more like a “poor mans” prophet than a Juno…. I love mine.. very 80’s sounding synth. Effects very noisy, like all 80’s chorus’s…. Sadly they suffer from battery leakage on the logic board which is terminal! Fortunately, kiwisix replacement now available and comes with midi (standard) Plus…Adds 4 x 32 memory banks and all factory patches stored in ROM. My biggest complaint was only a single mono output, hence it doesn’t sound as big as the Juno. (In stereo) with effects on
Is the Kiwisix sold as a complete unit? I hate soldering. As for the mono output: look what Sequential did with the P5 Rev 4. 🤷♂️
@@RayyMusik Yes, it’s a very simple replacement kit. Rubadub (music store) distribute them here in the U.K.
@@RayyMusik It definitely requires soldering and cutting of traces on circuit boards. It is not a plug-and-play upgrade. I'm doing videos of this upgrade right now on my UA-cam channel.
That intro. THAT INTRO!!!!!!
This is what is missing with Behringer synths. Nice video!
Great synth
All that cat is thinking of is soft pads and PHAT beats. And maybe snacks. For me the Polysix is better than the Juno but that is objectively for my needs.
The cat is actually thinking at what point can he cause most disruption. 🤦♂️
Had one in the 80's - wouldn't stay in tune from one week to the next - had to take the top off and retune the pots regularly. Right pain as I was gigging. Sound was ok, got rid of it in the end.
Haha… that’s a familiar tale.
If you can add a June-60 v2 Pedal Chorus 😍
It's my big polysynth in my home studio.
This was my first synth back in 1982. I really liked the sound, but it was just too limited. It's only absolute bare bones. No portamento, no noise and since it's a single oscillator, it doesn't have sync, cross mod, and independent pitch mod. It's also multi trigger only. It was a very warm sounding synth and great for the price, but it was very limited.
I don't care what stats, or features people wanna talk about this synth lacking, that kind of talk is for school boys. Get a vst if you want infinite modulation sources and destinations, eighteen trillion oscillators, lfo's and adsr's.
The synth and me resonate. We get along. Magical things happen when I work on that synth, and just earlier and just later of thase vintage Korg synths. I could talk about chips, and I'd be right, but it's just all about what happens when I program, write and play on that (and those) synths. The sounds and forms I like come out. Boom, there it is. Other synths don't give me those sounds. Doesn't mean I'd like to limit myself to the Poly6, I like some other synths, but this synth is a don, and does what I love.
I wish Uli's team really knew the Mono/Poly, and actually re-created it's unique character and capabilities, its quirks. There is so much more than just oscillators (which they didn't bother to replicate) or filters that makes synths unique, or valuable. I'm praying that this is Behri's version one of analog synths, an that with the stacks of cash that they make from these, that they'll do a version 2 and go a lot further into the nitty-gritty of what makes these classics so unique. And I hope they continue to develop their own original synths, or buy Hydrasynth, and arm that mofo with analog oscs, filters, an adsr's, and keep all the digital control. :)
Synth freaks are, by nature, dreamers.
Have it. Fucking love it. The chord mode is so nice.. Its cool when all the voices play the same note. Thank u ! Have never tried it This wat
yeah.. did you see the bit where I set up the chord mode playing 5 of the same note with one different.. a great way to almost mix a couple of notes. Set up 5 voices playing the low note and just a single one playing an octave or 2 up. All very cool and quite unique.
@@StarskyCarr Yes! Thats What I meant!
Great Demo
Thanks 🙏 🤩
Such an underated synth. Never ever has had the recognition it deserves. Can't wait for Behringer to bring it back to life
Bought this for a song at the end of the aughts, sold it out of desperation AND upon the uneviling of the Korg Minilogue and it's bigger siblings. No regrets, but a couple 🤣
Love my Poly 6 in spite of it's quirks and regular required services. Have a Juno 6 on the way to build on that 80's sound. In general however I love the darker sound of the Poly 6 and the Korg line from that era coming from delta though all the way to the Poly 800
Thanks for the demo I always though the polysix was a sexy synth since the first time i played it digitally on Korgs VST
I would love so much to have
a cat which sleeps quietly on a couch behind me when I'm in my studio. But I don't have the right cat, he (it?) is always outside, hunting countryside rats, maye fighting with badgers, who knows, and chasing female cats, comming back dirty at night, sometimes wounded...
(Oh, yes, it's my own cat on my YT channel icon)
Anyway, good video, mate, I always loved the Poly6, has a serious look, dark blue, "pro" rotating knobs, wooden sides (the real thing for a 70s synth), little plastic pieces to fold the cable behind, etc... 😉
That "wood" was cheap pressboard.
@@mikemeengs5720 Who cares! I've the same wood, from the very same tree, on the sides of my Juno6 and it makes all the difference! 😀
That's what the kids in the breakfast club all had in common: 80s dancing. So was it the actual synth used in the movie for that scene?
I’ve no idea… just looked cool 😂
Excellent Video Starsky: This is a vintage Gem for sure, but bargain? Hmmm. Korg Monopoly, Tridents and Polysix Prices are going through the roof these days, just like all things Retro😮💨.
Still, this is a great demo. Thank you!
I need to get mine repaired. I do have a killer emulation in my Korg Kronos.
These are great. They are sort of string machines that do a bit more
I wouldn't say this is the last afffordable relatively-powerful vintage polysynths left on the market these days. Have you tried an Oberheim Matrix 6 ? They can be bought for low as $1200 for one in really great shape. Those just don't have knobs liike the polysix, but is a far more more powerful synth and a lot better sounding musically-wise and much more versatile programmable-wise. Oberheim designed and built synths the right way back then. I have a Jupiter 6, and a matrix 6. I paid a lot more for the Jupiter 6 than I did for the Matrix 6, both are in great shape and sound very inspiring, but if I could only have one, its going to be the matrix 6. Don't even have to think about it. And the Jupiter 6 is awesome ! But the Matrix 6 is one of the best poly synths ever made for its place in the market or otherwise.
That’s a good point. But shhh don’t tell everyone 🤫
I agree! Oberheim Matrix 6/6R/1000 owner here. The sound is absolutely amazing and the deep modulation possibilities are endless.
To my memory the Polysix was $1995 USD when they came out. A high school friend paid that for his in early 1982. Also, I remember seeing Juno 60s for retail of $1795 USD. Poly 61s were $1495 USD.
I think you're thinking about the Korg Poly 800 from 1983 that was $799 USD. BTW, I own all I have listed above except Polysix. Had one from 1989 to 1993. Bought it for $100 and sold it for $300. Had to replace battery and fix keybed.
Other than the price issue, great video as always!
He’s British, not sure why you would assume he’s talking about $. Original price of a Polysix was £899, less than £1000.
@@stephnaylor8225 ‘Murica is the whole world, if you’re from there … hence, “The World Series” … 😉☺️
Recently sold my non-working unit for $850.00. I preferred it's sound over the Juno-106.
@ghost mall true.
What??? Juno 106 is a diamond compared to this turd. I have both currently.
Spot on vid ❤️
Sounds great to me. Yeah definitely a more 70s vibe than the Juno and for me as a former Juno 60 owner maybe even better. Has that string machine, phasey vibe...
I cant believe these things still go for so low granted they have problems with battery leaking.
You could get a cheap Korg poly 61M and Polysix put a midi interface on and it trigger both synths via midi at a same time for one massive vintage analog heavenly monster that would rival today's most modern synth sound and price on the market
Thanks for your video, nice to hear the original sound it has owned... my original sounds have been gone, perhaps the pre-owner who changed the Nicad akku didn´t bridge the electronic with a battery before soldering off the old akku. By the way ... you´ve created nice sounds and I got a couple of ideas .
I started to reprogram mine with the original patches after the battery died - did the first few then realised I’d never use the rest of them! So gave up and started programming my own as usu. I had intended on comparing with the original patches on the apps but life’s too short 😂
Can the minilogue xd produce poly6 tones?
Can it produce bread and butter analog tones similar to how Polysix does them? Yes.
Can it produce a tone exactly like Polysix? No.
But that's the case with any analog synth comparison.
Having owned both - yes. If you wanna get neurotic and compare tones under a microscope I'm not gonna say they're EXACT, but the Minilogue is gonna get you where you probably want to go
One of my first poly synths. Still have it, not using it… i really should sell it… but my friend just keeps on telling me i m crazy. I prefer the j60 and the prologue!
I heard that they keys on Grace Jones' "My Jamaican Guy" were done on a Korg polysix, but I also saw a documentary in Sly and Robby's studio with a Prophet propped against the wall one of them said they'd used for ages. Anyone know which one thy used? Always loved that key sound.
Might be wrong but I think the player was Wally Badarou and I think - at the time - he used a Prophet 5. Cheers
@@TheExtremenarcissist100% correct.
Recorded & Chris Blackwell’s studio, Compass Point. It was a Prophet-5 played by Wally.
My first poly synth in 1982. I spent many nights creating new patches - and wondering where to store them. If it had 320 slots and Midi, I‘d still buy it again. Behringer, where are you?
Supposedly they're working on an 8 voice clone!
@@Syntox Thinking of the UB-Xa and Pro-800, I’m afraid I won‘t live to see a Behringer Polyeight.
Behringer is no help here. Look at the Mono/Poly. They turned an amazing sounding synth, and equally as important, a really quirky/unique architecture - almost broken or flawed, but really rewarding as a result, and just turned it into a generic sounding synth. I'm not anti-behringer for analog synths, or eurorack, but I was profoundly disappointed by the Mono/Poly, like they completely dismissed or missed everything that made the synth so rewarding, and just made a generic synth with oscs and a filter...
We'll see what they can do with other synth copies. I think they'd be better off hiring a designer, and coming up with their own unique architectures and chips. But that is just me, and what do I know. People seem like they're more interested in purchasing the idea of a synth rather than a synth that works or sounds like the actual synth they are supposedly into.
@@alphanumeric1529 Oh, the original Monopoly didn‘t work with OSCs and a filter? Didn‘t know about that.
In fact Behringer reconstructs those vintage circuits and chips specific for a certain synth. The difference to the original is not greater than among the originals themselves. I own a Poly D and am highly satisfied after playing several Minimoogs last century.
@@RayyMusik The Poly D is a good deal, for the money …
Was my first synth in 1993. I hate it, the battery leaked, will put kiwi midi board and will sell it, I will hold it until it reaches higher prices. I loved the Mono/poly and MS 20 on the contrary and Poly61. Edit: I really loved the ensemble fx on it, the only thing.
I have one too. With the battery leak, and I also hate it lol. It doesn’t sound that good even when it’s working.
Haha not a fan then? This has a new motherboard so the battery leak isn’t an issue - although when the battery dies I lose everything. I really like the sound though. Overall it feels a bit ‘creepy’ I’m always worried something is just about to die on it.
@@StarskyCarr Worst synth ever for techno ( well the other 800 Korg might be even worse).😀. Ideal for tv films from mid 80´s and dated colombian soap opera dramas.😁
@@falangistavaleroso9689 I can hear those soap opera dramatic synth lines!!
It’s funny when he says watch your ears it disappears my hearing is shot in top end. Ruptured eardrums = scar tissue
Bargain? In NL they go for 2000 euro. Totally ridiculous, same with mono/poly.
~1200,-- isn´t a bargain. Battery check needed from time to time.
I haven't seen one for less that $2,000 in the last few years.
I've got one and mine was about 600 quid with a midi kit fitted about five years ago but I don't think they're that cheap now though! I see 'em go for 1500 upwards in good nick. Beware things like the dreaded battery leak which can ruin the circuit boards, potentionmeters going and such like. The repairs can be bloody expensive. Like all these old analogue synths they're great fun but can cost to upkeep as I've found to my cost over the years. Also avoid those bloody Kiwi upgrade things, imo they ruin the feel of the original synth and 'Frankenstein' it into something it shouldn't be.
I don't use my PolySix as much as I should but I ain't ever gonna get rid of it! :)
I agree on the mods. I had a Jupiter 6 with the upgraded kit and it was a pita. I also took out the Gligli on the P600 - until I realised the filter envelope didn't work properly without it! which was weird.
@@StarskyCarr I think the Gigli mod on the P600 is the only mod I would advise (I’ve got one on my 600) and it ls unobtrusive which is why I like it AND it adds some cool and useful features to the prophet. Those Kiwi things are and abomination though, especially on Roland synths - imo. They ruin the look and for me, don’t really add that much to the sound.
It sounds really fat. I wonder if you would ever do a comparison between this and the Juno 6 or 60. The Juno 6 seems like the funnest of them all to me but not sure it sounds as good as this.
It’s in the cards. I’ve just got hold of a 6 but it’s knackered .if I can get it up and running it’s in the plan.
Of you have a System 8 , I really don't think you would need this.
I wouldn't call the Polysix affordable at 1800 bucks considering the limited capabilities of that synth
Hence the ‘?’
Why can’t synth manufacturers make a simple, no-menus, knob per function, vco 6 voice synth with a 61 key keyboard for under $1000?? The technology is ANCIENT! Instead we have the prophet 5 reissue, which as beautiful as it sounds, is underpowered for the ridiculous asking price.
I’m old, so my synth had to be modern. I bought an Opsix FM Synth.
Why can't they make anything this straight forward today 😂
There's always the Nymphes - although the form factor is completely different! Behringer announced a clone a while ago - I guess we're all waiting for the chips to arrive.
A great Japanese synth band is named after this. Highly recommend people check out Polysics. P O L Y S I C S or die!
Cool 😎
STOP MAKING NOISE! 🤣
It’s garbage, I have one