Korg SyncKontrol

Korg recently released this free app for the iOS platform. It’s intended function is to act as a tempo control for the Monotribe, but honestly, it’s got way more potential than that.

Last night, I hooked it into my computer and did some testing to see exactly what it it was doing. Obviously it’s creating an audible ticking sound in the higher frequency range, so I figured I’d nail that down a bit and figure how to use it on other devices.

After some playing and measuring, the software appears to put out a tick that peaks in the 1k-3k range. This tick actually goes across the frequency spectrum, but the 1-3k area is where it’s most powerful. On my tests, the audio level was high enough in that spot that it seems to be their focus.

So, if that is how the Monotribe gets it’s sync signal, it should be very easy to simply create an oscillator that is around 2k give or take and use that to control the Monotribe.

You could also use a simple Frequency -> Volts convertor to create CV gating for other instruments. A 9V battery, a TIP31 and a bit of wiring and jacks and thats a no brainer.

Since I don’t own the Monotribe, I can only guess that it will accept any sound similar to control its pace. I hope to try the other ideas I have soon enough.

Think about this… Instead of Korg’s SyncKontrol, what if you used a simple 8 step sequencer, or the output of a 555 timer or similar? Could be way fun!

Until I try the Monotribe with it and see how it reacts to sound fed into it, the rest is speculation for me.