No Moog poly, so what to buy?

EricK · Post by **EricK** » Fri Feb 05, 2010 9:33 pm

I think noisebug had an A6 for sale still.

Niko · Post by **Niko** » Thu Feb 11, 2010 11:09 am

it's maybe not the best suggestion but I remember when the Korg Ploy 800 arrives officially this was called a "polyphonic synthesizer". However it only has one filter and a limited polyphony of 4 voices (with two oscillators per voice) or 8 voices (using only one oscillator per voice). So the single filter works always together with all pressed keys. No real polyphony is achieved but as a compromise not so bad.
Now with the Voyager you simply can achieve this functionality if you use a polyphonic midi expander or other poly midi keyboard. You can use the Voyager keyboard as a midi master keyboard and can feed the midi expander output into the audio input. Voila- a poly synth with one filter, similar than the old Poly800 but with the possibility to use the Moog filter and the envelope shapers.

analoghaze · Post by **analoghaze** » Thu Feb 11, 2010 11:51 pm

Here are two demos of the Waldorf Q Plus.
The Q+, is angels kissing aliens.
It is a fun synthesizer that sounds absolutley stunning.
This is direct. I am using a super slow flange sweep in one of the internal effects blocks.

thanks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9wxq8PeFLY

I just noticed the last 3 letters of the link are "FLY"..... pretty cool for the Angels Kissing Aliens idea!

This is modulations.
A little bit of S+H funny business here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BxvYQ2IZuQ

thanks for viewing.

analoghaze · Post by **analoghaze** » Fri Feb 12, 2010 6:46 pm

One more for the community,
This is the almighty Alesis Andromeda A6 analog poly synthesizer.
The ribbon controller is being used here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxEgwOW_YAQ

Thanks for watching and have a good evening.

anoteoftruth · Post by **anoteoftruth** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 4:25 pm

Did'nt know where else to post this... but I too am looking for Analog Polyphony (go figure!) and I was wondering, from those who have DSI equipment....

What would be the pros and cons of having either a Prophet 08 rack module, or buying 2 Tetra's and polychaining together?

I guess the whole lack of knobs thing might go against the Tetra, but with the sub-oscillators it seems like it might have a advantage in the sound? Are there any other features in the Prophet 08 that warrant its worth over the Tetra's?

The Analog Organist · Post by **The Analog Organist** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 4:45 pm

The most obvious difference between one Prophet '08 rack or two polychained Tetra's is the interface. Certainly, you can get familiar with the Tetra's functions, but there's nothing like having designated controls. The Tetra forces you to run through a whole menu to tweak any parameter, although you can assign a few functions to its knobs. I find this to be a drain on creativity, and just plain a pain in the neck. Whereas, the Prophet '08 is a snap to program.

Also, remember that each Tetra is an independent instrument. In other words, you'll be using two channels in your mixer. This may seem like a minor issue, but it can be a problem.

I find the Tetra to be a superb enhancer of other instruments. I like to run it into other synthesizers, or even into my Hammond XK 3C organ. But I wouldn't want to spend too much time programming it, because half of the time is wasted just in finding the parameter in the menu. Not so with the Prophet '08.

superd2112 · Post by **superd2112** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 7:55 pm

anoteoftruth wrote:Did'nt know where else to post this... but I too am looking for Analog Polyphony (go figure!) and I was wondering, from those who have DSI equipment....

What would be the pros and cons of having either a Prophet 08 rack module, or buying 2 Tetra's and polychaining together?

I guess the whole lack of knobs thing might go against the Tetra, but with the sub-oscillators it seems like it might have a advantage in the sound? Are there any other features in the Prophet 08 that warrant its worth over the Tetra's?

Since I started this thread, I think I'll throw in my 2 cents as well. I love my Prophet '08 - it is simple to program, it records & sits in the mix very well, and DSI customer support is excellent. One of the most usable & enjoyable synths I've ever owned, and I highly recommended it. Still looking for a nice used Andromeda, but I'm very happy with the Prophet.

Just Me · Post by **Just Me** » Fri Feb 26, 2010 12:41 am

Well, here is a great poly synth. It isn't even close to being analog, however. I got to touch one of these once. I'm not sure I'm smart enough to use one, but I'd like to give it a shot!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Synclavier-Digital- ... 1c10648bc2

CZ Rider · Post by **CZ Rider** » Fri Feb 26, 2010 2:48 am

Just Me wrote:Well, here is a great poly synth. It isn't even close to being analog, however.

Cool synthesizer! The one in that auction is just the 2-op FM part with 32 voices. It is missing any sampling options. Still a nice FM synthesizer though!
They can sound Moog like with just the FM section using a technique NED called Resynthesis. Sort of like an additive synthesizer with envelopes controlling the volume of the many sine wave partials to make a morphing sound. Not sampled, but you need the sampler option to roll your own.
Here is a clip of mine making a very Moogish Lucky Man tone, while I adjust the FM amount to scramble the resynthesized tone.
Lucky Man Synclavier 2 sound
The FM oscillators have a really wide range and a unique sound. They have this strange whine to them when you push them real low. And being pre-MIDI the 128 CC steps isn't an issue. Some of the parameters have over 10,000 steps of resolution.
A sample of the range of the digital oscillators.
Synclavier 2 oscillator range

peterkadar · Post by **peterkadar** » Fri Feb 26, 2010 3:38 am

Okay CZ Rider,

That sounds pretty incredible.

I just had to say something.

Wow.

You have like regular gear only way better.

Yeah.

CZ Rider · Post by **CZ Rider** » Fri Feb 26, 2010 5:35 am

peterkadar wrote: That sounds pretty incredible.

Thanks! That was one of those BIN Ebay deals I could not pass up. It was inexpensive and I was working crazy overtime. I wanted to see what they were all about. Had to pick it up in Maryland, and it came with the all the filght cases. The model I have is an ORK with 16 voice FM mono cards. One sound can contain 4 patches (Partial Tambres), so 16 voices quickly becomes 4 voice polyphony. But there are many 3, 2, and 1 partial patches that have 5, 8, and 16 voice polyphony.
The 16 track digital recorder was amazing in 1982, but todays MIDI recorders make it seem primitave, especially when saving to 5 1/4" floppies. I found a cool trick though. When playing back a sequence, playing the keyboard will transpose the sequence 5 octaves. Those oscillators have this strange quality to them, and sound like tape speeding up and slowing down.
Synclavier sequence transposing with keyboard
Gotta love a keyboard that proudly proclaims Digital Synthesizer on the front panel!

soundxplorer · Post by **soundxplorer** » Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:04 am

No Moog poly?

There was a recent thread over at Harmony Central discussing the potential of a Moog poly, and just last night someone bumped it saying "...the future looks bright".

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/sho ... 829&page=4

Near the bottom of that page, controlvoltage posted the message. And as far as I know, controlvoltage is Amos. Am I right?
So, is that a hint that something is around the corner?

Sir Nose · Post by **Sir Nose** » Fri Feb 26, 2010 9:48 am

superd2112 · Post by **superd2112** » Fri Feb 26, 2010 10:35 am

Unbelieveable! And this potentially fan-friggin-tastic news comes to me the same day as I get the unfortunate confirmation that the Andromeda has indeed been discontinued (as finally confirmed by my Sweetwater rep).

Let us all bow our heads in honor of the passing of what could likely be the most powerful analog poly ever to roam the face of the earth...

Now lets all get ready for the greatest "Happy Dance" since the announcement of the Taurus 3!!

Moog, you already have my CC info, so feel free to put me near the top of the order list as soon as the offical announcement is made.

eXode · Post by **eXode** » Fri Feb 26, 2010 11:27 am

Just like TAO says, the interface is the big difference between Tetra and P'08. I'd like to remind you though that the Tetra has a decent editor that is free (LE version, there's a Pro version that you have to pay for). So if you would be happy with just having the most basic controls on the Tetra and don't mind programming sounds from a computer, I would say go for that. The Tetra has 4-parts and Combo mode which the P'08 lacks, it also has the earlier mentioned sub-oscillators and internal feedback (like the Mopho has) It also has MIDI over USB which is nice. From my POV the interface is actually the only thing I feel that the P'08 has over the Tetra, feature wise I think the Tetra is better. And again just like TAO points out. If you plan to go with two Tetras remember that you'll need 4 cables for the two into the mixer (one stereo pair per Tetra).

If you do go for a Prophet 08 Keyboard or Desktop you should seriously concider the Pot Editions of the two as I believe they are so much better than the encoder versions (for accuracy, etc).

Other than that I can say that I think that you'll be happy with any one of them. Both are fantastic instruments that sounds great. I personally think that the Prophet '08 or Tetra owes more to say an OB-Xa/OB-8 than a Prophet 5 but that's not a bad thing.

anoteoftruth wrote:Did'nt know where else to post this... but I too am looking for Analog Polyphony (go figure!) and I was wondering, from those who have DSI equipment....

What would be the pros and cons of having either a Prophet 08 rack module, or buying 2 Tetra's and polychaining together?

I guess the whole lack of knobs thing might go against the Tetra, but with the sub-oscillators it seems like it might have a advantage in the sound? Are there any other features in the Prophet 08 that warrant its worth over the Tetra's?