DK80

Back in 1985, this Italian hybrid gem emerged as a direct rival to the Korg Poly-800, blending digital precision with analog warmth in a 61-key powerhouse that punched above its mid-level weight.

Its dual DCO oscillators per voice deliver sawtooth and square waves across multiple footages (16', 8', 4', 2'), mixable for thick brass, strings, or breathy flutes by splitting noise and tones between channels A and B. A resonant lowpass filter with cutoff, envelope (ADBS SR), keyboard tracking, and dynamic velocity response shapes sounds expressively, backed by two LFOs—one triangle for vibrato, one triangle/square for sweeps—plus per-bank chorus for stereo depth. Hands-on controls include detune knobs, noise level, pitch bend wheel, mod button, split point for layering, and a numeric keypad for its 40 presets plus 10 users (expandable to 150 via RAM/ROM packs); a 256-note dual-channel sequencer and full MIDI in/out/thru make it stage-ready, with velocity-sensitive keys adding nuance.

Players have long praised its fat, gluey tones and sequencer for live jams, though some note the limited editable slots without expansions and occasional chorus hiss as classic '80s quirks—still, it holds cult status for evocative, powerful patches that glue mixes together.