We love the Korg Monotribe. Its bleeps, bloops and bangs brighten up our day no end, but there’s some secret things it can do that you won’t find in your instruction manual. Here’s our very own special guide to some of the best super-secret modifications, hacks and updates for Korg‘s analogue toy-wonder.
Drum Parameter Hacks
Imagine the squeals of delight when the first proud and intrepid Monotribe owner thought to take a look inside his new plaything and discovered the unused wiring points that control the drum parameters. Well, maybe they didn’t squeal, but I bet they were happy. What a beautifully furtive gesture from Korg: Reward the curious muso by hiding away control of some pretty important features inside the shell of the Monotribe and tempting them to void their warranty by having a little fiddle.
Here’s a demo of what the altered drum sounds can do.
As a side note, it seems odd that the person who made this video can modify the inner workings of a Monotribe, but they can’t record stereo sound in their videos. Welcome to the bizarre world of YouTube.
MIDItribe IO
Those devilishly smart chaps at Amazing Machines have brought out a retrofit kit that adds MIDI functionality to the Monotribe. Anyone with a passing interest or basic knowledge of wiring or circuitry will be able to fit this extra hardware in about 10-15 minutes.
The MIDItribe IO allows you to play notes on the Monotribe with any MIDI enabled keyboard or sequencer, and gives the user access to pure notes rather than vague, ribbon strip based guesswork. The MIDI interfacing can also control velocity sensitivity, drum sounds, LFO depth, rate and shape, VCA volume & shape, Sync control. It also transforms the Monotribe into a MIDI controller for your DAW! Installing this kit is a sure-fire way of voiding your warranty, but this thing is a BEAST!
Monotribe Version 2
We couldn’t compile this list of amazing additions to the marvellous Monotribe without giving a nod to the big guys at Korg. How many other companies would design a product that can be updated with new features and functionality for free? Just connect a minijack cable to the SYNC IN socket on your Monotribe, tell the little fella that he’s about to be updated and play the audio file from Korg’s website. Genius.
Let’s watch a very excitable Japanese gentleman get to grips with the new features in the Monotribe Version 2. This is serious stuff, especially when he puts the new day-glo yellow faceplate on. No giggling at the back!
… So that’s OUR favourite Korg Monotribe mods, but what are YOURS?!
Guy Perchard
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Mines the best (IMHO) – 'Squidfanny – Circuit Bent Monotribe' on UTube.