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Polymoog Unleashed
In late 1975,
the Polymoog finally left the drawing board and began rolling off the
production line at Cheektowaga with the first models shipping at the beginning
of 1976. The machine now sported a full 71 key, E to D, 6 octave velocity
sensitive Pratt & Read weighted keyboard. This could be split in 2 ways
(upper and lower). It had 8 presets or "modes" in Moogspeak,
(String, Piano, Organ, Harpsi, Funk, Clav, Vibes and Brass) and there was
also "Var". This "variation" mode opened up the true
synthesizer potential of the Polymoog which was designed so that the user
would take one of the presets as a starting point and then modify it. The
machine also came with a pitch controller ribbon, an extensive filter
modulation section, (which allowed self oscillation from its own LFO) a
three band equaliser section, volume control for each of the 3 keyboard
sections, envelopes with variable keyboard tracking and the VCF had a
sample and hold mode.
This description of
the Polymoog sound architecture is admittedly brief but it is covered in
much more detail later.
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The Polymoog also came with and optional Polypedal (Model 285a)
unit. Not to be confused with the Taurus pedal, developed for the
"Constellation" concept, the Polypedal was not another
synthesizer. It could best be described as the heftiest foot pedal on the
planet, but its function was as a performance controller for the main
synth. The Polypedal had two main pedals; the left pedal controlled the
pitch or filter (upward VCF sweep and/or pitch bend, selected by two
central push buttons) whilst the right pedal controlled swell (volume). Two
smaller silver pedals controlled the trigger mode (single or multi) and
sustain. The remaining central push
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