Which korg monotron should i get

The LFO provides pitch modulation that extends into the audio range, and as its rate knob is of clear plastic, you get a visual representation of the frequency via a green LED on the circuit board below. At the rear of the Monotron Duo, we find the same headphone and auxiliary input ports as the Delay, but also a red button that is used to cycle through different scales for the ribbon controller. Pitch modulation can be eerie and warbly all by itself, but when engulfed in delay it becomes far more potent.

There's no information given about the maximum delay time, but in my recordings it clocked in at just over one second. The delay is clearly digital in nature, something you spot as soon as the feedback reaches maximum and the audio degenerates into a distorted — yet not unpleasant — digital crunchiness. If you adjust delay time during playback the delay mimics analogue behaviour by also changing the pitch, just as a tape-based delay would.

This is really rather wonderful from a box so innocent-looking! Turn anti-clockwise towards the shortest delay times and you're into the realm of metallic, reverberant drones tuned by fine adjustments of the time knob. Happily, you can plug another Monotrons or external source into the auxiliary input for processing by the delay and then the filter. In this respect, the owner's manual is incorrect, showing the filter before the delay in the signal chain when, in fact, it comes after.

The delay output is very noisy, so the routing chosen makes far better sense anyway. As you close the low-pass filter, it smoothly removes the excess noise, along with the synth output and any repeating feedback tones. The feedback control also incorporates delay mix, so turning the knob clockwise leads to a rush of overdriven delays that, at the maximum setting, even surpass the source signal.

In fact, turned anywhere after its two o'clock position, feedback rewards you with dirty, crazy stuff that degenerates rapidly into utter filth. In the few weeks I've been playing with the Delay it's been my nerdish delight to reproduce one classic sci-fi sound effect after another. For those who appreciate synthesis of a more tuneful nature, Korg offer the Monotron Duo. Made of blue rather than black plastic, the Duo is closer in design to the original Monotron, the main difference being that instead of an LFO it has a second VCO.

This provides the basis for an alternate range of tones generated by VCO cross-modulation — or X-mod. However, what really sets the Duo apart from the others is the selection of programmed keyboard scales marking it as the 'go to' Monotron for melody. Both of the Duo's oscillators are square waves with fixed pulse-widths.

There's independent control over their pitch and their range is reduced slightly compared to the other Monotrons, making it more controllable for bass and solo duties. By careful adjustment of the two pitch knobs, you can summon up detunes, musical intervals such as fifths and octaves, or more abstract, unrecognisable tunings. I noticed that the oscillators soft-sync quite easily: ie. This isn't always a desirable trait, as it eliminates some of the more subtle analogue 'swimminess'.

But here, with tiny knobs to make adjustments with, it is not unwelcome, and you can always add instability by introducing a tiny amount of cross modulation. Once locked, the automatically tuned oscillators remain together even on initial power-up, giving the impression that they're actually DCOs rather than VCOs.

A switch selects whether VCO1 or both oscillators pass through the filter to the outside world. If you select just VCO1, the second oscillator isn't heard directly and serves as a modulation source only.

The effects of cross-modulation are anything from a slight distortion or harshness right up into pseudo ring-modulation atonality. The X-mod intensity knob on its backdrop of custardy yellow therefore becomes a valued performance control when soloing.

Soloing is something I find challenging on the original Monotron so I'm glad to see this addressed — within the limitations of the ribbon, anyway. MIDI interface None. Storage Medium None. USB-port No. Effects Delay.

Arpeggiator No. Number of Analog Outputs 1. Digital Output No. Display No. Item number Available immediately Available immediately This item is in stock and can be dispatched immediately. Standard Delivery Times. Add to Basket. This is what customers who viewed this product bought.

Widara Distant Voices Theremin. Teenage Engineering PO arcade. Teenage Engineering PO office. Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator Modular Teenage Engineering PO robot. Teenage Engineering PO rhythm. Rate now. A very trippy toy with serious potential. Report Do you believe this rating to be inaccurate or unacceptable for some reason? Please give us the reason for your assessment in the following text box and — if possible — your e-mail address for further questions.

This little portable unit is a lot of fun. I use it as a simple synth for sound effects, and as a simple delay effect with my mike. Though the Monotron looks like a simple piece of kit, it has surprising potential when used in inventive ways. An easy way to experiment with the sounds available from your Korg Monotron is to pile on the effects with different guitar pedals.

But let's not get too carried away. If it's tunes you're hoping for, that's going to take some work, and preferably external help, such as a sampler.

Personally, I ignore the keyboard markings on the ribbon, finding the correct pitch entirely by ear. The ribbon's range is only slightly above one octave, so to squeeze out a fraction more, turn the tiny screw at the rear as far as it will go. When your thumb gets tired, you should try the Monotron's second trick: being an audio processor.

Once I've recorded a chunk of that, I go back through the results, slicing out shorter loops that contain something appealing, discarding the rest.

This is a fun and cheap way to compile an array of unique loops to grace any song, and you can process other signals too, of course. The results can get a little noisy, though, so you will need to address that, perhaps with additional filtering, EQ or gating.

Alternatively, you can make a feature of the hiss, using some tasteful reverb or more distortion.