About two years ago, Korg released a family of handheld, battery-powered analog synthesizers — the Monotron series. I recently picked up the Monotron Delay and found it to be an absolute blast. A great, albeit a bit noisy, sound which is powerful enough to stand out in a thick mix and also scare my cats.
The Monotron series also features a “Classic” version without delay and a dual oscillator model. The Delay won me over with its input jack that allows the processing of an external audio signal.
Korg Monotron Delay Features
- Analog VCO (Sawtooth and Square Waves) with Ribbon Keyboard Pitch Control
- Analog MS-20 VCF with Cutoff Control
- LFO with Rate and Intensity Control
- Delay with Time and Feedback Control
- 1/8″-inch External Input and Output
- Built-in Speaker
- Powered by 2 AAA Batteries
- Retails for $49.99
The Monotron Delay serves as a great introduction to analog synthesis for kids. Parents needn’t freak out as it comes with a headphone jack. It is blast to play with and actually musically useful for analog sound effects. Its cheap, under $50 price makes it a no-brainer. Get one today!
Monotone Delay is a Monotron Delay Clone for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch
I also was recently directed to Monotone Delay, an iOS app that is effectively a clone of the Monotron Delay. It echoes (no pun intended) the interface of Korg’s piece of analog hardware and the sound is pretty decent as well — conjuring up LFO-driven delay bleatings to frighten the feline species.
The developer needs to release an update that adds either Audiobus or Inter App Audio support — preferably both. The ability to use Monotone to modify an external signal from another iOS app or the mic input would really make it a lot more useful. Still, its nominal price make Monotone a worthy download — even more so if Audiobus and IAA are supported in a future update.
Both the Korg Monotron Delay and Monotone are fun sound generators with uses in Spacerock or other electronic music.