The machine is designed for doing 16 step or less repetitive patterns. You can trigger sequences with other sequences and therefore get more steps, but the machine was designed to emulate older analog 16 step sequencers. This machine is not designed to write whole songs on.. thats why the presets sound so repetitive.. because they are! Thats what the knobs are for.. to tweak : ) If you like tangerine dream sounding stuff then the presets will be enjoyed.

The machine is 4 3 osc synths. Each with 4 16 step sequencers which are assignable to any parameter of the sound (one is dedicated to master pitch) These sequencers can be run at independent speeds and can be of different step lengths, running forward, backward or random. The LFO's are syncable to the tempo, and the sequencers can be triggered off from any of the other sequencers. So this means to me that it is not a dance music "groovebox" (changing patterns and sounds, chaining them into songs isn't possible), but is instead a serious synthesizer designed to emulate early electronica sequenced modular patches. 4 of them..with full MIDI control, patch storage, and full great effects.

The synthesis sounds darn good to me, especially with all the effect options and with the 4 sequencers going changing any 4 parameters of the sound you choose. This is a machine that you have to limit yourself with because you can spend an easy hour creating just one of the four parts and then be left with something so sool and warped and fat that you simply cant fit three other lines on top of it. It always boggled me as to why tangerine dream, with those monster synths on stage made such simple sounding music. Well this synth has shown me that it is very easy to go over the top, especially with so many parameters available. and TD did it all live.. pretty cool.

The machine can also be used as a four part multi voice box, and is quite small so it packs alot for its size. Everything is syncable to and transmits MIDI so it can be used live. Sampling this piece would surely lead to some very nice sounds..

The UI takes a good reading through of the manual in order to grasp the architecture of the machine, but once youve got it, its very easy to program and tweak on the fly. The manual isn't as bad as some people say.. And as you know the thing looks so good with its purple buttons tons of knobs and solid metal grey casing.

I give it a 5!! Email if you have any specific questions or comments.. ~Steve

BUT......the polymorph is a beast of its own. i enjoy it quite much for exactly what it is. an unpredictable, unusual unique sounding synth.

i love the step sequencers, and all the control knobs. the preset sounds don't do it justice. all i can say is that any synth user will have to learn to program their own patches eventually. and there's no better time than NOW. unless you like the rest of us to play "preset spotting" with your music. and believe me, the record company A&R people i know in the electronic world know what a lot of presets sound like.

the polymorph is not the easiest synth in the world to program, but after working with several other pieces of quasimidi gear, i didn't have many problems.

GREAT effects....4 indepedent effects for each of the 4 multitimbral channels. just use 2 ocsc per voice and get 16 voice polyphony. or, use the ext audio ins as the third oscillator -- then you have the power of the wavestation A/D! this is serious stuff, people...

i only wish quasimidi wouldn't have went out of business....there's expansions slots for this beast, and we are only left to lust for whatever expansions they had planned.

i give this synth a 5 because it is unique, sounds great, and is not a copy of anything else around. if you can find one, buy it and keep it.