Monotribe for $112 - worth it?

pillbug · Post by **pillbug** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 8:03 pm

Hi folks,

I have an opportunity to buy a Monotribe for $112. Trying to decide if that's a good enough deal to overcome the lack of MIDI.

I like it for the lofi sequencer (inspired by the Berlin style videos) however I would ideally like to sync it to my Electribe MX, RADIAS, Ultranova, and Rhythm Wolf but I don't think it will.

On a side note, I am also considering an Arturia MiniBrute SE which I believe has CV-out ; so would that be able to sync the Monotribe?

Opinions welcome.
It's been quite awhile since I've visited the Forum and just getting back into electronic music. Thanks in advance.

OpAmp · Post by **OpAmp** » Fri Jul 31, 2015 11:04 pm

Hi,

Difficult to say whether it's worth it. It seems it is no longer available as new equipment...

That being said, you will need some extra device in between to sync it to your other equipment. At least the Electribe and Radias have only MIDI out to sync to and no analog sync out signal. So that extra piece of hardware woud convert the MIDI clock to a sync signal (I'm not sure what to use here...).

Some people are able to sync the monotribe using an audio signal, like a drum beat with the correct volume, but that may be a bit unreliable. Korg has an App that creates the sync signal on an audio output of your tablet/mobile phone. So it is possible.

I don't know the Arturia well enough, but basically the best candidate for syncing is the gate pulse. This can be delivered by the minibrute. No experience with it whether it works...

Last but not least, the Monotribe can be tweaked if you are a bit in to DIY. You can by some small board that needs to be connected internally. After this mod, your tribe has a fully functional MIDI IN/OUT port with sync possibilities.

Have fun

pillbug · Post by **pillbug** » Tue Aug 04, 2015 12:09 am

OpAmp wrote:Hi,

Difficult to say whether it's worth it. It seems it is no longer available as new equipment...

That being said, you will need some extra device in between to sync it to your other equipment. At least the Electribe and Radias have only MIDI out to sync to and no analog sync out signal. So that extra piece of hardware woud convert the MIDI clock to a sync signal (I'm not sure what to use here...).

Some people are able to sync the monotribe using an audio signal, like a drum beat with the correct volume, but that may be a bit unreliable. Korg has an App that creates the sync signal on an audio output of your tablet/mobile phone. So it is possible.

I don't know the Arturia well enough, but basically the best candidate for syncing is the gate pulse. This can be delivered by the minibrute. No experience with it whether it works...

Last but not least, the Monotribe can be tweaked if you are a bit in to DIY. You can by some small board that needs to be connected internally. After this mod, your tribe has a fully functional MIDI IN/OUT port with sync possibilities.

Have fun

Thanks, I appreciate the info! Have a great day

DodgingRain · Post by **DodgingRain** » Fri Aug 07, 2015 6:35 pm

just watch the value of it on ebay when it sells and you'll find out what its worth.

brambos · Post by **brambos** » Wed Aug 26, 2015 6:50 am

The perfect partner for the Monotribe is the Korg SQ-1. No need for mods, just get the right cable to hook them up together and the syncing/sequencing via CV/gate works perfectly.

OIP · Post by **OIP** » Wed Aug 26, 2015 7:14 am

the SQ-1 looks like a really fun little bit of kit, but aside from the I/Os i wonder if it's substantially better than the monotribe's onboard sequencer?

to me the best companion to the (non-MIDI modded) monotribe is possibly the volca sample or a CV keyboard. as far as i know the arturia will work for this, pretty sure it has CV/gate out. worth checking.

monotribe unmodded by itself is a complete beast, would not hesitate to recommend. the sounds you can get out of that thing are INSANE.

brambos · Post by **brambos** » Wed Aug 26, 2015 7:35 am

Well, obviously the SQ1 is better than the MT's built-in sequencer. A rabbit's turd is better than the MT's built-in sequencer.

Sequencing using rotary knobs gives an instant 70s feeling to making music. It's much easier to tweak and try things hands-on using the SQ-1 without being as predictable as an X0X sequencer such as on the Electribes. So there's lots of happy accidents.

And best of all: it adds slide (if you're using CV) which turns the Monotribe into and instant acid machine.

I see the SQ1 as an integral part of my Monotribe. They just forgot to put it in the same box.

For those who want to link up the two: you need a special type of cable which is pretty rare (unless you roll your own). Track down a Nokia CA-75U (or compatible) video cable. Those ones are guaranteed to work.

OIP · Post by **OIP** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 2:38 am

brambos wrote: A rabbit's turd is better than the MT's built-in sequencer.

hahaha. i use a monotribe and volca sample, and actually find the build in monotribe sequencer really fun. somewhat annoyingly it has some useful features missing from the volca sample sequencer.

Sequencing using rotary knobs gives an instant 70s feeling to making music. It's much easier to tweak and try things hands-on using the SQ-1 without being as predictable as an X0X sequencer such as on the Electribes. So there's lots of happy accidents.

this all sounds really good and much like the chaos of tweaking the monotribe which is just about the most fun i have ever had with a musical device.

I see the SQ1 as an integral part of my Monotribe. They just forgot to put it in the same box.

For those who want to link up the two: you need a special type of cable which is pretty rare (unless you roll your own). Track down a Nokia CA-75U (or compatible) video cable. Those ones are guaranteed to work.

this has all piqued my interest in an SQ1. but you need special cables? i thought that was only for CV devices which don't have separate CV/gate outs? aside from the sequencing, i was looking for a way to get CV into the monotribe rather than doing the MIDI mod, SQ1 looks like it could be the perfect solution.

brambos · Post by **brambos** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 5:23 am

Yes, you need a cable that merges CV and gate (and earth) into a single jack. Somewhat annoyingly Korg picked a wiring layout that is as exotic as they could think of. But the cable type mentioned above works like a charm... And they're only €5 on Ebay so no biggie. Just remember that normal video cables do not work!

OIP · Post by **OIP** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 6:05 am

ah yes the issue is going into the monotribe port... forgot about that

i will keep an eye out for the SQ1, seems a bit hard to find here (australia) but i might try and order one.

chris-korg · Post by **chris-korg** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 1:52 pm

One issue to consider:

if you go the CV/gate-way you are going to loose "Sync" on your Monotribe (which means the little drum Computer becomes useless)

brambos · Post by **brambos** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 9:40 pm

chris-korg wrote:One issue to consider:

if you go the CV/gate-way you are going to loose "Sync" on your Monotribe (which means the little drum Computer becomes useless)

True, but that's a relatively small sacrifice. CV/gate is a *lot* more useful than those three plop sounds.

inrepose · Post by **inrepose** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 1:49 pm

Snap it up at 112.

Great little device with a fine sound.

northerntao · Post by **northerntao** » Thu Oct 15, 2015 6:53 pm

100% worth it, if it's in good condition. I just snatched a new one up at an inflated price a few weeks ago, and even with the price gouge, I couldn't be happier.

One of the nice things about the 2.1 update is that the Monotribe can do h/v and v/oct, so it will worth with both CV standards, unlike the MS-20 mini. It uses the same filter as the MS-20 mini as well. I had planned on getting the MS-20 mini, but I may pass now as I'm happy enough with the iPad version.

I'm planning on finding an old 1/8 to RCA video cable to make the CV cable rather than buying one of the inflated aftermarket cables on eBay. There is the USB tribe adapter which I do find appealing.

Here's a howto on how to use the 1/8 to RCA cable for CV/Gate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFVz-I7zx1A