Behringer Polyeight

[Uncle E]

Is it just me, or do other people feel that the 3U combined rack/desktop format is the ideal form factor for any synth with more than a few controls? You can place a 3U synth on your desk without taking up all your available space, place it on a pull out tray within a taller synth rack, or if you have rack space, mount it vertically in 3 rack spaces.

I simply can't understand the appeal of these cheap plastic mini Boutique synths and the even more abominable Roland Aira Compact, Korg Volca, and Behringer Spirit and Soul micro synths. Who actually uses these?

Yes, 100%. I’d even take a single rack space or a half rack where 2 can be mounted side-by-side.

[kritikon]

Rack units, not so much. I find fiddling with synths in a rack a pretty uninviting scenario. I have a studio, but not a perfect space, where racks inevitably end up being placed somewhere that's not immediate or convenient to sit for hours experimenting with knobs. Desktop, yeah I have a few though there's a limit to how many I can squeeze in, but more usable than racks. If I had to use rack gear more...it'd be a difficult studio reorganization tbh. And I just prefer synths to be keyboards. I play with them like that, just tend not to as much when they don’t have keys... . The tiny ones...I get it, though find them fiddly to use.

[egbert101]

It's just never going to be perfect. Either it's designed to be played or it's designed to fit into a studio, whichever is more fitting for the task. Also, cheap is for the masses (like me) and normally that means compromises to quality. Which is weird because I find the quality of some of Behringer's stuff very high, for example the DeepMind, Poly-D or Odyssey.

Anyway, when it comes to Polyphonic synths, I just would prefer something pleasing to the eye and playable and god forbid, high quality and lasting.

Fallen asleep?

[cryophonik]

As someone who owns keyboards, rackmounted gear, and destkop gear, I like having the option of buying either a keyboard version or a module version that can either be rackmounted, or just capped with nice wood ends and placed on a desktop or angled stand. I find it pretty annoying that so many synth manufacturers have intentionally sized their modules just wide enough to preclude rackmounting them (I'm looking at you, Sequential). Yes, I get that there are many people who will never rack their synths, but there are still plenty of us who want that option.

[Uncle E]

And I just prefer synths to be keyboards.

How about a Roland K-73m, a 73-key Boutique keyboard that holds 3 of the modules? Or maybe a K-49m that still holds 3 modules but has full-sized keys? While I'm dreaming, give it a built-in RV-500 and DD-500, with a mix function to layer the modules together.

[ghettosynth]

Pro-800 feels fantastic. It's working well in my rack.

[kritikon]

And I just prefer synths to be keyboards.

How about a Roland K-73m, a 73-key Boutique keyboard that holds 3 of the modules? Or maybe a K-49m that still holds 3 modules but has full-sized keys? While I'm dreaming, give it a built-in RV-500 and DD-500, with a mix function to layer the modules together.

While I wouldn't touch Roland Boutiques with a bargepole that's been used to club baby fur seals to death, your idea of a keyboard that can slot in modular gizmos is a winner for me . Maybe more along the lines of a Behringer keyboard that can slot in a K2, Cat, Wasp, Pro1, VCS3, Proton etc. Now I'm dreaming though - VCS3 and Proton won't be out until 2043 at this rate...

[egbert101]

Apparently, Behringer did throw out a Pro-16 as a possibility.





Source: https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2021 ... k-preview/

But that was two years ago.

[kritikon]

Gimme an OSCar Eight and now you're talking (real dirty, too).

[Fashionista]

Is it just me, or do other people feel that the 3U combined rack/desktop format is the ideal form factor for any synth with more than a few controls? You can place a 3U synth on your desk without taking up all your available space, place it on a pull out tray within a taller synth rack, or if you have rack space, mount it vertically in 3 rack spaces.

I simply can't understand the appeal of these cheap plastic mini Boutique synths and the even more abominable Roland Aira Compact, Korg Volca, and Behringer Spirit and Soul micro synths. Who actually uses these?

Yes, 100%. I’d even take a single rack space or a half rack where 2 can be mounted side-by-side.

A man after my (heterosexual) heart. LOL.

I still have a couple of half rack FX units. An old school BOSS SE-70 multi-effect unit with true analog distortion circuits, an awesome sounding digital phasor, and maybe the worst sounding reverb of all time. Haha. It's perfect for lo-fi Indie productions.

And I have the successor to the SE-70, the BOSS VF-1. Unfortunately, the VF-1 is all digital. However, the COSM guitar FX sounded cool for the time. And the chorus, delay, and reverb sound much more hi-fi than the same effects in the SE-70. I still have the VF-1 dedicated to my Nord Rack 2. That synth really comes alive with basic chorus, delay, and reverb. It's too bad the Nord 2 doesn't have serviceable built in FX. Nothing fancy. Just a small LCD screen for editing FX parameters, naming patches, and adjusting system settings.

[Uncle E]

Boss made an analog multi-effect. ME-5, I think? Supposed to be horrible to control but good sounding.

[ghettosynth]

I could go either way if they release this. I like the Korg sound, so if they get the filters right (no reason to assume not, as they did a great job with their MS20 and the Monopoly is pretty well a Polysix in different form) I might be tempted.

Just FYI, the Polysix (and the MonoPoly IIRC) uses SSM 2044 filters, i.e., not a Korg filter. They changed this in the Poly-61 to an LM13700 based filter. My guess is that it saved a few dollars on the price.