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Upgrades For The Korg DW-8000?


Awake77

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Is anyone still making upgrade boards for the DW-8000? Ive been lurking forever on Ebay to find an Angel City Turbo modded DW, one came up like 2 years ago and I missed it:)

 

I vaugely remember a post on KSS a while back with a company that was still producing a similar upgrade board for the DW8K - Id love to get my hands on it.

 

Thanks,

A77

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Ah, just emailed those guys :) I see someone has come up with a mod for the DW8K to have analog control pots for VCF cutoff and resonance, and delay time, check it out:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=310016917216&Category=64385

 

I emailed the seller - said its a mod they do for $100, along with replacing the switches and changing the LEDs (i like the stock red myself).

 

Trying to see if I can get him to send me some plans, and also if I can mod an audio in to the VCF :)

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Another way to "upgrade" a DW8000 is to simply get a DSS-1.
:)

 

LOL I might have to upgrade my deadlift to move it around too! :D

 

Seriously - if I could find one with the hardrive Id pick it up in a heartbeat.

 

I read somewhere that the DSS-1 doesnt have portamento...is this true?

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Im still waiting for an EX-8000 (dont really have the space for a DW8000 at the mo)

But i havent seen one for ages.


ex8000.gif

One of these buggers paired with an MKS-70 would equal seriously dark pads and strings!

 

Ah the MKS-70!! Im constantly looking at those and the ESQ-m....nothing like phat tones on the cheap! :D

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My DW8000 sadly died years ago when my kids were playing hide and seek underneath my keyboard stand and knocked the 8000 on the ground. However, it had the Angel City mod which I assume was unaffected. I still have the manual and 2 cassette tapes of sound libraries that came with it. Email me at tlamb1@kc.rr.com if interested. I also still have the dead DW8000 if anyone needs any parts as well as a very sturdy flight case.

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LOL I might have to upgrade my deadlift to move it around too!
:D

Seriously - if I could find one with the hardrive Id pick it up in a heartbeat.


I read somewhere that the DSS-1 doesnt have portamento...is this true?

 

True, and it also lacks the arpeggiator. Two very sad omissions, however there is a ton of stuff on there the DW8000 lacks: osc sync, fatter unison detune, two DDLs, velocity curves up the wazoo, better aftertouch, velocity cross-switch, bit-crushing, crunchier sounding 12-bit oscillators, and the biggest offering over DW series: custom-designed DWGS waveforms (you make 'em).

 

The Angel City Mod for DW8000 does give the DW a sample+hold waveform which is cool, on top of the LFO waveforms already on it. Although the DSS1 has two LFOs vs. the DW8000's one, the only choice sine wave, which is pretty damn meager.

 

If only the DSS1 had:

- battery-backed memory for 1 bank of patches plus basic waveforms,

- built-in hard disk or flash memory,

- portamento,

- an arp,

- a variety of LFO waveforms,

- and some knobs for realtime control,

 

... it would be a supersynth of the likes of Prophet, Synthex, OBX, Jupiter, et al.

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I got the Angel City upgrade for mine (sold the DW years ago). Expanded the palette a lot, which was sorely needed, in that the DW's palette is narrow to begin with. This isn't a slam...I used it on EVERYTHING, since what it did, it did well.

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My DW8000 sadly died years ago when my kids were playing hide and seek underneath my keyboard stand and knocked the 8000 on the ground. However, it had the Angel City mod which I assume was unaffected. I still have the manual and 2 cassette tapes of sound libraries that came with it. Email me at
tlamb1@kc.rr.com
if interested. I also still have the dead DW8000 if anyone needs any parts as well as a very sturdy flight case.

 

Hey Dubwyz - you have mail sir :)

 

Chipcurtis - if the DSS-1 did have all that stuff it certainly would qualify as a true classic...too bad some entrepeneuring electrical engineer can't buy them all up for $150 apiece and mod them...:)

 

Since I just picked up an Andromeda, the DW8K maybe be going up for sale to help fund that purchase. If I could get an upgrade board for it, she might be worth keeping however...

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There's ZERO overlap between the DW and A6. I'd hang on to it.

 

 

It'll be a tough call...I have to move out most of my other synths to swing the A6. I was thinking of maybe keeping the DW-8000 or the AX-80 around, as they'll only fetch ~$200 anyway.

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It'll be a tough call...I have to move out most of my other synths to swing the A6. I was thinking of maybe keeping the DW-8000 or the AX-80 around, as they'll only fetch ~$200 anyway.

 

 

Agreed. There is some overlap between the AX & A6, so of the two, I'd keep the DW

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