POLYEIGHT — EIGHT VOICES OF KORG POLYSIX MAGIC

The Korg Polysix defined the early-’80s polysynth sound — lush, characterful, instantly musical. The POLYEIGHT is an analog 8-voice programmable polyphonic synth that brings that legend back to life, faithfully reproducing the warm-sounding discrete VCOs and the unmistakable 2044 lowpass filter that made the original so loved.

Eight polyphonic voices each carry saw, square and pulse-width waveforms, with the classic 2044 filter offering resonance and positive/negative envelope control. Switch between unison, double and poly modes for powerful 8-VCO leads, massive bass, 4-voice double or 8-voice single-VCO sounds. The multi-stage chorus, phaser and ensemble BBD effects deliver the rich, lively textures the Polysix is famous for — built into the signal path, not stuck on at the end.

The 49-key semi-weighted full-size keyboard with channel aftertouch and velocity sensitivity is a serious player’s keybed. A sub-oscillator, switchable to one or two octaves below, adds powerful depth, while pulse-width modulation, global noise generator (MS-20-inspired), a powerful multi-waveform LFO and an eight-slot modulation matrix expand sound design across every patch. The sophisticated arpeggiator with manual and external tempo control covers up, down and up-down modes. Two hundred fifty-six user program memories, an LCD with encoder for fast editing, chord memory, polyphonic portamento, CV/pedal inputs and full MIDI — this is a complete production instrument, not a one-trick pony.