Korg Monotron Duo

Great deal for the price

You can do a lot more with this instrument than it seems

small and fun

fun, but would like more from such "toy" :)

Bought as a toy, used as an instrument

As the title hints, i first bought this synthesizer as a gift - toy for a loved one - but Korg once more proved that they know what they're doing - now i sometimes "steal it" to use it in my studio!

Pros: Very cheap, fun, analogue synth

Cons: None

Brilliant!

Very nice, cheap as chips, handy!

Can't really complain at this price not too impressed.

I already had the Monotron DELAY which is great fun and I've even used it professionally in the studio on several commercial recordings. So I decided to get this one as well.

I must admit I was a bit disappointed. The DELAY was more of an effects device that could be used standalone with good results. This one... not so much.

First of all, this one works better when it's actually PLAYED rather than just making weird noises. But unless you mod it for MIDI it's rather limited. The small ribbon "keyboard" worked great for making effects with the DELAY but not so much for actually playing melodies on this DUO version.

A lot of the mojo of the DELAY was... well, the delay. Remove the delay and it quickly lost it's charm as a standalone device (even though the filter was excellent!). The DUO just doesn't impress me as much as a standalone device. It really needs to be used with other effects to get the best out of it in my opinion. And then it quickly gets less interesting because then you might as well start patching up a bigger and better synth.

The strength of the DELAY was that it was instantly fun and usable, even when used as a standalone device. Just patch it straight into a console or DI and you'll get great sounds. The DUO just isn't very exciting unless it's processed by external effects in my opinion. It's usefulness is also severly limited by the lack of midi connections.

Get the DELAY instead.

Fun and Versatile.

It's a very fun and versatile synthesizer. The ribbon and knobs are very responsive. Even though it doesn't look it, there's actually a lot to play around with and tweak. Great for coming to terms with subtractive synthesis. The only thing that let's it down is the built in speaker but for the price it's a great and cost effective synthesizer.

Good

This mini sintetzador it's great as a complementary oscillator. His sound is great for styles such as hardcore, industrial, breakbeat, dubstep, etc. But note that you must use special audio cable. Also note that you must add a MIDI interface, because it does not have midi interface. The ribbon is small for larger fingers, but it has different modes such as step mode, in addition to this, if you add a midi interface, do not need the ribbon. If you want to perform DIY modifications, Korg kindly send the schematics.

Amazing value mono synth - great fun

This is a really fun little bit of kit. I've actually got all of the variations and they are amazing for the money - especially when plugged into a decent sound system. Truly analogue sounding little synth with a huge amount of potential. Possibly not the greatest synth for serious music but for general synthy and sci-fi sounds its absolutely great!

Cool gadget

The thing I love about Monotrons is how they're kinda the in-between of music toys and serious musical instruments. It's good for just messing around and in the beginning you probably won't find it very usable besides that. It's way too noisy.. very bad output. Best part is that It has a truly amazing filter (the famous Korg filter from the original MS-20). It's bad that it doesn't have MIDI or CV which means you can't program any patterns on them, but again, it's just a pocket size gadget. Though, I am sure you can do a lot with it if you practice with it and learn how to handle it well. It's the best one of the Monotron series (imo). The ultimate in compactness.

Korg monotron duo

I've had this monotron for over a year now and I still use it and it still functions perfectly.

Handling: It takes a while to get used to it, you really have to be a knob twidler so to say. But once you know the controls you can get the most amazing sounds out of it.

Features: I still discover new sounds from it, it is amazingly versatile. I use it in combination with a pedalboard which opens even more options.

Sound: The speaker inside the monotron is decent, not great but decent. It really shines when you plug some speakers in, it's like a new world opening.

Quality: I was a bit scared at first, it's all plastic but after using it for this long it really is quality made. Everything still functions great, not even some scratching when turning knobs, everything still goes smooth.

The monotron is great fun, especially if you're into weird synth sounds.