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Average rating:
4.0 out of 5
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I rate this 5, for the insanely unique untamed sounds only. Its a relatively cheap synth with two separate sections A and B with their own volume knob and output. Try working in two different killer presets, one on each channel and fade between them!
After I was in here reading about the Split-8 and I´ve had the synth myself for a while now, I just had to comment it here. The reason is simple. This synth is one heck of a piece. The quirkyness and insane howling overtones in this beast is just amazing. I have lots of gear, like mks-80,mks-70,juno 106,cheetah ms6,nord lead... None of these synths is able to match some of the crazy sounds you can twist out of the Split-8. The OS programming seems to be of low quality, considering the low-resolution envelope-parameters ADSR (0-15 on each) which is a problem making smooth timings especially on short attacks or decays. As far as I know the CEM3394 chip has a better resolution on these parameters available than you get on this synth. The "polymod" parameter (0-15 0=off), whatever mind boggling modulation/sync effect it produces, is in some cases responsible for squeezing out the most wicked distorted resonating frequencies you can ever imagine. You can´t use both sections while using polymod on a preset, but you can add unison which makes it even more spectacular. My advice, get hands on one and try it out... Stunning!
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Can't beat it for the price range IMO. Nice piece of vintage gear. Overall has a lot of nice features for an analog synth. Has patch memory, decent midi, and two synth engines just to name a few. Great for weird noises and 80's New Wave sounds. Tends to be a bit thin, but the unison feature can fatten it up quite a bit also overlapping two patches can in some cases too. Especially if you detune one of the patches to a different note in the chord or one octave up.
I never found the one parameter knob setup to be an inconvenience.. Also never had any reliability issues with it and it's been used by myself and friends for over 6 years.
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I have no manuals for it, but after a while once mastered, this Very thin sounding synth can pump out some surprisingly Psychedelic sounds. And the presets (once re-programmed) can be very usefull as well. i paid 300$ Canadian for it which isn't too bad , but i wouldn't pay more . Don't expect to use this as a lead or anything like that but if you sample some of the quirky stuff that comes out of it your Goa-Trance will sound wonderfull.
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It's the only 'cheap' synth I own, but I tell you I love the sound. It's a little thin but the filter is nice and you can layer sounds. Buy one, they're going cheap!
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I gotta say, this synth for sure has that analog meaty-goodness. I cannot even begin to descibe the utter cool of being able to layer 2 independent patches on top of each other, yet enabling one to modulate the other. You could knock it for only having one OSC/voice, but try layering in "double mode" and see how far that argument lasts. The presets suck, of course; overwrite them immediately. I thought about selling it, after considering the Pulse and the ACT-1, but I decided to save my money and figure out this synth to it's fullest potential. I haven't been let down yet. By the way, they are totally cheap, I picked mine up for $200.
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