monosynths

zmd · Post by **zmd** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 11:46 pm

thread inspired by the p08 vs moog thread

so, i have two of em and love em both, and i was trying to explain the appeal to a piano schooled friend of mine.

he just wasn't getting it.
to me, its nearly as different as organ to synth in the first place. it requires a different approach to playing and fitting into a band, and a far different approach to sound programming.

i also find them almost liberating in a way. they seem sometimes like more of a real instrument...ya know? maybe i'm nuts, but sometimes i feel like a polyphonic polytimbral board does more than i need to express myself.

i'm likely nuts.

smallsynth · Post by **smallsynth** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 12:12 am

yeah... that makes sense. i tell people the same: i'm a synth player; not a piano player.

of course, now i play the organ, too.

i feel so corrupted.

-geoffrey smallsynth

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 1:16 am

Explain it like you'd explain the flute...or any other instrument you play one note at a time.

Post by **tallowwaters** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 1:53 am

smallsynth wrote:yeah... that makes sense. i tell people the same: i'm a synth player; not a piano player.

of course, now i play the organ, too.

i feel so corrupted.

-geoffrey smallsynth

hey, whats better than roses on your piano?

tulips on your organ.

(think about it. it is pretty profound.)

Byrthfood · Post by **Byrthfood** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 2:44 am

I'm a piano player and I love monosynths. It's just another way of expressing yourself after the dohnanyi studies and haydn! I think a lot of piano players probably appreciate what you can and cannot do on monosynths if they're into synth/electronic music.

neandrewthal · Post by **neandrewthal** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 2:52 am

tallowwaters wrote:(think about it. it is pretty profound.)

You mean deepthroat style?

brian.only · Post by **brian.only** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 6:16 am

I was'nt that into monosynths until recently (had mostly poly's) and i guess with the loss of polyphony, you really concentrate on the 'hook'( maybe not the right word, but closest i can think of right now), paring down and really focus on tweaking/ manipulation of the character of the signal, as opposed to the more poly-rhythmic and cacophonous modes of piano composition.

The inability of most mono's to play/mimic chords is major. And the importance and ability of detuning/harmonic shifting of oscillators is also large point of divergence unless your John Cage, etc.

I have these conversations once and a while as well and i think in a lot of ways its apples and oranges, but to most- 'they all have black and white keys right?'...

I have a friend who I've played noise w/ off and on for years and loves mangling/beating the f**k out a tune, but when i showed him the Mono/Poly (which even has 4 note polyphony!!!) he outright refused after a few minutes, frustrated at the fact that it did'nt play at least 16 notes... I think the word he used was 'unacceptable'.

mutetus · Post by **mutetus** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 6:20 am

So what did we learn here?

brian.only · Post by **brian.only** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 6:21 am

play the same note over and over and over.

crufty · Post by **crufty** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 1:56 pm

i find mono's require reverb and a touch of sustain on the envelope or they sound lifeless. A poly not so much.

I've often wondered what it would be like to take six monos to an electric guitar. I suppose one could hook up an mks-XX and find out. hmmm....has anyone tried?

JSRockit · Post by **JSRockit** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 2:09 pm

brian.only wrote: I have a friend who I've played noise w/ off and on for years and loves mangling/beating the f**k out a tune, but when i showed him the Mono/Poly (which even has 4 note polyphony!!!) he outright refused after a few minutes, frustrated at the fact that it did'nt play at least 16 notes... I think the word he used was 'unacceptable'.

Sounds like the friend is stuck in his way of working and doesn't want to compromise... nothing wrong with that as long as you are content. I'm the same way, except that I only use monos.

micahjonhughes · Post by **micahjonhughes** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 2:22 pm

crufty wrote:I've often wondered what it would be like to take six monos to an electric guitar. I suppose one could hook up an mks-XX and find out. hmmm....has anyone tried?

Roland though of this. It is a GR-700. Same synth engine as the MK-30.

23 · Post by 23 » Thu Oct 18, 2007 3:00 pm

my favorite synth (the FR-777) is a monosynth....
but I'll confess, if I could have a polyphonic 777 (of probably at least 6 voices) I'd hit for it in a heart beat. As stands, there's been numerous times that I've taken samples from the 777 and estabilished smooth looping points simply so I could then bring them into a sampler for use in polyphonic manners.

I mean I don't get it, a poly can act as a mono, but not the other way around.

I'd take poly over mono any day of the week....you simply have more options at your disposal that way.

zmd · Post by **zmd** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 3:07 pm

but, sometimes the limitations are what makes it great

crufty · Post by **crufty** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 3:31 pm

What 23 is referring to is that many poly's have a specific 'mono' switch, making them monophonic. I agree, I wish many monos were poly--actually, multi-channel poly.