Polysix & Prophet-600 together in harmony

[dhollmusik]

Hi all,

inspired by the recent purchase of both my Polysixes I've been researching affordable analogue polys. I eventually would like a contrasting partner to one of my Polysixes. Initially I wanted it in rack/desktop form, but my request for suggestions ended up going for a duck.

I still have the Perfourmer in my sights, but after hearing Retrosound's Prophet-600 demos I may be thinking the 600 might be a very interesting partner to the Polysix, even if it is yet another full-size keyboard.

I know from the "Polysix = Prophet 5?" thread that Roginator has had both, anyone else? Not looking for a comparison, looking for those who have experience or opinions as to how they might compliment each other, especially for live soundtrack-type music. Maybe some of you have audio examples of both in the same mix.

I would be using both synths in real-time, recording the audio, and when required also midi-data, always playing live. Each synth will go through its own effects box (or via mixer-insert).

Here's a short example of the sort of music I make:

quarky | dholl


I think (once I've had both my Polysixes serviced) it would be interesting sound-wise to effectively swap one Polysix for a P-600.


Any thoughts on this? Anyone making soundtrack/ambient/drone type stuff with their P-600? Share your audio

Anything I should be aware of when hunting for a P-600? The Polysix for example has a couple of issues prospective buyers need to know (battery, recalibration).

Are there other analogue poly options out there? Requirements: circa €500, VCO's, knobs-or-sliders, minimum 4-voice (not interested in any DCO options).


...like a nervous tailender, I await your input.

[CfNorENa]

Had both together a while back, and can confirm that they definitely go well together. As you probably know, the Polysix uses SSM chips, and the Prophet 600 uses CEM chips. It's kinda like chocolate and vanilla: these two flavors complement each other perfectly. The Prophet 600 will give you an aggressive, biting "growl," and a beautiful, super brassy, full-flavored tone. Nice combo with the twinkling sweetness of the Polysix.

I'm now basically doing a variant of this with Polysix + OB-8. OB-8 has the Prophet 600 beat for the brassy bit, but I still think the Prophet 600 gives you a deeper, more aggressive growl...

As for issues to be aware of, the only big one I know about is the membrane pad. Make sure all the buttons work.

[dhollmusik]

Originally Posted by CfNorENa

Had both together a while back, and can confirm that they definitely go well together. As you probably know, the Polysix uses SSM chips, and the Prophet 600 uses CEM chips. It's kinda like chocolate and vanilla: these two flavors complement each other perfectly. The Prophet 600 will give you an aggressive, biting "growl," and a beautiful, super brassy, full-flavored tone. Nice combo with the twinkling sweetness of the Polysix.

Yes, nice response. That's what I would like. The P-600 audio-demos I'm hearing really appeal to my kind of sound.

The price seems to be all over the shop (just like the Polysix). I've seen Polysixes range from €250 to €1100 and the Prophet from €350 - €1000. I've learnt the hard way that if you buy at the lower end of the price-scale your synth may have issues that require more money and man-hours to fix. I will be very cautious and patient when hunting for a Prophet (or I will try to be anyway...gearlust is gearlust after all).

Originally Posted by CfNorENa

I'm now basically doing a variant of this with Polysix + OB-8.

Nice...what kind of music do you make? I'd like to hear one of your tunes with those two beasties in action.

Originally Posted by CfNorENa

As for issues to be aware of, the only big one I know about is the membrane pad. Make sure all the buttons work.

Very good tip, if I remote-buy I will certainly ask this question of the seller.

[Nev]

it's like this thread was reading my mind for the past few days.

I'm trying to get my hands on a Poly Six and/or SC Prophet 600.

It's driving me mad. I've been patient for quite a bit. Had a Polysix slip right under my hands for $400, but the condition was questionable.

I'm jealous Good luck, at least I know another person who will be bidding against me for the P-600, lol.
Sorry I know my post is as uninformative as it gets.

[CfNorENa]

Originally Posted by Nev

I'm trying to get my hands on a Poly Six and/or SC Prophet 600.

And/or? Well, if it's "or," I'd recommend the Prophet 600 first -- definitely a better all-rounder than the Polysix, especially if it will be your only analog poly.

[dhollmusik]

Ahoj, King Nev (you share your name with the greatest goalkeeper in history)!

Originally Posted by Nev

It's driving me mad. I've been patient for quite a bit. Had a Polysix slip right under my hands for $400, but the condition was questionable.

I'm jealous Good luck, at least I know another person who will be bidding against me for the P-600.

I bought both my Polysixes from private forum colleagues, and even this caution wasn't enough to prevent what I discovered later to be, simply put, a voice problem (see the thread I linked earlier).

So I guess Ebay is not necessarily more or less risky. What I will say is you should ask for a simple audio demo (say a slow arpeggiator loop) and then either use your own ears or ask the forum to judge.

A Polysix which is not filtering the voices properly is still capable, most of the "seeds" collection I bandcamp-linked above is just the Polysix(es). But for more standard music where accurate amplitude and tuning are important it is less capable than it should be.


Regarding the Prophet, it will be a while until I get one...first I need to get both my Polysixes fully-serviced, then at some point I'll trade/sell one of them. If you get one first be sure to tell us and post audio demos

[flat earth]

I walked away from 2/3 Polysix's a couple of years back when they were £200/300 because the sellers refused to let me open them up and inspect the internal battery.

Looking back, the fact that they were actually working ok, and seeing what they sell for now, I should have just taken one

[dhollmusik]

Originally Posted by flat earth

I walked away from 2/3 Polysix's a couple of years back when they were £200/300 because the sellers refused to let me open them up and inspect the internal battery.

Looking back, the fact that they were actually working ok, and seeing what they sell for now, I should have just taken one

It's not worth the risk. The time and money you'd potentially have to spend to get a dodgy Polysix in proper working order would be better spent just waiting for a good one and paying the going rate (€500+).

And you already have a Trident, haha! In comparison the Polysix sounds like the impish trippy little brother....so yeah, room for both, I guess.

Hey, flat earth...I meant to ask you before, who is that picture in your avatar or where's it from?

[flat earth]

Originally Posted by dhollmusik

Hey, flat earth...I meant to ask you before, who is that picture in your avatar or where's it from?

The one on the right is me.








... its the Mael brothers from the 70s group 'Sparks'

[dhollmusik]

Originally Posted by flat earth

The one on the right is me.








... its the Mael brothers from the 70s group 'Sparks'

I can't work out if the first bit was a joke, or if the first bit is true and then you confirm who you are.

I must confess I've never heard of Sparks, but you/he look/s cool as fook

Reminds me of some Kraftwerk photo sessions.

[flat earth]

Originally Posted by dhollmusik

I can't work out if the first bit was a joke, or if the first bit is true and then you confirm who you are.

I must confess I've never heard of Sparks, but you/he look/s cool as fook

Reminds me of some Kraftwerk photo sessions.

lmao

No its not me.

Check out youtube vids and you will see Ron in action. He was well known for his 'eccentric' facial performances whilst playing keyboards.

[gdh]

A friend of mine has that combo and it is very nice. I have a P08 and a Juno 60 but I love the Polysix and P 600 combo. As stated above they really do compliment one another very well.

[dhollmusik]

Originally Posted by gdh

A friend of mine has that combo and it is very nice. I have a P08 and a Juno 60 but I love the Polysix and P 600 combo. As stated above they really do compliment one another very well.

Nice ) Does your friend maybe have some audio online which demonstrates both of them in action?

By the way I'm not looking for audio to analyse to death, just to enjoy and whet my appetite for a combo I'm now very keen on (the Prophet has overtaken the Perfourmer somewhat as my current gearlust object).

[dhollmusik]

Originally Posted by flat earth

lmao

No its not me.

It's interesting the effect an avatar can have on the impression one gives off. The guy looks really serene and wise in that picture, but also weirdly distant, like the aliens David Bowie and Jeff Bridges played in those 80's films.

So basically when I read your post I feel it's written from the perspective of a learned kraftwerkian being from outer space.

[flat earth]

Originally Posted by dhollmusik

So basically when I read your post I feel it's written from the perspective of a learned kraftwerkian being from outer space.

sig worthy



Back OT.

The Prophet 600 is one of the few synths ive not really taken much notice of tbh (although I do remember reading Carbon111's interesting posts on it). Would love to try one out sometime. But I agree with the notion mentioned earlier in the thread, SSM and CEM go together very well. I have experienced this with Trident and OBXa. The SSM 'smoothness' contrasting against the CEM 'sizzle' just clicks. Obviousley there are different SSM based synths and different CEM based synths, but the Korg/Prophet/Oberheim pairings seem to work very well together. I'm not so sure about a JP6 though. I didn't get the 'love' with that one.

[dhollmusik]

Originally Posted by flat earth

I agree with the notion mentioned earlier in the thread, SSM and CEM go together very well. I have experienced this with Trident and OBXa. The SSM 'smoothness' contrasting against the CEM 'sizzle' just clicks. Obviousley there are different SSM based synths and different CEM based synths, but the Korg/Prophet/Oberheim pairings seem to work very well together. I'm not so sure about a JP6 though. I didn't get the 'love' with that one.

Aye...I enjoyed combining my DW-8000 and Matrix 6 for real-time Klaus Schulze-type stuff. Not sure what kind of filters they are, but they both sounded very fine. Sold both synths because the interface wasn't all that conducive to playing, and with the DW-8000 I never managed to quite make the kind of paddy drones I enjoy (tho' one of the best synths when arpeggiating synth-stabs...very hypnotic full-on sound).

The Matrix sounded really nice, but is also a headache to use. Amongst the DCO synths (also used Alpha Juno & JX-3P) probably the best for vintage kosmische Musik, but still not quite as cosmic as what I've done with my old Trident and current Polysix, this may be a subjective impression on my part, tho'.

Knobs help, and I do enjoy cosmic stuff with my Virus, but its sound is noticably brighter, cleaner, more efficient. In comparison with vintage VCO polysynths it's as if Star Trek TNG met up with Star Trek OS: both are great, but together at the same time? Doesn't quite work for me. Tho' maybe someone has done a soundtrack-type jam with a VA and a real A...would be interesting to hear.


I bet your OBXa is a beauty to play. When I was searching for a rack VCO polysynth the Xpander looked very enticing...just too far out of my price-range. But all I hear and read suggests the top-of-the-range Oberheims are masters of paddy, experimental drones. The Jupiters everyone tends to recommend them for stabby sounds for the dancefloor, but less for layered evolving stuff with long release times.

[Carey M]

Originally Posted by dhollmusik

I think (once I've had both my Polysixes serviced) it would be interesting sound-wise to effectively swap one Polysix for a P-600.

Owning (and loving) both a Polysix and a P600, I'd do it. The brash, brassy, CEM character of the P-600 is a great compliment to the Polysix. And with the P-600 you get two VCOs (with sync), polyphonic portamento and Poly-Mod (although very limited when compared to the P5).

I'll see if I can do a little sondtrack-ish demo with both... In the meantime, here's a couple of crappy 100% P-600 demos:

http://soundcloud.com/matti-juhana/sci-prophet-600-demo-3
http://soundcloud.com/matti-juhana/sci-prophet-600-demo-4

- CM

[dhollmusik]

Originally Posted by Carey M

Owning (and loving) both a Polysix and a P600, I'd do it. The brash, brassy, CEM character of the P-600 is a great compliment to the Polysix. And with the P-600 you get two VCOs (with sync), polyphonic portamento and Poly-Mod (although very limited when compared to the P5).

I'll see if I can do a little sondtrack-ish demo with both... In the meantime, here's a couple of crappy 100% P-600 demos:

http://soundcloud.com/matti-juhana/sci-prophet-600-demo-3
http://soundcloud.com/matti-juhana/sci-prophet-600-demo-4

- CM

Yes! This is the kind of post I like...with audio! I'm often a little surprised by how few Slutz back up their posts with audio. For me it's the most fun part of a synth discussion.

Your first demo, in the first few seconds, was really Pink Floydy (massive favourites of mine). The rest was great, really upfront sound and playing. Good bright presence.

The second was very Human League (they had an instrumental album in the 80's that sounded like this). Very present sound again.


I'd love for you to come back and post some little demo-jam with the two P's. No rush...this thread will always be here and I don't expect to actually get a Prophet until realistically the Autumn (unless I happen to stumble upon a great deal).


Thanks for posting

[dhollmusik]

From the Vintage Synth Prophet-600 page:

Models with the newest software will enjoy polyphonic MIDI implementation and up to 100 memory patches to store their own sounds.

Anyone know more about this?

[Nev]

Originally Posted by carey m

http://soundcloud.com/matti-juhana/sci-prophet-600-demo-3


- cm

i love it!

[dhollmusik]

I think I've now found my favourite P-600 demo:

[lilita]

Prophet 600 is on my short list of DO WANT synths. So is Polysix but I just got a Poly-61 which is close and a lot of fun anyway and damn cheap. Has the same issues as the Polysix, Prophet 600 is also supposed to use the same high-maintenance Panasonic key contacts.

[dhollmusik]

Originally Posted by lilita

Prophet 600 is on my short list of DO WANT synths. So is Polysix but I just got a Poly-61 which is close and a lot of fun anyway and damn cheap. Has the same issues as the Polysix, Prophet 600 is also supposed to use the same high-maintenance Panasonic key contacts.

I have two Polysixes and after getting them serviced correctly I will be selling/swapping one, if you're in Europe I could let you know when one is ready. It's risky buying a used Polysix as there's not just the battery issue but also the calibration issues. If you end up getting one then get a simple audio demo before paying the money to make sure it sounds ok.

According to CfNorENa in this thread it seems the Prophet has less issues, he said just to check the membrane-button pad is ok.

How's the Poly-61? I almost bought one for €60 last week but it had way too many defects and I didn't want yet another synth-DIY project.

Show us some audio from it if you have any


In the meantime, here's a little Spiel from my two Polysixes:

[lilita]

Cool sounds!

Not in Europe, but thanks!

The Poly-61 has the disadvantages of the Polysix - same reliability issues, no midi (unless you get the Poly-61m) or even CV - and less advantages - no knobs, no suboscillator, no chorus.The second oscillator is weird - it's like osc 1 is from the Polysix but osc 2 is from the Poly800 - but its really useful

And I really like the way it sounds, to me it sounds bright and happy and does nice bass. Also it's got the same arpeggiator and chord memory and hold button as the Polysix.

I might could mod it or have it modded for knob control of the filter. It's got a Korg filter instead of SSM but has the same SSM envelope chips as the Polysix

Was going to make audio samples but opened it up to clean the keys so it will wait!

[dhollmusik]

Originally Posted by lilita

Was going to make audio samples but opened it up to clean the keys so it will wait!

Please do. I'm always chowing at everyone here to post more audio demonstrations to back up what they are writing with words, but not many actually do it. Surprising really, but there you go.

[Nev]

lots of forum members post up examples in the "post your music here" thread stickied up top. A lot of experimental stuff, examples of gear, or fully finished polished tracks.

[dhollmusik]

Originally Posted by Nev

lots of forum members post up examples in the "post your music here" thread stickied up top. A lot of experimental stuff, examples of gear, or fully finished polished tracks.

Not referring to any old music. I'm talking about posting specific audio examples to back up specific discussions we are having in any one thread.

[Pro5]

Originally Posted by lilita

Prophet 600 is on my short list of DO WANT synths. So is Polysix but I just got a Poly-61 which is close and a lot of fun anyway and damn cheap. Has the same issues as the Polysix, Prophet 600 is also supposed to use the same high-maintenance Panasonic key contacts.

poly 61 is NOT close to a polysix - only in name and certain components! Worst thing about p61 is the resolution of parameter editing. For DCO much prefer JX-3p which is a nice contrast to a Polysix.

[lilita]

me shrugs

[dhollmusik]

Originally Posted by lilita

me shrugs

me say don't shrug, play synth instead


(and show us how your Poly-61 sounds...I'd be interested how it does strings and weird LFO effect stuff)