Korg monotron DUO Analog Ribbon Synthesizer Reviews

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

So, I got this little guy for my birthday. When I first saw it, I realized that it seemed built considerably better than the pictures show. For me, there is no cracks or noteworthy component offsets (example: if the volume knob wasn't very horizontal), aside from the audio jacks, in the plastic, and its a quality plastic as well. Let me just say, this is a huge amount of possibilities at this price point, and these 5 knobs can do a whole lot!
With 2 oscillators, this thing is capable of unison with detuning, as well as some extreme pitch modulation with the second oscillator. the filter is extremely fun to play with in real time. I even heard synthetic "voices" when messing with osc2 pitch with some cross mod. the option to switch on and off the output of the second oscillator is a great addition. the built in speaker isn't as horrible as I thought it was going to be, and actually reveals what you are making very well. I also noticed what I believe to be a harmonics locking mechanism, and what I mean by that is it makes it easier to get an FM sound without any detune or movement in the waveform. it seems to know when the sound matches up and becomes a basic waveform.
My only small complaints is that there is quiet noise coming out of the speaker and the headphone jack. seems to be more noticeable on headphones than speakers, but on the speakers i couldn't even hear the noise. The second one is that the ribbon controller is a little difficult to use; however, you can still play simple tunes if you keep trying. Also maybe worth mentioning is that it is hard to get a slow detune on the 2 oscillators because of this "harmonics locking feature". This is all nitpicking at this price point.
overall, I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to try hands on synthesis or wants a pocket synth that sounds good. It also makes a great gift for synthesis lovers of all ages. It is relatively easy for anyone to understand how to use it. Although this wouldn't be a good choice for a studio, I Highly recommend this product to satisfy your inner synth lover.

I LOVE THE SOUND BETTER THAN ANYTHING I EVER HEARRD BUT I WISH IT WAS MADE A LITTE STURDIER THE ALL PLASTIC DESIGHN SCARES ME ESPECIALLY THE SENSITIVE LITTLE BUUTONS THAT I THINK WILL PROBABLY BREAK SOON IN MY GEAR BAG BUT FOR THE PRICE AND THE SOUND YOU GET YOUR MONEYS WORTH

I bought this when released because at that time the only analog synths available were expensive vintage classics or a few pricey beasts from specialty makers like DSI. Getting the real analog resonant filter was exciting and I tried using it on many external signals, it has a beefy tone - but its also extremely noisy. I rated this low because 1) Ive never found any use for it 2) you cannot really play this thing except maybe a bit with a stylus (you'll hit wrong notes often, even w the scaling). 3) The build quality is flimsy, my Dad's broke early on 4) I'd argue its EXPENSIVE given how useless - for $ you can do far far better 4) it was very frustrating to finally have an analog synth but not be able to play it; there's a spot on the circuit board (even labeled) where one could connect CV to control parameters the knobs do but Korg vastly overestimated how interested ppl would be in doing that and 5) soon after they released the Volca series and anyone who wanted a portable bit of analog synth could get something that while limited could be useful, were playable, will hold their value for $ more. You think its just $ but for so little utility, I cannot imagine anyone who'd be satisifed. I'm astonished by the positive reviews here. I think people want to like something they buy.

It just doesn't do that much. Sounds kind of cool, but I don't even see any way to hook it to a MIDI keyboard and the keyboard that comes with it is too tiny to use much in performaces. The Delay Monotron at least makes some wild noises to use as a sound effect. Trying to figure out what this is good for.

This thing needs midi, because it's basically unplayable with that tiny ribbon keyboard. I like the simplicity and price, but it's nearly useless. like iphone synth apps.