It is certainly able to create some excellent sounds, and many of these kind of sounds are not common sounds that you would easily come across in other synthesisers. This is mainly because of the Mono/Poly's "effects" section, which includes various combinations of envelope swept oscilator sync and cross modulation. You can certainly get some nasty acid sounds out of it, particularly when applying a bit of portamento.

It also has what COULD be an excellent arpeggiator, where the poly mode cycles through each of the oscillators separately (different tunings and waveforms on each oscillator are the key here), but unlike Roland arpeggiators, everytime you hit a key, that key will sound and THEN start the arpeggiator. This means you have to be very careful with your timing when you hit a new chord, as the first note can be annoyingly out of sync with the rest of the arpeggiated notes. Synchronising the Mono/Poly to another device does not eliminate this problem.

Despite the great sounds you can get out of this machine, the basic generic synth sounds are really nothing to write home about, because frankly, the oscillators are not strong enough. They are really quite weedy. If you want strong sounds, you invariably have to apply sync and at least a little cross modulation, which is not always desirable. For this reason I certainly wont be parting with my Roland SH-2 anytime soon, which has very ballsy oscillators, a very nice filter and therefore is fantastic for generic synth sounds.

I should also point out that, contrary to the previous review, the Mono/Poly does NOT use the same filter as the Prophet 5. The Mono/Poly uses an SSM-2044 chip, whereas the revisions 1 and 2 prophet use an SSM-2040 chip. There IS a difference in the sound, though it is not great.

Buy this synth if you love analogue and already have something else with strong sounding oscillators. DON'T buy it if it is going to be your only analogue synth.

This synth has balls, but you have to know what you're doing to get them. If you don't, you'll be disappointed when you play it, mistakenly thinking it's weak. I will say that there are other analogs that give more immediate satisfaction, but the MonoPoly is what I call a "journey" board. Fire it up, let it get warmed up, then start recording as you tweak, because you'll get crazy stuff you can never replicate again.

I want mine back!

They can rhapsodize about how it's undervalued, 4-oscillators, blah, blah, blah but at the end of the day it's (1) not any thicker than other 2-osc. synths in my experienced opinion, and (2) it doesn't have much character! I always had to use a lot of resonance to try to compensate, which is probably why most of it's better sounds can be accurately described as somewhat nasal. IF IT WAS GREAT I'D HAVE KEPT IT. Any number of other monos are much more worthwhile, not all of which are expensive or hyped.

Everyone compares everything (synths) to Moogs and then says that whatever is better or worse. These qualitative opinions and comparisons mean nothing when a product reaches a certain level of greatness. It's the proverbial apples and oranges. I play in a rock band and would be unable to use a moog on most of our recordings. My opinion is that Moogs (particularly the mini) are often too thick; it's better mix around one than fit one into the mix. The mono/poly's four oscillators can also be too thick but can easily be tweaked down to just the right tone where it fits into the mix without distracting from the whole and without compromising the character of its own sound. Again, just an opinion.

Needless to say, I enjoy this synth. It is my main analog. I like the Juno 106 for poly, moogs for bass and this for leads, ambient and also bass. It has a distinctive sound that keeps synth people from saying "that's an arp on your song" or "oh, I have a moog too". Instead it's usually "what did you use there?".

I would recommend against using this for a poly synth. It is more than just a mono but not a useful poly. It is usable though, but more for experimental poly or, very basic four note melodic stuff.

Also, be prepared for a bit of a learning curve on this one. Don't immediately assume you have this ting completely figured out. Its a little more complex than the usual knobby analog. I've had mine for a couple of years and am still frequenly discovering new tricks.

If you are mainly a synthesizer player and are considering buying this synth for less than $600(in good working condition), it would be wise to stop what you're doing and make sure that you get it right this second before the seller changes their mind or it's gone. I would pay about 650 (in 2005) 700 would be my max but, compared to Moogs and other hyped synths, is still undervalued. Adbot and prepal are neither accurate nor realistic. The vintage synth market is too volatile for these bots to figure out.

This synth makes sounds like none other. I have been playing digital for the past 5 years as well as an assortment of analogs, and NOTHING has the unique sounds you can find on the MonoPoly. I still can't figure out why, with all the variety on the market, people compare everything to Moog. Folks- it's a four-letter fad- get over it. Does a Moog sound beefy and classic? Sure. Is it a classic piece of Music Americana? Maybe. Does it command a price tag of 2-4000 dollars? HEEEEELLS no!! I'd put my MonoP against it any day- four fat oscillators, that classic, rotund Korg filter, and mod possibilities out the wazoo- it often pretends to have patchchords sticking out of the routing bays. So many options, so little time...you can make sounds ranging from the static electricity in your girlfriend's skirt to Bob Moog taking a dump over the Jaws. (work the LFO on that one)

The first time I plugged it in, I had my amp down really low, as I had been playing my guitar quietly. THe first note I hit made the windows shake. WOOONK. This baby has some powerful envelopes/amplifiers on board...adjusted those three oscillators to triangle, one on saw tooth, kicked the filter, and rumbled the house. Made enough bass to wake up our neighboring Siberian Huskies. Honestly, this is beefier than my old Maxi-Korg 800DV- which, for you fadfollowers, is considered a fair rival to the MiniMoog.

The sound is somewhere between a Pro-1, MiniMoog, MS-20, and the Octave Cat. Pure organic noises- otherworldly. You can tell you're playing with a Real Live instrument, as it doesn't pretend to be anything other than a MonoPoly. No guitars, no drums, no flutes...just pure analog, earthy elements. Maybe some Hammond in there...maybe some breaking glass or hailstorms. Wacked-out 70's style leads, deep space-9 bass, and some liquidy sweet tremolo spirits.

I love this noise box, and will never part with it. It's the real deal, kids, and going up in price; Buy it while it's still the price of a Moog in 1991!!!