Korg

Korg Montron Duo and Delay | Reviews
73
Adding resonance to the Delay’s fi lter
would therefore mean ditching one of
the other controls or retooling to
produce an entirely new case and PCB
design. It’s a real shame it’s not
adjustable as standard, but I have no
doubt that the modding and circuit
bending communities will come up
with a solution before too long.
Tron legacy
I’m absolutely certain that Monotron
owners will decide to add one or even
both of the new models to their
collection. Each one offers a great new
take on the basic Monotron concept,
which is sure to attract plenty of new
buyers too. The Delay is the more
immediate of the two units, but gets
marked down slightly on versatility
since it’s really a dedicated FX box.
The Duo’s adoption of the
Monotribe’s chromatic ribbon modes
make it a much more appropriate
option for pitch-perfect melodies. At an
RRP of £99, we’re expecting a street
price somewhere around the £70
mark, making the new models pretty
good value. The classic Monotron is
still on sale too (now at a bargain price
of £42) so if you’d prefer switchable
VCO waveforms and an LFO to
modulate the fi lter go for that.
My only real complaint is with the
way Korg are drip-feeding us new
features with successive Monotron and
Monotribe releases. The company now
has four different analogue devices on
the market, each with slightly different
feature sets. We know Korg can make
stable analogue oscillators, awesome
MS-style fi lters, step sequencers and
analogue drum circuits, so doesn’t it
make sense to bring all those ideas
together in the same unit? Modders
will relish the idea
of hacking
Monotrons and
Monotribes
together to create
insane custom
synths, but the
rest of us are
desperate for Korg
to cram all that technology into one
box and release the brand new
analogue synth we suspect they’re
hinting at. So, Korg, what’s it going to
be next? Polytron? Drumatron? Or
Monotron Pro? We can’t wait.
VERDICT: DELAY
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VALUE
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EASE OF USE
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VERSATILITY
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An FX monster with a great delay
section. A shame about the fi lter’s
fi xed resonance.
VERDICT: DUO
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EASE OF USE
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VERSATILITY
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RESULTS
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An extra oscillator and new ribbon
modes make the Duo the best
choice for melodies.
The Delay’s ribbon
controller has a
range of around four
octaves, making it
almost impossible to
play melodies. This
one’s designed for FX
Ribbon Range
I’m absolutely certain that Monotron
owners will add one or even both of
the new models to their collection
FMU249.rev_korg.indd 73 12/22/11 2:04:39 PM