Curious to hear what you all love and why!
EDIT: WYSIWYG = “What you see is what you get.” So, at least knob-per-function front-board setup, and ideally you can at least set it so that the sound you hear will always match the settings on the knobs.
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Korg MS-20. Straightforward. Sounds and looks great to me. The high pass filter with resonance is just bonkers beef city when you need that extra scronk.
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Edit: I am dumb.
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bang bang.
I like the SH-101 for it’s own natural screngths. Simple use, simple sequencer, simple connectivity, very interactive, no distractions. Scronky as all hell and it just performs like a real instrument once you actually start interacting with it.
Not as complex as some other fart machines but sometimes you just don’t want or need complexity to really enjoy making music, you just need an appropriate conduit for that sentiment.
Oh, and heart sign full sized keys and sliders.
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P5 is not really classified as a mono synth tho.
For me, 0-Coast is the awesome mono synth.
I’d love to try a Grandmother at some point too.
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Good catch, I missed the monosynth specification. Will edit for clarity.
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For me, it’s all about the Sound, the Knobs and Switches and the Feel.
I didn’t try all the Mono Synths available but of the ones I’ve tried and the ones I own :
- Vermona PERfourMER
- Moog Sirin/Minitaur (panel mode)
- Korg miniKORG 700FS
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I’ve been shedding all of these because I’m just not that into them anymore, but of those that still remain, I suppose the Matriarch. Though, in fairness, the best feature of the Matriarch might be paraphony.
So guess I’ve moved through which monosynth and back to why monosynth?
I don’t really think a synth has to be a mono to be pretty close to WYSIWYG, though - the Trigon is pretty WYSIWYG to me.
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Majella Implexus is my favorite. It looks and sounds amazing, never gonna let it go!
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Totally makes sense. I suppose the WYSIWYG prevails as my main point of interest, since most analog polysynths that would be in this discussion should get plenty beefy in unison mode.
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Intellijel Cascadia, hands down.
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GRP A1.
- I can see exactly what’s going on with everything at a glance, even if I’ve been away for months. Truly WYSIWYG
- 18 dB VCF sounds killer
- Tiny footprint on my limited desk space
- Modular (albeit limited) capabilities to make things a little more interesting
- Buttery, buttery knobs. The perfect amount of resistance
No sequencer, no keys. Just the pure, stripped-down essence of a monosynth.
I love it so much I have 3 of them
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Subsequent 37.
It is just a nearly perfectly laid out instrument with a nice keybed and plenty of knobs to get lost in. The mod bus is wonderful, the sequencer is super fun, it sounds beautiful but can get absolutely nasty, and just looks absolutely gorgeous.
There are very very few things I would change with it - a third lane for the mod bus, a full third osc instead of the square sub osc, and more dedicated sequencer controls.
Fantastic instrument.
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I dont have a favourite.
However, from my collection.
SH101 because its so easy to use, always fits in a mix, always sounds good, can send CV to my modular.
Pittsburgh SV1, has a very nice tone, different filter to the usual low pass ladder boring, excellent PWM.
PWM Malevolent, really amazing, totally unhinged, in a good way, and can connect to my modular.
Soma Lyra. Of course.
Xoxbox diy. I mean its a 303, and I made it. Whats not to like?
I also have a MS20, while I like it. Its not my favorite. And a Sub37, which I dont consider a WYSIWYG synth- due to what happens when you use patch memory and the programing section.
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this!
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Is the Matrixbrute considered as mono synth since it’s paraphonic? And is it enough WYSIWYG because of the matrice modulation?
To me it looks like to total absolute mono killer of all time
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I’m not exactly sure what WYSIWYG means but I’ve been rocking a Mfb Dominion1 for the last 10 years as my go to mono synth, and I really love it.
A packed panel full of knobs and sliders that just invite to play, good key bed and great sound. One of Manfreds finest moments if you ask me.
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im not very experienced with monosynths but i’ve been loving the stylophone ds-2. its such a WYSIWYG synth that what you see is heard immediately upon powering on.
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This ones kinda cheating, no? 
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Likewise, but in my case the MC-202 is as close as I’ve got to having an SH-101 (except the SH-1 I suppose, which is as simple to see what’s going on as it gets).
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