Do you want a free Korg Monotron synth?
It’s our birthday! SynthGear is one year old, and to celebrate, I’d like to give away one of the coolest, funky little pieces of gear I’ve seen in a while – a Korg Monotron.
We’ve covered the Korg Monotron a couple of times already, and it’s has some great reviews. Here’s Korg’s blurb on it:
Powered by two alkaline AAA batteries, the compact monotron can be held in one hand. Although small enough to easily carry with you, the amazing monotron is packed with KORG’s legendary analog technology, generating thick and powerful sounds. Concentrating on the most important sound parameters, the controls have been streamlined as much as possible. The panel contains only five knobs and one switch. With this level of simplicity, now anyone can easily enjoy the world of analog synthesizers.
So, how can you win it? Well, I’ve really had my head in SynthGear over the past year, and now I’d love to get your ideas. I’m open to just about anything, so here’s what you can send:
- Your idea to make SynthGear better/more popular/more useful/more fun
- Ideas on things that we could sell on the site
- A new Logo!
- A SynthGear t-shirt design
- Anything else that you can think of
Post your ideas in the comments, and if you want to send us anything like a logo, please send it to info(at)synthgear.com. I’ll take the thing that inspires me the most (and hopefully use it!) before June 30, and award the Monotron to the person who posted or sent it.
Feel free to ask questions in the comments as well, and I’ll do my best to answer them, and even if you don’t want to enter the contest, I’d love to hear what you love or hate about SynthGear.
Thanks for reading everyone!
Paul
i honestly think this is a great site as it is and i always look forward to updates! [and winning free korgs
]
perhaps a way for people to link up in this site, set up a profile with gear info, uses, sounds in order to network and establish connections to keep driving people back. maybe some linkage to affiliates, coupons, other cool sites, etc.
I was thinking maybe to get in contact with people from different blogs. They don’t have to be synth/electronic music blogs, but just plain music blogs since synths are big in indie now. Basically to market yourselves to a less obvious type of blog or fanbase.
Anecdote (fairly short version): August 1974, back in the city after a 4 month shift in the Arctic. (DEW-line with the telephone company.) Walking through may favorite shopping district I popped into a music store.
Strolling through the keyboards one panel caught my eye … ramp. And square. OMG.
I picked up the headphones that were there and … what? A switch on the cup? Self-amplified!
Dialed up a coupla setting and … OMG OMG OMG … 2 oscillators, 2 filters … only 2.5 octaves, but that’s more than enough!!
I bought both (months in the Arctic, yaa? Plenty of long green!) and started walking towards home with a box under one arm and a bag in my hand.
One of two blocks later … a Holiday Inn.
I checked in and spent fully 2 days doing nothing else.
OMG …
Korg 700s. (image)
Where did that slab go? I can’t say. I think I had it for 5 years or so … hard to say.
But I sure do miss it. And it always comes to mind.
(Too long? So sorry! I left out the bit about taking a code-practice oscillator and some resistive tape huh huh … circa ’70. *grin*)
cheers
@bentrem
I am always on the look out for interesting gear.. pon shops – garage sales… and implementing them into my records… would love to take this lil ditty thru the paces…Free is also good.. Life long passion for synths…
jd
I found you via Twitter today (5/14/2010), and I have to say I’ve enjoyed your site so far! I’m game for a new synth. How about a beefier logo?
Click to view logo.
I come for the videos of wicked DIY’d synths; I stay for the even more impressive user-submitted sounds. If you’re looking to bring in more views, how about a weekly DIY column to introduce synth-heads to how the electronics that power our sounds work. I think your comment on XKCD’s circuit diagram comic was bang on – so why not dive into and try to explain some of that magic?
I’d also love to take synthgear on the road with me, maybe in the form of a podcast. You could chat with some local artists, listen to some wicked user-submitted tracks (and discuss what makes them work!), and talk a bit about what’s happening in terms of new products, albums, and awesome shows happening in your town or around the world. Now that would be righteous!
Paul;
I ran into you in Victoria, BC, Canada at a jam space. You heard my analog Poly 800 and Moog Mg-1 and as you walked into the room you said “I heard the analog and just wanted to check out who was playing” Hilarious that only a synth head would follow the sound of such almost ancient gear.
Anyway, I love synthgear just the way it is but I can think of one thing that I was tempted to do. Video interviews of synth heads in their studios with anecdotes and such. I don’t know about others but I love this stuff. “I was in (insert middle of nowhere town here) on my way to (insert vaction destination here) and saw this old second hand store. While my wife was checking out the ….. I walked in a found a (insert coveted gear name here) and ……
You get the idea. Unique acquistion, playing, repair, trades, etc.. stories My two cents worth.
Thanks
Curtis
I think some tutorial videos on the basics synthesis theory, application (creating patches), and different types of synthesis. I find that this information is very fragmented on the internet. I find this especially true for FM synthesis for the yamaha DX series. I basically had to buy a book for one chapter.
One thing idea on raising traffic and exposure is stumble upon. Every time you send me posting to my email and i like the posting I stumble the page. The majority of the time I am the first one to “discover” on stumble upon. I think you should add a stumble button at the bottom of each posting page.
As far as stuff you should sell, I think you should start out with some of the less expensive DIY kits, solder, soldering irons and plans. I have sell a lot of these online, you should do the mini thermins too. It would be cool to have an electronic components that are common in synths so people could make and modify the DIY kits and plans. Videos to go along with this would be really cool too.
As far as you label goes think it is appropriate for the site, you may want to include some different wave shapes in the logo, but besides that I think it’s very cool.
two more ideas, you should try to get on the home recording show podcast, as far as I can tell these guys are very approachable. You cold also sign up for the amazon affiliates program and ask you site’s fans to support you in that way.
I hope you find this stuff useful, and if you need help with any of this stuff I would love to contribute. I am looking to expand from my dx7 and soft-synths into the analogue world. A Korg Monotron would be a great start.
i would say that this site needs more cats standing on synths pictures.
yup
looking forward to the Monotron sure stroke of genius about the cats
Cool contest – I hope I win!
As far as ideas, you want things that would attract people here, so the contest is one, being on twitter is another(that’s how I found Synthgear). for yet another…why don’t you start a record label? In Future Music #221 there are ideas for how to do it. Artists might market stuff(shirts, CDs, DLS, etc.)here and you could have a small cut of that. Also, you might establish a relationship with an online music retailer, the way Rich from Tweakheadz does with ZZsounds.com. Not much other than that. I like how your site looks. Keep up the good work and thanks for giving.
Joe
First of all, I think its clear that this whole competition for a prize thing is working pretty nicely. You’ve already got a buttload of comments in just one day, so people are obviously into it. I bet if you were even to give away something cheap (like your synth magnets) once or twice a month, it would generate a lot of traffic. Also, I don’t know whether it would generate traffic or what, but I’ve always thought it would be cool if you did a weekly piece where you went really deep into detail on a specific synth of your choice, with specs, pics, examples and clips of songs it was used in if possible, the whole nine yards. It could be called Synth Spotlight, for example. Or anything else really. Just think it would be cool.
i’m new to the site, but am very much in love with it. finally, a place for JUST the synthetically inclined? brilliant.
i have just a few ideas that i can throw your way at this time. i noticed you have a few products listed, but it’s only magnets. which are cool, but i thought “why not synth skins?” perhaps you’re in a band that has instruments all one color… well, the synth guy will normally get left out! i know it would be hard to cater entirely to that idea, but perhaps start off with some of the most common synth/keyboards and move from there?
also, i think the site is very well put-together, and the monochromatic theme is pretty cool (simple, yet elegant), but these gray sidebars kinda get to me. throw some themes in there!
i also love the idea that’s been tossed around earlier about local artists showcases… or maybe up-and-comers that are synth heavy. we’re finally getting a resurgence of electronic music (that’s good), why not capitalize on it? the DIY stuff is cool, but you can also pull in a newer, younger crowd by covering some of the hip new groups more, too.
More synth nudity please!
Well I went to the homepage and i can say one thing I seen, the vertical slideshow to the right goes way too fast and should wait about at least 5 seconds before changing
Korg has been a long standing pioneer in synthesizers. Many great musicians have used them from Asia to Pink Floyd and many other greats.
I have been a avid fan of Roland and Moog products, but Korg has some great gear and I have been a fan of theirs as well.
I currently use Arturia products, controlled by Yamaha Midi keyboards.
As for this site, could use a little more salt! LOL
Seriously, this site is a great source of information on anything in the synth world. I have recommended it to many people in the short time I have been visiting this site. I especially found the piece on the homemade guitar synth interesting.
Keep up running a great site.
Martin
It would be real cool if you guys could include the entire post in your rss feed. It would be extra convenient for me. Thanks.
A weekly video blog, go over new synth releases, upcoming releases, rumours etc.
Tutorial videos would be good to – “How LFO works”, or maybe tutorials on how to Circuit Bend?
On twitter, post links to songs on youtube where good sounding synths are used.
Love to get my hands on that Korg!
I love the site, everything about it (comming from a guy who hasn’t changed a profile picture in over a year). I have always thought that a plain black strip for the back panel to cover up the writing and logos on a keyboard would be great. Not a full skin (although I like that guys idea too) just one the width and length that could maybe be personalized with a band name.
Keep up the great work
Bonish
Seems to me you are doing a great job of staying in top of the latest news and happenings in the synth community. You have had the scoop on many stories, and are always out there with the latest news as it happens.
As far as ideas on how to expand your coverage, and influence go, you may do this already, but if not, one form of expansion that will increase your influence, increase your output, and diversify your topics would be using guest bloggers. You could have one contributor who just did DIY Tech Tips, another that reviewed new electronica CDs, and another that goes to trade shows or does one on one interviews with synthesizer centric artists in any genre. Another idea, is to generate some discussion on issues in electronic music in a kind of “ask slashdot” for electronic musicians kinda way. Put out a story that raises a common debate (analog vs digital, software vs hardware, mac vs windows vs linux whatever) and get the community to weigh in on it, by giving the article a bit of an editorial edge to it. Articles like that are more likely to get RT’d, especially when the comments start becoming as interesting as the articles.
my $0.02
best of luck.
I would love to see more articles related to portable music creation solutions and methods of creating on the go- I think a lot of people would benefit from coverage of things like Little Piggy Tracker for the PSP/GP2X/Dingoo or the myriad of iPhone applications. Also, more coverage of DIY synth building/homebrew programs would be great – most electronic musicians I know aren’t regularly able to plunk down $3k on a brand new synthesizer but would be more than happy to learn to solder and build an Atari Punk Console to add some wacky sounds to their arsenal of sounds, or pick up a used Nintendo DS and use some of the DSMidiWifi stuff like CellsDS or GlitchDS instead of buying a monome or comparably expensive controller. (I’m a chip musician so I’m always thinking on the cheap)
I love the site! I wouldn’t be opposed to more posts more often, but that’s just my selfishness. Some tutorial videos or articles would be helpful.
USER WORKSHEETS AND PATCH EXCHANGE SECTION OF THE SITE:
I use worksheets and patch sheets on synths, drum machines, korg ds10, anything with patches or grid/tracker based setups. once you write it down it stays fresh in your mind. anyway here is an example of both what i have used for the ds 10 and what i found a day after making mine in the performance guide book online. http://allthingskorgds10.blogspot.com/search/label/worksheets
My idea is to have a user worksheet area of the site where people can submit patches and there own worksheets. and can even post midi or text/ tracker files. on my blog and the ds10 forum we exchange .sav files which contain all the info on the korg ds10 card.
It seems like DIY is might in demand, which is what I came to suggest. However, instead of turning the site into a whole “Here’s how electronics work” tech site, I think it would be great to hand over the DIY help over to the users not just to show off what we make, but explain what we did (making DIY section quite literal for us users!). There are a lot of sites out there dedicated to purely schematics, or purely showing off crazy gadgets that have no explanation; this could, and should, be different. User submitted videos and/or plans with the intention of helping others along the same project that they discovered. No submit then ditch, but a place to share love for building with others. Having the submitter wanting to be involved with help should help builders of all levels, and should make the newcomer feel more welcome.
The best way to learn this stuff is with a guiding hand, especially early on. This could really help launch a lot of people into a new direction, and I would love to be a part of it on both ends.
Hey. I’ve only been coming to your site for a few days now after discovering it on twitter, and I must say I’m relatively impressed! I’m in a band that tries to include both conventional instruments (guitars, pianos, drums, etc) with more electronic stuff, like synths and drum machines. Lately i’ve been really interested in things like synths, trying to research the different kinds and how they worked.
From what i can tell, your site is pretty well rounded. Honestly, the one thing i really think would come in handy would be a podcast or set of lessons aimed at synth noobies like me, starting with the basics and covering the essentials of synth stuff. A “What You Need To Know About Synths” type thing, in short haha. Something like that could really come in handy for, well, people like me!
Also, I made a logo for your site that i’m sending to the email you told me to. Im gonna send it in basic .jpeg format. Hope you like it!
And i’d really like the synth, haha
Well I just came here looking for a Free Korg Monotron. and had never heard of the site before. But will check it out.
but Suggestions: A good collection of Demos of various synths would be good. il and something that extends beyond someone trying to get 303 esque lines out of everything. (which is often what one finds on YouTube).
So thats my suggestion. Oh and if anyone knows a good CV/Gate mod for the Gakken SX150 or the Korg Monotron please let me know
I like the site mostly because I’m a synth nerd and if I wasn’t I wouldn’t give a s**t, which is why I would suggest including more artist interviews. Also while on the subject of artist interviews, and I say this as a fan of electronic music, instead of interviewing dj who gives a f**k, there is an undercurrent of indie prog rock that made the last 35 years worth the wait. There’s this thing called the interweb and according to another blog I read, sites like this are a great way to discover new music.
Every site is about toys to use in the bedroom, I’d rather see more attention given to performance aspects and live use of synth related equipment because no one talks about that side of it enough, and while I have your ear, why don’t any of you synth sights actually pay attention to the fact that there’s not one f*****g amp specifically built for a synth thats worth a s**t, and don’t say “what about the blah blah blah” cause I bet it sounds awesome in your basement but can it compete with a Matamp or a Sunn O)) model-t? At stage volume? Hence the need for the discussion.
Also, I love discovering long lost musical treasures, most of which had video which has been unearthed and archived on youtube, like Kitaro playing in a rock band or the Manfred Mann getin’ after his minimoog. Anyway, just sayin.
Also podcast based around a “featured synth” would be a good Idea to keep people thinking about the sight, and easy to browse archival info to trade patch diagrams for old school synths, and patch files for more modern synths would be awesome too, cause that could create more community around what your already doing.
yes i need the Do you want a free Korg Monotron synth? for my music ministry we are lacking musical instrument
I love your site:)
I would love to win the Korg Monotron!
My idea to make the site more popular is linking your posts to my blog to give us both double the exposure.
Just an idea!
Cheers!
Bassline Jack
Jackie Pashley
Gee whiz it would be choice to get that little Korg. As for the site, the studio tours are really interesting and definitely among my favorite features. Maybe if you guys got some kind of partnership or just started up selling your own little synth and circuit kits and then you could have competitions to see who uses the kits the most creatively.
Just emailed you guys your new logo
I would love to see a beginners DIY section. A quick start for people who want to build their own synths. Something like a series of 5 projects each more complex than the last. If you sold kits with instructions I would definitely buy them. Maybe you could have a guest synth builder make a project tutorial a couple of times a year – I would also pay in advance for a tutorial/video/instructions from .
I like the synthgear logo a lot so I made a more minimal version of it. I have a vector version of it if you want to use it.
http://www.tobymarvin.com/synthgear.jpg
Keep up the good work, I check out synthgear every day.
-T
Electro Synth Samples & Multi-patches…
I found your entry interesting thus I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog
…
Hey!
I’m new to the realm of Synths, by looking on this site for the last month I’ve learnt a lot of usefull stuff by just looking at the articles! I’m not sure what direction you want this site to take, but maybe we need some kind of forum or the like to post questions, post gear and anything else. I’m not sure if adding a forum section will be good or not for this site. But at least a place for questions and answers?
I tried to design a potential logo too! Where do I send this?
I guess I’ll just link.
The logo: http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh368/Anton93_2009/SynthgearRoughDraft.jpg
Example of use: http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh368/Anton93_2009/SynthGearUseExample.jpg
Best of luck!
~ Anton
Reminds me of the vintage DEC (digital equipment corp) logo.
Archival data for each synth (wiki style?) including manuals, service data, troubleshooting tips, parts resources, etc.
TimD
Hi There,
Great site and wow a Contest for a piece of gear that I have been researching as well (that has not happened to me before) while of course chances of winning are always odds against , why not enter , why not try!
One thing I have noticed about (synth sites ) is the discussion’s and reviews
of the high end type and complex ones that have a multitude of options that
trying to figure out (if purchasing is mind boggling) I like the Akai model
offered in the contest for the simplicity of it (while certainly it has its limitations) so much can be done with it, I still have a Casio MT40 and I looked
on eBay by chance and was shocked at how much they were ging for (and more than I paid for mine in the early 80′s!) not a real synth but a lot of fun and a lot of capabilities and it led to future keyboards and a piano
and now midi keyboard controllers
I can not afford (though love) the Korg and Roland work stations
and with midi and virtual instruments (another great topic *and how to get the cost down of all of these plug ins etc)
You are doing a fine job and I am sure You have discussed Circuit Bent/Bending and I personally find that fascinating, my late Dad was a Electrical and Mechanical Engineer(not much rubbed off on me but I am reading alot and He left me a plethora of electronic testing equipment , circiuits, diodes, transistors etc and hand tools, I read Nicolas Collins book
Making Musical Instruments (not the correct title) but circuit bending , so cool, even CD players and all sorts of stuff you may have around the house
(don’t use working ones get broken ones for parts and the list of online electronic shops and surplus is invaluable
Hope this helps some (sorry for a long post) I find Motherboard .tv a bot interesting but ? why does it load 81+ screens before it stops ? anyone
have never seen a web site do that. I like Create Digital Music (web site)
and Tape Op magazine and web site (free subscriptions as well) caveats apply
Peace and Thanks fir running such a cool contest for such a useful piece of gear!
Ambienttales
David K.
I think it would be the coolest thing in the world if a company were to design a synth that is used mainly as a sort of effects box that you can plug any instrument into and go out to an amp. It would have a multitude of modulators, external controller options(ribbon, foot pedal, etc…) a distortion circuit, and a patch bay to route the signal around any way you see fit. This synth would be able to take an instrument and be able to put a subtle effect on it or make full blown synthtastic wacky sonic mayham and everywhere in between.
That or someone should start mass producing mutronix mutators.
Moog sells pedals that can be used for that. Check out their Moogerfooger line. Can be used for synths, Guitars, etc. Basically anything using a 1/4″ instrument/TRS cable
Hi! I have a wonderful idea to make synthgear more popular. Just do more of these contests!
…I won?
Hey,
Pretty simple idea that I haven’t seen on any DJ websites ;
Hubs for different Performance/Production software – i.e. Ableton, Scratch Live, Traktor etc.. that show a list of links to related to articles for each of the softwares.
Cheers,
Ray
I agree with Larry Donaldson. Put synthesizers in the context of classic albums and bands (i.e Pink Floyd or Goblin; or genres like New Wave and synth-pop – synths of the early eighties)
You could also look at synthesizers in movie soundtracks, and interview composers about the gear that they use or have used.
SynthGear一岁生日快乐！
我是来自中国大陆的合成器爱好者，同时组建了一只演奏合成器的摇滚乐队——TBOR。
很高兴能有偶然的机会发现Synthgear的网站，尤其是对“strange and wired”这个栏目感到非常兴奋，这里面的想法都很牛逼！希望这个栏目要保持下去，并且建议由synthgear.com主办一些主题创作，比如“面条synthesizer”、“药瓶drum machine”等等，让大家根据每期的不同主题来进行各类胡搞，哈哈，相信一定会很有意思的～
PS：如果中文给您的阅读带来不便，请见谅：）
愿synthgear.com好运！
TBOR
A good way to get synth blogs out there are to get into the synth communities, though thats easier said than done. I found Matrix Synth because they posted a blog post about my music. Synthtopia has their flicker group that constantly invites people with synth pictures to join notifying them. Even open up a myspace to represent the site and get a bot to spam people. I also have more ideas these are just the main 3.
Hope this helps!!!
Mike
My son and I have been checking synthgear for a couple of months now and agree on the fact that not much needs to be improved. You’ve got a great site, with lots of new ideas and interesting stuff, always nice to read.
You could, of course, add a Facebook and Myspace page, twitter and flickr, post videos or links to vids, …
Seeing as we’re both electronic music fans, but neophytes as far as using synth gear is concerned, some handy tips for newbies might come in handy as well!!!
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORKS !!!!!!
Do a spot light on unsigned artists! It could help you gain a larger reader base as more musicians try to become featured and boost their rep, and anybody who is featured is going to make sure to show all their friends/post on facebook.etc, it would be an interesting idea+ free advertising
What you really need is a user enabled gear reviews section. I love gear reviews, but I hate traversing harmony-central, especially for synths. It would be a great google boost too.
You could do online synth emulators, they do exist and with a little investment could get a few flash ones made up(or whatever the cool kids are using these days).
That is my idea…
I need the Monotron! Im going in the studio in exactly 15 days (5th July 2010) to record my first fully-synthesised album. Im a pianist and have been writing on pianos/keyboards so far. First time with synths so a freebie would be awesome! In return I promise you footage from the sessions, or we could do a live podcast etc.and I promise to add you to my cd credits!
and an exclusive live podcast of my launch gig for the new album.
I plan on making my own synth, bass, drumset band with the Korg! I accidentally passed up on a bass and amp for pretty cheap, because I had not thought this process all the way through. But now that I know what i’m looking for ( Sleigh Bells, MIA, Killers, Original ish)i’m way more excited, and plan on acquiring the Korg Monotron either way. I’m not saying i’m going to be famous, but accidents do happen. And I need someone to thank!
Good luck everyone! Whoever wins I hope you have fun with it and post videos of you tripin out crowds like I know you will!
Hi there,
Thank you to share lots of useful and informative stuffs.
As for the site, I’d be interested to see a dedicated section for Lo-fi (8 bit, chiptune, dirty, trashy and toyish music). Featuring Hardware, VST and people’s music and Studio. I love to see “Lo-fi studio” :O) and people love cheap “Audio Toys”!
For stuff to sell, I’d love to see a “dirt cheap” – desktop stereo bit crusher, coupled with analog filter, knobs and trashing stuffs..sort of a combination of the Alienator – Bitrman.
Also I just sent some logo design. All the best for the site! Cheers.
1) Ideas for the site
A “playground section: with a virtual synth in Java or JavaScript to allow someone to experiment with sound generation.
Show the settings for LFO/VCO/VCA for the various sound samples will help more people learn how to generate neat sounds.
Also, being able to rate reviews and equipment mentioned on the site, like amazon has: If you have durability and sound quality scales, that will help people decide what to buy.
2) Stuff to sell
A marketplace for sound samples (really, the settings that create them) would be interesting, though I’m not sure how much community support this would require to be economically successful.