Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best-selling in Synthesisers & Sound Modules
I wish I was a kid. I had a ribbon synth toy when I was little (around 1990), and the Monotron Delay is the evolution of that toy. Don't get me wrong, it's an awesome tool, but its real shining glory is carrying it around in your purse or car or pocket and being able to play whenever you have a free moment. I love using mine while driving instead of the radio (not recommended)! You can hook up external speakers or headphones (or output to other instruments), but the internal speaker works great, too. The Delay is my favorite Monotron and packs hours/days/years of fun into a portable and affordable package that's perfect for kids or adults. It's hard to put down, which leads to the only downside - other people do not seem to take the pleasure in hearing it that you will in playing it..! Solitude or headphones recommended.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
The Monotron by Korg is an amazing handheld analogue synthesizer--yes, handheld. It's about as big as an iPod Touch and only uses 2 AAA batteries (runs 8 hours). Consequently, it may be thought of as a toy by some who are unfamiliar with synthesizers... but it is an instrument definitely capable of some awesome sounds despite being so tiny. I bought this item because I play in a band and wanted to add some awesome new sounds to our set. This fits the bill! The knobs, switch and casing are all very durable. The speaker of course does not give the full range of sound that the Monotron actually produces, but that's not really a downside, since you'll want to take the little guy with you and jam on it without disturbing your neighbors. Just plug your speakers into the headphone jack when you are at home. Cranked up, the Monotron makes some pretty wild noises. The ribbon controller is of course very short, with only a little over an octave, if you keep it set to play one note per "key" (more on this later). The sound is modeled after the famous Korg MS-20, so it can range from cute beeps to really growly synthetic screeching when the peak knob is turned to max. The Monotron is also great for making a simple beat with the LFO knobs--set the rate to the beat you want (the knob is clear and flashes on beat) and turn the intensity knob up to make some punchy rhythm. The switch on the left is for changing how the sound is modified; either play melodies on the "pitch" setting or make outer-space beeps, bloops, and beats on the "cutoff" setting. There is a screw on the top of the unit that you can turn to change the range of the ribbon controller, thus letting you fit more than an octave on it if you wish. Personally I keep it on one note per "key," since you can change the pitch of the entire controller using the VCO knob. This makes it easier to play consistent notes. That being said, the only possible downside is that it may be hard to stay on the notes you want if you have larger fingers, though using a stylus eliminates this problem. Since the ribbon is continuous with no break between notes, it is quite easy to bend away from the notes you are trying to play. But just wiggle your finger on each note to make it sound sort of like a theremin, and you'll be fine. =) There is also an auxiliary input, so you can use the Monotron's LFO and VCF knobs as filters for other instruments or sound-producing devices. This instrument is hard to compare to others since it's so unique. It's a great synthesizer and really fun to pull out at live shows. The large range of sounds makes it great for a number of uses in music, whether you use it for a beat or a solo. If that isn't enough, the Monotron has a great price! It's maybe $50 new, but I got it used for less. I definitely recommend this instrument to musicians and non-musicians alike.Read full review
The Korg Monotron is the best $60 you can spend on an electronic music device. The osc. goes from super low to super high. The lfo goes from super slow to super fast and then even faster untill it starts to turn into a regular osc. Theres a switch to have the lfo on the pitch or cutoff. The filter is super sweet. You can input into the filter. They could have priced it at $100, easy. I can't wait for the next edition of this synth(which should have more features, features that are already on the chip used to make this thing. Like osc wave choice, pulse width, etc.). Check out the modded monotrons. Buy it now!
I highly recommend it with one small caveat; it doesn't have a line level output, so plugging it into something else is going to require a preamp or something along those lines. With headphones the thing sounds wicked. Running external audio through the aux port is pretty cool on this as well and you can get some sounds of from the delay and feedback that are really similar to the EP-103 delay pedal. For some fun turn up the cutoff so you can hear treble and crank the feedback. Back off of the feedback a bit and then turn down the cutoff to get that deep rumbling spaceship sound. You may have to press a key, but after you get it going in a session you can do this over and over and never get the same results twice. It's a fun little device. It does have a lot of background hiss, so anything you're going to do with it from a serious recording standpoint is going to need a little cleanup. The input and output are both stereo though. Glad I bought it, might hack it and add a line level output to use it for recording. You also might want to add a little padding to the back of the battery door, as the thing shakes around you can hear the batteries smack the back. The little built-in speaker has no bass, so don't get disappointed when you first play a note on it. Plug it into something amplified and let `er rip.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
This is a great little synth to have. Despite it's size it is very powerful and sounds great. It sounds best through the aux output to some good speakers, but the built in ones can be pretty handy for just messing around and coming up with ideas. I also love the fact that you can plug in an external sound source to use with it and even control the sound of the input. I've tried plugging in an iPod as well as a keyboard and even a guitar, all of which sound awesome and are very fun to use alongside this awesome synth.