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Korg monotron
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jfox
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 1:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Sorry alienmeatsack I can't get google to translate it..



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PostPosted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 6:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Here's a comparison (MS20 vs. Monotron):


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PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 2:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Come on now. This is getting SILLY! Laughing

Okay, it sounds like an MS20 farting. Big deal! Laughing It just shows how over priced these analogue dinosaurs have become.

I just wish the Monotron sounded less "mono" and more "stereo" (eg, lush). But it doesn't. It also sounds so thin- which is what many of those old Jap synths sounded like back in their heyday. And why didn't they put some echo or chorus on board? (Like they used to?) I like the cuteness, but the Monotron still sounds like a inconsequential fart to me (Stylophone-esq)!

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2010 8:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

v-un-v wrote:
It just shows how over priced these analogue dinosaurs have become.


Good point.
Still, both sound good to me.

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T7



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PostPosted: Sun Jun 13, 2010 12:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

At around $60. it seems worth it just for the audio input. But the CV/Gate mods pretty much seal the deal for me:



MIDI to CV demo: http://masa921.hp.infoseek.co.jp/monotron_CVGATE_demo.mp3

Mods: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http://masa921.hp.infoseek.co.jp/monotron_mod.htm&sl=ja&tl=en
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2010 8:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

This is getting more like it! Very Happy


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PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2010 8:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

T7 wrote:
At around $60. it seems worth it just for the audio input. But the CV/Gate mods pretty much seal the deal for me:



MIDI to CV demo: http://masa921.hp.infoseek.co.jp/monotron_CVGATE_demo.mp3

Mods: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http://masa921.hp.infoseek.co.jp/monotron_mod.htm&sl=ja&tl=en


This is a cool demo.

Korg's effects processors aren't bad, but I'm not sure I want them to add chorus or echo to the Monotron, which would raise the price well above $60. I have a couple of nice external delay pedals that would sound better than any built-in delay that Korg could put in.

OTOH, if Korg releases a future version of the Kaossilator that incorporates the Monotron's filter and oscillator, with the usual Kaossilator effects, and keeps the price under $400 (the Kaossilator Pro model sells for $400), I'd be tempted. They could pull this off if they really wanted to - they did after all add a real analog tube to the Electribe series. But they're probably waiting to see how well the Monotron sells.

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ocp



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PostPosted: Sat Jun 19, 2010 12:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Yet another video:



and another:


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alienmeatsack



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PostPosted: Fri Aug 06, 2010 8:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

The Monotron is officially released in the US now. I got the notice yesterday that mine was on it's way. Wahoo!
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alienmeatsack



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PostPosted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 5:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Mine arrived today. The pictures and videos don't really convey the tiny itty bitty size of it!

That's my wallet next to it
Posted Image, might have been reduced in size. Click Image to view fullscreen.

It's BEGGING to be modded too. Bigger keyboard, bigger knobs, more LEDs.

The only thing I don't care for so far is the batteries flopping about in their tray. I'm going to add something soft to the inside of the lid to keep em from doing that.

Ive only played for a few minutes and the variety of sounds it can make is astounding. I've not even tried inputting anything yet and I can tell you if you want bang for the buck, this has it in piles and piles.

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BrassTeacher



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PostPosted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 4:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Sorry for coming late to the party, just got mine today ($59.00US), but I've been studying it for awhile trying to make up my mind to buy or not, then the long delay actually finding one to buy! Confused

I just wanted to add a couple things:
1. Do NOT judge it by the internal speaker, or even what you get through semi-decent headphones. Plug it into a good amp and speaker system, and it can be very impressive.

2. Right out of the box, the keyboard range on mine needed adjustment to make from C to C one octave. It was somewhere between a minor and major seventh.

3. The filter is low-pass only, as in the MS-10. The filter itself is a discrete version of the Korg 35 chip.

4. The filter is EXTREMELY resonant, to the point you have to be careful of the volume setting when playing with the resonance knob. This is not a bad thing in my opinion. The resonance is not as wild as a Poly 800 or EX-800 with the so-called "Moog slayer" mod. (Now THAT thing is dangerous! Shocked )

5. The LFO goes quite a bit up into the audio range, which allows for some cool effects, especially when modulating the filter. Cool

After I finish a couple repairs (and get paid for them Rolling Eyes ), I plan on buying a second, and combining the two into a dual oscillator synth. Obviously, it will have two detuneable oscillators, and I plan to cascade the two filters, with a switch allowing it to use one (12dB), or both (24dB). Since this will obviously require a larger box/chassis, I plan on adding an envelope generator and a VCA, as well as a triangle and square wave converter to one of the LFO's.

Midi? Maybe. Has anyone had experience with this guy? He seems to be a genius, and if it works as advertised, the price is extremely fair:

midimplant.com/
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v-un-v
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 1:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I've heard good reports about that tiny midi interface.

Why though you would want to hack a Monotron, to make a dual osc version is beyond me. The Monotron is rapidly becoming an icon, and destroying its case would just place it in the realm of any other cheap synthesiser. Personally I would try to add a comparator, controlled by a cds, to add PWM Smile But I've heard that there is very little room within the case (I haven't got one yet)

It's a Stylophone for the new millennia! Who ever bought the rights to Dubreq wasted their opportunity to recognise this.

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BrassTeacher



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PostPosted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 11:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

v-un-v wrote:
I've heard good reports about that tiny midi interface.


That's good to hear. It was one of those things at first that sounds too good to be true...

v-un-v wrote:
Why though you would want to hack a Monotron, to make a dual osc version is beyond me. The Monotron is rapidly becoming an icon, and destroying its case would just place it in the realm of any other cheap synthesiser. Personally I would try to add a comparator, controlled by a cds, to add PWM Smile But I've heard that there is very little room within the case (I haven't got one yet)


Oh, I have no intention of destroying the case! In fact, I may veneer the white portion of mine.

I haven't opened the case yet, but let's put it this way: It appears that if you find a way to power the thing externally, therefore allowing the battery compartment to be freed up, you will almost DOUBLE the available space inside. Oh yeah, the battery compartment holds two AAA batteries. Very Happy

Rapidly becoming an icon? Hmm, funny you should say that, as it seems like someone was, how does the expression go? "Taking the piss" on the Monotron earlier? Laughing Perhaps I only imagined that... Cool
...oh yeah, like we need ANOTHER analog synth to become an "icon", therefore driving the resale price up dramatically. Concertmate MG-1 anybody? Very Happy Next thing we know, these things will start selling for above retail due to the "cool factor", sort of like the new VW Beetle when it came out. Oh yeah, that reminds me:

Overpriced Monotron

No, this is not a joke!
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v-un-v
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 5:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Yes, I was taking the piss, and I sort of still am- especially when you emphasise that the Monotron sounds a whole load better when put through hundreds of dollars worth of decent speaker and amplification!! Go figure!!! Laughing

It's a toy, and it always will be. But like the Stylophone, someone will do some cool things with it- like Kraftwerk (Pocket Calculator) and David Bowie (Space Oddity) did (And just like that really cool youtube vid someone did). Very Happy

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modulator_esp
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 7:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

the monotron may be a toy, but it's a pretty useful one

and unlike the stylophone it has variable sounds and can be used to process other stuff

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BrassTeacher



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PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 8:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

v-un-v wrote:
Yes, I was taking the piss, and I sort of still am- especially when you emphasise that the Monotron sounds a whole load better when put through hundreds of dollars worth of decent speaker and amplification!! Go figure!!! Laughing


I don't remember a pair of KEF 104/2 speakers being that expensive? Wink (Actually, the pair I have were given to me free Very Happy ) Seriously though, the rig is a double-edged sword. A bad recording, or a piece of gear with faults only has the inadequacies magnified. After getting my recently acquired Yamaha SK-15 working, after an hour through that system I took it apart again and treated it to a full rebuild. My MG-1 and my JX-3P sound great through it, but my friend's Odyssey was truly awe-inspiring! Despite the similarities, my Axxe doesn't sound as if it was designed by the same people in comparison. So, the Monotron doing well for itself on my rig (in comparison to what it sounds like otherwise) shows it at least has potential, especially the filter. The VCO doesn't suck either, but I find the VCO in the SX-150 to be much more vibrant and alive. Is either one a Moog? Hell No! Cool

v-un-v wrote:
It's a toy, and it always will be. But like the Stylophone, someone will do some cool things with it- like Kraftwerk (Pocket Calculator) and David Bowie (Space Oddity) did (And just like that really cool youtube vid someone did). Very Happy


Of course it is, I agree completely. I just wish I had more toys like that when I was a kid! Smile And, as we all know, toys are more fun when you take them apart and put them together again, especially if you can "customize" them!
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 10:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Ah a toy! Like this you mean? Wink

Posted Image, might have been reduced in size. Click Image to view fullscreen.

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hendrixworkshop



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PostPosted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 8:15 am    Post subject: My Monotron Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I got one on Saturday, and I have to say it is pretty cool. Fairly versatile on its own (my 7 year old loves it - which is always a good sign), and extremely useful as a filter using the AUX input. I've been using it with my BoardWeevil breakout box and my WSG - through an Echo Base - to chop beats/pulses and get a FAT sound. Yes. It sounds like a KORG, but the extreme lows and highs of the filter translate to more playability (much wider range of sounds) with my other instruments. I've been getting rolling drones to kick drum sounds with it and my Weird Sound Generator.

-- I have a 400mm softpot that I'd love to figure a way to bypass the ribbon on the Monotron and use. Should be doable.
--Sample and Hold
--CV in options are cool too. I'm waiting for SwitchedOn electronics, here in Austin, to do the mod to their store model - then I'll follow suit.
--I'd also like to put knobs on it, but don't know the size to get (shaft-wise). The knobs would have to be less than 1/2" in diameter.
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BrassTeacher



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PostPosted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 12:39 pm    Post subject: Re: My Monotron Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

hendrixworkshop wrote:

-- I have a 400mm softpot that I'd love to figure a way to bypass the ribbon on the Monotron and use. Should be doable.


Actually, when I opened mine, the first thing I thought when I saw the ribbon and connector was: That looks just like a softpot!

The ribbon comes out from under the "keyboard" as, well, a ribbon. A clear, flat, three conductor ribbon, which plugs directly into the main board much like the way ribbons are connected inside a portable computer.

As soon as I find my stupid camera, I'll take a pic and post, as well as dimensions of the width of the ribbon.

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hendrixworkshop



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PostPosted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 1:36 pm    Post subject: Thanks! Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

--Brass Teacher

I guess I'll be taking mine apart soon then. Without a stylus, I can't hold an in-tune note for long. Of course, I kind of like the detuned effect also. I can't wait to see the difference the length will make - even it turns out to be an anitclimax.
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 2:52 pm    Post subject: Re: Thanks! Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

hendrixworkshop wrote:
--Brass Teacher

I guess I'll be taking mine apart soon then. Without a stylus, I can't hold an in-tune note for long. Of course, I kind of like the detuned effect also. I can't wait to see the difference the length will make - even it turns out to be an anitclimax.


I'm sure you've probably found the trimpot that is accessible from the outside, just to the right of the volume knob looking at the thing from the back. It adjusts "keyboard" range. I had to adjust mine right out of the box to make the "C keys" a true octave apart. It is my understanding that the trimpot can be adjusted to double the range of the ribbon...

Speaking of the ribbon, it is 5mm wide, and the outside edges of the outside conductors are 3mm apart. Pic attached:


Monotron Ribbon.jpg
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 05, 2010 3:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

alienmeatsack wrote:
Someone needs to get a schematic for this. I bet one of us could make one cheaper than $85 US!


http://www.korg-datastorage.jp/Manual/monotron_sch.pdf

Exclamation

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