Korg's 1981 game-changer: real six-voice analog polyphony at roughly a third the price of a Prophet-5 or OB-X, which is exactly why it ended up under so many 80s hands. One fat VCO and sub-oscillator per voice, a silky resonant filter, a proper arpeggiator, and the killer feature that still sells it today: a lush bucket-brigade chorus, phaser and ensemble built right in. Glassy, warm and unmistakably analog, with a unison mode that fills a room.

FEATURES & PROS:

• Six-Voice Analog: proper polyphony with one VCO and sub per voice for a big, warm sound.
• Built-In Chorus, Phaser, Ensemble: the famous bucket-brigade effects that give the Polysix its shimmer.
• Silky Filter: a resonant lowpass that sweeps like smooth silk and glows in the low end.
• Real Arpeggiator: octave, latch and up/down, widely rated above the Juno's.
• Unison Mode: all six voices stacked for monstrous fat leads and basses.
• 32 Patch Memory: programmable storage, a big deal in 1981.

AS USED BY

• Geoff Downes (Buggles, Asia, Yes)
• Keith Emerson (Emerson, Lake & Palmer)
• A modern synthwave staple, prized for its lush chorus and arpeggiator

THE WORD: Vintage Synth Explorer calls the Polysix a milestone, one of the first chances ordinary players had at a proper programmable polysynth, with warm analog oscillators and a chorus that gets close to that expensive Prophet sound. Read more at Vintage Synth Explorer.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Released: 1981
• Polyphony: 6 voices
• Oscillators: 1 VCO plus sub-oscillator per voice
• Filter: resonant lowpass with ADSR
• Effects: chorus, phaser, ensemble (bucket-brigade)
• Arpeggiator: yes, with latch and up/down
• Memory: 32 patches
• Keyboard: 61 keys; CV/Gate
• Condition: used

Further reading: Juno-60 or Juno-106? The Honest Answer, Including the Chip That Kills Them