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Poly 800 and loading patches


Reject76

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Sorry to have to write this, but Ive been through the net and this very forum in search of answers, but to no avail.

 

As some of you might have ready already, I managed to pick up a Korg Poly 800 for a mere $40. I figured if I didnt like it, I could sell it for atleast what I paid for it (checking ebay and other local sources, they're atleast the double).

 

Anyway...Ive been trying to program some sounds of my own from scratch, but never got really satisfied, so I decided to try and load the original sound bank to get some kind of reference.

 

So I downloaded some .wav files off the net, but I cant get the friggin thing to load. I checked with the user reviews here on HC, and apparently other users have been having the same problem.

 

Does anyone have any first-hand experience of this? Ive been trying for over 2 hours to load one simple sound bank, and Ive tried several different .wav files too, just in case...and different sound banks (from original to personal custom ones)...nuffin...whats up with that? Even if the lithium (?) battery is old, then it should be able to save and load sound banks in mem as long as the power is on, right?

 

Anyone got any bright ideas? or been through this as well?

 

/Ricky Reject

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I don't know how you'd expect to load synth parameters from a .wav file. Back when you could load and save sounds via cassette, preferably using data (no leader) rather than audio cassettes. It is ok to use audio cassettes but move past the leader first. Hmm ok I guess the .wav file is presumably duplicating the blips on a data cassette. In that case you have to use the cassette port not midi.

 

However this synth also has midi and can be addressed from an editor. You're better off just getting some data files and using midi. There was definitely one in Galaxy +; not sure about Sound Diver as never used it with that; would have to check but I would think it would be there.

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All you need is a 3/8 to 3/8 stereo cable with a 1/2 inch adapter on the end... Plug one end into your soundcard out, the other into the tape in .. I dont recall the sequence to set the record... but search online for the poly 800 manual.. but all you need to do is to bring the wav up in windows sound recorder or something and then play it when you've activated the tape in sequence..

 

It depends on what version you have.. earlier poly 800s won't take sysex transfers

 

 

But if you wanna get rid of it i'd love another one...:) let me know..

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Thanks for the respond, guys...

 

Plastic: Yeah, I kinda figured it could have something to do with my late 90's tape-deck actually...If nothing else, I guess I'll have to dig out an old tape-recorder at some flee-market or something. Will you believe I dont have a single one left...hmm...maybe my mothers old cyan-coloured walkman would suffice, heh...you know the ones that required 4 batteries to operate and had both a belt-clip and a shoulder-strap.......

 

As soon as I get back home to my modest home-studio, I'll try to see if it can receive sysex...Im not exactly sure what version this poly 800 is. As far as Ive read, only the later Poly 800 mkii would receive sysex...we'll see, else I'll find some old tape deck.

 

By the way...since I have your attention; does any of you lads know how this system stores memory/settings? I did two patches late last night and saved them to mem, but woke up this morning only to find that they're gone. I presume its your regular battery than needs a change...I hope...

 

Proteus: Thats not the way to get a deal...you're not supposed to tell me you want one...you're supposed to tell me its crap and that you humbly offer yourself to relieve me from the burden of owning it :D

 

Not quite ready to give up on it yet though, as I only got it 2 days ago ;)

 

/Ricky Reject

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Ricky,

 

A while ago I myself tried loading some Poly 800 wav preset files from the web into a MkII version of the synth by connecting the audio line-out from a laptop to the tape-in on the synth.

It didn't work.

Whether this was because the source wavs were no good, or some other reason, I don't know.

 

I also tried loading some sysex patch files from the web directly over MIDI.

But this didn't seem to work very well.

(I think only the MkII version can handle sysex patch dumps anyway, and it sounds like you might have the MkI?)

If you want to know what version of the machine you have, check out this page:

 

http://www.vintagesynth.org/korg/poly800.shtml

 

My suggestion would be that you try some using actual cassette patch files.

These are known to work, and you could contact Korg support about this.

(For instance, I think that Korg UK sells a cassette copy of Poly 800 presets.)

It might be worth looking for patch cassettes on E-Bay also.

 

As far as the patches disappearing overnight is concerned, I think there could be different reasons for this.

It could be, as you said, that the memory battery is dead.

I think when the memory battery in the Poly 800 dies, it can sometimes leak over the circuits and damage the machine, so you might want to look into this.

I think some people retro-fit a new battery arrangement into their Poly 800's to stop this happening, but I'm not sure.

 

I also seem to remember that some of the earliest versions of the MkI don't actually have a back-up battery, so they lose their patches on power-down anyway - but I'm not entirely sure about this.

You should probably do a web search to confirm some of this stuff.

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The internal battery is most likely dead or extremely weak if the patches dissapear when you turn off the power. But the Poly 800 is battery powered too. Try adding or changing the batteries in the back as well, I think they are D.

 

Try this

 

http://www.pallium.com/bryan/polybattery.php

 

 

Also if it won't take sysex you have to use the reverse of the tape input.. If you got that PDF the other guy was going to send you is sould be pretty easy.

 

And no I guess i don't have the hang of that.. I love them .. and I encourage you to get to know it and see if you like it..:)

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Mutineer: Aye, Ive also read the stuff about possible battery leakage. Guess Ill have to get that sorted anyway. Might as well install a battery-holder too when Im at it.

 

Protues: thanks for that link. I found some others, but for some reason I missed that one. Great help, thanks

 

/Ricky Reject

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Allerian: thanks for that .pdf file, mate...much obliged.

 

Clearly I seem to have mismatched the from/to tape connections, though I did try both, of course...seems weird though, cause I do get the 'ERR' message when connected to "from tape". One would figure it wouldnt react at all if its connected in the wrong port. Ah, well...Ill give it another whirl.

 

Also as far as Ive understood, there seems to be different (older/newer) version of the Poly 800 (ie not mkII). As soon as I get home I'll see if can receive sysex data. Though with my luck..............

 

In any case, I'll also change the battery regardless. Seems like a good precaution.

 

I've been reading quite a lot about this synth prior to purchasing it. I'm yet to find out who's right though...many people say its crap and refer to it as a toy...others simply love it and say they would never part with it. I guess you have to want "that sound". Cant wait...actually...Im off to try loading up a patch again...:)

 

Cheers, lads...

 

/Ricky Reject

 

 

 

P.S. For anyone wondering and who might have missed it, vintagesynth.com holds a copy of the manual.

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Well there is the poly 800 rack ... poly 800 reverse keys .. and the DW8000, DW6000 which are very similar, but have a different filter .. Synapse audio also makes a poly850 VSTi which sounds comprable.. but just doesn't "do it" for me ..

 

I have the dw8000 and I really like it.

 

 

For some reason the poly 800 (aside from casios) is the only one I know of that gets called a toy almost on a daily basis. I wish people would just grow up and say "it's not for me". You know, I may be an exception, but I don't favor the roland filters. They just aren't for me... I do love the Xp30 though ... :) But that's not quite the same..

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Originally posted by Reject76


Also as far as Ive understood, there seems to be different (older/newer) version of the Poly 800 (ie not mkII). As soon as I get home I'll see if can receive sysex data. Though with my luck..............

 

I think there is a mod you can do to enable sysex transfers on the MkI(?)

 

That battery change link is useful - I should probably get something done about my Poly 800's battery (although it's working okay at the moment.)

 

Originally posted by Reject76


I've been reading quite a lot about this synth prior to purchasing it. I'm yet to find out who's right though...many people say its crap and refer to it as a toy...others simply love it and say they would never part with it. I guess you have to want "that sound". Cant wait...actually...Im off to try loading up a patch again...
:)

Cheers, lads...


/Ricky Reject

 

Yes, it seems people either like the Poly 800 a lot, or not at all.

I like the tone and I wouldn't sell mine.

 

Also, it's a very stripped-down and immediate synth.

In terms of features, it seems to have just enough to be musically viable, with no extraneous stuff.

Even the primitive sequencer can be an interesting tool to experiment with.

The programming interface is a bit awkward, but at the same time it's very simple and direct.

And I think the overall sound is great.

 

There's something quite cool about its light-weight plastic constuction too.

Its got a unique design aesthetic that some people find inspiring.

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