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 Korg Monotron Delay is a useful analog ribbon synth and a great introduction for kids. Copyright Korg.
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 Monotone Delay is a great Monotron clone for the iOS platform. Screenshot by Author.
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.
[…] beatbox that is part of Korg’s recent analog renaissance, including everything from the Monotron series to the upcoming rebirth of the ARP Odyssey. Korg deserves praise for bringing analog to the […]