Vintage Synth Explorer

Korg • DW-8000

Take Korg's first digitally controlled analog synth hybrid (DW-6000) two steps higher and you get the more popular DW-8000. Sound is digitally generated from the DWGS (Digital Waveform Generator System) and has been doubled from 8 sampled digital waveforms to 16 simple analog to complex digital waveforms. The DW-8000 has 8 voice polyphony in two modes, or one monophonic mode with all eight voices stacked. The analog VCF resonant filter and VCA both have independent ADBSSR envelopes. Parameters can be altered in real time via a single programmable slider. There are 64 presets that can be reprogrammed by the user.

When the DW-8000 succeeded the DW-6000, it expanded it to 8 notes polyphony, 16 sampled waveforms, a velocity sensitive keyboard with programmable aftertouch, auto-bend, a simple arpeggiator and a digital delay unit. The Digital Delay was an astonishing goody for the time, offering up to 512ms delay, phasing, flanging, chorusing and other time effects. Both the Arpeggiator, Auto-Bend and Digital Delay make this synth an inspiring and great sounding machine to use for great 303 basslines, techno and house bass and synth sounds and more! The EX-8000 (pictured above) is a rackmount version of the DW-8000. Several 3rd-party developers offered expansion boards for the DW-8000 providing up to 1024 presets, layered sounds, keyboard splits and Sample+Hold for the LFO. Though later overshadowed by the M1, the DW-8000 has been used by Divine Masquerade, Juno Reactor, Depeche Mode, Dream Theater, Joe Zawinul, and Keith Emerson.

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fjd

Posted 202 days ago

A dynamic and underrated synthesizer. Ive owned this synth for about 4 years, others come and go but it has stayed around. Programming is intuitive, fun, and rewarding if you have a subtle touch. Ive created some patches with sounds I have not heard anywhere else. The delay is incredibly warm, the only time I don't use it is when I'm having sync issues. The unison modes can create some beautiful leads.

Bernard Escaillas

Posted 239 days ago

Hello DWians !

I am proud to announce the birth of a new DW/EX-8000 editor called UniSynth.

The beta version of UniSynth is freely downloadable from the site www.midimetric.com. You can also download only the pdf manual in English or French.
If you have remarks on it, please send an email to support@midimetric.com.

Benedict

Posted 247 days ago

Klaus Schulze also used it on atleast one recording.

sheever

Posted 248 days ago

this synth just awesome..
I love that DWs filter a lot.very unique sound and strong resonance but its sounds very clean.great bass sounds and we should mention the apreggiator as well,this can cause weird fxs and beat either.
I love especially the Osc 2 interval,polarity and KBD track settings
I use to it every day.. the only pain:
not recordable midi parameters...

C-Dub

Posted 253 days ago

I really grew to love this synth, although I hated it for the first year I had it. Eventually it went crazy and would self-edit whatever parameter was selected, which was great for freak-outs but became a little hard to take when it came time to focus... I'd buy another one. I miss you DW.

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