By which I mean, it wasn’t a genuine polyphonic device – it spread its four VCOs across four keys for pseudo-polyphony. The reasons for that lay in the Mono/Poly’s approach to polyphony – it didn’t really have any. It was designed mainly to compete with the polyphonic Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, but never quite reached those lofty heights.
On offer were four analogue oscillators, two LFOs (or modulation generators in Korg-speak of the time), a reasonably complex modulation matrix and cross-modulation and oscillator sync – they were features that made the Mono/Poly a lead and bass synth to lust after. It managed to avoid any factory MIDI retrofits – it was purely a CV driven unit. The hardware version originally appeared in 1981, finishing up in ’84. So let’s firstly have a closer look at the Analog Edition 2007, with the headturner being the recreation of the Mono/Poly. Fancy indeed – but notice the Mono/Poly is left out of the equation here? But then the four VCO-equipped Mono/Poly is chubby enough not to need stacking with anything else. If you’re feeling fancy you could also perhaps try a Polysix combined with an MS-20. The Legacy Cell (part of the Analog Edition) includes these effects combined with the Legacy Cell plug-in, which allows the stacking of two synths: two Polysixes or two MS-20s. Just to clarify what the MDE-X effects are: these are Korg’s favourites from its various processors and instruments over the years – they’re the kind of effects that match well with synthesis instruments.
This keyboard sold in the hundreds of thousands across the world, so as you might imagine, many of the M1 presets have become staples among various electronic genres. The Wavestation is, of course, part of the Digital Edition, which includes a rendition of the M1: Korg’s ever so successful workstation. Analog includes the Polysix, MS-20, the Legacy Cell with MDE-X effects and the new Mono/Poly: an awesome synth that on its own warrants grabbing the Analog Edition 2007.
KORG LEGACY COLLECTION REVIEW SOFTWARE
The Legacy Collection now spans two software packages: the Analog Edition 2007 and the Digital Edition. I’d imagine Korg decided they were giving too much away… KORG’S LEGACY Sadly it’s now a discontinued product, but at the time the package included the MS-20, PolySix, Wavestation and the Legacy Cell plug-in (for combining patches from both the plugs into one instrument along with Korg’s MDE-X effects). It was a 40th anniversary product for Korg that I’m sure will never achieve the cult status of the original, but it was a pretty cool little controller.
The Analog Legacy Collection’s initial run around the block was packaged alongside a hardware controller modelled on the MS-20. The DoncaMatic is certainly not one of them, but the plug-ins I currently have in my hot little computer certainly are: the Korg Legacy Collection, both Analog and Digital variants. Over 40 years of continual innovation has resulted in some classic musical instruments that deserve reincarnation in software. The first Korg device was the Disc Rotary Electric Auto Rhythm machine, but the more popular and more easily pronounced name was the DoncaMatic DA-20. It’s designed and built some real gems since the company’s inception in 1963. Korg is without doubt one of history’s most famous synthesizer manufacturers. Recreations of classic synths don’t come any better than this.
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