Korg Monologue Monophonic Analogue Synthesizer (Silver)

I play bass guitar and wanted a small portable keyboard that I can use on gigs when a more modern sound is required. The keys are not full size and even though I am not a proficient keyboardist I would have preferred full size keys but the good thing is that its very portable and fits in a laptop bag.. For my requirements there are too many sounds that are not useable but on the korg site you can download loads of good bass presets. I also found some very good ones online on another site (which I paid about £25 for 300). I am not very interested in tweaking the many knobs but now with the downloads I have a great selection of bass sounds. Unfortunately no transpose key and that is a shame. The Bass station2 does have transpose, full size keys and can also download ... MoreI play bass guitar and wanted a small portable keyboard that I can use on gigs when a more modern sound is required. The keys are not full size and even though I am not a proficient keyboardist I would have preferred full size keys but the good thing is that its very portable and fits in a laptop bag.. For my requirements there are too many sounds that are not useable but on the korg site you can download loads of good bass presets. I also found some very good ones online on another site (which I paid about £25 for 300). I am not very interested in tweaking the many knobs but now with the downloads I have a great selection of bass sounds. Unfortunately no transpose key and that is a shame. The Bass station2 does have transpose, full size keys and can also download the 300 presets but it does cost quite a bit more than the korg

A potent little bass synth that won't leave you broke

I must say that when I saw how cheap this synth was, I really wasn't expecting it to be that well built or offer a very good keybed. I had a bit of an elitist attitude and thought it was just another one of those toyish things Korg was experimenting with. I couldn't resist my curiosity and ended up with one anyway. Quite honestly, I've been humbled by my experience. This thing is surprisingly well built. The knobs feel very solid and keybed has a firmness I just didn't think would be offered on an economic synth. The switches have a little bit side to side play but are mostly solid. We'll just have to see how they wear over time. The architecture is simple if not basic but is way more conducive to quick on the fly sound creation. There are no modulation matrixes or ... MoreI must say that when I saw how cheap this synth was, I really wasn't expecting it to be that well built or offer a very good keybed. I had a bit of an elitist attitude and thought it was just another one of those toyish things Korg was experimenting with. I couldn't resist my curiosity and ended up with one anyway. Quite honestly, I've been humbled by my experience. This thing is surprisingly well built. The knobs feel very solid and keybed has a firmness I just didn't think would be offered on an economic synth. The switches have a little bit side to side play but are mostly solid. We'll just have to see how they wear over time. The architecture is simple if not basic but is way more conducive to quick on the fly sound creation. There are no modulation matrixes or multiple envelope controls but if you just want to get to the point, this thing will do it. In comparison, I once had a Dave Smith Mopho x4 with complex routing options and still couldn't get the kinds of bass that I can get from the monologue.Now that all of that being said, I would have preferred full size keys. However, like I said they still feel good, and it's a not real deal breaker. The other issue is that it doesn't include a power supply. I guess Korg has to cut corners somewhere to be able to offer it at this price point.In all I think this is an exciting time for new gear, and synthesizers like the Korg Monologue are setting new standards for affordable analog units.

Dope for sound design & EDM

Its a dope synth with an oscillator!! its super fresh to make techno, hip hop, experimental sounds, loops & sequences. Loads of knobs to tweek the wave form into the sound you want to hear, its got a nice analog feel & the sounds are stellar. Not even sure why Im selling it tbh lol I think Im just pairing down my collection to a couple of units to focus on creating with limited gear. This is definitely a gem to have in your synth collection!

Great Monosynth

It's a great monosynth. I loooooove analogue synthesizers and really enjoy monologue even though it's monophonic. It's a pretty powerful little guy, and this guy is especially wonderful if you like noise-oriented electronics (like me). Also, Aphex Twin presets are amazing even though I prefer my own. But there is a huge BUT (that was not a deal breaker for me hence the 5 stars, as I have compatible AC adapters laying around). Are you kidding me, Korg? Where is the AC adapter? 6 batteries are not nearly enough for a synth enthusiast who uses this thing every day. Just include a power supply! Not many people have infinite amounts of alkaline batteries just laying around the house.

Great Product, awful customer Service

The Korg Monologue is fantastic and I am having a blast making sounds with it, the built in oscilloscope make learning how waveform are shaped and modulated very easy. However the product was not shipped as advertised. The reason I bought it from this website was because it states that it includes a AC 9V adaptor and a sync cable, however neither were included, and as a standalone unit the monologue can be purchased cheaper elsewhere. What's worse is that I have contacted the supplier on two separate addresses and tried calling them but they have given me no answers, so unfortunately I would have to suggest that you definitely purchase this product, but not from here.

Great little synth

This Monologue is just great fun. There are always a couple of things where you think... if only it had this... but for the money I think it is the best of the mono synths out there. The difference is the immediacy of the sequencer. - It transforms the synth from a bleep machine to an inspirational bit of kit. I was also very impressed by the the bass response. Having tried a few of the cheap mono-synths out there, buying and selling on eBay, I decided a new one of these was the best route. - Very glad I did. :0)

Korg Has Done It Again

The Korg Monologue is a fantastic and fun two oscillator fully analog monosynth with selectable ring mod or sync on oscillator two. It lends itself naturally to bass tones and produces them well and with ease. Programming is fluid as almost every parameter has a knob or switch with an intuitive menu accessible through the sequencer buttons for things like tempo syncing the LFO, keytracking the filter, setting velocity control of filter and/or amplitude, assigning the bender, and naming patches. The sequencer is fun to use as well. I never recorded in real time, opting instead to step sequence, which acts as you would expect if you have used other step sequencers. I think it's a little odd that Korg opted for a 100 patch limit instead of a standard 128 but that's ... MoreThe Korg Monologue is a fantastic and fun two oscillator fully analog monosynth with selectable ring mod or sync on oscillator two. It lends itself naturally to bass tones and produces them well and with ease. Programming is fluid as almost every parameter has a knob or switch with an intuitive menu accessible through the sequencer buttons for things like tempo syncing the LFO, keytracking the filter, setting velocity control of filter and/or amplitude, assigning the bender, and naming patches. The sequencer is fun to use as well. I never recorded in real time, opting instead to step sequence, which acts as you would expect if you have used other step sequencers. I think it's a little odd that Korg opted for a 100 patch limit instead of a standard 128 but that's more of an observation than a complaint. I did not find many uses for the drive as I found it too aggressive & harsh in most applications. The LFO is very expressive and can even go up to audio rate in the "fast" setting, allowing for analog FM style tones when assigned to any destination. Although this synth does not have full sized keys, they are not as small as say a microKorg or many controllers. They feel pretty natural to play and I wasn't hitting extra keys while using them. I would say this is an excellent first synth for anyone attempting to learn synthesis. However, even an experienced user as myself can find uses for the sound of this synth with its pure analog signal path and excellent sounding filter.

Perfect little mono

Made seriously well, great solid feel to the controls. Sounds are varied from gnarly to soft, useful added sync and ringmod. P-lock style step locks on the sequencer for note and four lanes of automation which can become four extra step-S+H style LFOs, makes up that there’s only one LFO otherwise - but that LFO goes into audio range. Envelope generators great for plucks to drones. Oscilloscope and lane automation display genuinely useful. Feels boutique despite being so inexpensive, footprint about that of a 12” vinyl. VCO’s tune at startup quickly. No FX but mono out through pedals [or into an iPad via any class compliant interface] and it can sound huge, spacey, droney, expansive. Filter wants to get dirty but can be easily held back - or driven harder through the ... MoreMade seriously well, great solid feel to the controls. Sounds are varied from gnarly to soft, useful added sync and ringmod. P-lock style step locks on the sequencer for note and four lanes of automation which can become four extra step-S+H style LFOs, makes up that there’s only one LFO otherwise - but that LFO goes into audio range. Envelope generators great for plucks to drones. Oscilloscope and lane automation display genuinely useful. Feels boutique despite being so inexpensive, footprint about that of a 12” vinyl. VCO’s tune at startup quickly. No FX but mono out through pedals [or into an iPad via any class compliant interface] and it can sound huge, spacey, droney, expansive. Filter wants to get dirty but can be easily held back - or driven harder through the drive circuit. Portable on 6 AA batteries. Best value for money analogue mono out there.

This is amazing

The korg monologue is absolutely fantastic, multiple presets and sequences help to get the creative process started straight away. There are also user preset spaces that you can save your own sounds in to. The build quality is amazing for the price. One thing I found extremely useful that I didn't think I would was the small screen displaying the waveform. This allowed me to see visually what i was doing to the sound. I have it plugged in to a volca mix and it sounds fantastic, highly recommend for beginners, mid level and professionals.

Very capable. Great sounds. Easy to program. Great value.

The Monologue is a very capable little synth. I have it, mostly, for bass sounds as an augment to my bass guitars on stage. Just another cool texture/color to add to the palette. A really good value and, added bonus, it fits in the front pocket of my Helix backpack as if the pocket was made for it. Nice, fat analog sounds.