Korg SyncKontrol For Monotribe Now Available

korg synckontrol monotribeKorg has released SyncKontrol for Monotribe – a free iOS app that lets you control a Monotribe analog synthesizer using an iPhone.

SyncKontrol offers owners of Korg’s monotribe Analogue Ribbon Station precise tempo control, plus the ability to sync their monotribe to WIST (Wireless sync) enabled apps.

Description:

SyncKontrol allows you to control the tempo and start/pause of the monotribe Analogue Ribbon Station via the audio output of your iPhone. The app also offers Tap Tempo, a Swing function, and WIST (Wireless Sync-Start Technology) to sync monotribe to WIST-enabled apps such as Korg’s iMS20, iElectribe and iElectribe Gorillaz Edition.

In addition, this application receives sync from Mac-based DAW software by receiving MIDI clock and play/stop commands via Wireless Network MIDI.

This looks like an interesting way to bridge the worlds of iOS apps and analog synths.

If you’ve tried this out with the Monotribe or any other analog synths, let us know what you think.

Specifications:

  • Sequencer Section:
    • Tempo: 20.0 – 999.9 BPM
    • Tap tempo
    • Swing function: 50 – 75 %
  • Other:
    • Supports WIST (Wireless Sync-Start Technology)

Note: Korg notes that Wireless Network MIDI function is a developing technology and there are no guarantees concerning stability, which can be heavily affected by traffic over the wireless network.

Also, a mini jack cable is necessary to connect iPhone and monotribe. SyncKontrol for monotribe need iOS 4.2 or later.

19 thoughts on “Korg SyncKontrol For Monotribe Now Available”

  2. they seem to make only toys these days. but im confused, does the monotribe have some kind of wireless capabilities?

  4. The MonoTribe has an analog sync in, old school style, you send it pulses and it treats that as a sequencer tick, which gives you sync.

    What this app does is fake those pulses using a short audio burst (sounds like a rim shot). So the app is handling the wireless side to sync up with other stuff, and then sending out synced up pulses via an audio cable to the MonoTribe. End result is wireless sync for the MonoTribe, with an iPhone and an audio cable attached.

    It includes CoreMIDI and WIST support, so you should be able to sync your MonoTribe up using:
    An iPad running iElectribe, synced wirelessly via WIST to SyncKontrol on an iPhone, synced to MonoTribe. iElectribe synced to MonoTribe.
    An iPad/iPhone running MoDrum, FunkBox, Molten or other apps that support MIDI clock and network connections, synced wirelessly via CoreMIDI to SyncKontrol on an iPhone, synced to the MonoTribe. MoDrum synced to MonoTribe.
    A Mac running Ableton Live, synced wirelessly via CoreMIDI to SyncKontrol on an iPhone, synced to the MonoTribe. Ableton synced to MonoTribe.
    A hardware drum machine like a MachineDrum, synced via Camera Connection Kit and USB MIDI Interface to SyncKontrol on an iPad, synced to the MonoTribe. Hardware MIDI synced to MonoTribe.

    So this app gives you several different ways to get MIDI sync into a MonoTribe. It's kind of funny because they went retro with the analog sync interface on the MonoTribe itself, but are including this fairly advanced wireless solution that (hopefully!) works with it. Best of both worlds or kludge? Personally, I think it's really cool!

  6. Yes, I think it hasn't been released yet. I don't have a MonoTribe and haven't been able to find anyone with them in stock. I've just played a bit with this app this weekend to see what it can do, because I was curious. I could hear the audio sync starting and ticking when it should under all the above scenarios, and am using that to assume that it "works".

    We won't know for sure how well it really syncs until we try it with the real thing, which I hope to do soon! It looks to me like it will be pretty fun.

    I also did try real quick to use the app to sync up an old Roland CR-78 but that didn't work. I might have been doing something wrong though…

  7. Respect for the CR-78 experiment, that's dope you tried. Sweetwater is saying early July. I'm on the fence a little as $199 was kind of my self imposed ceiling for it.. I know it's only $50, but I think about how I might be better off getting a Mopho or more likely a Tetra. Apples and oranges I realize, but I just want to get one analog piece to round out my setup. Of course the Monotribe looks exponentially more fun.

  8. Yep, I agree at $199 it's a no brainer, $50 more and you have to start thinking about it. I'm a total sucker for little synth/drum boxes with sequencers though, so I'll shell out the extra cash on day one. You can probably thank impatient chumps like me for the initial price, wait a couple months and once they have the sucker money you'll probably get it at $199… just think of all the $51 worth of fun I'll have in the mean time though!

  10. If they've lost the plot, i don't want them to ever find it.

    Very happy to see all these low-cost left of field devices coming to market from a major company like them. It shows they are willing to experiment and take risks.

    They are currently my favorite synth company because of it.

    I think we are going to see some amazing mods and uses of the monotribe once it's been out for a while.

  11. They should have let you use a splitter cable and send L/R signal to two respective Monotribes. That would give you a 16 step sequencer right there. 🙂

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