These are the synths I’m putting against each other now (my Poly800 died an untimely death somewhere in the early-nineties…). So both Korgs EX800 and Siel’s EX80 were rackmountable boxes with a midi connection, more or less having the same functionality as their keyboard counterparts. Both Korg and Siel also released their budget synths in a module form – it was a new concept at the time to produce synths with no keyboard, although in reality it was a return to the modular days really.
And in Italy, Siel came up with the DK70 and DK80, who both had an uncanny resemblance to the Poly800. At 1295 USD, it was considerably more expensive then the Poly800 and even rather more expensive then Roland’s Juno 106. After having released the Prophet 600, they released the Sixtrak in 1984: like the Poly800, a four octave analog keyboard with midi. Sequential Circuits, market leader in 1979 who had seen their leadership challenged by the Japanese competition, was struggling to stay connected with the needs of the synth player market. Other manufacturers quickly realized the potential and came up with alternatives. Including my band at the time, since by the time it was 1987, I had scraped enough cash to buy a (second hand) Poly800 – my first true synth, replacing a dodgy Yamaha home keyboard… I’m pretty convinced I’m one of the many people who learned the trade on a Poly800 – and proud of it! I vividly remember a brochure picture with Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell getting jiggy with a strapped-on Poly800 – needless to say, I never wore a Poly800 anywhere outside my bedroom…įor a while, it appeared that any young band rehearsing at your local youth centre, student club or other watering hole had a Poly800.
Best of all: it sounded great, silky and sweet and many of the presets appeared in hit records of the day. So in 1984, they released the Poly800 for a stunning price of 795 USD: eight voices, a sleek keyboard with virtually no knobs, battery operated if you wanted it to be and even this new gadget called midi on board. Possibly, Korg might have realized that underneath that group there was more market potential for kids who were eager to step in the footsteps of their idols but who could not meet the 1000+ USD price tag that polysynths were still demanding at the time. Korg and Roland quickly released the Polysix and Juno 6 and 60 to fulfill the needs of most touring and studio musicians.
Obviously, the true polyphonic pioneers such as the Prophet 5 and Oberheim OB-Xa were far out of the financial reach of most musicians, just as much as Rolands Jupiter 6 and 8. Even when groundbreaking hit albums by New Order, Depeche Mode or The Human League were mostly made with strings ensembles and monophonic synths, by 1983 broke, everybody wanted a polyphonic synth to sound ‘modern’ and hip…
Mid-eighties cheap analog polysynths in comparisonīy the time the eighties were in full swing, synth manufacturers realised that opportunities presented themselves for selling hot polyphonic synths to young teenagers who were aroused by the arrival of synth pop, hip hop and other new styles.