Korg Monologue

About the Korg Monologue

The Monologue's 25 slim, velocity-sensitive keys drive a single-voice analog synthesis engine built from 2 VCOs, 1 VCF, 1 EG, 1 VCA and 1 LFO. VCO1 offers saw, triangle and square waves with shape control, while VCO2 adds noise plus sync/ring modulation options and its own pitch and shape controls, blended through a dedicated mixer section before hitting a cutoff/resonance filter stage. The envelope generator is a simplified attack/decay design rather than a full ADSR, a deliberate simplification that keeps the 23 dedicated panel controls immediate and hands-on. A 16-step note and motion sequencer can automate up to four parameters simultaneously, and 100 fully editable presets (80 factory, 20 user slots) sit alongside 32 microtuning settings for alternate scales and octaves. A real-time OLED oscilloscope gives visual feedback on the waveform being generated. At 33 x 25.4 x 5.08cm and 2.9kg, it's light enough for battery-powered use away from a power outlet, and connects via MIDI in/out and USB type B.

Where to buy

• Reverb Korg Monologue-RD Analog Monophonic Synthesizer (Red) Open-Box NOS 205 EUR Best price View details
• eBay KORG Monologue Analog Monophonic Synthesizer 25-Key Synth Bass Lead Sequencer 242 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue Monophonic 25 Key 16 Step Sequencer Analog Synthesizer #0003 251 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue Monophonic 25 Key 16 Step Sequencer Analog Synthesizer #0005 251 EUR View details
• Reverb KORG MONOLOGUE-BK monophonic analogue synthesizer w/ box 252 EUR View details
• eBay KORG Monologue Black Monophonic 25 Key Midi Analog Synthesizer 266 EUR View details
• Reverb Korg Monologue Analog Synthesizer 278 EUR View details
• Reverb KORG MONOLOGUE-Silver monophonic analogue synthesizer w/ box 280 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue Monophonic 25 Key 16 Step Sequencer Midi Analog Synthesizer 294 EUR View details
• eBay KORG Monologue Black 25-Key Monophonic Analog Synthesizer with AC Adapter Tested 297 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue Monophonic 25 Key 16 Step Sequencer Midi Analog Synthesizer... 302 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue Monophonic 25 Key 16 Step Sequencer Midi Analog Synthesizer... 346 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue Monophonic 25 Key 16 Step Sequencer Midi Analog Synthesizer... 346 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue Monophonic 25 Key 16 Step Sequencer Midi Analog Synthesizer... 346 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue Monophonic 25 Key 16 Step Sequencer Midi Analog Synthesizer... 346 EUR View details
• Reverb Korg Monologue Monophonic Analog Synthesizer 359 EUR View details
• Reverb Korg Monologue Monophonic Analog Synthesizer 363 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue GD Gold Monophonic 25 Key Sequencer Midi Analog Synthesizer Japan 370 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue GD Gold Monophonic 25 Key Sequencer Midi Analog Synthesizer Japan 370 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue GD Gold Monophonic 25 Key Sequencer Midi Analog Synthesizer Japan 370 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue Monophonic SV 25 Key 16 Step Sequencer Midi Analog Synthesizer 371 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue Monophonic SV 25 Key 16 Step Sequencer Midi Analog Synthesizer 371 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue Monophonic SV 25 Key 16 Step Sequencer Midi Analog Synthesizer 371 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue Monophonic SV 25 Key 16 Step Sequencer Midi Analog Synthesizer 371 EUR View details
• Reverb KORG Monologue Monophonic Analog Synthesizer - Blue 377 EUR View details
• eBay KORG Monophonic Analog Synthesizer Monologue-BL Monologue Dark Blue 378 EUR View details
• eBay KORG Monophonic Analog Synthesizer Monologue-BL Monologue Dark Blue 378 EUR View details
• Reverb KORG Monologue Monophonic Analog Synthesizer - Silver 390 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue+AC Monophonic SV 16 Step Sequencer Midi Analog Synthesizer Silber 390 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue+AC Monophonic SV 16 Step Sequencer Midi Analog Synthesizer Silber 390 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue+AC Monophonic SV 16 Step Sequencer Midi Analog Synthesizer Silber 390 EUR View details
• eBay Korg Monologue+AC Monophonic SV 16 Step Sequencer Midi Analog Synthesizer Silber 390 EUR View details
• eBay Korg monophonic Analog Synthesizer Monologue-BL Monologue Dark Blue 394 EUR View details
• Reverb KORG Monologue 25-Key Compact Monophonic Analog Synthesizer - Silver 419 EUR View details
• eBay KORG Monologue-BK Analog Synthesizer 25 Key Monophonic 16 Step Sequencer Black 445 EUR View details

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Sound character of the Korg Monologue

Deep, massive and gritty, driven by an aggressive 2-pole filter and a custom Drive circuit that favors bite and attitude over clean politeness - equally capable of snappy or warm dirty basses, sub-bass, searing leads, old-school vibey tones, and even drum hits.

What owners of the Korg Monologue say

Reviews are consistently enthusiastic about the Monologue's character, with its aggressive filter and Drive circuit singled out repeatedly as punching well above its price - several reviewers specifically compare its bass output favorably against much more expensive synthesizers. The acknowledged tradeoffs - monophonic voicing and a simplified AD envelope instead of full ADSR - are treated as reasonable limitations given the cost rather than genuine complaints, and the overall consensus lands firmly on excellent value for powerful, characterful bass and lead sounds.

Playability & handling of the Korg Monologue

Reviewers describe the Monologue as sounding deep and massive, with bass sounds frequently called "kick-ass" and leads described as searing - deep bass tones in particular are said to hold their ground against, and sometimes surpass, far more expensive synthesizers. The heart of that character is an aggressive 2-pole filter paired with a custom-designed Drive circuit that's deliberately voiced to sound gritty and biting rather than clean, giving the instrument a distinct attitude across its range: snappy or warm, dirty basses, old-school vibey tones, sub-bass, dirty leads, effects, and even individual drum hits or full drum beats. With only two VCOs and no sprawling modulation matrix, the sound-shaping toolkit is deliberately focused rather than exhaustive, and the engine is closely related to the acclaimed polyphonic Minilogue, with a 2-pole VCF specifically optimized for monophonic bass and lead work. The clearest limitations are its monophonic design - no chords - and the simplified AD envelope in place of a full ADSR, both treated by reviewers as the expected tradeoffs for the price rather than flaws.

Recommended accessories & strings for the Korg Monologue

Battery operation means no dedicated power adapter is strictly required for mobile use, and the USB type B connection covers DAW integration without extra hardware. Beyond that, the Monologue is largely self-contained - its 23 panel controls and built-in sequencer cover most needs without external gear.

Technical data for the Korg Monologue

Price history for the Korg Monologue

Cheapest seen: 205 EUR  ·  Most expensive seen: 445 EUR

The history of the Korg Monologue

Korg's Monologue brings the Minilogue's analog voice architecture into a compact monophonic instrument with a built-in motion-recording sequencer.

About Korg as a manufacturer

Korg traces its roots to a Tokyo nightclub, where founders Tsutomu Kato and Tadashi Osanai met after Osanai, an accomplished accordionist, began performing regularly at Kato's club accompanied by a rhythm machine - a partnership that led them to found the company in 1962 and release the Doncamatic DA-20, the world's first disc-rotation auto-rhythm machine, in 1963. The KORG name itself came later, combining both founders' initials with "RG" for a planned push into the organ market. Released in 2017 at just $299, the Monologue shares its engine concept with the larger polyphonic Minilogue, showing how that rhythm-machine-and-organ lineage has grown into a company that puts genuinely characterful analog synthesis within reach of beginners and hobbyists rather than keeping it exclusive to professional-tier instruments.