Korg DW-6000

As many others have already stated - this is a very understated little synth, if you can spend time with it you will get some incredibly organic sounds
When I got mine - the presets were wiped, who cares tho, in 5 mins I had already packed the memory out with some fine tones!
Editing patches is can be difficult at first, but once you get used to it its a doddle!

6 notes polyphony, not a bad action, 1 chorus effect, mine is rigged up to a patch bay full of outboard effects, which makes this synth explode!
Midi is basic to say the least - I treat this as an analog style synth and grab real time samples, which allows for resonant filter adjustment while playing - I think this synth is best treated in this way.

Dont have the original patches - does not bother me - I dont want my synths to sound like a real instrument - lets face it - this synth realy does have more going for it - dig in and get some really 70s style warmth, or let it go crazy a** on you.

Mine has its issues, its only running 5 notes poly at the mo - and someone had broken one of the black keys, its lying at an angle, but despite this, I still love playing her, if I enjoy her this much now, imagine how much fun it will be once fixed.

No dealings - cant see the point - too old!

I LOVE THIS SYNTH - I have a juno 6, totaly different machine - this really does do things differently, I know that this machine was replaced not long after by the DW8000 - but who cares, what a bargain synth! you have to take it for what it is - a bargain synth!

The presets were o.k. The piano was week. The Bells, were good. Some of the brass and voice variations were o.k. also.

The poly was only 6 so if you were attempting to get a real full sound, is aug7th cords with both hands, you would louse one of the notes. The build-in effects took some time to get used to to change. I used the Midi a lot to conect to other keyboards to get a larger variety of voices at the same time.

the horns aren't bad. The piano is not that great. Bells, and keybard percussion instruments are pretty good. It's not bad for rock, or dance as a backgrouns cord instrument. Some solo's are possible, but the responce is not fast enough for some.

I could always rely on it for a show. I never had a problem with it. A stagehand dropped it while moving it, cracked part of the casing, and it still plays great.

If it were lost orstolen, I would get something more current, with build-in hard drive, etc. I've been plaing about 20 years. In 85, at the music store I was at, it was the best buy for the features. now I might pick it up for a couple of hundred just to have as a midi controler. I also have a Sequencial Circut Sixtrack.

Great synthh. Super price put this baby in unison and it is crazy fat.

All the DX-7 FM synth stuff is way hyped up. These baby's are a gem if you can pick one up.

Analog filters with grainy lo-fi digital...

Yes!

Great synthh. Super price put this baby in unison and it is crazy fat.

All the DX-7 FM synth stuff is way hyped up. These baby's are a gem if you can pick one up.

Analog filters with grainy lo-fi digital...

Yes!

Fat leads

Like a tank.

Never had to deal with Korg and I own lots of them.

Great synthh. Super price put this baby in unison and it is crazy fat.

All the DX-7 FM synth stuff is way hyped up. These baby's are a gem if you can pick one up.

Analog filters with grainy lo-fi digital...

Yes!

The preset sounds range from good to cheesy. Probably the worst sound is the piano.
Editing the patches is relatively straight-forward; the parameters are all listed right on the top panel of the keyboard. The screen consists of numerical LED's alongside a slider to control values.

Polyphony is 6 keys, which is not too good (not even back in '85). They keyboard is a bit noisy - no touch sensitivity or aftertouch either. As I stated, the chorus effect is overdone & noisy (sounds like wind when nothing is playing), but it is the only way to fatten up many of the sounds. By today's standards, there is really no expansion capabilities. You can load sound data from a cassette player but it's probably easier to program sounds yourself. There is MIDI in/out/thru.

Unfortunately, the weakest point of the DW-6000 is the sounds. They range from very bad (piano) to good (bells, brass). You won't find any of today's synths trying to mimick any sound from the DW-6000. Six note polyphony means you'll quickly hear notes disappearing as you play (especially on sounds with long decays).

Well, I bought this keyboard brand new in 1985 and the original backup batter still keeps the presets in memory. One key (I think a 'G') doesn't work (even when the keyboard is used as a controller). Some of the graphics printed on the top panel have faded. Plenty of space on top of the keyboard to place your drinks.

Never dealt with customer service.

I should have bought something else back in '85 but I was only a teenager & not experienced with shopping around.
This keyboard did get me thru a lot of bands (none of which ever amounted to anything) - and helped me win over a girlfriend (not together anymore).
I've been playing for about 30 years now and I just recently bought a Korg Karma & a Roland V-stage drumset.
Basically, if you're looking for a used DW-6000, stop, and look for something else, anything else. You would get infinitely better sounds from any Casio keyboard sold at Wal-Mart.

The presets sound weak.

Editing the patches is a little slow, lots of button pushes, one slider, little lcd.

Manual is okay-no tutorial.

6 note polyphony. On board chorus effect. I really dislike the chorus. No expansion capabilities. Only transmits midi volume 64. No sequencer.

It's a synthesizer-it does not sound realistic. It sounds like a synthesizer. Not velocity sensitive, no aftertouch. I found the sounds to be anemic. I could get an okay cheap organ sound but I was never happy with the sound. I liked the joystick.The electric piano sounds are awful. Okay flute and organ if you make them yourself.

It worked fine until I had the storage battery replaced. It never worked well again.

I spent $850.00 for this synth-for me a fortune. Korg then released a much better synth-the DW 8000 a few months later for the same money. There's no excuse for that.

My DW 6000 broke down and I did not replace it. I would not recommend buying one of these. You can get a much better synthesizer brand new for $500.00 or less. 8 bit samples, no touch sensitivity, no aftertouch. If you buy this used, you will get an unreliable, outdated, poor sounding synth, with no upgrade potential and no value as a keyboard controller. You can do much better.

I've been playing for 15 years. I use an EMU Vintage Keys Plus and a Yamaha AN1x through an old Bassman amp. I play garage band rock, with some funk and reggae. I usually program my own sounds. You can make the DW 6000 sort of work, but with the quality of keyboards now, I wouldn't bother.

Very understated this synth, everyone goes on about the DW-8000, but this is also a very nice sounding synth. If the battery goes, so do the presets!!! If you can get one with the presets on the factory supplied tape, there are a few gems there, but trust me on this, after a few hours, you will do better

Only 6 note polyphony, keyboard not touch sensative, velocity always outputs as 64. Built in chorus effect, sounds a little weak without it. No real expansion or sequencer, but it does have proper analogue filters, one per voice, it does have a unison mode and yes, play around and it will scream (don't experiment with resonance while wearing headphones or on an expencive hi fi with the voume near maximum... ears do blead). I did have a mixer map for cubase, but some kind person releaved me of it when I was playing live one night (along with my trusty MS-800 and my origional computer setup)

Hell, this is analogue, fantastic bell sounds, great synth sounds, fat warm pads, deep or shallow basses, amazing plane and helecopter sounds, but forget about real sounding string or piano sounds, thats what sampled sounds are for! It does have a nice flute preset though, cuts though a mix with ease. Responds well over MIDI to volume and sysex (once you know the paramiters). Beware, outputs prone to ground loops!

Mine has been rock steady ever since I removed the power socket and hard wired a mains cable to the transformer (if your not confident, don't try it). Try to keep an eye on the output volume when playing live, resonance can suddenly take over the whole mix if you let it!

Never had to deal with Korg, although I gather that they will still service these machines and will still supply manuals and tapes containing preset data. Must be good, so I give my award based on other peoples experience

Love this synth, nice sound, easy to program, not as powerful as the 8000, but can still hold its own. I bought this blind, no test, no past experience, nothing. Once I switched it on I was not dissapointed, well worth it. Sometimes sells for #150, sometimes as little as #50. If its below #100, grab it!!!

Not sure of the software version. This board was only made for around 1 year(and was then replaced by the DW-8000), so there may well be only 1 version. The presets are kind of 'hit or miss', ranging from cool, buzzy 'Flash Gordon'-type analog sounds to decent strings to awful sounds that I just couldn't find a use for. However, since the parameters are very easy to edit(no knobs, just a data entry slider with 2 buttons), AND listed on the synth's exterior near the keys, this isn't a problem at all. Manual is adequate, and you probably will only need to look up a few things for it.

Polyphony is 6-note, not exactly good compared to modern synths(or even synths made at the same time; circa 1985). The only built in effects are chorus, and those made with the pitch/mod joystic(which I love!). No known expansion, you will just have to upgrade to a DW-8000. 64 slots for memory period, they could have done better here. Patch sheets might not be a bad idea. Basic MIDI capabilities. No sensitivity to the keys whatsoever. No sequencer.

No velocity or aftertouch. If you like 'synthy' sounds, the DW-6000 does them quite well. Forget realistic sounds from day one, and you won't be disappointed. This board is best used for Dance/Industrial, Ambient, some New Age and especially 80s Retro/New Wave.

The unit I bought looked like someone had left it out in the rain, and worked perfectly except for a couple of broken keys and output jack(easy enough to get repaired). So far it has performed without a problem. If yours is in good condition(and you can still find them out there...), then a backup may not be necessary. It all depends on your needs.

No upgrades exist, to my knowledge. Never had to deal with Korg, and they would probably laugh if you called them about this(it hasn't been made in 15 years).

I've since bought a DW-8000, so this one may not be hanging about much longer. If it gets lost or stolen before that, I will probably get a dW-8000(about $250-$400 US), since they are several steps up in sound quality and features, and easier to find. However, if you are a first-time player/user, you probably won't find a better deal for the money. This is an EXCELLENT machine to learn synth programming on. Do NOT pay more than $150 US, and even then it better be in good condition.