The History of Behringer's Polysix Clone
Updated May 25 2026
The Korg Polysix is a revered classic analog polysynth designed by Korg in partnership with synth legend Keith Emerson, and was released to wide acclaim by synthesists in 1981 as it was the first affordable polysynth with patch memory. This was even before Roland's Juno series hit the street.
It was also the first polysynth with excellent pitch stability via DCO oscillators, giving users tuning that was much more stable than all other analog polysynths of the time.
Featuring a breathtaking all-analog ensemble/chorus/phaser section as well as a sound character that is unmistakably vintage analog (using classic Moog-inspired filters), the Polysix quickly became coveted by top producers and musicians including 80s favorites Tears For Fears, Laura Branigan, Keith Emerson and others.
The Polysix uses the same classic 4-pole lowpass filter SSM2044 chips as made famous in the Korg Mono/Poly, Fairlight CMI II, Korg Trident and others. Prized for its ability to produce thick sounds that can get gritty when pushed via its self-oscillating filters, it is also well-known for its classic stringer-quality analog strings used by the likes of famous Japanese synthesist Kitaro.
In 2004, Korg released a software version of the Polysix, giving a taste of the real thing but with many users and reviewers complaining that although capturing some of the spirit of the original, is still somehow lacking in sound quality compared to the real thing, and of course, completely lacking the tactile experience of the synth's tantalizing array of knobs and sliders. Now, the real thing is on its way as the upcoming analog 80s dream machine; the Behringer Polyeight.
Behringer has taken the helm in recreating the analog classic, keeping the analog section but adding more voices (8 rather than the original's 6), noise source, improved user interface, LCD screen, Double (Upper/Lower) mode, and many more improvements sure to be revealed soon. For those who know the beauty and power of the Polysix sound, the Polyeight is an likely to be an instant hit.
