Discussion about the Korg PolySix synthesizer

Does the hum sound like 50 or 60 hz (depending on where you live)???

Get a ground-lift adapter.  They sell them to plug your grounded (three prong in america) equipment into older 2-prong outlets.  Use the adapter on your polysix or your computer.  I'll let you make the choice, but I recommend the polysix.

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "P S" <toerag_man@yahoo.com>
> To: PolySix@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [PolySix] Does the Mono/Poly sound better than the polysix?
> Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2007 07:26:58 -0800 (PST)
> 
> 
> Thanks for your replies. Interesting, I was unaware
> that the Mono/poly has no patch memory.
> 
> I actually do have a polysix. I bought it just over a
> year ago. It is fairly noisy but makes dreamy sounds.
> The old battery has not been replaced yet however. I
> was going to get it done but wasn't sure it was worth
> the time because it seemed the lfo and octave section
> suddenly failed one day.
> 
> It remained unused for about 6 months (too busy) until
> this week and now everything is working fine again.
> And I realize, after wasting hour upon hour of
> playing, I love this synth.
> 
> Also, the main reason I haven't attended to it
> properly is due to a problem I hope someone could shed
> some light on.
> 
> When I use my headphones to monitor (through the
> 'phones' jack) the synth sounds fantastic. A little
> noisy, but not so much I wouldn't use it to record as
> this often seems to make the sound warmer and pleasing
> to the ear.
> 
> *BUT* whenever I use a 1/4 inch cable from the PolySix
> ouput to the line in on my USB audio interface and
> monitor through the interface there is a loud and
> fairly deep 'hum' that occurs. The 'hum' keeps on even
> if I am still listening with the polysix turned off.
> Only unplugging from the wall stops it. When I record
> this stunning instrument, this infernal 'hum' ruins
> the recording.
> 
> I'm going to recording arts school and want to make an
> album, I need to record this beauty!
> 
> Can anyone help me with this.
> 
> Also, if I muster the courage to follow OldCrow's
> guide to changing the battery is there a possibility I
> might kill the synth even if I do the procedure
> correctly? I would be upset obviously.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> toerag_man
> 
> 
> --- Niels Ott <niels.ott@web.de> wrote:
> 
> > Hi Dave,
> >
> > great info, thanks for sharing this!
> >
> > It is unfortunate that those nice devices now become
> > old and tired. My
> > Trident MK2 (which I was gifted!) has a dropout of
> > one voice (only VCO
> > 1) and I'll hopefully find the time soon for the
> > surgerey. ;)
> >
> > Still I'm using it a lot and the longer I own it the
> > more amazed of the
> > sounds I am. (And the more I start hating the
> > noise.)
> >
> > Nowadays there are many cool and reliable
> > "digital-analog" synths out
> > there, even quite affordable ones. But they don't
> > have this kind of
> > personality.
> >
> > Best,
> >
> >   Niels
> >
> >
> >
> > Dave Garfield schrieb:
> > > HI, Mr. Toerag!
> > > > First, the Polysix and Mono/Poly, although
> > contemporaries (ca. 1982?
> > > - 1985), are two VERY different machines, meant to
> > do quite different
> > > things.
> > > > The Mono/Poly was Korg's brilliant answer to to
> > the magical lure of
> > > the Minimoog... only much more versatile.  It used
> > SSM VCOs (4 of
> > > 'em!) and an SSM Moog-style ladder LPF, but has
> > much more flexibility
> > > in control voltage routing.  It also has two
> > independent LFOs, two
> > > full ADSR (Korg design (envelope generators, the
> > ability to sync or
> > > FM the VCOs with one another, and a wealth of
> > patch points on the
> > > rear panel.  Aside from complaints that the
> > envelopes lack "snap" (I
> > > believe that's because they're "cleaner", with no
> > pause between
> > > Attack peak and start of Decay, as in the Mini),
> > and the filter's not
> > > up to the Mini's (Well, the SSM is about as close
> > as one could get at
> > > the time without a patent violation - Korg learned
> > well from ARP's
> > > little boo-boo!), I think that the sound is fat,
> > full and lush.
> > > Plus, you can play up to four separate notes on
> > the keyboard, albiet
> > > with only the one filter/VCA.  It has an
> > arpeggiator that most mono-,
> > > and many polysynths didn't have, and notes can be
> > latched and
> > > transposed using the keyboard.  VERY well thought
> > out!
> > > > The Polysix, on the other hand, was designed to
> > bring analog
> > > polyphony within reach of the average musician
> > jonesing for a
> > > synthesizer.  At the time, the main/almost only
> > competition was the
> > > Sequential Prophet 5, which listed in the
> > $4,000(!!) range.  The Korg
> > > people managed to introduce the Polysix at around
> > $1,500, and jumped
> > > through some imaginative hoops to reduce it to
> > that level without
> > > sacrificing sound quality.
> > > > The Polysix had only six single VCOs (which were
> > linear, Not
> > > exponential, as with Moogs, ARPs, etc), but
> > offered no external FM
> > > control.  The filters, six of 'em, were the same
> > Moog-type SSMs as
> > > the Mono/Poly's single filter, so the sound was
> > quite warm.  The
> > > filters can be modulated by an external source, as
> > they respond to
> > > 1V/Oct CVs.  It has a single LFO, and a single
> > ADSR (SSM) per voice,
> > > but it also has a Chorus/Phaser/Ensemble circuit
> > using analog delay
> > > lines that gives it a Very Full sound.  It has a
> > 32-patch memory, and
> > > a factory MIDI retrofit was available -- once upon
> > a when.
> > > > The Mono/Poly has no patch memory (WISH it did!),
> > so no backup
> > > battery was needed.  (Also wish it had a
> > Sample/Hold function, but
> > > that's easy to add).  The Polysix, like many other
> > polysynths of the
> > > era, used a "state-of-the-art" Nickel-Cadmium
> > rechargable battery for
> > > patch memory backup.  We have since learned, in
> > our folly, that
> > > NiCads are dangerous to the environment (It's the
> > Cadmium - a heavy
> > > metal), and need to be disposed of as hazardous
> > waste, and... They're
> > > prone to LEAKING when aged!  This corrosive
> > crapola that comes out of
> > > 'em is what "re-etches" the Main Processor board,
> > and sends otherwise
> > > healthy Polysixes to the scrapheap.  If you find
> > one, the Very First
> > > Thing to do is:  REMOVE THE TICKING NI-CAD TIME
> > BOMB AFFIXED TO THE
> > > PROCESSOR BOARD!!!  IMMEDIATELY!!  THOROUGHLY
> > CLEAN the board, and
> > > all the nearby traces.  The Old Crow
> > >
> >
> http://www.oldcrows.net/~oldcrow/synth/korg/polysix/index.html
> > has an
> > > Excellent article illustrating how to replace the
> > battery, clean the
> > > key contacts, etc.  Plus, there's a standard
> > Service Manual there,
> > > too.
> > > > I've heard some complaints about the
> > less-than-silent VCAs in these
> > > two dudes.  Korg saved some $$ by brewing up their
> > own VCAs out of a
> > > matched(?) pair of transistors, and of course,
> > analog delay lines
> > > are, by their nature, prone to be noisy.  I've
> > heard of people
> > > substituting VCAs-on-a-chip... Juergen Haible did
> > this to a
> > > Mono/Poly, and said it made a noteworthy decrease
> > in noise.  Me, I
> > > run my Mono/Poly through an old Alesis Noise Gate.
> >  Works great --
> > > and it's adjustable!  ;->
> > > > Hope that helps you out some.  It's hard to assess
> > the two machines
> > > without a listening test.  A great source of info.
> > for the Mono/Poly
> > > is: http://monopoly.highspies.com/.  Some info. on
> > the Polysix, and a
> > > small audio demo can be found at:
> > > http://www.vintagesynth.com/index2.html,
> > >
> > http://www.keyboardmag.com/story.asp?storycode=16209
> > and
> > > http://www.synthmuseum.com/korg/korpolysix01.html.
> > > > Old Korg Freak, Dave Garf
> > > > > ----- Original Message ---- From: toerag_man
> > <toerag_man@yahoo.com> > To: PolySix@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, January
> > 30, 2007 9:51:09
> > > PM Subject: [PolySix] Does the Mono/Poly sound
> > better than the
> > > polysix?
> > > > 1. Does the Mono/Poly sound better than the
> > polysix?
> > > > 2. Does it suffer the same infernal battery
> > problem, line noise etc.?
> > > > > > > > > >
> >
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> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 

>



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-Chromatest J. Pantsmaker
http://www.chromatest.net