Description

It is very similar to a Korg

Korg

is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners...

 Poly-800

Korg Poly-800

The Korg Poly-800 is a synthesizer released by Korg in 1983. Its initial list price of $795 made it the first fully programmable synthesizer that sold for less than $1000. It featured a 49 key non-velocity sensitive keyboard, two buttons for data entry, and a joystick controller, which could...

, in that it operates like an analog synth

Analog synthesizer

An analog or analogue synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s such as the Trautonium were built with a variety of vacuum-tube and electro-mechanical technologies...

, but its oscillators, LFO

LFO

LFO may refer to:* LFO , an English techno act* LFO , an American three-man pop/rap group** LFO , an album released by the American pop group LFO* Light Finding Operation, a form of mecha from the anime TV series Eureka Seven...

 and envelope generators are all digital. Like the Poly-800, the DK-70 has eight oscillators/voices, but all the voices are mixed together through a single "monophonic" analog lowpass filter which was shared for all voices. Like a monophonic synthesizer, the filter was switchable between single or multiple modes. In single mode, the first key pressed triggers the filter envelope, and unless all keys are released, the filter does not re-trigger. In multi mode, each key pressed in turn triggers the filter envelope, even if other keys are still pressed down.

The oscillators are called "DCOs

Digitally-controlled oscillator

A digitally controlled oscillator or DCO is a hybrid digital/analogue electronic oscillator used in synthesizers. The name is an analogy with "voltage-controlled oscillator"...

", and the envelope generated called a DEG (for Digital Envelope Generator). Digital components were much cheaper at the time and this allowed the DK70 to approximate the sound of an analog synth, but have 8 note polyphony without being cost prohibitive to the average user.

An unusual feature of the DK70 is that, while it appears to have the form factor of a standard synth, it has guitar strap pegs and can be used as a keytar

Keytar

A keytar is a relatively lightweight keyboard that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is supported by a strap. Keytars allow players a greater range of movement compared to conventional keyboards, which are placed on stands...

. (The Poly-800 also had this feature.) An accessory called the "Stage Set" can be attached to the left side to provide a grip (similar to that of the SH-101), where the player may manipulate a ribbon-style pitch bender, as well as have access to buttons that change patches, change octaves

Octave

In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...

 and engage the LFO
modulation.

It stores 50 patches, 10 of which are user assignable. A cartridge port accepted a cartridge which could store an additional 50 patches. All programming is done via pushbuttons, somewhat limiting its "tweakability" for live performances.

It also has an onboard two-track sequencer

Music sequencer

The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...

, which can be programmed by
setting the tempo and recording a performance (unlike a step sequencer, where notes were entered in sequential order and played back at fixed durations). The performance would then loop when played back.

The synth engine was also available as a keyboardless, rack-mount or table top version called the Expander-80, similar to the Korg EX-800.

External links

• Siel DK70 at sonicstate.com