Top-5 Budget Mono Synths in 2023!
Our best picks for a budget-friendly mono synthesizer!
Having a monophonic synthesizer is essential for any music studio. It’s also the best way for a beginner to learn about synthesis and get away from the computer and all the plugins installed. While a single voice can be limiting, a good mono synth is perfect for basslines, lead sounds, and melodies. And the best part is that there are so many affordable options.
So here we gathered our top-5 picks for your first (or next) mono synth that won’t break the bank!
5. Korg Monologue
The Korg Monologue was released as the mono brother to the innovative and extremely successful Minilogue. It has 25 keys and a 16-step sequencer with motion recording and has all the basic features you’d want on a subtractive synthesis synthesizer. It’s probably also one of the best synths to understand how an analog synthesizer works since almost every control is accessible through physical knobs so you don’t have to dive into menus.
4. cre8audio East Beast & West Pest
These two semi-modular synths by cre8audio have become quite popular since their release last year. The East Beast uses subtractive synthesis while the West Pest is a West Coast-style synth. They’re both analog and tiny, but at the same time have a lot of features for their price and size. Both have a 32-step sequencer (with a generative mode on the West Pest), an arpeggiator, presets, and they can be hooked up to a modular system using the patchbays making them not only great standalone solutions but also something that you can expand on.
3. Moog Mavis
Moog synthesizers are in the boutique price range so when the Moog Mavis was announced everyone was excited that you could now get a Moog synth for 300€. It’s a purely analog mono synth, with the beloved Moog ladder filter that sounds amazing. It’s also semi-modular meaning you can use it with your Eurorack modules so that makes its price even more tempting.
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2. Dreadbox Typhon
Our love for Dreadbox is quite prominent on this website. The Typhon is one the most affordable synthesizers but that shouldn’t hold you back because its sound is massive. It has two oscillators, a sequencer, 12 DSP effects, a lot of modulation options, and more. It requires a bit of menu diving but for its size, it is understandable. Dreadbox has developed its own sound through the years, and the Typhon has all the Dreadbox analog vibe you’d expect!
1. Arturia MiniBrute 2 & 2S
I feel that the MiniBrute 2 & 2S don’t get the love they deserve and I can’t help but think why. The MiniBrute is an analog synth with two oscillators, a Steiner-Parker multimode filter (which is my favorite type of filter), 2 envelopes, 2 LFOs, and a massive patchbay to self-patch or connect to external gear. On paper, it’s fully featured and sounds thick and fat on any type of sound. The MiniBrute 2 has a 25-key keyboard with aftertouch and an arpeggiator & step sequencer (essentially a Keystep) and the 2S has a very powerful 3-track step sequencer (essentially a BeatStep Pro). It has no screen, menus, or presets making it a full hands-on device that is welcoming experimentation and knob twisting so it’s also great for a complete beginner. An amazing package overall!
