Korg Polysix Rack Extension Now Available

Korg today introduced Polysix for Propellerhead’s Rack Extension plugin format. Korg Polysix is a software recreation of the classic 80’s polyphonic synthesizer.

Polysix for Reason uses Korg’s CMT (Component Modeling Technology) to model the electronic circuitry of the original analog instruments, capturing the sound and parameter response of the originals.

In addition to replicating the sound of the original, the Polysix for Reason also adds enhancements, including:

  • 32-voice polyphony (max)
  • Up to 16-voice unison (with detune/spread function)
  • Flexible external modulation settings
  • MIDI clock synchronization
  • A spread function that adjusts the spaciousness of the effects.

The interface provides reorganized knobs and switches that resurrect the Polysix in a contemporary “rack-mountable” form for even more intuitive operation and sound-creating versatility.

The Polysix programmable six-voice polyphonic analog synthesizer was introduced in 1981. With a full-sounding voice structure, chorus/phase/ensemble effects and performance functions such as chord memory, arpeggiator, and unison, the Polysix became a world-wide hit. Its distinctive string and pad sounds are often heard to this day.

Specifications:

Maximum polyphony:

  • 32 notes (depending on the CPU of host computer)

Number of parts:

  • 1

Unison:

  • User-definable number of voices (1-16), Detune, Spread

External modulation:

  • Source (None/Velocity/KBD Track/After Touch/Pitch Bend/Mod Wheel/CV1/CV2),
  • External Modulation 1 (VCO PULSE WIDTH, VCF FREQUENCY, VCA GAIN, MG LEVEL),
  • External Modulation 2 (VCO PULSE WIDTH, VCF FREQUENCY, VCA GAIN, MG LEVEL)

Others:

  • TEMPO – MG Sync, TEMPO – Arpeggiator Sync

Polysix for Reason is available for download for 49 USD/ 39 EURO.

If you’ve used Korg Polysix Rack Extension for Reason, let us know what you think of it!

40 thoughts on “Korg Polysix Rack Extension Now Available”

  2. The Korg Polysix may well be my favorite synths of all time. Over the course of several decades I owened more than five of these. Seeing it resurrected as a Reason RE is the highlight of my day!

    1. hey jim you seem to be a polysix connoisseur. how do you compare the soft to the hard version? any critique in regards to the nuances?

  4. It sounds AMAZING!!! I love how fat & analog it sounds & I actually got teary eyed playing around with it last night. The inputs on the back have so many possibilities awaiting us. Well, back to finishing that song I started last night with 4 of these in my rack!

    Thank you Korg,

    Greg

  6. So far, it is the only RE I would consider buying. It sounds great and priced cheaper than some of the other RE synths. Only negative I see is when you flip to the back of the rack and see the very limited set of cv controls.

    1. Just noticed that cv1 and cv2 on the back of the rack can be routed via the front panel to a lot of destination. I take back my negative comment. I’m 100% for the PolySix

  8. At least the controls look usable in this ‘rack’ configuration. The VST has a great sound but the UI is horrible to interact with

  9. So … what happens if you try to load a song made in Reason with this Polysix synth, on ANOTHER computer where the Reason installation does NOT include this synth?

    1. Don’t quote me on this but all you would need is your Reason key (dongle) and access to the internet on that other machine. The “other machine” can be a PC or a Mac it does not matter.

      Now let me ask you: What happen if I start a track on your Mac+Logic+Polysix+SSL+Softube then you go to someone’s else’s Mac and want to re start your project on that other machine. How simple is it?

        1. sorry…got cut off there.

          sotiris made an very good point since reason is boasting the compatibility so much.
          it´s a very good question. to make up some hypothetic scenario is totally beside the point.

          1. Yeah, I think he had a valid point. One of the advantages of Reason was that everybody had the same stuff so there were no worries on exchanging songs. Now it’s a little more complicated but he didn’t even say it was a particularly bad thing. He just wanted to know what will happen? It won’t load? Just that part of the rack will be missing? Will it warn you stuff is missing or it just won’t be there with no warning? Or will there be some kind of placeholder at least patching the cables through? Hopefully someone tries it out and puts it on youtube.

            1. The point did not make any sense. If you have two reason owners and one wants to move and open its reason 6 file in reason 5, that also is not possible.
              BUT! If both of you own Reason 6.5 and only one of the producer bought the korg polysix, you can bring your file to producer B, he will need an internet connection, download polysix on his machine as a try, open the file and he will have a full month to use and abuse the polysix Re for free for a full month, mix it, remix it, re remix it. Then still not buy it if that was not something the producer B thought it was worth getting.

              This is amazing! How many VSTs lets you do this? I hope I cleared some misgivings.

            2. sure. not meant it to be a discussion and it wont be a show stopper.
              just that the whole 100%compatibility could not be straightforward anymore as all of the videos imply. let´s say you have all third party racks and want to collaborate with someone who has none? again not hating over here…

              1. I really do no feel any hating from anyone on the net, it’s all cool. what I was trying to say is without sounding like a uber reason fanboi is that very problem of full compatibility between 2 reason owners is not new. If you own a bunch of refills attached to your file that the other producer never bought it was a pain, way back before the creation of Re. They managed to sort this out with refills I believe (I never shared this situation so I won’t comment on this). What would end up happening is producer A would share his refills with producer B so his project would open. Of course producer B would keep the refills, for free. In his mind it would be justified as the Props had broken their concept of full compatibility all the time with anyone.
                Fast forward to today with the Re concept and with producer A and producer B wanting to work on the same track miles apart. This time they are not using any refills they don’t already own or share.
                They decide to download ALL the Re in the store as demo. Unlike some VST demos where you get some signal or a reminder to buy it, the Re platform is totally open for you to try without any limits for 30 days. You can use ALL Re in the store for your production for free for a full month. NOT a demo, just a time limit. Both producer A and B can get every Re in the store for 30 days for free to work on multiple album for a month. then because they are both broke will not purchase any of those Re. Ever. They had a month of fun and that was it.

                Of course that scenario is extreme and ridiculous as producer A and B will end up buying only the Re they ended up loving after a full month of non stop use.

  10. I wish they’d do this as a VST synth. I’d buy it for sure then – I love the Polysix. I’ve had a DW8000 for a long time and it’s a great synth too.

      1. Google? What’s that? (Oh wow, I guess I missed that – it was part of the legacy collection. Think I might pick it up now. But I’ll have to try out that “Google” thing that you speak of to make sure it still works with 10.7.4.)

    2. my man are you serious? these been out for ages. http://www.korg.com/products.aspx?ct=53
      bit tiny gui for todays resolutions but if you map things out cleverly works nicely.
      if you are not aware of them – these are some of the most universaly respected synths. love all of them and the prices are ridiculous now too.

  11. Glorious. I haven’t been starting any new projects in Logic in case they pull a FCPX and make old Logic saves incompatible with Logic X… so if Logic keeps being delayed and Reason keeps improving maybe Reason will just end up my main DAW eventually.

  12. What, no Buchla version yet, heh…? This is a nice start and I’m sure a fair number of other companies will follow suit. My main interest will reside in seeing how many MORE people will suddenly take on Reason. Now that it’s not such a self-contained world, will it fire up a new group of buyers? Isn’t “everybody” already stacked to the gills with other tools? At least its a real step up in usability and not just window dressing. Smart move.

    2. But the plugins are out since ages as VST and AU (sadly not yet 64-bit) – Polysix, M1, Wavestation, Mono/Poly… I am using them every day, so to be honest, one does not need Reason. And they are extremely cheap too. Just surf to http://www.korguser.net.

  14. I really hope that they keep future revisions of Reason Essentials at the new low price point. It gives people with small home project studios the option of buying in very inexpensively and then building their own custom software studios with REs over time. This could build the Reason user base enormously if people catch on to what a remarkable value it offers.

  15. I hope they do RE version of the some of the other korg synths like the M1. I bought the digital collection a few years back and was really bummed that Korg never updated it.

  16. In response to someones CV complaint earlier, if you put the polysix into a combinator you can use the combinators 4 cv’s and program the controls into the programmer.

    also there are cool things you can do with the CV splitter to make more possibilities.

  17. I am very happy that Korg decided to keep the $50 price tag when some of the other REs seemed so expensive (Radical Piano for $99?). I can’t wait for Korg to release their other Legacy products for Reason. Who knows, maybe this will inspire Korg to release brand new software!

    1. that would be nice. but i thinking about the ms20 patching capabilities in reason – it seems such a natural thing. beginning to get the reason envy..

  18. I´ve tried the DEMO and it seems that the arpeggiator has massive problems to sync with the host clock. And I don´t know if this happens in DEMO-Mode only.
    Therefore I won´t buy it. Does anyboy notice the same problem?

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