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Average rating:
4.5 out of 5
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Just acquired a virtually flawless Mono/Poly after years of yearning for one. Very cutting and unique, nice construction throughout from the knobs, to the keys (okay polysynth action) to the mod wheels.
There are a number of features that make this synth pretty unique, the first among them being the 4 VCO setup. The sync (2 types) and FM (called x-mod, also 2 types) are excellent-and are triggered by the same orange button labeled "effects". The arpeggiator cycling in poly mode is sonically unique to my knowledge. The use of a positive AND negative pulse on the LFO are interesting. The addition of noise is a great one.
In some ways, the Mono/Poly reminds me of the Prophet 5 or Pro-One regarding implementation of the mod wheels--never since has a synth made mod wheels so easy and so meaningful to the overall sound of the instrument.
Contrary to some belief, the Mono/Poly is NOT unuseable in polyphonic mode; however, this is not one of the machine's strengths except w/ the Arpeggiator running through the different oscillators.
The Mono/Poly is an excellent--nay, AWESOME bass machine, spitting out odd timbres at the drop of a hat. It also can out-bubble and hiss a Yamaha CS-whatever (excluding the 80's, which RRrippp--not bubble) or Pro-One with ease. In general, the Mono/Poly is useful all over the place and in many contexts--conquering all with style and character.
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The URL for Zen Mono/poly has again changed. Now you can find it at:
www.mohodisco.com/monopoly
Should be a bit more permanent this time.
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Since I bought this instrument in 1995 I am still finding new sounds or rediscovering sounds that are quite remarkable even for and especially today in 2000. I will have to disagree with the sound category ratings. It does WONDERFULLY as something in the categories of brass, ACOUSTIC, pads, and PERCUSSION!! Words of advice: all hardware modules on this synth were not designed to be used as they are expected to, maybe. You can be extremely lame and use all modules in their typical use or You can get extremely technical and outlandishly configure them to create far-fetched, avante garde, terra incognita, how-the-where-the-what-the-hell-did-that-come-from type of sounds. Seriously. From the looks of the front panel it looks knock-and-know-all to the typical synth user but due to the technical synth archetecture it really is a synth all of its own...not a transitional, not a consolation, not an accompanying. Find one.
closing comment: Don't abuse the filter. Spare from using the resonance and the filter envelope emphasis by keeping their levels low to mid - You'll find just how beautiful the response of the filter really can be.
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A good synth that you can find on the cheap. The arpeggio is unsual and syncable to an audio click. The poly mode is strange in that the oscillators share the same filter and envelope, but this can be great for chugging rhythms. Good filter that doesn't quite have enough bite when open all the way. U can route the pitch and mod wheels to pitch, lfo, or filter fc. I replaced the volume knob with a big round dimmer and painted it red. Controlling volume this way makes the instrument much more expressive.
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I disagree with Ingo's comments about osc instability. My Mono takes about 2 minutes to warm up, but once it's warm it stays in tune nicely. I probably tune my Mono once every six months. Maybe mine is an exception though...
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