Korg Monologue Blue

No seriously, not only has this little mono beast been designed in coöperation with Aphex Twin, offering different tone scales and the means to create your own scale and tuning, but it is also a very fun and great mono synth in general.
There are some nice features like the shape that allow for modulations nad sound editing that make the monologue go beyond its expected sound design and possibilities. It is very straightforward, and rich in sound, typical korg analog sound in my opinion. The sequencer is sadly a bit limited, but by combining patches this can easily be resolved. The keyboard is nice, yes semi mini keys are not the devil :) so for this price I think they did a great job. A nice suprplus for me is also the compact nature and portability of the synth, which makes it excellent for live gigs, or for music design on the road. Certainly one of todays synths you should give atry!

I operate from a bedroom studio,so I was looking for a small sturdy Synth with a great beefy analogue sound with rich features.Happy to report the Korg Monologue did this in spades,reasons why and some criticism listed below (well nothing?s perfect)
Positives:
1.Versaitile sequencer
2.Sturdy and compact
3.Battery operated,making portable
4.Micro tuning,nice touch
5.Oscilloscope display,allowing visual sound reference
6.Sounds Fad,especially beefy low end
7.Audio input,great for putting drums through.

Some Criticism
1.Keys don?t feel great.
2.Envelope a little weak
3.No power adapter included

Bottom line ,I highly recommend for the reasons listed above,I will say do,a desktop version of this would be fantastic ,especially as the keys aren?t great and the Arturia keystep is proving so popular.

It's a great synthfor learning synthesis, but not 'just for beginners' by any stretch of the imagination. It's battery powered, so it's great for making music wherever you like. As mentioned elsewhere, ypu will need to source a power supply yourself if you are not comfortable with the 'battery only' idea. That's the only negative thing I can find to say about it.. Cos it sounds awesome! The keys are not full size, but then neither are my keyboard playing skills, so that's totally not an issue. (It's a mono synth anyway, so fancy chord work is not an option)