Bad Gear - Korg Monologue - The Analog Electribe???

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Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
01:16 Overview
05:11 Hate
05:34 Jam 1
06:30 Jam 2
07:34 Finale
08:01 Verdict

Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools. Today we are going to talk about the Korg Monologue Monophonic Analog Synthesizer. Is it an analog Electribe in disguise???

Thanks to Klangfarbe for providing me with this synthesizer:

Video of the jam I played at their shop

[AudioPilz]

Thank you for your patience!!! Finally got the episode through the copyright check;)

[squishy]

Here's a trick with the only 16 step sequencer: Ignore it for sequencing notes, and use it for just modulation. You can record in parameter changes without any notes and leave the sequencer running so it's modulating parameters while you play or sequence it externally. 16 steps of notes may be very limiting but treating it like a custom modulator instead it becomes a different beast.

[Tomoroh_Hidari]

Lol, almost had beer coming out my nose laughing at the "Richard D. James" pic at 4:19 !! Well played Mr. Pilz, well played!

[sonicjackalopeproductions]

I almost had a heart attack when I saw my beloved monologue was on stage to be judged!!! But, at least you saw the sequencer for what it is and gave it the same praise in it's implementation that I do. All in all, the under-achieving but loveable middle child of the King "-uge" line survives to rock another day!

[LightboxX]

lol the picture of kurt for rdj slayed me.... bust out laughed

[Adams]

I bought one last year but sold it after a few months to a guy who was giving it to his kid as their first synth. I think it was a very nice gift for the child.

[cmd_f]

I could watch this all day. Clear and concise reviews as always, and your demo tracks are great.

[lbarnett]

The 16 step sequencer on this thing can do drums and baselines plus using the white noise To get metallic sounds you got hi hats. The 4 motion locks make it possible to cram everything in just 16 steps or one bar. It really can do live techno or dubstep like sets just stand alone by saving multiple patches at the same tempo and flipping that knob back and forth for patch transitioning to overcome that one bar limit so yeah it’s a Beast. I fully love This machines sequencer capacity and when pushed to the limit it can get some pretty off the wall amazing beats Going. 10/10 for korg.

[Doobiusphantom]

Have had mine for 3 years it was my first synth actually, I’ll always love that little thing

[alvaroapablaza]

all three tunes were delightfully impressive. I didnt even know this synth was disliked at all. This was the number 1 contender a few years back when I was bit by the monologue synth bug and was shopping for one, Ended up with the Roland Se-02 and can't complain. (dont even think about it, not bad gear material). Thank you again for starting my weekend right, I kept the coffee pot on longer while waiting for youtube to let you upload. well worth it.

[robarkskillie]

You just sold 100 monologues for Korg. Everytime I wanna whip up cash for gear I can't afford I consider putting the stock knobs back on and selling the log. Then I play it for a final hurrah, play it some more, put some drums on it, and play it for about six hours and realize that the sequencer is awesome. 16 steps you can change every 16 steps on the fly, it never gets old. Sometimes it sounds like ass, is hard to mix with anything, other times it IS the sound.

[RetroPlus]

I've been waiting for this, glad it's finally here. The monologue is my favourite synthesizer, it was my first and it's supplied me with some of my favourite sounds. The sounds may sound a little harsh to some but it's special talent is being able to sit in virtually any mix quite well. I've used it in more songs than i can count.
Also there are like hundreds of little tricks that you can do with this synth that are practically only possible on the monologue, when you really go deep into it then it's truly something quite special.

[rederickfroders]

I think this is where you went full circle, for me anyway. Youve handled all my past synths and this is my current synthesizer.
Bad? Not sure, alot of the presets I have zero use for, but mine is gold coloured, and thats what I hate most about it. Shouldve gotten black, OR, well, a poly synth.
As always, great video!

[OscillatorCollective]

Hearing your two songs featuring this piece really lets me know that this really is a true descendant of that classic 80s freestyle sound that Korg was deeply involved in.

[ChrisSmout]

Well worth the wait and a good summary of the MonoLogue too. Happy Friday everyone!

[Hrotti]

Glowsticking Drum'n'Bass Breakkorg Neurostep is the jam I needed for this friday

[GeorgeL]

Was that a Kurt Cobain picture you showed when you invoked Richard D James? 🤣 Dude you kill me sometimes, I swear I could rewatch your videos and catch random Easter eggs all over. High quality entertainment 🤣 as always. Edit: have to give props for the ending jam, loved it

[SianaGearz]

I find the little waveform display absolutely adorable!

[rarsn]

I like the Monologue a lot. However, since the Minilogue XD came out, I've seriously been considering selling the Monologue and replacing it with the XD. The XD is such a great upgrade over the original Minilogue and resolves pretty much all the issues I had with the original.

But back to the Monologue! The good: it's a relatively inexpensive analogue monosynth with a LOT of potential. I bought mine new when they were $300 and I still think that's a great price for this synth. Definitely worth $300 IMO. That said, last I checked the price had crept above $350 and in that range I'm not so sure... I would probably want something like the Microfreak instead.

The oscillators are nice, it seems to stay in tune just fine, and it's definitely got some character to the sound. I like how gnarly and aggressive it can get. The battery compartment is extremely welcome, especially since Korg didn't bother to include a power supply. I really love just sitting on the couch and playing around with the Monologue. Its size is also perfect for this. In terms of "mini-keys, " these are the type of mini-keys that I enjoy because they don't particularly feel like mini-keys to me (the Microkorg, in my opinion, has the worst mini-keys ever made). The knobs are smooth and I love turning them, likewise with flicking the switches. This is a cheap plastic-bottom synth but the interface panel feels MUCH higher quality than that, and the OLED display is super crisp and responsive. Only occasionally have I noticed slight weirdness where on certain notes it doesn't quite update quick enough.

I also think that this is one of those few synths where its limitations are actually a good thing. While the sequencer is limited, it's one of the easiest to use on any monosynths that I've tried. The filter, like on any good synth, can be utilized as a third oscillator, and you can create a pretty awesome kick using just the filter, no oscillators. To me, the filter is definitely a high point on the Monologue. The synth engine presented here is flexible enough to create workarounds for some of the limitations, and for me that's something that makes a synth exciting. Since it's so well-laid out and easy to use, creating workarounds are not really that difficult, it just requires a little bit of experimentation. I am reminded of the Korg DS-10 in that way, where the limitations force me to seek out new ways to utilize what I'm given and ultimately I end up creating not only results that were better than expected, but results I otherwise wouldn't have thought of had those limitations not forced me to be creative.

I probably sound like a big fan of the Monologue... and I am! But onto the bad. Considering the price now hovers around $350, I wouldn't say it's necessarily a bad purchase at that price, but there are certainly some other options, like the Microfreak or various Behringer synths like the Model D, Cat, etc. Go a little higher and you're in Bass Station II territory, and that is one synth that I've been salivating over. I'm still punishing myself for not picking one up brand new when it was on sale for $350. I think the BSII has more sonic flexibility than the Monologue, with an interface that has both strengths and weaknesses in comparison, but in general is the one I'd rather use on any given occasion.

One thing you didn't mention was the key arrangement, which on the Monologue is E-to-E. This is because it's intended for supplementing guitar with a "bass line." I guess that's fine, standard guitar tuning starts with E but not every song or every guitar player uses standard tuning, and it does make using the keyboard a little odd. I'd rather have a normal C-to-C keyboard. Additionally, as you pointed out, while this synth has character it's tone is rather aggressive and not everyone may like it (I quite like it, but I can understand why others don't). I'm no mixing guru but I think this one when pushed to its limits might have a bit more trouble sitting in the mix than others.

The limitations ultimately do become a factor as well. I don't think they're a breaking point for a $300 synth, but when comparing to something like the Microfreak (which wasn't out when I bought the Monologue), I think in hindsight I would have chosen that for its greater flexibility. Having new analog synth options in 2017 was an awesome thing, and the Monologue is a great analog synth, especially for someone just starting out (in that case, the limitations and ease of use make it a great instrument to learn with). And with some out-of-the-box thinking, you can get a lot of great results. That said, I have several other monosynths (and still some I'm considering to purchase) that I think I'm ready to move on from the Monologue, and replace it with the Minilogue XD which is a steal at its current price when you compare it to the Opsix or the Wavestate (both of which should be $650 or less in my opinion), and capable of so much more than the Monologue.

Again, it's a great synth, really, and it has its place. But I think competition has caught up and surpassed it at this point, especially if you're looking at paying ~$350 for it. Still, it's capable of some really cool stuff. (Yes, I'm having trouble accepting the idea of parting with mine.)

Sorry for the super long comment! Thanks to anyone who bothers to read it!

[broklee]

Always enjoy seeing the amount of effort and editing you put into your videos. Keep up the great work!