Korg Monotron Delay – Jahtari edition (RACK VERSION)

If you’ve ever stumbled over one of the original Korg Montron Delays you can’t but help to admire the raw 1970s SciFi movie sound and overall concept: a dub siren and analog delay, all in one tiny unit – and for 40 EUR? What more can you ask for!

But its small size and budget-saving price definitely have their downsides: the knobs are ultra-flimsy and no fun to use at all, the batteries always seems to run out just during a set and it actually could have done with a few more simple extras, like a Resonance on the filter.

It also comes with an input for using it as a normal delay via an Aux Send on the mixer, but that input distorts instantly when a little bass is in the game (like in every Reggae and Dub record) plus there’s no knob for adjusting the Dry/Wet mix, turning it pretty useless for that purpose.

So the idea of the Jahtari editon was to use the  potential of this tiny vibes machine and turn it into something that can actually be used live and in the studio.

Luckily the Monotron comes already prepared for some serious bending, and the pimped up Jahtari edition now comes with the following
new extras:

• a Trigger button instead of the ribbon controller that works also as switch, giving you two free hands to screw around with the knobs

• wave shape of the LFO (originally only triangle) can now be changed with a knob from | to / to /|, unlocking a wealth of new FX sounds

• in pulse mode, the wave shape knob now sets the pulse width of the LFO, adding more sounds and texture

• LFO can now be switched to modulate the filter cutoff and not only the pitch of the oscillator

• the filter now has a resonance knob, working up to self-oscillation. With the LFO modulating the cutoff this adds an extra type of dub siren!

• durable, nice-grip switches and big Moog-style knobs for true finger-twisting fun
• comes in an original Commodore C64 floppy case for proper vibes
• incl. power supply, no need to worry about battery life anymore

Yes, the unit is pretty noisy and breathing with a healthy hiss, but that comes with the design. It’s actually a feature that can easily throw some badly needed dirt into too clean productions and turn somewhat boring songs into strangely unboring ones.

It’s a highly addictive fun unit and in the backpack for practically every Jahtari live gig and in use in almost every tune.

For more details, tips and tricks have a look at this little manual:

Monotron Delay – Jahtari Edition Manual -> DOWNLOAD