Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: Korg DW8000, Mono/Poly, MS-20...

Here's what the manual says about the POLY1 and POLY2 mode:

Poly 1 mode is used for normal polyphonic playing. The DW8000s eight
voices are assigned sequentially as the notes are played. If you play
more than 8 notes, then the most recent notes will cancel out the
earliest notes still sounding. In this mode, sounds using long
release times will create an effect of overlapping notes which will
create a spacioius sound

When one note is played, the eight voices are used sequentially.
1 > 2 > 3 > 4 > 5 > 6 > 7 > 8 > 1 > 2 > 3 etc.

Poly 2 mode is most useful for certain instrumental sounds, and for
sounds using polyphonic portamento effects. If a one note passage is
being played, the first synth voice (out of 8) is used continuously.
If two notes are playted the first two voices are used continously,
and so forth.

When one note is played, the first voice is always used. When two or
more notes are played, other voices also are used.

1 > 1 > 1 > etc. for one note played.

David