It was originally designed for teaching synthesis. 
Cheers!
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Perhaps consider starting with the Moog Grandmother. Much less of a learning curve, but still has the old school vibe.
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For those interested in learning, the original ARP 2600 Patch Book from way-back-when is an excellent place to learn. Itās pretty much paint by number, 100 patches, good graphics, all ready to be messed around with. A well organized guide.
Korg has put the pdf of it on line.
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I have the grandmother and I love it! Iām feeling encouraged now that I know about this patch book and the fact that it was used to teach synthesis!
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Also they pair more than well together
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Comparing them visually, the odyssey wins 
But I would like to see a sound comparison.
its not as tough as it seems. if i can learn it, anyone can
i am familiar with modular, to an extent. so that helps. but it is tricky getting a good grip on this particular layout and the routings and components specific to this particular synth
but i think thats part of what keeps it fun and fresh too. itās always very rewarding for me when even months later, i can discover that i had be neglecting an entire method of patching like using lf mode on the first two oscillators syncāed to the 3rd for these polyrhythmic pinging percussive pulses (sry about the alliteration)
ive only ever used the behringer, but i imagine theyāre similar except that this one sounds better and has a cooler design
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Got the last one at perfect circuit today. I thought it was worth a chance and I had some money freed up.
Itās insane. I have absolutely no idea what Iām doing, and almost everything I tried produced an insane and cool result. Is it possible to fry this thing just patching it within itself?
Very curious to try the behringer version and see how they compare. Even more curious to find a really slow and easy tutorial! Iāll check out loopop!
Thanks to the posts above for giving me some courage to try it out!
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congrats! it looks like a dream machine
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I would say no, just stay away from patching out to out. But if you do, itās usually no problem. I have done it by mistake on several machines without an issue. The pathing points on my Matriarch are protected from that for example, but I donāt know if they are that on the 2600M.
But I would be surprised if they donāt have a protection.
I have a Behringer 2600 and itās really great! Would be amazing to get a 2600M as well, that thing sounds like a dream!
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Canāt believe this synth is 50+ years old. It feels like a bottomless musical miracle. Absolutely loving it and very happy I took a chance on it. So fun to explore, wild sweet spots everywhere.
I want to use my grandmother with it but Iām too afraid Iāll connect the wrong things and fry something lol.
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you probably wonāt. for one, Iām pretty sure thereās protection against that built in. even in the vintage ones. for two, itās generally pretty clear whatās an output and input on the 2600. basically if thereās a slider above it, itās an input. the bottom sectionās a bit trickier but once you get it, youāll be fine. but Iād actually advise sticking to just the 2600 alone for a while and just dig in deep, see what you can find.
congrats on the 2600m! itās fantastic.
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Really appreciate that feedback, thank you.
I guess you are giving me motivation to make that long postponned āconnect you GM and 2600m together and live an happy lifeā tutorial hahaha
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Lol I literally have your YouTube video (where you play them together) on as I type this!
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My favourite slow paced tutorial (on the Behringer but totally relevant to the Korg version).
Hahaha thatās fun!
I strongly recommend Marc Dotyās (Automatic Gainsay) series of videos on the Arp 2600 M. Iām new to the 2600 and his videos have taught me a TON!
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Be interested to know your thoughts on the Korg 2600 vs Korg odyssey sound wise, Iāve been looking into the 2600 but listening to demoās the odyssey sounds very very similar and for me probably easier to get to grips with
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Jord did a good one about the Odyssey yesterday.
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