Return to the golden age of synthesizer music with Fury-800 – a virtual instrument from Full Bucket Music, which masterfully emulates the iconic KORG Poly-800 polyphonic synthesizer from 1983. This plugin is not just another emulation; it is a true rebirth of the legendary sound that shaped the sound of the 80s and is still relevant in modern music.
The KORG Poly-800 was known for its affordability and unique sound character, which made it popular among many musicians. It was distinguished by its “digital” oscillator section combined with an analog filter, which created an interesting hybrid timbre. Fury-800 meticulously recreates this architecture, allowing you to get the same warm, sometimes slightly ringing, characteristic sound directly in your digital audio workstation.
Sound Architecture: The Heart of Fury-800
At the heart of Fury-800 lies the precise modeling of the original hardware. The plugin is equipped with:
- Two digitally controlled oscillators (DCOs), each with its own envelope generator. This allows you to create complex and moving sound textures, independently controlling the dynamics of each oscillator.
- Two oscillating waveforms with additive harmonics. Unlike traditional analog synthesizers, the Poly-800 used digital oscillators with the ability to add up to four levels of harmonics (16′, 8′, 4′, 2′). Fury-800 reproduces this unique approach, allowing you to shape the timbre by “mixing” different octaves of harmonics. This is the key to getting the same recognizable 80s sound.
- A single (paraphonic) low-pass filter (VCF) and a noise section. As in the original, the filter is paraphonic, i.e. applied to the entire signal after the oscillators, and not to each voice separately (in standard mode). This creates a characteristic “glue” in the sound of chords when using a filter with resonance. The noise section adds additional possibilities for creating percussive sounds or noise effects.
Features and Capabilities
In addition to accurate emulation of the sound path, Fury-800 offers a number of functions that expand its capabilities and make working with it convenient and creative:
- Built-in sequencer and Chord Memory function. The original Poly-800 had a simple sequencer that allowed you to record and play back short note sequences. The Chord Memory function allowed you to save a chord and play it by pressing one key. Fury-800 reproduces these functions, providing you with tools to quickly create arpeggios, bass lines, or chord sequences directly inside the plugin.
- Pseudo-stereo chorus effect. The Poly-800’s signature chorus was an integral part of its sound, adding space and movement. Fury-800 includes an accurate emulation of this effect, which is critical for reproducing the authentic timbre.
- Up to 64 voices of polyphony with velocity sensitivity. While the original Poly-800 was limited to 8 voices (paraphonic), Fury-800 significantly expands this limit, offering up to 64 voices. This opens up opportunities for creating much richer chord structures and parts. Adding velocity sensitivity (which was not in the original) makes the performance more expressive.
- “God Mode” for true polyphony. If you need classic, non-paraphonic polyphony, “God Mode” allows the filter to work for each voice separately, simulating the behavior of polyphonic synthesizers with a different architecture. This adds flexibility in the use of the plugin.
Convenience and Productivity
Full Bucket Music is known for its approach to development: they write plugins in native C++ code, which provides high performance and minimal load on the processor, even on less powerful systems. Fury-800 is no exception.
- Continuous parameter values and direct access. All parameters have smooth, continuous values, which allows you to precisely adjust the sound. The interface provides direct access to all key controls.
- MIDI Learn. All parameters can be easily linked to your MIDI controller using the MIDI Learn function, which allows you to conveniently automate or change the sound during performance.
- Support for VST and AU formats. The plugin is available in the most popular formats for Windows (32 and 64 bit) and macOS (64 bit), ensuring compatibility with most modern DAWs.
- Scalable user interface. The plugin’s interface can be resized, making it convenient to work with on different monitors with different resolutions.
Conclusion
Fury-800 from Full Bucket Music is a great chance to get the authentic sound of the KORG Poly-800 without having to search for and maintain vintage hardware. Thanks to the accurate modeling of the sound path, useful additional features, high performance, and convenient interface, this plugin will be a valuable addition to the arsenal of any musician, producer, or sound engineer who is looking for the characteristic synthesizer sounds of the 80s or just a high-quality and versatile polyphonic synthesizer.
Add this piece of synthesizer history to your tracks and discover the richness of timbres that have become classics.
