Kawai SX210

The Kawai SX-210 is one of the first synths to use alpha dial.
Not like on Roland alpha dial based synths, this one has a switch for each editable parameter, making it very easy to program. This way you have it from both worlds?
You don't have to guess the current setting for each of the preset parameters (like on the Polysix or Juno for example) and yet can access every parameter instantly using the toggle switches. No cumbersome menus either !

The SX-210 has 8 voice polyphony using one single oscillator which can be assigned as 8 separate notes, 4 double notes or a 8 voice unison !
It has BOTH portamento and glissando (can't think of many other synths that have them both) and two envelopes generators- for VCF and VCA.

The LFO can control the VCF / VCA / DCO. It has 3 waveforms, PWM, a sub oscillator, noise generator, HPF, a nice built in *stereo* ensemble effect which sounds warm and wide (especially when used in stereo). It also has a -20db / -10db / +4db output level selector which most synths lack of ! 3 LFO waveforms with REVERSE option, and a LFO trigger ! '4 / '8 / '16 octave selection and pitch bender.
The SX-210 has 32 memory presets, and a tape interface for loading / saving presets. Dumping presets to a wav file is easy and is done reliably. The keyboard feels rather cheap.

Great !!
Although using a DCO, it sounds almost VCO like. This synth must be one of the most underrated analog polyphonic synths out there (along with the other Kawai analogs). It definitely has many more features than both the Junos, Polysix and many others. Yet I think it sounds a bit less warm than them both.
I'd say it sounds VERY good for a DCO synth, yet not as fat as VCO based synths like the Polysix, Trident or Jupiter? BUT it is a very versatile machine and can do almost any analog pads / brasses and leads very easily !!! It can do very fat and warm leads once you use the 8 voice unison mode ? think of the VCS3 Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the machine" lead for example ! Robert Wyatt brasses?. A great FX machine as well.
The SX210, like Kawai's SX240 and K3 (and also Korg Polysix and Trident) uses SSM2044 filters.
The fact the SX-210 uses a DCO makes it kept in tune perfectly.

Not good.

I own this one for a 20 years now. The switches use to loose their contact over the years, the plastic 1/4" jacks at the rear broke. Internally I can say that it is not "neat" built like other machines I looked at. The schematics for it is also very rare to get and is not very clear to read.
Keyboard is sensitive to dust, which can cause keys not to respond (trigger).
The SX210 uses a NiCD battery which leaks after about 20 years or so. It seems that Roland did a great job using Lithium batteries in their machines. Once the NiCD battery leaks, it almost ALWAYS cause severe damage to the boards and components.
IF YOU OWN ANY VINTAGE SYNTH WHICH USES A NICD BATTERY REPLACE IT NOW !!! Recovering from battery leakage is not simple.
Mine leaked and I had to rebuild a major part on the computer board !!
It also had two defective ICs on two different oscillator sections which I had to replace.

Never needed any. However, I can say that the original service manual is very hard to get and is not very easy to read wither. Other Japanese manufacturers have much better schematics diagrams supplied with their instruments

The Kawai / Teisco SX-210 is a great analog synth which can be had for much much less than other analogs. If you find one for cheap ? HAVE IT !
Actually you better get a SX240 if you get the chance, (they are both very rare), as it is basically a two oscillators / Midi capable SX210.

If you own one, you are invited to join the Yahoo group ofr the SX210 and SX240 here:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/kawai_sx210/

To clarify previous mis-informed user this is NOT the first synth to use the data entry wheel. The Rhodes (ARP developed, CBS bought ARP) Chroma had the first computer control interface AND an entry dial in 1981. This synth came a year later approximately. But it is a GREAT layout for performance control. It's superior in some ways to synths with sliders and knobs because when you hit 'resonance' for instance, it doesn't zap you instantly into self-resonance and blow the tweeters if you happen to have left it on the wrong place :-). You begin moving from the patches settings! You ...just have the extra step of hitting the right button to get there. The only non-intuitive thing I found was the chord memory. You hit it and then notes that you want in the 'stack' whether mono (8 note stack) or 4 voice (2 note stack)I wrote a whole bank the night I replaced my battery. Hit "Name" to edit the patch name then..go through and punch in the keys that correspond to the letters above them! Hit "End" key when you are done.

The key action is decent typical synth. 8 voice 1 DCO/voice with sub oscillator, pwm, individual adsr envelope for filter and volume, an ensemble type chorus effect with switch. 32 sounds can be loaded via tape or a .wav file on your pc! No MIDI. No Sequencer.

FILTERS are SSM2044 (2024 someone listed is a vca...) These are used in the K3 and SX-240 also as well as Korg mono/poly and polysix and Siel DK600. However the sound comes out more overall bright/funny than all but the SX-240 and Mono/Poly which I haven't heard. It's a different beast. Does good helicopter and Jet sounds too btw. Synth Bass sounds are pretty good. Organs have a cool character in a mix. But it's strengths I think are quirky lead sounds and ethereal sounds using the portamento and glissando...as well as some interesting note stacked sounds. It's a fun synth for the money. The piano/clav/ep sounds certainly aren't my favorite on it but I have come up with a clav that worked pretty well and a kind of interesting harpsichord. But no velocity sense so that's a lot of the reason.

Mine has been reliable since getting it and putting in a battery I believe. I had something where I thought I was hearing an artifact in the sound and I did a bunch of resoldering and it has been perfect since.

Kawai is a great company but I don't think they support things this far back much. This is like 23 years old now here in 2005! They do still have the user manual for download though! For global technical help you can always visit my web page on any synth. cu.imt.net/~sounddoctorin

In comparison to other synths with a lot of analog going on, it doesn't get too much better I don't believe.