This was my first polyphonic synth (the first one that I could afford) and I really enjoyed it in the day. It has some nasty limitations though. First, it really needs to be in double mode to sound fat and decent, so it's really a 4-voice instrument. But worst of all is the single filter for all voices. You really can't articulate complex sounds cleanly, in spite of the nice envelope generators. Also, the 4-octave keyboard is really too short for a poly instrument, the joystick is fragile and the MIDI implementation lacks a proper SYSEX function. All that said, they're still quite cheap, so it's a nice instrument to have as an analog option. It really sounds great here, though. You definitely made the best of it, limitations or not.
This was my first synth too and i am SO glad someone made a decent video with it. It isnt all that sexy or great sounding but it did serve a purpose and i am glad you paid the little guy SOME respect anyway.
I just ordered a heavily modified Poly 800 with cutoff/res knobs, filter FM, the whole 9 yards. Looking forward to getting it and making warbly BOC-style pads.
I like the sound of Korg as well. This is one of my favorite synthesizers to take on the go. Thanks for the upload. The SDE-1000 is great as well. Take care and have a wonderful 4th of July! Sam.
Never understood why their is so much hate over the Poly800, I've a modded EX800 and that's just my favourite poly ever, it fits in my gig bag perfectly, I love it so much, I use it all the time to do pads
@@mcentertain good luck with the programmation ! it is kind of weird to program but once you are use to it an once you know the values (of the parameters) it's great :) Also if it's a modified one it's very very complex to program, it took me like 4 years to wrap my head around it and there are still a few things I'm not sure xD
@@LouisSerieusement thanks mate maybe I have some kind of ironic luck, it is often with me the complicated things seem easier than the common known "simple" stuff. I started out with a mopho and mpc1000 so I guess I am a bit "ovenproof" but thanks for the warning and I hope to show my progress soon. Haha now I am even more keen on programming the ex-800 xD awesome!
@@LouisSerieusement well I am perfectly numb with these things if it takes 4 months I am fine :) haha but lately synth heaven opens for me... it´s like I really understand and see what I really want
IMO this one & DX7 are the best true-budget synths. Their sound is just amazing, especially for that prices, and damn! That SDE-1000 sounds amazing! I have to add it to my list!
can you please explain how to recreate the sound that is similar to that "staccato synth" patch on other synths?? i mean, what's it's key characteristics? it sounds brassy, but also has a short decay and longer attack, right? is there some kind of modulation going on or are the oscillators detuned?? it almost sounds like steelpan, haha)
Thanks so much for your videos. Am glad that someone is taking the time to do this. I have a question. Have you ever used a microkorg to produce 80s synth sounds? If so could you produce a video of it?
Did you write all these melodies yourself? Or are they covers of 80's themes? The first one deserves to be turned into a song, I would love to make that.
That's the kind of patches I used to create when testing out the Poly 800 in stores back in 1988 patching up with the KORG SDD1200 - ping pong modulation delay :)
I have to say these are so cool I have an original poly 800 ii that the band director let me have because she said it was to old to even be worth using in band.
Good Morning Synthmaina! I really enjoyed the video and out of all the different sounds you played, my favorite one had to be the Glassy Synth! That one really sounded awesome! What type of keyboard was you using in the video? Still, it was awesome! 😀
Nah, I owned a Poly-800 for a while in the early 90:s. It really wasn't particularly good for anything. Yeah, it could do some half-great string sounds. But an analogue without the knobs? And the dull sounding digital oscillators and not so great filters made this synth a "Meh". Not super bad, could be useable for backup sounds if you were out of polyphony(a common things in the early days in home studios with just midi) on the other synths and often pads could be used on it. The analogue chorus added to the pad sounds, but it was nowhere near as good as the ones in the Roland Juno-106. In general, it belongs to the bottom of the digital/Analogue hybrids. DW-6000 was better (had it too). But Korg DSS-1(which I also owned) was one of the best Korgs with analogue filters in it ever(and it wasn't just a sampler, for me it was more of a great synth)! Kudos to Synthmania for making the best out of this little fellow anyway! What was good about the Poly-800 was that a person could afford them in the mid 80:s. It was either that or no synthesizer at all. And in that light, it was still great (considering that home-organlike keyboards could cost as much at that time and they didn't sound like a synth at all). So the Poly-800 was about the only option! It also still had much better and warmer string sounds than the also cheap Cazio CZ-101 (and full size keys).
Stop moaning. The Poly800 is an awesome synth and since they are so cheap, 2000% value for your money. They sound 10 times as a good as all the new Korg analog attempts.
And here you have your knobs. If you can afford it. www.ebay.fr/itm/Stereoping-CE-1-PH-800-Midi-Controller-for-Korg-Poly-800-Rare-Vintage-Synth/174272466181
@@reneotten7376 Compared to todays equivalent Poly 800 from Korg, the Minilogue Xd, Poly 800 is for most (Well 99.9%) parts many, many times worse. To start with, it had just one filter shared by all the voices so in that sense it wasn't even a true polyphonic. Second, the dull sounding oscillators generated the sawtooth by some trick being done to the square wave(divide down, something used in the 70:s home organs and stringmachines). Third, the digital envelope generators (although flexible) were really slow so you just couldn't get the snappy bass sounds(like in the Junos). Fourth, why would anybody want to buy a touch membrane plastic dull sounding analogue when there are better alternatives with lot's of knobs and sliders. Most decent Vst-i:s combined with a controller (giving you the hands on experience) will give you a much, much better all-around sound and hands-on experience. So it doesn't give you the analogue hands on experience you really want when buying real gear, it is not a true polyphonic synth, it is very restricted sound wize compared to just about anything. The only thing going for the Poly-800 is the sweet sounding (but really noisy!) chorus that put a certain touch on sounds in the upper registers. Not great by any means, but I can see why some people are drawn to that type of sound when the chorus is active. At the time (1984) not many polyphonic (kind of) alternatives with a "warmish sound" could be found (well none) in the price range of the Poly-800 so of course it became popular then. But I see it as a glorified string-machine (The divide down oscillators, chorus and the one lonely filter shared with all voices putting it into that category) that can act as a very cheap synth too. Minus the always present phaser in many of the 70:s string sounds.
Again, whoever is subscribed but continues to give a thumbs down, stop wasting Synthmanias time and yours due to whatever weird childish internal conflict thing you got going on. (btw Korg sounds really plush, beautiful and warm)
Device Factor I know right. Some hater is mad because they could never afford all these lovely synths that this gentleman is nice enough to share. Not to mention the fact that you could sample these videos and in some way enjoy these some of these sounds for yourself.
Slade Healy if I don't know the difference, why would I change it? if I didn't know the difference, I would've left it as it was. seriously. You're the idiot to give a thumbs down to a video based on my comment, that's what is childish. stop making a fool of yourself.
I wish mine sounded like that got a complete new case coming for it how easy it to transfer all the insides to another body the joy stick Surround plate is missing any info welcome
This video proves that skills are more important than the synth itself. Well, good for us who listen, but unfortunate for those who buy these synths unless they have good musical skills. Personally I have played this synth, and this is not a great synth in any way shape or form in my opinion. You get no help from this synth. You have to be a good keyboard player (I was not at the time I used it in the 80')
@@SynthManiaDotCom I mean the recording is mono .. I don’t hear the stereo effect ... all sound is in the middle, merges into an illegible mass) unfortunately
be carefull Poly800 is hard to program, you will have to love it and spend times..but if you do it worth it ! Also you can get the EX800 (the expander version of it) it is relatively cheap (200/300 dollars) ; by the way, it sounds not flat, it sounds unique, his harmonic are not the same as analogs one, but still really fat ! The sound generation is neither a vco or a digital oscillator, it is technically a chiptune, that's why it sounds unique ; (also their is a VCF and an analog chorus for the MK1, it gives a nice warness) the good point with this hybrid synth is that it takes his own place in a mix :) It is my favourite poly by the way
that intro always spooked the bejesus out of me. would be very interested to know what synths they used on that. one of the most haunting theme songs ever.
![[Full Episode] The Restaurant War Thailand ศึกพ่อค้าซ่าแม่ค้าแซ่บ Episode 2 | 29 ก.ย. 67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/r3lfLNH6Ke4/mqdefault.jpg)
Only SynthMania can make a Poly-800 sound like a Jupiter-8! Great video!
I realize I'm pretty randomly asking but does anyone know of a good site to watch newly released movies online?
@London Keith flixportal =)
@Jaylen Corbin thank you, I went there and it seems to work :) Appreciate it !!
@London Keith Glad I could help =)
This is great, thank you! I would have liked to see how you made the settings for these sounds....
Fantastic!!
A little bit of clipping there on the Low Strings patch and on the Rez patch, too... Great sounding synth, though. Love the channel!
Love the poly 800! I wish I could play keys so I could get more use out of mine though haha.
I wanna strap this synth to my body and play center stage🤘
magic !!! ....1:28 => Gazebo (I like chopin) ? :) .... Little bit reverb with , and it will just be perfect.... ;) Fantastic sound !! Bravo
Damn, I love this! It's baby makin music!
Magnifico come sempre ! Che ne pensi del Roland system 8? Cm ti trovo su Facebook sempre se possibile :)
This was my first polyphonic synth (the first one that I could afford) and I really enjoyed it in the day. It has some nasty limitations though. First, it really needs to be in double mode to sound fat and decent, so it's really a 4-voice instrument. But worst of all is the single filter for all voices. You really can't articulate complex sounds cleanly, in spite of the nice envelope generators. Also, the 4-octave keyboard is really too short for a poly instrument, the joystick is fragile and the MIDI implementation lacks a proper SYSEX function. All that said, they're still quite cheap, so it's a nice instrument to have as an analog option.
It really sounds great here, though. You definitely made the best of it, limitations or not.
7:13 I feel like I’m watching the original child’s play
👍👍👍👍
thank you
This man could make good music with a pocket calculator
Speaking of which, if you did a video on the Casio VL-1 I would be so happy.
th-cam.com/video/-1zwWfJh-Lw/w-d-xo.html
boom
Bradley Hove no doubt
you all are making it sound like the poly 800 is a toy keyboard for children...…………………………….it's actually a great keyboard
@@robinsss it was the last digitally controlled analog korg until 2010s with the monotron & volca (true analog)
This was my first synth too and i am SO glad someone made a decent video with it. It isnt all that sexy or great sounding but it did serve a purpose and i am glad you paid the little guy SOME respect anyway.
I just ordered a heavily modified Poly 800 with cutoff/res knobs, filter FM, the whole 9 yards.
Looking forward to getting it and making warbly BOC-style pads.
Don't forget to add some drum break samples on the boc track!
can you make a video about your experience with it?
I like the sound of Korg as well. This is one of my favorite synthesizers to take on the go. Thanks for the upload. The SDE-1000 is great as well. Take care and have a wonderful 4th of July! Sam.
I was waiting for some sick LinnDrum to come in on that first track, you should really flesh it out into a full song, it'd be awesome.
YES!!!
Hey SynthMania, just wanted to say thanks for the prolific video updates lately - inspiring and useful!
Never understood why their is so much hate over the Poly800, I've a modded EX800 and that's just my favourite poly ever, it fits in my gig bag perfectly, I love it so much, I use it all the time to do pads
Exactly what I think this why I just bought one... there is a thin line between haters and players
@@mcentertain good luck with the programmation ! it is kind of weird to program but once you are use to it an once you know the values (of the parameters) it's great :) Also if it's a modified one it's very very complex to program, it took me like 4 years to wrap my head around it and there are still a few things I'm not sure xD
@@LouisSerieusement thanks mate maybe I have some kind of ironic luck, it is often with me the complicated things seem easier than the common known "simple" stuff. I started out with a mopho and mpc1000 so I guess I am a bit "ovenproof" but thanks for the warning and I hope to show my progress soon. Haha now I am even more keen on programming the ex-800 xD awesome!
@@mcentertain the stock EX800 will be very easy for you I'm sure ^^
@@LouisSerieusement well I am perfectly numb with these things if it takes 4 months I am fine :) haha but lately synth heaven opens for me... it´s like I really understand and see what I really want
IMO this one & DX7 are the best true-budget synths. Their sound is just amazing, especially for that prices, and damn! That SDE-1000 sounds amazing! I have to add it to my list!
Magnus Cholok Mauser I won't lie I've heard many people bash this synth, but it's got a nice lofi warm gritty sound that is appealing.
Isnt the DX7 Crazy expensive though?
You make everything sound great! Thank you for sharing your talent.
great sound Paolo!
are those stock sounds? or did you tweak them a bit?
thank you for the video!!!
I just made an audio demo track about the Ldaysynths POLY-LD8 (a free VSTi emulation of the KORG POLY-800/EX-800). Check it out.
You can make so much 80s themed jams,please make more like the Brass & String pieces,its like im in another Dimension when heared Paolo!
can you please explain how to recreate the sound that is similar to that "staccato synth" patch on other synths?? i mean, what's it's key characteristics? it sounds brassy, but also has a short decay and longer attack, right? is there some kind of modulation going on or are the oscillators detuned?? it almost sounds like steelpan, haha)
Yes, it's just short decay - the modulation is actually coming from the SDE-1000 - the patch on the synth is straight
Thanks so much for your videos. Am glad that someone is taking the time to do this. I have a question. Have you ever used a microkorg to produce 80s synth sounds? If so could you produce a video of it?
Did you write all these melodies yourself? Or are they covers of 80's themes? The first one deserves to be turned into a song, I would love to make that.
Great video, one of korg’s best synths, an inspiration to the korg m1
I will try it. with the mixing panel Beringher UFX 1604 and this lovely poly 800. It works . thank you so much to inspire me that way.
That's the kind of patches I used to create when testing out the Poly 800 in stores back in 1988 patching up with the KORG SDD1200 - ping pong modulation delay :)
sheesh. sounding more amazing than a bowl of snickers on holloween
I probably wouldn't use most of the sounds on this but the ones I would sound FANTASTIC. I also love the bell pad sounds near the end.
I have to say these are so cool I have an original poly 800 ii that the band director let me have because she said it was to old to even be worth using in band.
Damn! I cant for the life of me remember what song it is at 4:30.... Can anyone help me out?
Kavinsky - Night Call
I love the sound of the Poly 800, sadly i sold my ex800 10 Years ago.
Good Morning Synthmaina!
I really enjoyed the video and out of all the different sounds you played, my favorite one had to be the Glassy Synth! That one really sounded awesome!
What type of keyboard was you using in the video? Still, it was awesome! 😀
amazing atmospheres transporting thru with every note
Some great sounds and it reminds me some nice tracks!! thumb up! keep it on!! ;)
Nah, I owned a Poly-800 for a while in the early 90:s. It really wasn't particularly good for anything. Yeah, it could do some half-great string sounds.
But an analogue without the knobs? And the dull sounding digital oscillators and not so great filters made this synth a "Meh".
Not super bad, could be useable for backup sounds if you were out of polyphony(a common things in the early days in home studios with just midi) on the other synths and often pads could be used on it. The analogue chorus added to the pad sounds, but it was nowhere near as good as the ones in the Roland Juno-106.
In general, it belongs to the bottom of the digital/Analogue hybrids.
DW-6000 was better (had it too). But Korg DSS-1(which I also owned) was one of the best Korgs with analogue filters in it ever(and it wasn't just a sampler, for me it was more of a great synth)!
Kudos to Synthmania for making the best out of this little fellow anyway!
What was good about the Poly-800 was that a person could afford them in the mid 80:s. It was either that or no synthesizer at all. And in that light, it was still great (considering that home-organlike keyboards could cost as much at that time and they didn't sound like a synth at all). So the Poly-800 was about the only option! It also still had much better and warmer string sounds than the also cheap Cazio CZ-101 (and full size keys).
I would actually jump at buying one of these if Korg put it in a volca format. I prefer the 800 over the Juno range and 6000 when it comes to pads.
Here's a tip: save up for a Strymon Big Sky
Stop moaning. The Poly800 is an awesome synth and since they are so cheap, 2000% value for your money. They sound 10 times as a good as all the new Korg analog attempts.
And here you have your knobs. If you can afford it. www.ebay.fr/itm/Stereoping-CE-1-PH-800-Midi-Controller-for-Korg-Poly-800-Rare-Vintage-Synth/174272466181
@@reneotten7376 Compared to todays equivalent Poly 800 from Korg, the Minilogue Xd, Poly 800 is for most (Well 99.9%) parts many, many times worse. To start with, it had just one filter shared by all the voices so in that sense it wasn't even a true polyphonic. Second, the dull sounding oscillators generated the sawtooth by some trick being done to the square wave(divide down, something used in the 70:s home organs and stringmachines).
Third, the digital envelope generators (although flexible) were really slow so you just couldn't get the snappy bass sounds(like in the Junos).
Fourth, why would anybody want to buy a touch membrane plastic dull sounding analogue when there are better alternatives with lot's of knobs and sliders. Most decent Vst-i:s combined with a controller (giving you the hands on experience) will give you a much, much better all-around sound and hands-on experience.
So it doesn't give you the analogue hands on experience you really want when buying real gear, it is not a true polyphonic synth, it is very restricted sound wize compared to just about anything.
The only thing going for the Poly-800 is the sweet sounding (but really noisy!) chorus that put a certain touch on sounds in the upper registers.
Not great by any means, but I can see why some people are drawn to that type of sound when the chorus is active.
At the time (1984) not many polyphonic (kind of) alternatives with a "warmish sound" could be found (well none) in the price range of the Poly-800 so of course it became popular then.
But I see it as a glorified string-machine (The divide down oscillators, chorus and the one lonely filter shared with all voices putting it into that category) that can act as a very cheap synth too. Minus the always present phaser in many of the 70:s string sounds.
I’m digging out my Kong Poly 800II ! Amazing what it can still do.
Hello, how to make the second sound (low string) on the Poly 800 please ? Thanks
Went and watched this video again, noticed you sneak in "I like Chopin" at 1:20
I'm so glad I found this channel! really awesome stuff!
Thank *you for watching!
1:16 - 2:02 - melody like a "I like Chopin" :D
5:54. Love that delay
Farout man you are good well done bro! I love these eighties sounds!
efeito simplesmente sensacional
6:14 I'm sorry but all I hear is Wolfenstein 3D lmao
Used to have one of those... man, wish i still had it.
I need a drool bib for this channel
Sometime maybe some Philip Glass musings?
So Synthmania, I’m trying to figure out what the ex 800 is then, is it just the rack version of the poly?
Yes, with some slight differences.It's a desktop synth not rackmount.
i have a poly 800 brand new reset tape if you need it
This channel is awesome!!!! Thank you, SynthMania.
2:38 Some Com truise for sure
I have the sudden urge to watch "drive" again- liking the sound!
Still got mine any one got any patch sheets
How made the low string pad please ?
lovely sounds. thanks for the experience
powerrun :-D
A cheap '80s synth that doesn't sound like one. Fat and gritty at the same time! Sounds like a Microkorg, but better.
Wonderful demo!!
Can you do a Tutorial video on how to make 80's themes, or music?
^^^^^!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
love the SDE 1000,speciale it is.
Forget this thing has one filter!
Beautiful synth! thanks a lot for the great clinic, Paolo ;) Now I want one for me, too... LOL :D
BTW, I guess this specific model with a one octave less than the standards (61 keys), was aimed to be played like a Syntax or a keytar, isn't it?
Oh man, I need some VSTs that sound like this!
Again, whoever is subscribed but continues to give a thumbs down, stop wasting Synthmanias time and yours due to whatever weird childish internal conflict thing you got going on. (btw Korg sounds really plush, beautiful and warm)
Device Factor I know right. Some hater is mad because they could never afford all these lovely synths that this gentleman is nice enough to share. Not to mention the fact that you could sample these videos and in some way enjoy these some of these sounds for yourself.
Slade Healy sorry that you're easily manipulated and weak. you should take your own advice-kid.
Slade Healy if I don't know the difference, why would I change it? if I didn't know the difference, I would've left it as it was. seriously. You're the idiot to give a thumbs down to a video based on my comment, that's what is childish. stop making a fool of yourself.
And I just blocked you for disliking for such a moronic reason (and boasting about it publicly). You are an idiot.
Wait, you gave dislike bacause someone told you not to do this? Dude, come on, you have a serious problem...
Love it :o
I wish mine sounded like that got a complete new case coming for it how easy it to transfer all the insides to another body the joy stick
Surround plate is missing any info welcome
This video proves that skills are more important than the synth itself. Well, good for us who listen, but unfortunate for those who buy these synths unless they have good musical skills. Personally I have played this synth, and this is not a great synth in any way shape or form in my opinion. You get no help from this synth. You have to be a good keyboard player (I was not at the time I used it in the 80')
are the 2 synths just straight up layered or is it a situation where like one is the attack part of the sound while the other is the decay?
Sounds awesome
Sounds great!
I am always dissapointed about peoples Demos, but you can Demo for shure! Sounds always super, and Shows what a synth can do for you if you can play.
Usei o POLY 800
COM ROLAND JUNO 106 uma maravilha de som
Mono ... it's a pity
Mono in - Stereo out, not so bad at all. Very common at the time.
@@SynthManiaDotCom I mean the recording is mono .. I don’t hear the stereo effect ... all sound is in the middle, merges into an illegible mass) unfortunately
I used to own this synth....meh. Now the DW-8000 is amazing. Some nice sounds u are able to get out of the 800 though.
I just randomly skipped to 6:00 and it sounds lovely
I want to know more about that Rez Synth style, you could make a kick ass reggae from that.
Thanks to 8-bit Keys I saw a Poly-800... but thanks to this demo... Man, I REALLY wish i had that synth!!!
be carefull Poly800 is hard to program, you will have to love it and spend times..but if you do it worth it ! Also you can get the EX800 (the expander version of it) it is relatively cheap (200/300 dollars) ;
by the way, it sounds not flat, it sounds unique, his harmonic are not the same as analogs one, but still really fat ! The sound generation is neither a vco or a digital oscillator, it is technically a chiptune, that's why it sounds unique ;
(also their is a VCF and an analog chorus for the MK1, it gives a nice warness) the good point with this hybrid synth is that it takes his own place in a mix :)
It is my favourite poly by the way
Is there any chance of you interpreting the 'Tales From the Dark Side' theme? The show, not the movie.
that intro always spooked the bejesus out of me. would be very interested to know what synths they used on that. one of the most haunting theme songs ever.
These custom patches available for purchase?
cool sounds like blade runner vangelis.. , or twin peaks theme
🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊
Is the delay in that example works like insert or like a send thru a mixer?
In this video the synth simply goes into the delay, and out though the delay- you can adjust the mix level on the delay unit
They really should've made a grip for this thing.
super....smashing.... great 😊
Very Nice sounds...Teacher...
Thank you for taking the time to show us all of this.
You are the best!!!
So lo fi ,yet very pleasant.
The glassy one at 7:20 kinda sounds like a trap intro
synthmania is the don!
Do you think it is possible to reproduce a glassy synth sound with the DW8000 or the DX7 ?
Yes
8 or 4 voices polyphonic !!!
cliff jones lesson to be learned g
great video !
great!!
Can someone tell me what the name of the song in the intro is?
"Glassy Synth" with Korg Poly-800 & Roland SDE-1000, by SynthMania.
SynthMania i like it thx fam