you can get midi kits installed if you want, i have heard that they kill the arpegiator. no big loss, it is fun but not usable unless you have the arp-trigger hooked up to something compatable (tr-606 maybe). or you could just sample the hell out of it.

what i would call "features" can only be found if you open it up. there are adjustable pots which make this thing sound *very* good - provided you can program decent patches. if you know anything about electronics you will have much much fun playing around inside the 61. if you don't know much... be very very careful, it is (sadly) not indestructable. mod-ing this beast is also fun.

the poly-61 doesn't do realistic... unless you are going for realistic analog sounds, which it does well because it is analog=P works well for strange shit - swelling, fluctuating space noises and the like. i have also managed to program, almost perfectly, the same synth sound found in the intro to "space monkey" from the fight club soundtrack. joy. for other interesting sounds try setting the joystick frequency to between 1-4 and hold it down (vcf) while slowly playing a bass line. very nice. experiment. dig. the 61 can produce some seriously good noises.

i have messed with mine way too much, so i would not use it on stage. if you're *not* fucking with the insides, though, it's a bloody tank. some of the keys stick a little, but it's old, i should clean it.

lost or stolen... i have a love hate relationship with my poly-61... i hate loving it. there is much better stuff out there, i don't think i would buy another, unless it was insanely cheap. it was my first synth and i love it, but i could spend the money on other things... like a bike