Korg monotribe: World Exclusive Review

Inside the latest issue you'll find our exclusive review of Korg's monotribe.

For full details of the issue (and where to buy it) click here.

It's no secret that Future Music loved the Korg monotron. The pocket-sized analogue synth was an instant hit on its release last summer, offering classic MS-20 inspired sounds at an absolute bargain price. At the time, many of us suspected that the Japanese synth giants were testing the waters for bigger and better analogue products - after a three-decade hiatus, it always seemed unlikely that Korg would resume development of analogue technology for the sole purpose of selling a £50 pocket synth.

Nearly a year later, our suspicions were confirmed at the recent Frankfurt Musikmesse with the announcement of the monotribe, a brand new analogue groovebox loosely based on the monotron sound engine.

What is it? As the name suggests, the monotribe falls somewhere in between the monotron and Korg's Electribe range of groove sequencers. Korg describe it as an analogue Electribe or a ribbon station, but you could also think of it as a beefed up monotron with a drum section and a built-in sequencer.

The synth section of the monotribe retains all of the monotron's key features, but adds a few excellent new twists to make the sound more versatile. The rhythm section consists of three fully analogue drum sounds - kick, snare and hi-hat - which can also be programmed using the 808-style push-button sequencer.

Want to know more? Check out the full review in the mag.

And check out our exclusive audio examples of it in action below!

Daniel Griffiths

Daniel Griffiths is a veteran journalist who has worked on some of the biggest entertainment, tech and home brands in the world. He's interviewed countless big names, and covered countless new releases in the fields of music, videogames, movies, tech, gadgets, home improvement, self build, interiors and garden design. He’s the ex-Editor of Future Music and ex-Group Editor-in-Chief of Electronic Musician, Guitarist, Guitar World, Computer Music and more. He renovates property and writes for MusicRadar.com.