Well, it has a distinct sound.
It doesn’t sound rolandy, or moogy, if you know what i mean.
I suggest to powerwatch the s%$t out of youtube, that should clarify it 
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Roland SH01a is great, deceptively deep despite only 1 osc+sub.
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From what I’ve seen/heard so far there’s not many very convincing demos to be found. But well… same applies to Analog Four and I’m really in love with its sound.
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I don’t know what your budget is but the Novation Monostation is one of the best modern analogue monosynths Ive used that is budget friendly. Check the feature list. Onboard overdrive and distortion and the sequencer are highlights for me.
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I want a Leploop.
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Previously on Elektronauts…
More at
https://www.elektronauts.com/search?q=mono%20synth
My own fav: A4 = 4 monosynths
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I second that, it’s perfect for jamming. You will get all of its functions immediately. Everything has a slider. It will always sound good unless you want it to sound ugly. It can be a poly as an added bonus, though that’s not where it shines.
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A poly is fine, they just tend to get expensive quite quickly.
DSI/Pioneer AS-1.
Monologue is also very good.
SE-02 sounds nice, but is very fiddly, less fun than it should be.
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Arturia MicroFreak(and perhaps Minifreak?) and Novation Bass Station 2 are worth considering too!
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I always get a little nervous when people quote me, 
. I’m like, “Oh god what did I do or say now?”
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add the following to your considerations
-
Norand Mono: (It’s amazing) it has so much modulation and 0 thru FM that if you want for sound shaping, it can be a drum synth as well.
Banging On the Norand Mono Just For You - YouTube
Turning the Norand Mono into a Drum Machine, because of course I am. - YouTube -
Pioneer DSI Toraiz AS1: (its a single voice Prophet 6. even shares 98% same midi implementation as the Prophet 6, RIP. Dave Smith)
Pioneer DJ TORAIZ AS-1 Official Introduction - YouTube -
Roland SH01a: (easily the best 101 clone, also a polysynth!)
Roland SH-01a Patches for Ambient, Techno and Electronica "Colors Sound Pack" - YouTube -
Mutable Instruments Shruthi XT (so underrated and customizable with different Filters depending what you like, all sounds are from the Shruthi)
Mutable Instruments Shruthi XT Hybrid Synthesizer (Polivoks Filter) - No Talking Demo - YouTube
Sorry to muddy the waters 
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Doepfer Dark Energy 1/2 + DarkTime or Korg SQ1?
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Microfreak is really versatile, has a huge palette of possible sounds, and it fit’s a small budget too!
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Needs to be a compact 1 box solution so nothing with wires and multiple units.
Another vote for the SH-01A here. The unison mode is devastating for mono basslines. Plus it can convert midi to pitch/gate CV (with glide) for controlling other gear. The sequencer is dead simple: note, rest, tie, etc. But with the trigger input you can totally mess with how a sequence progresses. Poly mode is a nice option too.
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+1 for the Norand Mono and Erica Synths DB-01.
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Also, it can convert incoming midi to CV! a euro rack module that does that is half the price of the SH01a
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Analog Four MkI? Those are mad cheap used at this point and extremely versatile. Especially with the ability to do unison with mono (and poly too if you really need it). That being said I do find the bottom end of the MKII to be a bit fuller, but you can probably just do some EQ on the MKI
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That would probably fall into the category of big and complicated.
I’m thinking like Monologue levels of complexity.
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