I don't understand the demand for monosynths?

[calaverasgrande]

But I do have to wonder what on earth the point is in sampling a synthesizer when you already have that very synthesizer

not wrecking your gear while touring?

or so you can trigger the sounds from an octapad while you are playing drums?

[knolan]

Playing on a mono synth is a totally different performance experience to playing on a polysynth. And putting a polysynth into mono mode is not the same (I suspect I'm going to be attacked on this - as I was for saying that having a synth without memories sets a different mindset not possible on a synth with memories (even if you don't use them)).


Anyway - it's akin to the difference in thinking between a wind player versus a keyboard or guitar player - melodic line versus a more harmonic way to thinking.


So mono synths are often designed with this in mind and offer a shape, control surface and controllers to allow for monophonic / lead line playing, as distinct to two hands performance. the minimoog is of course the perfect case in point. Just search for Rick Wakeman on Youtube for the best demos of lead playing you can hope to imagine for.

I find the Yamaha CS40M the same. OK it's duo phonic so the odd parallel 3rd creep in, but it's essentially a monophonic philosophy synth, and is exquisite for performance in that mould, as distinct form the CS80 which is far more a polyphonic instrument. For excellent demos of the difference - turn to none else but the maestro himself - as we all know Vangelis essentially defined how best to perform on the CS80; but he exhibits a totally different performance approach on the CS40M - played to sublime effect on the pieces "He Is Sailing" and "Horizons" on the album Privtae Collection and the jazzy title track to his album see You Later (all the analogue synth lead performances on those two albums are CS40M and are preformed in a much more 'monophonic' mode on the CS40M).

So Monophonic synthesisers engender a different mindset to solo performance; far different to polyphonic synthesiser playing, and as history has demonstrated, even different to polyphonic synthesisers set to mono mode (an entirely different experience for lots of reasons I won't go into here to playing a mono synth).

[sammy123]

To the original poster. I have aquired at least 4 hybrid polys over the last year and I am still more inspired by my Microbrute. I like the polys becasue I find them intersting on a few different levels and they are so damn cheap, but to be honest I am not very good at playing keys. With the mono I am forced to be more creative. Instead of sitting there for hours making pads and playing the same 10 chords all night long I play lead/bass lines while tweaking the settings. I don't know if that makes any sense....it's just more fun for me.

[calaverasgrande]

I just wanna be Dr Dre.