As more intricate and complex softsynths hit the market, there seems to be a parallel uptick in analog gear, almost directly responding to the oversaturation of sound-design-heavy software in modern music. And no era of music is more well-known for its lush and warm analog gear than the 80s; the true wild west of analog gear and a decade paved the way for where dance music is today.
But snagging an original, vintage synth from that iconic era is next to impossible for those that have them rarely give them up, and if they do, it’s for the prettiest of pennies.
Luckily, a few hardware synths emulate the most popular gear of yesteryear, and Behringer’s MonoPoly is one of them. So let’s dive into how well it captures the essence of the 80s to find out if it’s the best synth for you this year.
Learn More About This Synth While Supporting The Magnetic Team Through Our Partnership With Sweetwater Right Here.
What is the Behringer MonoPoly Based On?
The Behringer MonoPoly is based on Korg’s iconic MonoPoly synth that was first brought to market in 2981 (and from where the Behringer’s faithful recreation derives its name).
The synth’s iconic sound was founded on its four oscillators, each featuring multiple different waveforms. While this functionality seems standard in today’s landscape, it was truly revolutionary for the time.
Finding an authentic, vintage MonoPoly is incredibly rare and can easily cost you an arm and a leg. But luckily, there are many other alternatives on the market in which Behringer’s is the leading model.
If you’re looking to tap into the vibrant creative epoch of synth music in the 1980s, this synth is a fantastic way to do that. So let’s dive into the depths of our review.
Check Out Our Review On Korg’s Arp 2600 M Right Here 👈
The Best Features Of The Behringer MonoPoly
After toying around with this faithful recreation of the classic synth, I quickly discovered much to love about it. And while every hardware synth has its pros and cons, these are the main features that stuck out to me while experimenting on this synth in my studio.
Its Versatility
Right out of the gate, I could tell this thing would be a softspoken workhorse in the studio. It can do all the usual stuff a polysynth can do, lush chords, soaring leads, and the like. But it also can create some other exciting sounds with minor effort.
I could sculpt drums, wiggly craft FX, and even a few exciting atmospheres. Overall, this thing is a Swiss Army Knife of sound design, even more so than I expected going into this review. This made it quickly drop into one of my prime spots in my synth rack for its ability to generate swiftly almost any sound I needed.
Its Build Quality
While I am not saying this is the cheapest synth on the market, it is far more affordable than many competitors. And usually, this affordability comes at a cost, and the first thing to suffer is the device’s build quality.
But this couldn’t be further from the case with this Behringer synth.
It has solid, semi-weight keys with a bit of wiggle to them but only makes the synth feel more natural and broken in (in a good way, of course). Along with that, the metal front panel contains all the internals in a compact and safe enclosure. While I wouldn’t ever recommend dropping a synth on purpose, the quality of the build makes me confident this thing would perform well on the road.
My music producer friend, who was kind enough to let me borrow this synth for a few days, said that the lack of a locking button on the rear panel doesn’t keep things in place as well as other compatible options like Arturia’s does. But even he said this was far from a deal breaker, and I would say that I agree.
It’s Easy To Use
This synth MSRPs for just over $800, which, while being a pricey model, still puts it in reach of beginners looking to break into the hardware world. And for those looking to buy their first synth, I think this is an ideal option. And I say this from experience…
Anecdote time.
I bought the Korg MS-20 as my first hardware synth, hoping that figuring out the semi-modular patch bay on the synth would allow me to fully understand synthesis and tackle any other hardware synth moving forward. In a perfect world, I would have been right. But learning a new language of modular synthesis stole the wind from my sails, and I soon slowed down heavily on using the synth in favor of my familiar soft synths.
But this is not the case with the Behringer MonoPoly, as you can quickly and easily make sounds that you want to use in a song with only a few adjustments and parameters. It’s inspiring and easy to manipulate, a recipe for any new enthusiast to fully bore into the world of analog gear.
What I Wasn’t Crazy About
While I will be the first to admit that I had an absolute blast playing with this synth, I would be remiss not to mention some of the minor grievances and eye-rolls I had with this synth.
Here are two things I wasn’t that fond of regarding the Behringer MonoPoly
Lack of extensive tuning options
Being a poly-synth, I guess it makes a little sense why the tuning options were a bit lackluster. But still, most hardware synths I have played with r owned allow for +/- 7 semitones of tune, whereas the Behringer MonoPoly allows for each oscillator to be adjusted in cents and not in semitones.
This was a bit restricting, though there was an obvious workaround, albeit time-intensive.
And on the tuning note, my friend did note that the synth wasn’t correctly calibrated when it was shipped to him. Luckily he is a synth wizard and could handle it himself in his shop. But it is something to be mindful of, especially if the synth doesn’t sound entirely in key when you unbox it.
Lack of onboard effects like reverb
I probably sound like a princess for saying this, but I was a little disappointed by the lack of onboard effects on this thing. I know the classic MonoPoly didn’t have many effects, too, so a faithful recreation would seemingly make sense to lack them.
Scroll to Continue
But there’s always something about onboard effects that have such a signature sound. The specific reverb or the iconic chorus units are only obtainable on that single piece of hardware.
Granted, there are a ton of amazing plugins that I love to apply during post-processing. So I was far from left wanting. But if I were to have made this synth at home, I would have loved to include something extra on-board effect of two to be the X-Factor that makes this synth dominate the competition.
Specs and Features Of The Behringer MonoPoly
Type: Keyboard Synthesizer
Analog/Digital: Analog
Number of Keys: 37
Type of Keys: Semi-weighted, Full-size
Velocity Sensitive: Yes
Other Controllers: Pitchbend, Mod MG1 wheel
Polyphony: Monophonic, Up to 4-voice Paraphonic
Oscillators: 4 x VCO
Waveforms: Triangle, Reverse Sawtooth, PWM, PW
LFO: 2 x LFO
Filter: Lowpass Filter, 24dB/Oct
Envelope Generator: 1 x ADSR (filter), 1 x ADSR (amp)
Effects Types: X-Mod, Freq-Mod
Arpeggiator: Latch, Playback Order, Octave Range
Audio Outputs: 1 x 1/4″ TS (line out)
Headphones: 1 x 1/4″ TRS
USB: 1 x Type B
MIDI I/O: In/Out/Thru/USB
Pedal Inputs: 1 x 1/4″ TS (portamento on/off), 1 x 1/4″ TS (VCO), 1 x 1/4″ TS (VCF)
Other I/O: 2 x Trigger (in/out), 2 x CV (in/out), 1 x Sync (in)
Features: Chord Memory, Unison/Share Mode, Unison Mode, Transpose
OS Requirements – Mac: OS X 10.8.5 or later
OS Requirements – PC: Windows 7 SP1 or later
Power Source: 12V DC 1000mA power supply (included)
Height: 3.5″
Width: 25.5″
Depth: 14.2″
Weight: 22.7 lbs.
Learn More About This Synth While Supporting The Magnetic Team Through Our Partnership With Sweetwater Right Here.
Comments