The instrument
The Korg Poly-800 is a hybrid analog/digital polyphonic synthesizer produced between 1983 and 1987. Its architecture and affordable price are direct indicators of an era where previously complex and expensive polyphonic synthesizers became accessible to the general public, thanks to the development of digital technologies offering more features with fewer electronic components.
The Poly-800 was one of the most affordable options of its time for producing varied polyphonic sounds necessary for chords. This aspect explains its widespread use in the pioneering techno scenes. Derrick May, Juan Atkins, and Kevin Saunderson, the famous "Belleville Three" who marked the genre's beginnings, all had a model of this synthesizer in their studios. Today, it is still found in the studios of artists linked to the techno scene, such as Max Cooper, Legowelt, Orbital, Theo Parrish, Overmono, and the duo Bicep.
Details
The Poly-800 is a lightweight instrument that can operate on power or battery and can easily be transformed into a keytar. It also has a 24dB per octave low-pass filter and a sequencer. However, it offers eight voices of polyphony, three envelope generators, a 49-key keyboard, a modulation joystick, and 64 preset sounds. Over fifty parameters of these different sounds can be modified by selecting the programs presented on the right of the control panel. This flexibility and versatility come at the cost of less intuitive use, as the parameters cannot be directly manipulated via potentiometers and direct buttons as on classic analog synthesizers.