Enter to Win a $8000 PA System!

Korg monotron DUO Analog Ribbon Synthesizer

Portable True-analog Ribbon Synthesizer with Dual Oscillators, Cross Modulation, Classic Analog Filter, Internal Speaker, Aux Input, and Headphone Jack
$54.99

P6 Month Special Financing Available

6 months

6 Month Special Financing Available

See all payment options
In Stock!

Add to Cart
Notify me about deals

Ask An Expert

Our expertly trained Sales Engineers are ready to help!

What is a Sales Engineer?
Sweetwater Gear Exchange

Have one to sell?
Check out Sweetwater's Gear Exchange!
Learn More

Most Popular Accessories & Related Items

Korg monotron DUO Analog Ribbon Synthesizer
In Stock!
$54.99
Add to Cart
Add to list
Back to navigation

This article was Written By

Our Product Research Team

Get to know them!

This Pocket Synth Sounds Like a Modular Monster from the '70s!

Korg's monotron DUO analog synthesizer is part of Korg's immensely popular mono-line of pint-sized analog synths - they sound huge yet fit in your pocket. The no-frills design gives you two voltage-controlled oscillators (hence the name DUO) and the same voltage-controller filter circuit from the revered Korg MS10 and MS20 synths. You get the thick, syrupy sound only possible with an analog circuit with the Korg monotron DUO.

The real secret weapon in the monotron DUO's sound-shaping arsenal is the X-MOD circuit (cross modulation) with intensity control. X-MOD lets you modulate the first oscillator with the signal from the second oscillator, creating new harmonics and overtones. The result? Metallic screeches, glistening bells, and robotic warbles are all just a knob twist away, and wouldn't be possible with a single-oscillator synth. You also get four modes to help you play the ribbon controller just the way you like: major scale, minor scale, chromatic, and no scale. Factor in the portability provided by battery operation, and you've got an incredible synth powerhouse in the Korg monotron DUO analog synthesizer!

Korg monotron DUO Features:
  • The distinct sound of analog synthesis in a portable unit that's easy and fun to operate
  • Dual oscillators for rich sound creation
  • Analog filter circuit from the Korg MS10 and MS20 synths - sounds warm and gooey, just like an analog filter should!
  • X-MOD knob gives you cross modulation capability for complex sound generation
  • Auxiliary input for filtering external audio signals
  • Built-in speaker for fun on the go
  • Headphone output lets you play silently or send your performance to a recorder
The Korg monotron DUO is a synth-enthusiasts dream come true!

Warranty Info

Sweetwater's FREE 2-Year Total Confidence Coverage Warranty

Extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

  • Save money with FREE parts and labor
  • Get back to making music with the industry's fastest turnaround time
  • Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department
Learn More about Total Confidence Coverage

Free 2-year Warranty

Sweetwater's 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ Warranty gives you extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

Learn More about Total Confidence Coverage
Tools Icon

Save money with free parts & labor!

Fast Icon

Get back to making music with the industry's fastest turnaround time.

Award Icon

Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department.

Back to navigation

Tech Specs

  • Type: Portable Handheld Synthesizer
  • Polyphony: Monophonic
  • Analog Inputs: 1 x 1/8" TRS (Aux)
  • Analog Outputs: 1 x 1/8" TRS (Headphones)
  • Power Supply: 2 x AAA Batteries
  • Height: 1.1"
  • Width: 4.72"
  • Depth: 2.83"
  • Weight: 0.21 lbs.
  • Manufacturer Part Number: MONOTRONDUO

What Makes Our Sales Engineers Great?

Sweetwater Sales Engineers are a world-class team of experts dedicated to you. Hand selected from across the globe, each brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the world of music gear to provide you with unparalleled service completely free of charge. Friendly relationships, real trust, and the right gear are only a call or a click away!

Back to navigation

Customer Reviews

Write your review
Rated 5/5

Great Synth for Sample Sound Design

The Korg Monotron Duo is a super fun synth and for the money it sounds fantastic. The controls are limited but what really comes across here is the combination of Korg's legendary MS20 filter with the x-mod from their MonoPoly synth. The oscillators are fixed to square waveforms but so much sonic territory is covered with the interplay of their respective independent pitch setting and the x-mod control. I used this to program a custom sample library and found a great range of beefy analog tones that I have been going to for inspiration. I didn't use the Monotron Duo in this way but it does have a filter-in which could be fun for applying the MS20 filter to external sounds. I would say that it is limited as a straight performance piece but the ability to create samples for use in a DAW or hardware sampler is really unmatched for analog tones at this price point.
Music background: Electronic Music
Rated 5/5

Complex analog sounds in a little package

I love the Duo. The complexity of the sounds I'm able to get out of it is pretty impressive. The two modes allow for a wide range of sounds. The first mode allows the second oscillator to function more like a LFO, though even in the first mode the rate is the second oscillator is controlled by the single pitch knob. The second mode turns on the second oscillator fully, allowing you to tune it in addition to setting the modulation amount it has on the first oscillator.

On top of all that, my favorite feature is probably the scale select button, which will allow you to accurately play notes. This makes the Duo more of a melodic instrument than the other two Monotron synths.

If you are looking for a small, quirky analog synth that you would want to use to record or perform lead or perhaps even bass lines, this would be a great little device.

The only downsides I find are that the overall pitch knob doesn't seem to have a huge amount of range compared to the other two monotrons, and I miss the LFO a bit.
Music background: Singer/Song Writer/Producer/Synth Nerd
Rated 5/5

Easily the best analog synth for the price

Surprising range in both texture and octaves. Good build quality, just wish the ribbon was slightly larger. All I wanted was a battery powered tone generator and this exceeded every expectation.
Rated 5/5

This doesn't need MIDI

Nice analog device that is really low cost but a good build. Ideal for guys like me that prefer to work from banks of samples. I can use this to record into audacity, export wave files, then use my sampler to adjust pitches, stretch sustain, and make music using a variety of samples from this machine. If you're the kind of guy that has to have his keyboard plugin to the device and record it into your daw then master a track, it's not really for you. If you want to do that with this, get sampling software (I use Maschine for this) that allows you to load up a sample and going into pad mode allows you to control the sample as if you were sending midi to the device. Now, since you can't adjust the parameters from the synth in real time, it's going to function like a SoundFont, but if you like to focus more on getting the sound to blend with your other tracks by using it inside your DAW, this is an ideal device. Especially for being only 50 bucks!
Music background: Hobbyist, Student
Rated 4.5/5

its VERY good for its price

i honestly think that this synth deserves a bigger price but im glad i got it at the price it is i mean $... for this it can do an INFINITE amount of things with the 5 knobs its equipped with i but what i wish for is bigger keys and a aux out because in reality the keys are only about an inch wide and 1 1/2 inches tall and the speaker is actually really high quality i guess what im saying is its a good synth but the keys need to be a bit bigger
Music background: beatboxer, school dj
Close Close $8,000 PA System Giveaway -- input your email address below to enter or click here to learn more.

See giveaway details & rules or check out our past winners!

Success!

Your email, test has been entered to win this giveaway. Good Luck!