Crumar Bit-99

Once you know how it works, it works fine. Press the number you want and edit.

6-voice polyphony, no built in effects, midi is good.

Really good analogue sounds, don't get mis informed about the **digitally** controller osciliators because they are analogue, only the tune is digitally set to a specific number. If you want real 80-ties sounds, this is maybe the synth you're looking for. The LFO works on the OSC / FILTER / VCA.

I wouldn't take it with me to a gig. This instrument belongs in the studio. Sometimes needs to warm up a few minutes.

Crumar is out of business

A true analogue sounding synth for a few bucks. If it had a HPF as well, it would blow away any VA-synth. But, hey there's the Synthex good for.

it's not better than the Juno because it sounds different, but they would be a good couple in any EM set up.

If you know your analog synthesis editing is no problem. The presets are pretty lame, but they make great starting points, and you have a compare button that lets you listen to the original sound before you over-write it. The manual is good and there is in fact a lot of dry jokes that make it fun to read.

In fact it has a lot of features if you take your time and explore the instrument and read the manual. It HAS 6 voices and a stereo output. You can copy a bass patch and put the synthesizer in split mode and detune one of the bass sounds and get fat stereo basses - thats great! Good midi. Much better then the Bit One. No PWM by LFO and that is a shame, just by velocity. BTW. velocity is great and can modulate a lot of things, like LFO speed - not found in many low cost synthesizers. The keyboard is very pleasant to play and is slightly tilted downwards.

This synthesizer sounds great! Very crisp and clean. Same analog filters as in the Korg Polysix. The envelopes are not very fast but can still make good basses. The filter can self-oscillate, but you loose some low end on high resonace settings. You really need some external fx to make it shine, but that is true for almost any cheap or expensive synthesizer. There is no fx built in, not even a chorus. Compared to the more common and popular 1 osc. Juno, you here get two osc. wich can be detuned or make fifths etc. This make it more versatile, but the Junons are much easier to program.

Mine works great. BUT, italian synthesizers are not famous for quality, if it looks good on the outside the inside will proberly be fine to. I would not gig with it as the components are getting pretty old.

As far as i know the company (Crumar) no longer exists, or the name has been sold. However, there are lots of info about the bit on the internet.

I have a lot, and i mean, a lot of analog synthesizers, and a lot of 80s polys. This one gets used just as much as the others more expensive ones. I think it??s great and it sounds very different compared to Rolands polite synthesizers from the 80s, much "fizzier" and "buzzier" if you know what i mean.

Allthough the Bit-99 is equiped with DCOs the sounds have a nice analog finish becouse, the are run through analog filters. It comes with 99 presets and some of them are really corny, others are better.
At first it seams impossible to alter the sounds but after conslting the manual you start to get the hang of it. The manual is easy to use and has alot of illustrating pictures.

It has a polyphony of three notes, instead of six normally, you can have two sounds layered to make the sounds more complex. The keyboard feels great and sends velocity.

Some of the presetpatches sound alot like a Xylophone/Marimba and are not that intresing but the basssounds are great and has got a real analog feeling to them.

I purchased it for about six months ago and it has not failed me yet.

If a got to choose one synthesizer to use, the Bit-99 would not be it. However in a studio setup it has a given place. It is a very unique instrument in many ways. You get this wierd feeling when you play it. If you plan to get one, try it through a distortionpedal... That is a killer!