1 How do I get the most bass out of my Mono/poly?
2 Why doesn't poly mode work with external CV control?
3 I've heard a rumor that I can speed up my Mono's LFOs...
4 I don't understand how the sync and X-mod effects work!
5 Is there any way to make MG1 modulate more than one destination at a time?
6 Can I sync the arpeggiator to an external audio signal?
7 Can I modulate the pitch and filter with an external audio signal?
8 I wish my Mono/poly had a random LFO waveshape.
9 What control voltage standard does the Mono/poly use?
10 Where can I get a Mono/poly manual?
11 My oscillators are so out of tune that the tune knobs can't even correct the discrepancy- what can I do?
12 Some of my keys don't work- What's wrong?
13 How does the auto-damp work?
14 Can I midi retrofit my Mono/poly?
15 Where can I find a used Mono/poly?
1 HOW DO I GET THE MOST BASS OUT OF MY MONO/POLY?
Most of us make the common mistake of turning up all of our Mono's oscillators to full blast. This sounds great if you're going for a certain sound, but to boost the bass a little more on your mono try this: Select three of the oscillators to the desired waveform, turn them up only halfway. Set the fourth osc to a triangle wave, and turn it up all the way. The triangle wave, which isn't very bright but has a lot of low-end, can now cut through the mix much easier and really add weight to the other three oscs. If you want even more bass, do it with two of the oscs (making sure that one of them is osc1) then set the pitch wheel to OSC1/SLAVE OSC, set the intensity knob to one octave, and push the wheel all the way down. Now you've got triangle osc1 pitched one octave lower acting as a sub-oscillator. On top of that you've got another triangle osc adding more bass, plus the other two oscs adding the tone color you want.
2 WHY DOESN'T POLY MODE WORK WITH EXTERNAL CV CONTROL?
It does! Simply unplug the cord from the CV IN, and plug it into the VCO FM IN. Gotta be clear about this though; you can't play chords on the Mono from a MIDI synth, but you can play a chord on your Mono's keyboard, hit the CHORD MEMORY button to memorize it, and an outboard sequencer can then sequence that chord. Also the external sequence coming in is transposable from the Mono's keyboard, something you can't do when using the CV input. Unfortunately, portamento is disabled in this mode.
3 I'VE HEARD A RUMOR THAT I CAN SPEED UP MY MONO'S LFOs...
This is true! Try to put the MG1 waveshape knob between two waveforms. It's hard to do, but if you can set it between the triangle and down-saw waves, you'll get a double speed down-saw LFO. If you can get it between the up-saw and square waves, you'll get a double speed up-saw LFO. The coolest one by far though, is when you put the knob between the up and down-saw waves. You get a quadruple speed triangle LFO! If you turn the rate knob all the way up, you get the LFO oscillating so fast that you have the beginnings of an audible signal. This audio signal can then ring modulate the oscillators. Awesome with the oscs turned off and the resonance up for those great bell-like tones.
4 I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THE SYNC AND X-MOD EFFECTS WORK!
The Mono/poly makes sync and cross-modulation easy with everything laid out right there in front of you, giving you the ability to use these fx without ever really understanding them. A single press of a button makes the sound go from Jekyll to Hyde; but what's really going on?
The way cross-modulation works on the Mono/poly is a bit strange. You've got four oscillators to deal with. You can pair up osc1 with osc2 and osc3 with osc4 in DOUBLE mode, or you can pair up osc1 with all the other oscs in SINGLE mode. For our purposes here, let's say we're in SINGLE mode. When x-mod is active, osc1 stays normal. It is never modulated. All the other oscs stay normal as well, until you turn either the X-MOD or FREQ MOD knobs. The X-MOD knob causes the pitch of oscs 2,3, and 4 to be modulated by the waveform of osc1; basically osc1 functions as an LFO. The FREQ MOD knob causes oscs 2,3, and 4 to be modulated by whatever modulation source you have specified, MG1 (LFO 1) or VCF EG (filter envelope). Bring both the X-MOD and FREQ MOD knobs in at the same time, and you've got osc1's waveform dueling with MG1 or VCF EG to modulate the pitch, and it gets pretty wacky. Add on top of that the still oscillating-as-normal pitch of osc1, which is adding even more overtones, and it gets twice as wacky. All of this is actually rudimentary FM synthesis, with oscs 2,3, and 4 acting as carriers and osc1 and/or MG1/VCF EG as modulators.
What about osc sync? Okay, every oscillator has a duty cycle where a single waveform is repeated over and over again at a certain frequency (speed) to create a timbre. With hard sync, whenever the cycle of osc1 restarts, the osc that is synced is reset to the beginning of its cycle also, regardless of where it is within that cycle. Below is a diagram of two (saw wave) oscs hard synced.
When you turn the FREQ MOD knob in sync mode on the Mono/poly, what you're doing is changing the pitch of the synced osc(s); the higher the pitch goes, the more out-of-phase the oscillators become, and the harmonics just pile up to create that unique synced sound. The X-MOD knob does not do anything in sync mode.
5 IS THERE ANY WAY TO MAKE MG1 MODULATE MORE THAN ONE DESTINATION AT A TIME?
Yes! The x-mod function is the key here. Assign MG1 to modulate VCF EG (filter cutoff). Hold a note, then turn the mod wheel all the way up so that you are properly modulating the cutoff. Hit the EFFECTS button, set the first switch to MG1, the second switch to X-MOD, and the third switch to SINGLE. Turn the FREQ MOD knob all the way up (make sure the X-MOD knob is all the way down), now turn the level all the way down on osc1. Voila, you've got the pitch of oscs 2,3, and 4 as well as the cutoff all being modulated by one LFO, MG1. Turn the volume back up on osc1, and you've got cutoff coupled with slave vco modulation.
6 CAN I SYNC THE ARPEGGIATOR TO AN EXTERNAL AUDIO SIGNAL?
Yep. Plug your audio signal into the ARPEGGIO TRIG IN. Using a solid tempo, go easy on the level at first, increasing it to the point where it will reliably trigger the unit. Beats too close together will result in result in wild misfiring, which can be useful.
7 CAN I MODULATE THE PITCH AND FILTER CUTOFF WITH AN EXTERNAL AUDIO SIGNAL?
Yes. To modulate the pitch, you must plug your audio signal into the VCO FM IN. To modulate the filter cutoff, you must plug into the VCO fcM IN. Results will depend on the input material. Go easy on the level until the effect appears. Not necessarily musically useful, but may appeal to power electronics, weird techno and experimental enthusiasts.
8 I WISH MY MONO/POLY HAD A RANDOM LFO WAVESHAPE.
This definitely is a feature that should have been included on the Mono/poly in the first place, but thankfully there is something you can do about it! See the Mods page for full instructions on how to add a random LFO waveshape to your Mono. If you're not feeling that adventurous, there is an alternative. The Mono has a vast array of inputs on its back panel, more than most analog synths. I externally control my Mono with a Kenton Pro-solo MIDI to CV converter. The Pro-solo has an internal LFO and an assignable AUX out. I set the LFO waveform to random, then send it either into the Mono/Poly's VCO FM IN (to randomly modulate pitch) or the VCF FcM IN (to randomly modulate filter cutoff). The only drawback of this is that you have to plug and unplug as needed.
9 WHAT CONTROL VOLTAGE STANDARD DOES THE MONO/POLY USE?
The Mono/Poly uses the volts/octave standard, whereas most of Korg's other analogs use volts/hertz.
10 WHERE CAN I GET A MONO/POLY MANUAL?
You can download a manual as well as an awesome patch sheet courtesy of Synthesized Dreams and Nightmares. If you are planning to modify or fix your Mono/poly, you can also download the service manual, courtesy of Mark Pulver at Midiwall.
11 MY OSCILLATORS ARE SO OUT OF TUNE THAT THE TUNE KNOBS CAN'T EVEN CORRECT THE DISCREPANCY- WHAT CAN I DO?
Open the top of your Mono/Poly. On the underside, dead center, is a little brown PCB with "KLM-398" on it. There are four little silver potentiometers on there- they each have a little slot in the center where a jeweler's screwdriver will fit. Plug in your Mono and turn it on, plug in some headphones, and you can turn those pots until all the oscs are humming in tune.
12 SOME OF MY KEYS DON'T WORK- WHAT'S WRONG?
You probably have dirty key contacts. You can find a detailed cleaning procedure right here.
13 HOW DOES THE AUTO-DAMP WORK?
The auto-damp function on the M/P has been a source of confusion for a long time. *MANY* folks, dealers included, will think that the switch/function is broken when it's really not.
This is how it works: Setup the MonoPoly for polyphonic play, turn on Auto Damp, and set a long release time. Play a chord, let go of a single key and take note of what happens. Now turn off Auto Damp and do it again. With auto-damp ON, the key that you let go of will continue to sound.
The usefulness of this is a technique thing. Say you want to hold out a spread multi-note cluster... Say, 3 octaves of Eb. To do this, you need two hands or a roll of duct tape. With auto-damp on, then you can reach up with two hands, grab the three notes (the lowest with a single finger on your left hand, and the upper two with your right) and then let go of the right hand. This will leave all three Eb's sounding, but under the control of the remaining key pressed. Thus, your right hand is left free to play that screaming lead against that Eb drone. When your lead gets done, let up on your left hand, and the drone will fall away.
14 CAN I MIDI RETROFIT MY MONO/POLY?
Yes you can. Once again, the fine people at Kenton will sell you all the parts and instructions you need. They will also do it for you if you live in Europe. For installation in the US, contact Will Brake at SoulFruit. If you are interested in doing it yourself, check out the Kenton MIDI retrofit mod page for more info.
There is another MIDI retrofit, the Synhouse Midijack, but there are a number of negatives to using this device with a Mono/poly; It does not transmit pitch bend or modulation, it only works monophonically (poly mode won't work), and portamento does not work when it is activated.
15 WHERE CAN I FIND A USED MONO/POLY?
Used Mono/Poly Search 1
Used Mono/Poly Search 2
Used Mono/Poly Search 3
Used Mono/Poly Search 4 |
