Korg

Reviews | Korg Montron Duo and Delay
70
T
he music world was taken by
surprise in 2010 when Korg
announced the release of a
new pocket-sized synth.
Could this really be Korg – committed
digital hardware manufacturers –
releasing their fi rst new analogue synth
for nearly 30 years? Even more
surprisingly, was such a forward-
thinking company really basing parts of
the circuitry on designs found in their
MS-10 and MS-20 synths of the
1970s? The hype turned out to be true
and – despite its quirks – we loved the
original Monotron, fi ddly ribbon
controller, noisy output and all.
The Monotron synth engine was
included in this year’s Monotribe
groovebox, suggesting that Korg were
gradually working towards something
bigger and even more impressive, so it
came as another surprise when it was
announced that two new models were
being added to the Monotron range.
Korg obviously aren’t quite fi nished
with their analogue heritage just yet.
What’s new?
Eagerly pulling the new Monotrons
from their packets, we fi nd that both
units are based on the same form
factor as the original, right down to the
position of the fi ve knobs and
three-way slider switch on the front
panel. Each features the same basic
setup – ribbon controller, integrated
speaker, headphone output, auxiliary
input and compartment on the back for
the supplied pair of AAA batteries.
The differences start to become
apparent when you check out the
controls. The Duo (blue case, regular
keys) adds another oscillator and a
cross-modulation control to the original
Monotron design. Meanwhile, the
Delay (black case, reverse keys, funky
Sci-Fi paint job) adds an analogue-
style delay circuit.
1+1 = Duo?
The Duo concept revolves around a
relatively simple twist on the Monotron:
inspired by the X-mod feature on
Korg’s Mono/Poly synth of the early
’80s, Korg have added a second
oscillator. The Duo’s twin VCOs
nominally produce square waves, but a
quick check with an oscilloscope
reveals that the shape is quite a bit
more harmonically rich than a pure
square, like a square with a bit of
sawtooth blended in to add some bite.
The real magic comes from the fact
that VCO1’s frequency can be
modulated by the output of VCO2, with
the level of modulation determined by
the X-MOD INT knob. It’s vaguely
similar to the effect created by
modulating pitch with the LFO on the
original Monotron, but the Duo’s two
VCOs both respond to the keyboard
input, rather than the modulation
frequency being fi xed.
It takes a few minutes to get the
hang of the Duo’s options. With the
slider switch on the VCO1 setting, only
VCO1 is sent to the output but VCO2
can still be used to modulate its
frequency. The VCO1+2 setting sends
both to the output. VCO1’s pitch
adjustment has a range of around four
octaves, while the range of VCO2 is
also dependent on the setting of VCO1
WHAT IS IT?
Two new versions of Korg’s
mini analogue synth
CONTACT
Who: Korg UK
Tel: [phone]
Web: www.korg.co.uk
HIGHLIGHTS
1 Duo adds an extra
oscillator for cross-
modulation
2 Analogue-style delay
circuit in Delay is perfect
for FX
3 Duo’s ribbon modes
ensure pitch-perfect tuning
Korg Monotron
Duo and Monotron
Delay | £99 each
Korg’s Monotron range grows in numbers. Greg
Scarth tests the new duo and delay additions
ON THE DVD
The delay circuit is
basic and pretty noisy
but it’s just right for
the Monotron.
Perfect for spacey
dub echoes
We’re disappointed at
the fi xed resonance
on the awesome fi lter.
There just isn’t
enough space on the
front panel for
another knob
Delay Controls
Filter
FMU249.rev_korg.indd 70 12/22/11 2:04:31 PM