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Behringer MonoPoly it was just a matter of time


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It's funny. I own an original Mono/Poly and have sort of been lusting for the Poly D, then I see this video this morning and get quite excited....and I'm not sure why? :laugh:

I think I always had a sort of wish my mono/Poly was a minimoog instead, even though in many ways the mono/poly is capable of a lot more.

The Poly D pretty much addresses that, but something tugged hard on my heart strings when I saw this.

 

For me I knew it was coming from someone, either Behringer or Korg, and I mostly was hoping it wasn't mini keys. Korg's keypads have been pretty unimpressive to me other than the weighted 88's. I"m sure the Kronos 61 has a good keyed, but its' out of my range. I've hated the feel of all their mini keys. (The reface is pretty good, though still...mini keys)

 

But I was also hoping for a couple other tweaks:

1. Arpeggiator up/down mode always repeats the top and bottom notes. I wish there was a way to change that.

2. Portamento is polyphonic even in monophonic mode. Personally I don't like that. It's not too bad at fast speeds and I often only use two oscillators, which diminishes the effect a little.

3. Built in Delay would have been great (delay is all over the introductory video) and also that poly D chorus for those who want to do a lot of polyphonic playing.

 

I also hope the pitch wheel isn't spring loaded. Its' nice to route it to the cutoff, and change filter settings in real time with the wheel and that would work better it you could leave it in position, like the original.

 

I need to see the price. It is is the same as the Poly D I would probably go Poly D, because it addresses all my gripes above except I believe the Poly D has a spring loaded pitch wheel.

If the monoPoly is less money, I am interested, because mine is very old, tuning is a wee bit suspect, and it might be nice to have midi (I never got the retrofit)

 

However It has inspired me to spend more time with my original! That's always a good thing!

Stage: Korg Krome 88.

Home: Korg Kross 61, Yamaha reface CS, Korg SP250, Korg mono/poly Kawai ep 608, Korg m1, Yamaha KX-5

 

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Behringer are now tooled up for this "minimoog" form factor so expect more releases that use it. They did it successfully with the modules. What is interesting is although they are reissuing these vintage synths, with the exception of the MS1 and the Odyssey, they are not exactly clones. Behringer reduce the form factor and add stuff like sequencer or effects.

 

All their synths sound excellent but I want full size synths. The Model D is a fine module but I reckon those that can afford it will sell it for a Poly D.

 

So maybe the Poly D/ MonoPoly is the stepping stone to the larger 5 octave form factor. The UB-X is in the pipeline and that would provide the shell for all the big polysynths such as the Prophet - and remember they already have a mono version of the Rev 3.

 

The DeepMind 12 is the exception as its got the 4 octave keyboard and although clearly inspired by the Juno, it is not a clone. IMO this is their best effort: 12 voice poly with 1024 memories, extensive modulation and multi FX, full size keyboard with AT etc. And its the same price as a Poly D

 

They could have just knocked out a Juno 106, would have been a big hit in the UK. Juno 106s are selling in the UK for over £1200 (I sold mine for £1150 last year and bought several Behringer synths with the money). Just wondering if US/Europe has the same love affair with the 106!

 

Back to MonoPoly - wonder if they have modelled the Korg chorus or just used the lovely Juno chorus from the Model D.

 

Final thought - might they put a Juno 106 in this form factor? Lots of room as the 106 panel is quite simple....

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Behringer are now tooled up for this "minimoog" form factor so expect more releases that use it.

Interesting observation. The Moog Prodigy could be a candidate. I remember paying $325 for my Prodigy in 1979. Behringer's Prodigy price would have to be similar to or less than their Odyssey to make sense.

Steve Coscia

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Paraphonic mode to me is a special effect - one I happen to love. I think some people expect/hope (in a pinch) to get near polyphonic performance/sound out of a paraphonic and are disappointed - totally understandable. Back when the original MonoPoly was around compromises had to be made from a cost/performance standpoint. These days if you want a polyphonic get a real polyphonic.

 

Just not a Polysix - they sucked back then and they sound just as boring today! :hand:

:popcorn:

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I spent some time with the Behringer Odyssey. BUILT LIKE A TANK! Full size keys, and the keybed was more than playable. Sounded big. I guess I have come to grips with the fact that Behringer is like the 'kit car': we'd all like the REAL thing but most of us will never amass the $$ needed to get all these things in REAL editions, but this will have to suffice. And sometimes the kit car MORE than scratches the itch. I'm on board with their String Ensemble, if it ever comes out. And I'd be lying if I said I dont want a kit car CS80! I'll take a Pro Soloist as well. :D
Hitting "Play" does NOT constitute live performance. -Me.
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I wrestled with paraphony in the 70s with an Arp Omni. It wasn't my favorite way to go back then, but today I could see paraphony working as an added feature on a lead synth - mixing in block chords with lead lines and stuff. With that in mind, I'm much more interested in the Poly D than this.

 

Others may differ, but I never considered the Mono/Poly as a strong lead synth. It's strength seemed to be in areas where paraphony was a negative over polyphony. But I never owned one so what do I know...

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I remember investing significant time with the Mono/Poly when I worked for Unicord. The four oscillator stack and the effects were cool, but it lacked a diverse sound palette and punchy oscillators. My Moog Prodigy delivered better solo synth capabilities back then - to me anyway.

 

Then again, it's been 40 years and that's the best I can remember.

Steve Coscia

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... The Model D is a fine module but I reckon those that can afford it will sell it for a Poly D. ....

 

Not me. I have no desire for a paraphonic D. I want true poly.

 

Exactly. The Korg Minilogue is a true 4 voice polyphonic analog synth with patch memory. And it goes for a price comparable to the Poly D, which is likely the same price as the MonoPoly. The Minilogue has 2 VCOs per voice, which means it has twice the number of oscillators as the MonoPoly. There"s no point in Behringer making this.

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The point isn"t that other synths are capable of different things.

 

The point is that the Mono/Poly sounds like a Mono/Poly, has a specific set of controls and an arpeggiator that interact with that particular sound, and virtually nothing else has that particular combination.

"The Angels of Libra are in the European vanguard of the [retro soul] movement" (Bill Buckley, Soul and Jazz and Funk)

The Drawbars | off jazz organ trio

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  • 4 months later...

I'm actually a little surprised and underwhelmed that they didn't make a "Mono/PolySix" hybrid. I've always felt like those two synths should be merged into one para/poly beast. They share a lot of the same hardware and would have made for an interesting frankensynth. This was a bit of a missed opportunity. I definitely expect to see a PolySix within the next year. This is the Behringer Model D to the PolySix's "Poly D".

 

And for anyone complaining about the smaller form factor, I'm THRILLED that my PolyD is half the weight of a MiniMoog. I actually want to take it to gigs along with my 3 other keyboards. Were it 35lbs, I would probably leave it at home. I just thank GOD they haven't pulled a Korg and wedded themselves to thin keys. I've always loved Korg, but they're a little on my s**t list right now, and Behringer comes out on top. No way would I buy that Korg Odyssey over what Behringer has done.

Puck Funk! :)

 

Equipment: Laptop running lots of nerdy software, some keyboards, noise makersâ¦yada yada yadaâ¦maybe a cat?

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First, I have owned a Mono/Poly since 1984. I got it brand new for $400 at a Sam Ash blow out sale (shortly after the DX7 was released when they couldn't give them away). A lot of people slag on this synth, but I really like it. It was the third synth I bought, and I have kept it all these years mainly for its versatility and the fact that it sounds so different than and complementary to my Minimoog. If you take the time to work with it, it can make some really nice as well as some really unique sounds and effects that you really can't get on other synths (modulars excluded). I almost never use the poly mode. Second, based upon these videos (with all the associated caveats considered) the Behringer does not do the Mono/Poly sound justice. It's missing the aggressive attitude that this synth has. I'm sure it's close enough for most people, and a lot cheaper than what the vintage version is going for these days.
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Sounds awful to me, especially compared to Korg's soft synth, which remains one of my favourites. If Korg does a hardware version, I'm all over it (as long as it has aftertouch :-)).

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35, D'angelico SS Bari, EXL1,

Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, LP 57, Eastman T486, T64, Ibanez PM2, Hammond XK4, Moog Voyager

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We should go all in: Borg, Boog, Boland, Barp, Bequential Bircuits ...

 

Barp is too close to Barf. Let's not make a dumb situation worse, thanks. I've somehow never owned an ARP, although an early synth pal had a 2600, Little Brother and Sequencer in his setup. I got the enjoyable gist from that experience. I still dream of my short Chroma time, though. Its lush keyboard offered superior touch-to-sound. You can essentially build a Chroma signal path in software now, but not that keybed. :sigh:

 "I want to be an intellectual, but I don't have the brainpower.
  The absent-mindedness, I've got that licked."
        ~ John Cleese

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We should go all in: Borg, Boog, Boland, Barp, Bequential Bircuits ...

 

BPG, Boberheim, Belka, Bolyvoks, ...

 

I see no way modifying "Banana", the Oberheim clone the "Synthesizer Studio Bonn" in germany manufactured decades ago,- but BSF- Bobol should compensate for ... :laugh:

 

There are no limits for the future ...

 

Bahama, Burzweil, Bexibel,- all thinkable.

 

It´s what I expected to happen anyway,- but not really before I die ...

Seems I was wrong because it now happens before I die ...

 

There comes the day,- we ALL have to buy from the big "B" ...

 

B-stock !!!

 

:laugh:

 

A.C.

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