Behringer
takes his successful Minimoog clone
"Model D"
to the next level and ennobles it as the paraphonic "Poly D"! This is an analog synthesizer with a 37-key velocity-sensitive keyboard. This synth has been expanded with a fourth, equivalent oscillator, duo split and paraphonic play modes, sequencer and the analog effects chorus and distortion. A nice feature is, like the original from the 70s, the adjustable control panel; so you can always easily find the best control position for you.
The oscillators of a Minimoog have always been regarded as particularly assertive; Behringer has added a fourth, equivalent tone generator to the Poly D for the proven trio. Thanks to this addition, the oscillators can be played in pairs in duo mode and paraphonically in "Poly" mode. If only one sequencer track is used in the "Poly" mode, the so-called wave sequencing is generated by setting different oscillator waveforms. This sounding base is complemented by the noise generator, which produces white and pink noise and the external audio input. The level of the six signals can be adjusted in the mixer and then pass into the charismatic filter. This is a classic transistor cascade with 24 dB edge steepness and switchable as lowpass or highpass, which again extends the possible sound palette. With the help of the modulation mixer, FM is also possible for oscillators 1-3 and the filter through oscillator 4.
In addition to the glide controller, which is the main controller for all tone generators, the Poly D has the well-known modulation mixer, which even includes an LFO with square and triangle waveforms. In the oscillator and filter section modulations and tracking can be switched on. The two A/D/S envelopes are assigned to filter and VCA and have a common decay phase. The keyboard is capable of outputting CV and Gate as well as Aftertouch and Velocity as control voltages. The last two have their own attenuator each, so that any target can be controlled in a finely tuned way. Jack inputs on the rear panel allow additional control options for Mod Source, Oscillator, Filter and Loudness (VCA). Here it is useful to connect the aftertouch and/or velocity outputs to these inputs with a cable.
Behringer has given the Poly D two classic analog effects: The distortion can be adjusted over a wide range of settings, from warm-up to a hefty overdrive, and really gets going when the resonance in the filter is turned up. Pro tip: use a jack cable (6.3 mm mono on both sides) to connect one of the two main outputs or headphone output to the external audio input, and you'll be happy to hear strong feedback sounds as the resonance increases! The second effect is an analog chorus, which has two basic settings that can also be used together. This way you can create wafting retro sounds at the touch of a button!
The internal, polyphonic sequencer has space for 64 patterns, each of which can be up to 32 steps long; accents can also be programmed. An arpeggiator with the most common playback modes is available as an option to the sequencer. On the back, the notes generated by the keyboard, the internal sequencer and the arpeggiator are communicated with the outside world via USB, MIDI and CV/Gate.
PROS: The Poly D Is Everything I Anticipated and Better, Own The Original Mini And price Point wise Behringer is Kickin Some ASS!!! Killer Analog ,Excellent Craftsmanship!!----
CONS: Did Not Recieve a USA Adaptable Power Supply with Unit / No Warranty card Or Owners Manual / Mentioned to The Music Store --Responce was Dismal to say the Least--They Said it was unfortunate??---instead of jus sending me these items---!!
All In All ---Behringer did it Again!!! 5 Stars On The Odyssey and The Poly D!!!! Billy Young Austin Texas , USA
This is my first hardware synth, so I can't really compare it to anything else. What I can say is that this synth sounds absolutely amazing.
I feel so lucky to have this piece of gear. Its beautifully crafted and sounds incredible.
The problem is that I keep getting distracted by it while I have other work to do. It's one of those pieces of gear that you struggle to stop playing with.
The only reason I gave the features 4 stars instead of 5, is the lack of patch memory. However I feel like that's also a plus point in a way. I can get lost for hours twiddling knobs and coming up with cool sounds, just playing. It's a very zen experience knowing that I'll probably never get the exact same sound again. I end up exploring sound which I really love.
There are a few things that take getting used to, like the note stealing in uni and poly mode. But over all it's been an absolute pleasure using this synth.
I have two of these synths and I am very happy with the price and the sound.
The Quality Assurance is not 100% as with many buyers have had issues with the switches being loose and the keybed being very slack and sometimes not uniform.
For this price this can be rectified with some easy DIY fixes.
Pros
- The sound! It sounds amazing! Nothing like it.
- Price. I could never imagine that one day I;d be able have a 4 oscillator paraphonic moog sounding synth at this price! It's unreal.
- The front panel layout. Putting the sound aside what made Minimoog so famous was also its front panel design. It makes sound design easy and accessible.
- No Patch memory (Yes I consider this a pro feature).
Cons:
- Build quality sucks. Don't listen to what the popular video reviews say. Behringer most likely sent the reviewers a couple of good copies. This is the second copy I got and they both came with loose waveform switches.
- I'd prefer if they would stay true to the original. There is absolutely no need for overdrive and chorus circuit additions imho and the sequencer seems out of place. They could instead add full adsr contours and more patching options.
- Lack of a 440hz tone switch.
- The juno chorus distorts when mixer knobs are fully open.
- The keyboard has a noticeable sensitivity difference between white and black keys.
I sent my first copy back because of a couple of issues listed above. The second copy came with the exact same issues. Unfortunately Behringer is lucky because there's no other instrument with such a sound and features at this price range (tried KARP Odyssey and Moog Grandmother but nope) so I'll have to shut up, glue those loose knobs and live with it but yeah. You get what you pay for. There's a reason Moog Matriarch comes at a high cost.