I am getting so sick of people saying things like "people who use these TOYS are not REAL musicians". You're a real musician no matter how you make music, even if you write a full album on a stylophone. Often the most creative people are the ones that are most limited
Both units are awesome to sample. I have the Delay in my locker at work. I use the Xynthesizr app and play sequences into the delay. Add the filter and it’s easy to get lost for a few minutes on a break. Everything can be music. Change your expectations
They are a really great source for tone making... Percussion, basses... Solos (assuming you have small fingers or a stylus!)... Case in point: ruclips.net/video/4RccBWJJ_9w/видео.html
Ironically enough, it's almost Christmas time again and I just discovered this thing. This sounds like it'd be perfect for Drone and Noise music, which I occasionally do for fun.
LMFAO's Sexy and I know it uses the TB-303 which was essentially the 80's version of a mini analog synth like this. So you can't really say you cant make hits with a small synth...
If you can only get one, buy the Duo. It's the most useful Monotron for musical sounds. The original Monotron is also great for learning how to use a synth because of the LFO. Both are very limited, but those limitations force you to use what's there and discover new sounds. I've had an original Monotron for a few months and still find new sounds. If you can solder there are a lot of easy mods for them. You could make a really nice synth by combining a Duo and original and modding them.
just for kicks have you tried plugging the duo ouput into the aux in of the delay then outputting the delay back into the VCF of the duo? could be pretty gnarly feedback noise... or it could sound god-awful... only one way to find out...
Great instructional piece. Just got a Monotron Delay and could figure out the LFO Waveform Trim Knob - but you explained and demonstrated that perfectly. What a great little sound toy - it's going to be all over my productions until I get bored and buy something else!
In the 50s and early 60s, electronic music was made with oscillators controlled by a pitch knob (no synthesizers with keyboards yet), manipulated with tape. There's no reason you can't make music with a dual oscillator synth with a quantized ribbon.
i make ORGANIZED music using SOLELY THE 1/4 JACK!! (I take that "bzzt!" and alter the "pitch" using delay rate, and loop little bits. Everyone is stunned when they hear the techno music etc I make... to find out it's ALL just a "bzzt!" -- even all the "drum" sounds!
I thought going into these two new monotrons I would prefer the duo over the delay,but I'm actually finding the delay more my speed,perhaps it's the LFO fun!
oh com'on Nick, why did you said "not the cleanest square wave l've ever eard"? l noted this kind of "snobbing" only on low-priced products. if the same wave were emitted by a fucking moog, l'me sure you're been talking about "lot of weight in that square...defenitively subby"
I already have a standard Monotron and will defo buy the Duo and Delay variants. Korg did a great job with the Mono-family, would be nice if they'd keep on releasing new variants. For example, I'd love to have a Monotron with the three drums (tuneable) of the Monotribe and a simple 8-step sequencer... the Monodrum! :) Anyway, I like our reviews, Nick, keep up the good work.
Wasent expecting much from the delay but with the AUX in it's looking like a great little pocket filter. Fantastic. Just the right size for my Christmas stocking as well. :D
@DJSkeeterson The reason the LFO trimpot is where it is is that these new Monotrons are made with the same case molds as the first one. The first Monotron has a trimpot in the same place for adjusting the ribbon's pitch range. This is also why the new features come at the expense of other features.
Is it for playing with the sound like this or can you apply the effects to another keyoard you have? Or what else you can use it for other then just messing around.
well, keep in mind that ALL MUSICIANS ARE DOING IT WRONG and always have been. (NOTHING about the history of music has been that intelligent. Lazy, lazy, lazy.) (EX: Musicians Touring is the DUMBEST and most inefficient thing ever.) (EX: carrying a LOT of gear to do gigs is LITERALLY DUMB.) (for instance, I've played art-metal guitar across the globe... yet I NEVER use an amp! I go direct into the PA and every guitarist calls it blasphemy... until I begin playing. THEN, they say "why did i waste $$ and time on an amp!!") (i've toured the world as a drummer -- touring's a lot of FUN for me, but not efficient -- and my ENTIRE drumkit fits in my shoulderbag (!). Takes me 30 seconds to set up, 3 seconds to break down! I'm 99% more efficient than most drummers, because I eschewed tradition and use a Roland SPD6 [think thick laptop with 6 rubber pads, which i play with only 2 drumsticks and no feet]! Yes, i sacrifice a few things, but GAIN 99% more than regular drummers of either acoustic or electronic kits! It's incredibly superior to regular drums, in almost every way. DRUMS are the dumbest instrument ever.) (EX: I can play with a band IN A TINY BEDROOM (!!), and at ANY VOLUME. I can record full drums at ANY volume in any situation!! WOWZA!!) People need to realize "TRADITION" means ANT-thinking.
Korg. the absolute opposite mindset of Apple. Analog cool synths for everybody, accessible, quality, and cool. inputs and outputs included! all I really need is a MIDI in though! ; )
love these little wee beasts... still need to get the 'classic' then I have the whole set. All of them are muscially useful, the duo being the most versatile of the two I currently have... but the delay OWNS when it comes to making organic sounding drones/beat synth tones... and you can ges resonance, but only if you're ready to invaldiate to warranty and take a soldering iron to it...
And the NTS-1 brings it back around to the same form factor with the good old ribbon keyboard again. Digital, but it supports third-party oscillators and effects using the same SDK as Minilogue XD and Prologue. Thought it was a silly thing but ended up buying one and it's actually pretty cool. Korg is definitely the most adventurous of all the big synth companies!
@UltimaWeapon9339 but then it loses the analog character, knobs doesnt mean its analog, analog means its not digital, and im VERY glad there are still analog synths, even cheap ones like the monotrons
korg has been really tearing it up. i almost swore off korg after spending way too much on a kaosilator pro++ but since i picked up the monologue i've got an addiction that korg is all too happy to feed with stuff like these and their volca line.
For people with questions about handling the excessive noise, run it through a gate within your daw. I tend to use sonnox dynamics and it works a treat. Though I'm curious as to what cable he is using himself because I have never heard any of these units captured with such a low amount of noise without additional processing and everyone I've used goes through my apogee symphony
oh yeah that would work, you mean the claviature would be 12 buttons that would as well be midi controllable. what you can do is you can have a device that makes pure triangle or square wave sounds and put them in the input.
I love these little synths. I've been using them for a couple of years now. I have big fancier synths but I can throw one of these in my pocket and just have fun wherever I am. The Delay is particularly cool with my electric guitar through auxillary. Moreover their very simplicity has led me to really pay attention to what I'm doing with the sounds and made me a better musician.
I think the issue is that "hardcore synth types" have been asking the major manufacturers to put out some real analog gear since I got into it 17 years ago. In the meantime a cottage industry of boutique designers met some of that demand but not much on the affordable side, and when Korg finally got around to it, it's one that requires hacking the hell out of just to get it functioning integrated with an existing synth setup.
I have one of the original Monotrons Guitar Center had thel as a $50 Loss Leader at the time. I built an power adapter out of a piece of 9VDC Wall Wart, Short piect of Insulated Rod and a couple of clothing snaps (Glued on to the Rod and Soldered on to the Wall Wart leads) so I was able to run it off of Wall AC for more reliable Pitch, and I had a Plastic Bracket (Tap Plastics, Custom) made for it that conforms to the panel of a Nord NE-2, so it would stay in place with that unis. I tuned the ends of the Ribbon to a Minor Tenth (tuned Bb-C#) and that kept the pitch reference reasonably close. Still awkward to play and used more as a Noise maker, Recently I got a Volca Bass mostly using it as a Lead instrument.
Just had fun modifying/distorting/destroying the sound from this Monotron video with my Monotron. Turn up the resonance just before self oscillation and turn the cutoff to about half and it's great for vocal distortion.
@Goth108 I stand corrected after mailing to Korg.. the monotron delay really is a analog BBD delay.. so probably really the best you can get for this price.
Thank you for this video! Actually Korg sent it to me. However as a 75 year youngster who loves music I would love to know of a NEWBIE book to learn more about what my Delay unit is doing. I think I might purchase the other one too as you showed them plugged into each other.
i plug my monotron into my amp all the time, it has a standard output, you just need a converter of sorts to go from quarter inch, to headphone jack...
GuPu If you're just starting to get into music production, I would get some decent software rather than an analog synth first. You can make very good tracks with just the built in plugins in something like Logic Pro X or Protools. Once you know that you will enjoy it and you think that it would benefit your setup, then I would start getting into analog synthesisers. It is a very big investment if you don't know whether you will keep on doing it.
GuPu If you are looking for a synth, then I think this could be a good first one. Although, if you're willing to spend a little bit more, I think that the Korg Volcas would be more beneficial because it gives you much more control and you can learn more in a short amount of time.
Thank you very much for your reply, I've tooled around with Ableton and Sony Acid for a few months and I think it's time to go analog now. I'm thinking of buying this one first and, if I like it, go for a Volca after three months or so. I'm, particularly interested in the Volca Keys, could you maybe tell me how this one holds up to the other Volcas?
Hello, I probably missed it. But I didn't hear you talking about the noise those synths (specially the Duo) were making. So do the Duo makes as much noise as the original Monotron, or much less, like on the Monotribe for example ? Thanks for your answer. After listening a second time, the duo or the delay alone seem okay, but when you process one into the other, it becomes pretty aweful in term of noise, that's a shame....
@sonicstate-You say the filter is the MS20 and MS10 "modeled." Is it the same component as in the Korg MS20. Is the delay on the second unit you reviewed (analogue BBD chip) or DSP? Great review once again.
I have the mono with delay, it needs help getting a boost in gain, it's hissy, noisy and nearly impossible to play the note you want... but it's probably the best $50 you can spend on audio gear. Now I gotta pick up the duo which will fix at least one of the issues.
What a thoroughly excellent review, great idea showing what's inside too. VCC is Voltage cathode/collector usually positive and 3 volts in this case presumably:-D
I guess korg hasn't released a "miditron" just because right now at this price and size they can't offer a stable pitch, which they think would be frustrating to most users......not me as i already have other digi synths that play concert pitch! Hope korg is working on a "miditron" right now. In the meantime i really want to get my hands on these two!
00:29 ..."And the filter from the legendary MS-20 - at least modeled.". I checked out the Monotrons' schematics and they are real analog filters on all 3 Monotrons, there is nothing modeled about them. I do not know if they are the same as the MS-20, though; I have not got that schematic.
These are really neat looking. I was considering just a normal Monotron, but I might get one of these instead now. One question though: what is the MIDI stuff everyone is talking about? What would that do for the Monotron if a MIDI input was added? Thanks!
Excuse me for my ignorance, but i'd like to ask ¿Could any of these synths be controlled via MIDI, and i specify, via something like the Korg NanoKEY2? I'm an amateur musician, piano student and sort of melomaniac with some projects to start to do things, but a little short of money, and i think that those products (i mean, the Nanokey and the monotrons), if they could work together, would be a good starting inversion. Anyway, if i'm too wrong ¿What do you think should i use in that area (not-too-expensive MIDI keyboard controllers and/or synths)?
+Francisco Cansanello The Monotrons don't have MIDI support. I hear there are CV modifications around. CV = Control Voltage input, where a particular voltage corresponds to particular note. I haven't seen how they work on the Monotrons and what the complexity and compatibility of modification is. Then is the question, how to synthesize CV. Arturia Beatstep is an inexpensive device which can do that, and keep it mind that it's fixed at 1 Volt per octave control slope. Some people also use MAX4LIVE patches and an extra soundcard output, but i imagine getting the right pitch that way to be... finicky. The Volca series of mixed-signal micro synths supports MIDI. If you're really low on money, you may have to go virtual analogue route. I'm sure you've looked at Oxygen 25, Akai MPK Mini MK2, Novation Launchkey Mini, but perhaps you overlooked Arturia Minilab. The Arturia software has all the classic analog synthesizers simulated. The emulation is not state of the art though, not down to transistor level like some really expensive and CPU-heavy VSTs. The hardware has a great enclosure but they keys are really cheap and tiny. In the long run, there's little point of analog. We now have enough CPU power in a commodity laptop to simulate any analog synthesizer down to transistor level with each transistor's leakage and distortion, and we have the choice to eschew simulating noise or we can simulate it with it. Add to that that analog really doesn't produce perfectly reproducible results, it will decay after years, can sound different right off the bat and after warmup... for some certainly a worthwhile adventure, but IMO a production challenge and a money sink.
@megabot80 Bucket Brigade Device. Analogue chip that chops the sound up and stores it in capacitors. Tends to have a warmer less trebly sound than digital delay with more distortion and more character. 'Bucket Brigade' is referring to a line of firefighters passing buckets of water along a line!
I bought one, and I have a lot of static noise on the headphones output. I use it to play with on the train, it's fun and you can get some fat bases out of it, if very delicatly tweaked. So to me, it's a really good toy. If I want to make some "descent" music, I'll play with my Tempest.
I know nothing about these things but I want one, how much extra stuff do I need to actually listen to it without headphones? Eg through an amplifier? or would I need some speakers and sound desk? Anything like that?
I see a aux plug in but I don't see a plug in that'll connect it to my interface. How do I get these sounds to Logic? Do I need a sound card to record on then plug that card into my computer and match it up?
is there a way to change the delay to have less noise? would inturrupting the line-in by adding a switch clean that up, or is that static coming from something else? (I noticed if you turn feedback all the way up and just turn it on it instantly has feedback and gets the sound of the switch clicking, so I don't know where the noise actually comes from)
Buyers beware the monotron duo doesn't add its effects to the auxiliary in. I just bought one thinking it acts as an effects unit so I played my otomatone through it and the sound of my otomatone was completely unaffected by the monotron duo. I bought one for the purpose of changing the sound of my otomatone and to my surprise it does nothing to the sound. I just happened to have an extra otomatone so I took the ribbon off of it and soldered it to the monotron duo. It works but I just wish the duo would add its effects to any instrument you plug into it's auxiliary in.
Ya gotta keep the damn synth still. The camera never has time to focus so it just looks like 480p the whole time when it’s actually 720p. Made me dizzy. Besides that- helpful review. Very interesting synth. I really like what Korg is doing for the portable market.
Ummm hmmm.... All of them! Depends on what you really want. Cool sound fx? The delay. Greater sonic capability and harsh tones? The duo. Standard monophonic glory and some acid type sounds? The normal one. Also consider the monotribe. The monotribe has a drum machine that can sound pretty nice.
I got both the delay and the duo this week. But one thing that annoys me is that the delay has some random clicks and pops. Kinda how the duo sounds when the cutoff is set to 0 and you touch the ribbon. Dont know if this is the way it should be or if I got a faulty one? I will probably go back to the store if I can find my receipt, but I'm staying in Japan and I dont speak any Japanese so not sure how I to explain it. Does this happen on your monotron delay as well?
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I am getting so sick of people saying things like "people who use these TOYS are not REAL musicians". You're a real musician no matter how you make music, even if you write a full album on a stylophone. Often the most creative people are the ones that are most limited
I agree
Hes to young to know about Ralph (!)
Kraftwerk wrote a fairly popular song with a Mattel Bee Gees Rhythm machine on the melody, anyone who says that doesn't know anything
Well said, you can't get anything more toy like than any percussive instrument and yet 99.99% of records contain them! 😎
Both units are awesome to sample. I have the Delay in my locker at work. I use the Xynthesizr app and play sequences into the delay. Add the filter and it’s easy to get lost for a few minutes on a break. Everything can be music. Change your expectations
Definitely. When you are bound and chained you are forced to be creative. This is why a true artist can make anything. With anything.
They are a really great source for tone making... Percussion, basses... Solos (assuming you have small fingers or a stylus!)...
Case in point: ruclips.net/video/4RccBWJJ_9w/видео.html
You can arrest the body but never the mind. Well, that's if you don't allow it.
@@ChannelZero1031 ohhh you ate that up
@@slurpee4203 Like at Seven eleven, honey.
@@ChannelZero1031 lolll😭
Weird little devices. They are addictive, but man they are fucking annoying if you are not the one using them.
Lol xD
Like drum solos lol
This was an excellent review, and I really appreciate the internal shots of the circuit boards. Thanks always for your good work.
Ironically enough, it's almost Christmas time again and I just discovered this thing. This sounds like it'd be perfect for Drone and Noise music, which I occasionally do for fun.
LMFAO's Sexy and I know it uses the TB-303 which was essentially the 80's version of a mini analog synth like this. So you can't really say you cant make hits with a small synth...
"you cant make talented music with these!"
-the talentless
Penelope Scott babbbbyyyyy
“Hold my beer”
Classic "outside looking in" fallacy.
11 years later Korg still flogging them for £40 … must have been a goldmine for them.
The Delay looks pretty great. I'm tempted to get one to complement (or replace) the Monotron currently velcro'd on my guitar.
If you can only get one, buy the Duo. It's the most useful Monotron for musical sounds. The original Monotron is also great for learning how to use a synth because of the LFO. Both are very limited, but those limitations force you to use what's there and discover new sounds. I've had an original Monotron for a few months and still find new sounds.
If you can solder there are a lot of easy mods for them. You could make a really nice synth by combining a Duo and original and modding them.
just for kicks have you tried plugging the duo ouput into the aux in of the delay then outputting the delay back into the VCF of the duo? could be pretty gnarly feedback noise... or it could sound god-awful... only one way to find out...
then how would you record this? from the speakers? nah
May be possible with a splitter. I doubt it, but I’ve also never tried it haha
DarkLightProjector I plugged in my car cassette player adapter and play it while i drive
Been using the Delay as a dub siren for years now. Works perfectly!!
Roots Pablow looking to buy one for this reason! Would you recommend?
Also why are posters so angry? There's a way to voice your opinion without making yourself seem like you've forgotten to take your meds
Bunch of haters here angry at these lil things.
The entire internet need to read this. Daily.
Great instructional piece. Just got a Monotron Delay and could figure out the LFO Waveform Trim Knob - but you explained and demonstrated that perfectly. What a great little sound toy - it's going to be all over my productions until I get bored and buy something else!
Art is pleasure, it's not a social deal. You musn't come to art, it must make you vibrate without you have to change your habits.
In the 50s and early 60s, electronic music was made with oscillators controlled by a pitch knob (no synthesizers with keyboards yet), manipulated with tape. There's no reason you can't make music with a dual oscillator synth with a quantized ribbon.
i make ORGANIZED music using SOLELY THE 1/4 JACK!! (I take that "bzzt!" and alter the "pitch" using delay rate, and loop little bits. Everyone is stunned when they hear the techno music etc I make... to find out it's ALL just a "bzzt!" -- even all the "drum" sounds!
I thought going into these two new monotrons I would prefer the duo over the delay,but I'm actually finding the delay more my speed,perhaps it's the LFO fun!
oh com'on Nick, why did you said "not the cleanest square wave l've ever eard"? l noted this kind of "snobbing" only on low-priced products. if the same wave were emitted by a fucking moog, l'me sure you're been talking about "lot of weight in that square...defenitively subby"
The wave looks like a square wave passing through an All-Pass Filter.
really liking the duo, it'd be like playing my favorite settings on my microkorg without having to get it hooked up to the amp all the time.
I love that you don’t even have to use it for music if you know what you’re doing and that it’s so compatible and flexible, as well as portable.
I already have a standard Monotron and will defo buy the Duo and Delay variants. Korg did a great job with the Mono-family, would be nice if they'd keep on releasing new variants. For example, I'd love to have a Monotron with the three drums (tuneable) of the Monotribe and a simple 8-step sequencer... the Monodrum! :) Anyway, I like our reviews, Nick, keep up the good work.
Monotron pwm is long overdue!
Wasent expecting much from the delay but with the AUX in it's looking like a great little pocket filter. Fantastic. Just the right size for my Christmas stocking as well. :D
I want both. These look amazing for their price
@DJSkeeterson The reason the LFO trimpot is where it is is that these new Monotrons are made with the same case molds as the first one. The first Monotron has a trimpot in the same place for adjusting the ribbon's pitch range. This is also why the new features come at the expense of other features.
Is it for playing with the sound like this or can you apply the effects to another keyoard you have? Or what else you can use it for other then just messing around.
well, keep in mind that ALL MUSICIANS ARE DOING IT WRONG and always have been. (NOTHING about the history of music has been that intelligent. Lazy, lazy, lazy.) (EX: Musicians Touring is the DUMBEST and most inefficient thing ever.) (EX: carrying a LOT of gear to do gigs is LITERALLY DUMB.) (for instance, I've played art-metal guitar across the globe... yet I NEVER use an amp! I go direct into the PA and every guitarist calls it blasphemy... until I begin playing. THEN, they say "why did i waste $$ and time on an amp!!") (i've toured the world as a drummer -- touring's a lot of FUN for me, but not efficient -- and my ENTIRE drumkit fits in my shoulderbag (!). Takes me 30 seconds to set up, 3 seconds to break down! I'm 99% more efficient than most drummers, because I eschewed tradition and use a Roland SPD6 [think thick laptop with 6 rubber pads, which i play with only 2 drumsticks and no feet]! Yes, i sacrifice a few things, but GAIN 99% more than regular drummers of either acoustic or electronic kits! It's incredibly superior to regular drums, in almost every way. DRUMS are the dumbest instrument ever.)
(EX: I can play with a band IN A TINY BEDROOM (!!), and at ANY VOLUME. I can record full drums at ANY volume in any situation!! WOWZA!!)
People need to realize "TRADITION" means ANT-thinking.
@@umpygoodness2369you still did not answer his question lol
Yes you can
ruclips.net/video/jpENq6_hOUg/видео.html
So I wonder if you really need those time ticker things to keep the beat or can you just play acid jazz break beats! ?
Korg. the absolute opposite mindset of Apple. Analog cool synths for everybody, accessible, quality, and cool. inputs and outputs included! all I really need is a MIDI in though! ; )
love these little wee beasts... still need to get the 'classic' then I have the whole set.
All of them are muscially useful, the duo being the most versatile of the two I currently have... but the delay OWNS when it comes to making organic sounding drones/beat synth tones... and you can ges resonance, but only if you're ready to invaldiate to warranty and take a soldering iron to it...
I’m glad these birthed the Volca line and Monologue and Minilogue
And the NTS-1 brings it back around to the same form factor with the good old ribbon keyboard again. Digital, but it supports third-party oscillators and effects using the same SDK as Minilogue XD and Prologue. Thought it was a silly thing but ended up buying one and it's actually pretty cool. Korg is definitely the most adventurous of all the big synth companies!
Just ordered my Monotron Duo a couple hours ago. Should arrive by the 22nd of March 2013 :)
I can't wait!
Great review. I own both of these. They are absolutely great for what they are actually for and that's fucking around with sound.
@UltimaWeapon9339 but then it loses the analog character, knobs doesnt mean its analog, analog means its not digital, and im VERY glad there are still analog synths, even cheap ones like the monotrons
If they made a monotron with a multi mode filter... done!!!! i would be in love and monotron would go down as one of the coolest product series ever.
I actually really like the Delay version, I feel like it has a lot of possibilities.
Too bad it doesn't have 1/4 jacks.
Excellent review, I was quite happy with the original monotron and trying to decide on adding the duo or delay, now I know what I need. Thanks!
Two flavors? Please post video describing how to prepare for human consumption.
You take the chips and drench in salt and vinegar
So, the duo does in fact have an LFO, except it only works when you have the second oscillator turned off?
korg has been really tearing it up. i almost swore off korg after spending way too much on a kaosilator pro++ but since i picked up the monologue i've got an addiction that korg is all too happy to feed with stuff like these and their volca line.
For people with questions about handling the excessive noise, run it through a gate within your daw. I tend to use sonnox dynamics and it works a treat. Though I'm curious as to what cable he is using himself because I have never heard any of these units captured with such a low amount of noise without additional processing and everyone I've used goes through my apogee symphony
oh yeah that would work, you mean the claviature would be 12 buttons that would as well be midi controllable. what you can do is you can have a device that makes pure triangle or square wave sounds and put them in the input.
it's too bad there's no hold button like on the Mopho. or an usb midi option?
I love these little synths. I've been using them for a couple of years now. I have big fancier synths but I can throw one of these in my pocket and just have fun wherever I am. The Delay is particularly cool with my electric guitar through auxillary. Moreover their very simplicity has led me to really pay attention to what I'm doing with the sounds and made me a better musician.
I think the issue is that "hardcore synth types" have been asking the major manufacturers to put out some real analog gear since I got into it 17 years ago. In the meantime a cottage industry of boutique designers met some of that demand but not much on the affordable side, and when Korg finally got around to it, it's one that requires hacking the hell out of just to get it functioning integrated with an existing synth setup.
I have one of the original Monotrons Guitar Center had thel as a $50 Loss Leader at the time. I built an power adapter out of a piece of 9VDC Wall Wart, Short piect of Insulated Rod and a couple of clothing snaps (Glued on to the Rod and Soldered on to the Wall Wart leads) so I was able to run it off of Wall AC for more reliable Pitch, and I had a Plastic Bracket (Tap Plastics, Custom) made for it that conforms to the panel of a Nord NE-2, so it would stay in place with that unis. I tuned the ends of the Ribbon to a Minor Tenth (tuned Bb-C#) and that kept the pitch reference reasonably close. Still awkward to play and used more as a Noise maker, Recently I got a Volca Bass mostly using it as a Lead instrument.
Just had fun modifying/distorting/destroying the sound from this Monotron video with my Monotron. Turn up the resonance just before self oscillation and turn the cutoff to about half and it's great for vocal distortion.
Since I don't own the original,I think I'd go for the delay first to play with the LFO,then add the Duo when I'm ready to combine efforts.
@Goth108 I stand corrected after mailing to Korg.. the monotron delay really is a analog BBD delay.. so probably really the best you can get for this price.
Thank you for this video! Actually Korg sent it to me. However as a 75 year youngster who loves music I would love to know of a NEWBIE book to learn more about what my Delay unit is doing. I think I might purchase the other one too as you showed them plugged into each other.
i plug my monotron into my amp all the time, it has a standard output, you just need a converter of sorts to go from quarter inch, to headphone jack...
Would you recommend the Monotron to anyone who has never owned a synth before? I'm trying to get into making music but I don't have any hardware yet
GuPu If you're just starting to get into music production, I would get some decent software rather than an analog synth first. You can make very good tracks with just the built in plugins in something like Logic Pro X or Protools. Once you know that you will enjoy it and you think that it would benefit your setup, then I would start getting into analog synthesisers. It is a very big investment if you don't know whether you will keep on doing it.
GuPu If you are looking for a synth, then I think this could be a good first one. Although, if you're willing to spend a little bit more, I think that the Korg Volcas would be more beneficial because it gives you much more control and you can learn more in a short amount of time.
Thank you very much for your reply, I've tooled around with Ableton and Sony Acid for a few months and I think it's time to go analog now. I'm thinking of buying this one first and, if I like it, go for a Volca after three months or so. I'm, particularly interested in the Volca Keys, could you maybe tell me how this one holds up to the other Volcas?
dont buy it.. go straight for the volca. or for the pocket operator po- series
That is a great option...If you have a ton more money than these things go for!
Hello, I probably missed it. But I didn't hear you talking about the noise those synths (specially the Duo) were making. So do the Duo makes as much noise as the original Monotron, or much less, like on the Monotribe for example ? Thanks for your answer.
After listening a second time, the duo or the delay alone seem okay, but when you process one into the other, it becomes pretty aweful in term of noise, that's a shame....
I'm wondering can all three Monotrons be connected through the auxiliary inputs?
That's right Sweep....its not a sausage....
Would one of these, or the original Monotron be good for someone who want to learn how to use a synth without paying a lot of money?
I think the Monotrons and MS-20 have some of the best filters I've heard.
@sonicstate-You say the filter is the MS20 and MS10 "modeled." Is it the same component as in the Korg MS20. Is the delay on the second unit you reviewed (analogue BBD chip) or DSP?
Great review once again.
Love your demos and descriptions of these little noisy thingamabobs. Thank you!
I got the original Monotron, and I must get the delay version as well.
Yes Oh god yes. You will learn so much more, and may even be able to start modyfing it.
I have the mono with delay, it needs help getting a boost in gain, it's hissy, noisy and nearly impossible to play the note you want... but it's probably the best $50 you can spend on audio gear. Now I gotta pick up the duo which will fix at least one of the issues.
What do you need to record the sounds to fl studio?
sound card
a mind
you'll need a monotron and fl studio
+Lo-Fi-Fe-Fum and a computer.
and Electricity.
I didn't get the Delay one for some stupid reason. I'll be getting it today.
What a thoroughly excellent review, great idea showing what's inside too. VCC is Voltage cathode/collector usually positive and 3 volts in this case presumably:-D
at least it's got quantizing now, also midi/cv converters aren't exactly the cheapest components
Ive just bought these,love the reviews,cant wait to play around.
I guess korg hasn't released a "miditron" just because right now at this price and size they can't offer a stable pitch, which they think would be frustrating to most users......not me as i already have other digi synths that play concert pitch!
Hope korg is working on a "miditron" right now. In the meantime i really want to get my hands on these two!
00:29 ..."And the filter from the legendary MS-20 - at least modeled.".
I checked out the Monotrons' schematics and they are real analog filters on all 3 Monotrons, there is nothing modeled about them. I do not know if they are the same as the MS-20, though; I have not got that schematic.
These are really neat looking. I was considering just a normal Monotron, but I might get one of these instead now. One question though: what is the MIDI stuff everyone is talking about? What would that do for the Monotron if a MIDI input was added? Thanks!
on the monotron duo regarding the line input, can all the knobs tweak the inputted sound?
Fantastic! Thanks for posting, as always!
Excuse me for my ignorance, but i'd like to ask ¿Could any of these synths be controlled via MIDI, and i specify, via something like the Korg NanoKEY2? I'm an amateur musician, piano student and sort of melomaniac with some projects to start to do things, but a little short of money, and i think that those products (i mean, the Nanokey and the monotrons), if they could work together, would be a good starting inversion. Anyway, if i'm too wrong ¿What do you think should i use in that area (not-too-expensive MIDI keyboard controllers and/or synths)?
+Francisco Cansanello
The Monotrons don't have MIDI support.
I hear there are CV modifications around. CV = Control Voltage input, where a particular voltage corresponds to particular note. I haven't seen how they work on the Monotrons and what the complexity and compatibility of modification is. Then is the question, how to synthesize CV. Arturia Beatstep is an inexpensive device which can do that, and keep it mind that it's fixed at 1 Volt per octave control slope. Some people also use MAX4LIVE patches and an extra soundcard output, but i imagine getting the right pitch that way to be... finicky.
The Volca series of mixed-signal micro synths supports MIDI.
If you're really low on money, you may have to go virtual analogue route. I'm sure you've looked at Oxygen 25, Akai MPK Mini MK2, Novation Launchkey Mini, but perhaps you overlooked Arturia Minilab. The Arturia software has all the classic analog synthesizers simulated. The emulation is not state of the art though, not down to transistor level like some really expensive and CPU-heavy VSTs. The hardware has a great enclosure but they keys are really cheap and tiny.
In the long run, there's little point of analog. We now have enough CPU power in a commodity laptop to simulate any analog synthesizer down to transistor level with each transistor's leakage and distortion, and we have the choice to eschew simulating noise or we can simulate it with it. Add to that that analog really doesn't produce perfectly reproducible results, it will decay after years, can sound different right off the bat and after warmup... for some certainly a worthwhile adventure, but IMO a production challenge and a money sink.
you could, but you'd have to get into the circuits
@megabot80 Bucket Brigade Device. Analogue chip that chops the sound up and stores it in capacitors. Tends to have a warmer less trebly sound than digital delay with more distortion and more character. 'Bucket Brigade' is referring to a line of firefighters passing buckets of water along a line!
korg ought to release one called a monotron max, that has the settings of all three
@sonicstate what type of camera are you using ?
I bought one, and I have a lot of static noise on the headphones output. I use it to play with on the train, it's fun and you can get some fat bases out of it, if very delicatly tweaked.
So to me, it's a really good toy. If I want to make some "descent" music, I'll play with my Tempest.
I know nothing about these things but I want one, how much extra stuff do I need to actually listen to it without headphones? Eg through an amplifier? or would I need some speakers and sound desk? Anything like that?
I think they'd do great with the original monotron and the monotribe, I want them!
You make very good reviews of Korg product´s! thank´s! - Levi
I see a aux plug in but I don't see a plug in that'll connect it to my interface. How do I get these sounds to Logic? Do I need a sound card to record on then plug that card into my computer and match it up?
Buy a usb interface. I use Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, got it on sale for about 100$. Then I can just use a 1/8 jack to TRL and there you go.
Mc Birdy
I'm planning to buy one myself, the Scarlett 2i2. What DAW do you use? I use Reason.
logic.
wish they would make a noise version of the due; with pink, brown blue and white and continuous mod between noise source
Any news on when these are released in the UK yet?
is there a way to change the delay to have less noise? would inturrupting the line-in by adding a switch clean that up, or is that static coming from something else? (I noticed if you turn feedback all the way up and just turn it on it instantly has feedback and gets the sound of the switch clicking, so I don't know where the noise actually comes from)
Buyers beware the monotron duo doesn't add its effects to the auxiliary in. I just bought one thinking it acts as an effects unit so I played my otomatone through it and the sound of my otomatone was completely unaffected by the monotron duo. I bought one for the purpose of changing the sound of my otomatone and to my surprise it does nothing to the sound. I just happened to have an extra otomatone so I took the ribbon off of it and soldered it to the monotron duo. It works but I just wish the duo would add its effects to any instrument you plug into it's auxiliary in.
If you want external processing, I would recommend the Korgs NTS-1, that's a great fx processor
@@sonicstate thank you I'll give that a try.
Ya gotta keep the damn synth still. The camera never has time to focus so it just looks like 480p the whole time when it’s actually 720p. Made me dizzy. Besides that- helpful review. Very interesting synth. I really like what Korg is doing for the portable market.
Around 4:50 detuned sound is reminding me of some of the synth bass on Anymore by Goldfrapp
Well done Nick!
Cant wait to pick these up!
thank you! i appreciate the speed and completeness of this review!
I guess that's why I have so much fun with this thing because I don't really know or care what the shape of the wave is... it fits in muh pocket.
cool video, I have a Korg ms-2000b and a roland gaia but I like the idea to make a really mini synth like this to add effects!
Ummm hmmm.... All of them! Depends on what you really want. Cool sound fx? The delay. Greater sonic capability and harsh tones? The duo. Standard monophonic glory and some acid type sounds? The normal one. Also consider the monotribe. The monotribe has a drum machine that can sound pretty nice.
Does this unit the same effects as well the smaller monotron?
@skywalkmangeforce of course it is, it costs $70. doesn't mean you can't make cool sounds with it.
I say they have just fuse all three and have a midi in instead of ribbon (or both)
Exactly, I would love a few of these just to make weird and interesting noises with them.
I got both the delay and the duo this week. But one thing that annoys me is that the delay has some random clicks and pops. Kinda how the duo sounds when the cutoff is set to 0 and you touch the ribbon. Dont know if this is the way it should be or if I got a faulty one? I will probably go back to the store if I can find my receipt, but I'm staying in Japan and I dont speak any Japanese so not sure how I to explain it. Does this happen on your monotron delay as well?
Does this allow glissando across the keys?
+Ibichka Burunatova yes.
Having issues with the headphone jack when I patch it into the eurorack. Is it normal for the patch cable to not be completely in?
I have seen it sometimes with other instruments.
can i use the monotron delay as an external delay device for other synths like the korg volca keys?
yes, if you like some weird sounds along with your delay (i do and i 'm fine with it)