KORGmonotron DUO Analog Ribbon Synthesizer

Zero learning curve, just put the batteries in and start messing around! The design is simple to understand and looks sleek, while the device itself is pretty light this is definitely not a toy. These are great for someone interested in music production, sampling, or just having fun by making sounds. If you have a kid with a passion for music or electronics I think this is a great investment because It’s a cheap and available way to be introduced to the fun of making music! There are endless possibilities to what you can do with this device and use it with, I especially like how easily the device can be disassembled and modded because of the open solder pads! I highly recommend you give this little guy a shot.

I never owned an analog synth before -have played with a couple & have a few such apps for iPad & iPhone - but something about the physical / tactile controls + ribbon, the simple design (enough controls to make it flexible & interesting w/o being overwhelming or non-intuitive) and the super portable handheld format makes this totally better than anything I've tried. I put on some headphones and played with this thing for hours, and can't see myself getting bored with it. The ribbon controller is pretty neat for making all sorts of slidy noises and in quantized mode for playing riffs, I may google how to hack in a CV or a MIDI input so I can control it with a larger keyboard or control the various knobs with an expression pedal or Arduino. But everything is laid out pretty nicely that I can tweak knobs while playing and it isn't too difficult. I think I'll be expanding this with the Monotron Delay and others before long, and experimenting with plugging other instruments into the input (a rad feature btw - it basically doubles as an effect pedal!). Well done Korg, you have won a new satisfied customer.

It's kind of a toy, but also kind of a proof-of-concept for Korg. The Monotron duo is awesome. It's about the size of an old audio cassette case. The knobs are responsive, but a little wobbly. The ribbon is great - very responsive, and it's easy to use. You can make some fun and funky sounds with this. There's a little button on the left shoulder of the unit that selects between continuous and several quantized modes. The two oscillators are controlled with a pitch knob (labeled VCO1), and the second oscillator is tuned relative to VCO1 with the VCO2 knob. This actually caused great frustration for me, because they were not perfectly in-tune on my unit when the VCO2 knob was straight up and down - it had to be a little bit to the left. This no doubt has to do with the analog circuitry and cheapness of the product, but the imperfection was annoying enough that I sent it back.The VCF sounds fantastic, and the cross modulation knob adds a lot of character to the sound.For those who have seen the original Monotron, you'll notice that there's no LFO on this unit. You're trading the LFO for the second oscillator and the quantization button. The result is a much more musical machine, but the tradeoff is real.You also get an aux in jack, which allows you to run external audio through the excellent filter.I said this was a "proof-of-concept," and it is - where the concept is, "A ridiculously affordable and fun analog synth that proves people want analog synthesizers, so Korg can go on to make tons more at other price points with different features." It *seems* like this device made other instruments, like the Volca series and the Minilogue, possible. And for that, I am tremendously grateful. And I really like this product. But having returned the unit I purchased, I would not buy another since I purchased the Volca Keys instead. The bottom line is that if you can afford this unit or the Volca Keys, you want the Volca Keys. But this is an excellent toy and a surprisingly fun instrument, if seriously limited in application.

I have been eybe-balling these Korg ribbon synths for a long time, but felt they were (are) overpriced at $70-$100. It just so happens this Monotron Duo was 50% off for $36, so I bought it without hesitation.On its own, its nothing more that a really cool toy. It beeps, it bloops, and it makes a lot of fun sounds and noises. Yes, you can peck Mary Had a Little Lamb, bit the micro keys dont make it easy.I am using a 1/4 adapter to feed it through my guitar pedal chain, and that is where the fun really kicks in. With the use of fuzz, delay, tremelo and reverb - this fun toy becomes something pratical and useable for recording and performing. It becomes an endless source of reteo sci-fi sounds and other auxiliary noises.Personally, I feel the Monotron Duo is worth exactly $36. At that price, I am incredibly pleased with it, but I would be less enthusiastic if I paid retail price. If you are on the fence, I say grab it while it's 50% off. I'm glad I did.

I love everything about this synthesizer. Im known as the one who carries his synth everywhere he goes and its a really great device. As a single instrument you can make some really good sound effects. However it doesnt have enough on it to create a excision or skrillex sound but definetly something like deadmau5 or Mord Fustang is achievable on this. The fact it isnt a midi is something that not everyone likes but i actually prefer to have it with the aux jacks because im an on budget person and have some mild Daw's and Music creator 6 cant really make a electro or dubstep beat. You can run a song through it and play sounds over it and that feature is pretty cool. you can also find some pretty good combo's on this thing and its interesting every time you turn a knob. ALSO get a headphone splitter if you plan to record the sounds because once you plug it into your microphone jack you can hear hat your playing, this way you can hear and record it. Belkin Speaker and Headphone Splitter Overall a really great buy for the beginner and maybe even a professional who would like something to carry around and make sounds on. Really Fun, Very Portable, Great Device Korg!