roland sh 101 and others

  analogue wings said:

  scones to die for said:

  analogue wings said:

Reasonably affordable true analogue polys with keyboards include the Roland Alpha Juno 2, Oberheim Matrix 6 and Korg Poly 800 (that last one is true analogue but not true poly!)

I think you got that backwards. It's a true poly but not a true analog.

 

Oh and my vote - the matrix-1000. Endless programming possibilities (if you use a software editor).

 

matrix 6 is the exact same synth as the Matrix 1000, only with keys - which is what the op asked for.

 

the poly800 is true analogue (unless you are saying DCO = not true analogue, which would cover all the synths I mentioned plus the Matrix 1000 you mentioned, plus it's also not right).

 

it's not true polyphonic because all 8 voices share a single filter, which limits the sound (esp sweepy pads) a lot. The proper term for this kind of synth is paraphonic.

The way the filter works doesn't mean it's not a poly synth. It's got 8 voices. You can play chords.

As far as the oscillators, I remember arguing on Vintagesynth.com that the Poly-800 oscillators were analog and getting seriously schooled by some one who had a lot more technical knowledge than me. I can't find the thread though. I think the Poly-800 sounds very analog (in a crappy square-wave kind of way), but what do I know. I've always thought of DCO synths as somewhere in a gray area. The DCO synths I've owned over the years (inlcuding the Matrix 1000) haven't sounded as good as my true VCO synths, but they sure sound better than VAs, VSTs and romplers.

Btw - Poly 800 was my first synth - still own it and should probably sell it.

  scones to die for said:

The way the filter works doesn't mean it's not a poly synth. It's got 8 voices. You can play chords.

 

As far as the oscillators, I remember arguing on Vintagesynth.com that the Poly-800 oscillators were analog and getting seriously schooled by some one who had a lot more technical knowledge than me. I can't find the thread though. I think the Poly-800 sounds very analog (in a crappy square-wave kind of way), but what do I know. I've always thought of DCO synths as somewhere in a gray area. The DCO synths I've owned over the years (inlcuding the Matrix 1000) haven't sounded as good as my true VCO synths, but they sure sound better than VAs, VSTs and romplers.

 

Btw - Poly 800 was my first synth - still own it and should probably sell it.

A "true" polyphonic synth has one osc, one amp and one filter per voice. Anything else is something else. Poly-800 is a paraphonic synth. That doesnt mean "can't play chords", it means "voices share a filter".

http://www.sequencer.de/synth/index.php/Paraphonic

On a polysynth, if you play a patch with a slow filter sweep and then play another note while holding down the first, the second note would get it's "own" filter sweep starting from where you played the note. On a paraphonic synth, it would just join in with the first not at whetever point in the sweep it was at.

A lot of people on internet will argue until they are blue in the face that a DCO synth is a "hybrid" based purely on the fact that the D in DCO stands for "digitally". The fact that the C stands for "controlled" seems to pass right by them. Minimoog Voyagers and Prophet Vs are digitally "controlled" in that they have ICs for changing parameters etc. Hardly "not true analogue" though, eh. The point is that all the digital is outside the audio signal path. As it is with a DCO.

The uber nerds on the analogue heaven mailing list all agree that a DCO synth is "true" analogue, and I'm happy to accept their opinion. Try going on there and telling them a Juno 6 isn't analogue! The latest synth they are all creaming over is the very expensive Dave Smith Prophet 08, which uses the exact same DCOs as the Matrix 1000.

Here's a simple test: does the synth's audio signal path include a digital to analogue converter? No? Then it HAS to be an analogue synth.

edit: have you "Moog Slayer"'d yr Poly 800?

  analogue wings said:

edit: have you "Moog Slayer"'d yr Poly 800?

I haven't done that. It's just a filter mod right? It's the oscillators that I don't care for on that synth.