Review: Korg Monotribe

In 2010 Korg released a tiny pocket-sized analogue synthesiser called the Monotron [see the review in Issue 79] that has since become a cult hit. A quick search on YouTube instantly invites you into the basements of synth freaks the world over who have fallen in love with this diminutive machine. The Monotron was Korg’s first analogue synthesiser in over 25 years, featuring an inbuilt ribbon controller and simple controls. It’s capable of some wild sounds and its value as an instrument is starkly emphasised by its similarly proportioned pricetag. For less than $90 you get a synth that can howl and scream with the best of them, and an external input that uses filter circuitry based on the classic 1978 Korg MS20. With a huge cult following, it’s no wonder Korg has followed it up with its enhanced big brother – the Monotribe.

WHAT IS IT?

Essentially the Monotribe is the lovechild of the Monotron and the Korg Electribe, hence the name. With some sequencing ability inherited from the latter, the Monotribe features a monophonic synthesiser and a true analogue drum machine that offers basic Roland TR909-style kick, snare and hi-hat sounds. The drum sounds aren’t particularly amazing, and you can’t route them through the internal filters either, but it’s a nice bonus. This is all chucked into a stealthy black battery operated box that’s surprisingly sturdy and includes a speaker and eight-step sequencer. The knobs are well laid out, and feel reasonably expensive and super smooth. Without batteries, the synth weighs around 750 grams, and while not pocket sized like its little brother, it’s probably around the same size as a VHS tape (remember those!). For the younger readers, it’s a bit smaller than an iPad.

Blips and beeps come courtesy of a VCO that’s switchable between Saw, Triangle and Square waves with octaves ranging from a super deep 64, up to two. There’s also a noise generator for adding analogue dirt. Unlike the Monotron, the small ribbon controller keyboard is switchable between three different modes: the ‘Wide’ setting allows you the full range of notes to create huge portamento effects, ‘Narrow’ gives you around an octave to play with, while ‘Key’ sets the ribbon controller to a chromatic scale. Much like the settings on Korg’s Kaossilator Pro, ‘Key’ mode essentially pitch corrects your performances for you, replaying the closest note to the frequency your finger has selected, keeping you in tune with other instruments – something that was incredibly difficult with the Monotron.

The 12dB per octave low-pass filter is the same circuit as the venerable MS10/MS20, and the LFO is switchable between VCO, VCF, or a combination of both. I have lined up the Monotribe and Monotron next to my MS20 and they do sound quite different. Neither is better or worse, just different. The eight-step sequencer is used for both the drum patterns and synth programming, and by using Active Step mode you can change the length of the loop to create interesting rhythms and loop lengths. A Flux mode allows creation of synth parts that don’t necessarily snap to the eight-step sequence, giving a little bit more versatility by allowing insertion of notes in free time.

JOIN THE TRIBE

As a lover of quirky noise making toys, and a regular creator of my own circuit-bent synthesisers, I had to grab a Monotribe the moment they became available. A tiny, cheap analogue synth with a drum machine and a sequencer built-in is my idea of fun! A lot of people have dismissed the Monotribe as a cheap toy designed to make silly analogue noises. Interestingly, that’s exactly why I ordered it, and anyone who thinks this thing is incapable of serious speaker-shaking analogue tones is mistaken. The Monotribe has been criticized for its inability to sync (there’s no tempo readout) but the recent release of a free iPhone app called ‘Korg SyncControl’ fixes this issue by letting you precisely sync the Monotribe to your DAW. I managed to do this perfectly with sequences in ProTools in a matter of seconds via my iPhone 4.

There have also been noises coming from the big bad angry land of the internet that the Monotribe lacks a 16-step sequencer, MIDI functionality, has no CV inputs and is missing a host of other features, but for the price the complaints ring hollow. If you really need more features, go and buy a MiniMoog Voyager. And if you can’t afford that, buy Dave Smith’s Mopho, which will give you MIDI and an arpeggiator, though I doubt you’ll have as much fun.

At under $300 the Monotribe is portable, sturdy, can be used to filter external sources, sounds great, and is, most importantly, fun – in a properly addictive, tweekable way. And that’s why we got into this studio business in the first place, right? For all the flashing lights and fun of creating amazing sounds? So there, I’ve said it. The Monotribe sounds amazing, and at only $300, I hereby declare it to be ‘The 303 for Gen Y’. In fact, the Monotribe is the first analogue synthesiser I’ve ever taken to a dinner party to pass around the table between the main course and desert!

As my classic 30-year-old Korg MS20 looks on with its multiple thousand dollar price tag, I am here to confess that I feel a little uncomfortable at just how good the little synth sounds.