I have a fairly basic
setup that I’ve so far been using for some simple audio work. However,
I’d like to introduce some more interesting sounds and thought that
a Korg Monotron might be an inexpensive way to start experimenting.
However, being a beginner, I’m not entirely sure of the extent of the
Monotron’s capabilities. How could I get the most from it? Do you have
any interesting tips or tricks?
Craig Varney via email
SOS
contributor Paul Nagle replies:
OK, without knowing about your setup
I’ll opt for a generic sort of reply. As you know, the Monotron is
a tiny synthesizer with just five knobs and a short ribbon. Its strength
is in having genuine analogue sound generation rather than massive
versatility or playability. But, in my opinion, it possesses that
‘certain something’ that stands out in a recording.
Being
old and hairy, I use mine primarily for the kind of weebly sound
effects heard on Hawkwind or Klaus Schulze albums. Add a dash of spring
reverb for atmosphere and its electronic tones get closer to my EMS
Synthi than a pile of posh digital synths! Through studio monitors (or
a large PA), the bass end is quite impressive and the filter screams
like a possessed kettle, its resonance breaking up in that distinctive
‘Korg MS’ way. On stage or in the studio, I’d always recommend extra
distortion, courtesy of as many guitar pedals as you can get your hands
on.
Though the Monotron looks like a simple piece of kit, it has surprising potential when used in inventive ways.
An
easy way to experiment with the sounds available from your Korg
Monotron is to pile on the effects with different guitar pedals.
But let’s not get too carried away. We’re still
talking about a basic monophonic synthesizer with an on/off envelope
and just one waveform (a sawtooth). If it’s tunes you’re hoping for,
that’s going to take some work, and preferably external help, such as
a sampler. Personally, I ignore the keyboard markings on the ribbon,
finding the correct pitch entirely by ear. The ribbon’s range is only
slightly above one octave, so to squeeze out a fraction more, turn the
tiny screw at the rear as far as it will go. On my Monotron, this gives
a range of about an octave and a half: roughly comparable to your
typical X‑Factor contestant.
As with X‑Factor
contestants, there’s no universally adopted gripping technique, but
I mostly sweep the pitch with my right thumb whilst adjusting the knobs
with my left hand. I also find a Nintendo DS stylus works fairly well
for melodies, à la the Stylophone.
When your
thumb gets tired, you should try the Monotron’s second trick: being an
audio processor. In a typical loop‑harvesting session, I’ll run a few
drum loops through it while playing with the filter cutoff and
resonance. Once I’ve recorded a chunk of that, I go back through the
results, slicing out shorter loops that contain something appealing,
discarding the rest. Often when the filter is on the edge of
oscillation, or is modulated by the LFO cranked to near maximum speed,
loops acquire that broken, lo‑fi quality that magically enhances plush
modern mixes (I expect that this effect is due to our ears becoming
acclimatised to sanitised filter sweeps and in‑the‑box perfection). This
is a fun (and cheap) way to compile an array of unique loops to grace
any song, and you can process other signals too, of course. The results
can get a little noisy, though, so you will need to address that,
perhaps with additional filtering, EQ or gating. Alternatively, you can
make a feature of the hiss, using some tasteful reverb or
more distortion.
I have a pal who takes his
Monotron into the park with a pocket solid‑state multitracker and
acoustic guitar – the joys of battery power! When multitracking in the
studio, you might be skilled enough to eventually achieve tracks like
those seen on YouTube. Or, if you have a sampler (hardware or
computer‑based), and take the time to sample many individual notes, the
Monotron can spawn a polyphonic beast that sends expensive modelled
analogues scurrying into the undergrowth. Some of the dirty filter
noises, when transposed down a few octaves, can be unsettlingly strange
and powerful.
I don’t know if your setup
includes digital audio workstation software, but if so, its built‑in
effects and editing can do marvellous tricks with even the simplest
analogue synthesizer. Later down the line, you will discover more
sophisticated programs — such as Ableton Live and its Lite versions —
offering mind‑boggling ways to warp audio, shunting pitch and timing
around with a freedom I’d have killed for when I started out.
Anyone
handy with a soldering iron should check out the raft of mods kicking
around: Google ‘Monotron mods’ to see what I mean. Lastly, if the
Monotron is your first real analogue synth, beware: it might be the
inexpensive start to a long and hopeless addiction. Oh, and my final tip
is very predictable to any who know me: delay, delay and more delay.
For a full review of the Korg Monotron go to www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug10/articles/korg‑monotron.htm.
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