Korg DW-8000 ?

[bennyray]

I had one back in the mid 80's and liked it but can't really remember a whole lot about it except that it had fat synth patches and a good eps.

 

Can get one for around $250 in EC so I went back and listened to some demos and man it sounds really good. Anyone has one or had one can chime in I would appreciate it.

 

Dang I have a feel for vintage synths.

[mcgoo]

When they came out, I thought of them as a poor man's DX-7. Haven't heard one in years, and my tastes (and overall understanding of instruments) have evolved, so I can't promise that wasn't a short-sighted view.

[bennyray]

When they came out, I thought of them as a poor man's DX-7. Haven't heard one in years, and my tastes (and overall understanding of instruments) have evolved, so I can't promise that wasn't a short-sighted view.

 

Funny you say that I sold my DX7 for the DW-8000 because it was much easier to program back then I didn't have much time for programming synths cause I was playing 6 nights a week. I think it has digital waveforms and analog filters that sound sorta like a modern day DSI.

Reminds me of a Juno 106 but much darker as far as synth.

[J. Dan]

The DW-8000 had 16 sampled waveforms, followed by analog VCF and VCA. While they were single cycle, there were more complex variations available compared to most analog synths, which contributed to being able to create more realistic sounds. Also, it was 2 osc per voice (compared to single osc on the Juno 106). It also included some chorus and delay effects.

[marino]

I love the DW8000. I have restored one a couple of years ago. It has a warm, full sound, quite superior to the Polysix, Juno 106, etc. to my ears.

 

Edit: The main problem is with the presets... like for several other instruments of that era, they try to compete with the cristalline digital sounds of Yamaha FM, with poor results. But if used for what it does best - warm, full analog-style sounds - it's a great instrument.

[David Emm]

It depends on its actual condition (no leaky battery) and how much time you plan to invest in it. I had a pair of them at one time, plus an MEX-8000 memory expander. They were strong alone and even better layered with pretty much anything else. I really milked them and they delivered well. It was arguably the most populist predecessor to more current wavetable instruments. You probably shouldn't haul that old a synth around to gigs, but for home studio life only, its hard to beat that price. The DW was the reason I took up an O1Wfd later, You learn, you freak out a bit, you grow.

[J. Dan]

Waves available:

 

http://www.ohbrotherstl.com/Pics/DW8000.jpg

[Tom Fiala]

I have a DW8000, with the AngelCity mod. It allows splits & layers.

 

Pros: It's a nice sounding synth, for the time, and super easy to program. Of course, the waveforms don't sound much like what they are allegedly named after. Nice analog filter. Much more variety possible than the 106 or the Polysix. Big sounds possible with unison mode. Can be found cheaply, compared to the Junos. And a busy user group on FB.

 

Cons: Lousy keyboard and annoying single-slider editing, though. Battery is soldered directly to circuit board, making replacement more difficult.

[SteveCoscia]

But if used for what it does best - warm, full analog-style sounds - it's a great instrument.

This is what I remember about the DW-8000.

[CEB]

Killer synth. Absolutely smoked the DX-7 in terms if quasi analogy saw pads. You could play Jump on it and it wouldn't sucked. Unfortunately the DW-8000 also smoked its successor the Korg DS-8. The DS-8 sucked.

 

Nice synth if covering old Bon Jovi tunes.

 

I doubt I would buy one today. If I did I would have my tech install a battery holder inside the synth the first time It needed to be in the shop.

[bennyray]

This guy has an Ensoniq ESQ-1 for a little more than the Korg DW-8000 and the curtis filters sound really good on the ESQ-1. It doesn't have built in effects if I recall correctly but I have an Alesis Quadraverb in a rack that I never use anymore. May try to get both in a package deal if he can get his head right.

 

Not really trying to spend much money on these old synths but they really sound so good compared to these VA synths now for the most part.

[allan_evett]

DWGS technology was a lot of fun ! I have many good memories of the DW-8000. It was my go-to, 2nd-tier synth, from 1985-89. And even after replacing that keyboard with an M1, I kept an EX-8000 around well past 2000.

 

While the DW could cover electric pianos in a pinch, I found it to be strongest for synth strings / brass, pads, and leads. Both the factory leads and ones I programmed saw a lot of use. The DW-8000 was the synth on which I started to get a handle on pitch / mod affected leads. The DW-8000's sounds inspired me to be a better lead synthesist, plus work at crafting effective polysynth parts to compliment the piano-EP-clav tones on my bottom tier keyboard (which for while was either a JX-10 driving a TX-1P piano module, or a DX7). Good to know, too, that the Kronos has a good compliment of DWGS tones.

 

 

[Redknife]

I also have fond dw-8000 memories. I really felt like I could squeeze a lot of sweet sounds out of that board. What a great tone. The digital delay, at the time, added a lot.

[Synthoid]

This guy has an Ensoniq ESQ-1 for a little more than the Korg DW-8000 and the curtis filters sound really good on the ESQ-1. It doesn't have built in effects if I recall correctly

 

Right... no effects on the ESQ-1 but it was a great synth in its day. Make sure all the buttons work if you plan on buying it.

 

 

[Dave Bryce]

Add me to the list of fans. I had a DW8000 and an EX8000.

 

dB

[synthizen2]

Unfortunately the DW-8000 also smoked its successor the Korg DS-8. The DS-8 sucked.

 

Don't forget the one that came in between those two... The DSS-1. The DSS-1 definitely DIDN'T suck... It was essentially a sampling DW-8000 with dual digital delays and hard-sync capability.

 

I owned both of them at various points. The DW-8000 was my first ever synth, purchased new in Jan 1986. Many fond memories... it got me though many many gigs back in the day.

[Dave Bryce]

Unfortunately the DW-8000 also smoked its successor the Korg DS-8. The DS-8 sucked.

 

Don't forget the one that came in between those two... The DSS-1. The DSS-1 definitely DIDN'T suck... It was essentially a sampling DW-8000 with dual digital delays and hard-sync capability.

The DS8 was a cheesy eight voice four-op FM synth - basically an FB01 with keys. Ugh.

 

DSS-1 was lots of fun - I had one of those for a minute. I argue that it was an early realtive of the K2000S.

 

dB

 

 

 

[EscapeRocks]

I bought my DW-8000 in 1986. It was my very first new synth.

 

It was a mainstay in gig rigs from then thru about 2004. I retired it from gigs, and ended up with my first work station, a Triton EX 61 w/MOSS board.

 

I still fire up the old DW-8000 now and then. I have autosampled a few of my favorite patches into Mainstage. I did replace the battery as I am good with soldering.

[Mighty Motif Max]

DWGS technology was a lot of fun ! I have many good memories of the DW-8000... Good to know, too, that the Kronos has a good compliment of DWGS tones.

 

 

 

I've never played a DW-8000, but my Krome also has some DWGS sounds on it. Very "vintage" sounding, but generally more realistic than the FM equivalent sounds.

[dalpozlead]

I have 2 and bought it to replicate Kevin Moore's patches in Dream Theater's era.

Love the gear and will sample with samplerobot asap.

Awesome phat leads and pads.

[harmonizer]

During 2004-2005, I played on a DW-8000 borrowed from a friend (who was our bass player). He had programmed a really satisfying clav sound on it.

[jeffincltnc]

I had one from 1987-1989 and it was my upper tier board above a Roland JX-8P which was a great 80s rig in its day. I played mine all day and night in high school.

[Theo Verelst]

For me it was a matter of price/performance at the time, and I was learning what the potential added value of certain types of instruments were, in this time I don't know what the haggling is about.

 

There are many analogs again, what would be the reason for wanting an old one with archaic digital parts?

 

T

[J. Dan]

...what would be the reason for wanting an old one with archaic digital parts?

 

Can get one for around $250

[cfcboc]

A Forum member is interested in taking it, so it is going to a good home and no longer available.

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Speaking of the DW-8000... I am about to clean out my storage unit, and buried in there is a DW-8000 in the factory box, has the Angel City mod installed, and I also have the MEX-???? which stores around 4 additional banks of patches. Also should have a bunch of purchased patches and all documentation. The DW-8000 won't power up because I can't solder and screwed up replacing the battery, which likely messed up that part of the circuit board. Prior to that fiasco, the synth worked fine.

 

I would be happy to give away the synth and any/all accessories to anyone who may want to salvage parts, keyboard, etc, if you would cover shipping from New Orleans, LA. Your choice of carrier. Otherwise I'll be tossing it in the trash around the end of July if no one is interested.

 

[smanzella]

PM sent Chuck.

[Bosendorphen]

Great board. I still have one but it's sort of on an ongoing loan to a friend for his studio as he only keyboard (he plays sax).

 

Got it new in December of 1985 and along with my Polysix and Ensoniq SDP-1 I did a lot of music/gigs with that combo. It was rare to have a synth with a built-in digital delay but that was such a bonus plus all the waveforms!!! :-D I got quite a nice sax sound of it back in the day and great leads and decent EPs.