Then I realized there is no LFO on it. Then I thought the Delay sounds great! Seems that the original Monotron would be the best of the three as an external filter? Hot damn! Rude Talk. Ok, now Korg needs to throw those 3 pieces together into 1 box.
I'll be waiting for them to invent sampling and FM synthesis again before jumping in. They could also work closer with Fisher Price and make something like this but in many different colors and with an analog filter thrown in Seems the Monotron delay fx appears to be processing the Monotribe through its ext input:.
I wish the duo had selectable waveforms and something of an LFO.. It seems to just have 2 square waves for now. Oh well.. Spectral Climax. Oh please Korg! The Monotron just became more valuable- analog filter AND delay??? Forget the crappy micro keyboard and oscillator with the latter being practically useless for melodic stuff if you cannot control it with CV or midi out of the box. The problem with the volcas is that you'll want all 3. They're tremendous. I had all three, I kept the Delay.
They are toys but fun, especially for wild FX. Fun for hacking. Tracks really well once callibrated. Not sure if they all do this, but plugging external input into the 'Tron triggers the filter, even with no sound coming in, so I get a constant annoying click from the LFO unless I turn everything down.
Almost needs an internal noise gate! Top Mentioned Manufacturers. Facebook Twitter Reddit LinkedIn. Subscribe to our Newsletter. By using this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Code by Port Forward. Hosted by Nimbus Hosting. Connect with Facebook. What's in your analog synth collection?????? Perhaps we'll see these features on the inevitable Monotron Pro? The only significant problem with the Monotron's sound is a persistent hiss emanating from the speaker.
The headphone output allows you to plug it into a better monitoring setup and the internal speaker is automatically muted when you insert a jack into the socket but the hiss is also present in this signal. It's a real shame, because the sound is otherwise incredibly good for such a tiny device.
Korg nerds will tell you that there were a number of slightly different versions of the MS filter - most notably, the earlier and arguably more desirable versions were based around a proprietary Korg filter chip, whereas later MS models used more widely available op-amps. The Monotron's VCF appears to be based around a recreation of the Korg circuit, and there's no doubt that it captures the spirit of the MS sound. Running the Monotron's oscillator through the MS filter and vice versa, similar sounds are easily achieved with any combination.
The Monotron filter might not sound exactly the same, but it certainly captures the spirit of the MS. The real ace up the Monotron's sleeve is its ability to process external sounds via the auxiliary input. MS filter clones cost at least twice as much as the Monotron, so it's by far the cheapest option if you want a taste of that analogue filter magic.
The good news is it's definitely not a poor man's version. The results to be had from processing external sounds are outstanding, although the lack of an envelope follower or CV control mean that you'll need to grab hold of the knobs to add your own variations.
The LFO can still be used to modulate the filter when processing an external source, so it's really not a problem. When we first saw the Monotron, we were certainly excited to see if it could live up to our expectations. Most importantly, we desperately wanted the filter to sound good and for it to be a faithful recreation of the classic MS filter sound. The Monotron delivers on that front, and at this price point there really can't be too many complaints about the sound.
The bigger question is whether the diminutive form factor and imprecise ribbon keyboard make it possible to use the Monotron for serious music-making rather than just as a fun toy. Timed to ship near to Christmas, might they be the ideal musicians' stocking fillers?
The Monotron Delay and Duo have the same dimensions approximately 12cm x 7cm and the same layout as the original model, but with an added splash of colour. Each brings something new to the table, but neither deviates from the brief of being cheap and cheerful. Monotrons are highly portable, thanks to two AAA batteries with a respectable life of around eight hours. It's when you connect them to your regular sound system using the stereo headphone mini-jack that the depth, quality and appeal of these diminutive analogues becomes obvious.
The Monotron Delay's back panel features a mini-jack headphone output and auxiliary input, a volume control and a screw that adjusts the 'duty ratio' of the LFO's waveform.
I turned first to the Monotron Delay, which outshines its siblings on two fronts, one of them literal: it's labelled in UV-reflective paint. Under black light, the glowing orange text, in particular, should mesmerise geeks, spelunkers and party animals the world over. Its second and admittedly more practical new feature is a built-in delay effect that works wonders on the single VCO synthesizer. Korg have long understood the value of onboard effects, especially to the performing musician, and the reasoning is as sound now as it was when I bought my DW keyboard so many years ago.
The Delay's synth is so basic its sawtooth oscillator has no accessible controls at all — other than the ribbon that smoothly sweeps its pitch over about six octaves. You should therefore consider the keyboard markings to be of decorative value only. The Delay's five knobs set the rate and intensity of the LFO, the time and feedback of the delay, and the filter cutoff. This is the same low-pass filter found in all Monotrons, the only difference being that there's no space on the panel for a resonance knob.
That's it as far as performance control goes, but there is one final item tucked away in a recess at the rear. When triangle is selected, a twist of a screwdriver changes the shape from sawtooth through triangle to inverse sawtooth, while for the square wave, pulse width is varied. 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.
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