Korg monologue

How to use this course

Ten lessons take you from “what does this knob do” to building your own patches, sequences and motion-sequenced performances on the Korg monologue. Each lesson is 20 to 40 minutes, hands on, and ends with an exercise you should be able to do without looking before moving on.

All button combinations, parameter ranges and menu locations come from Korg’s official monologue Owner’s Manual (English, revision E3, published October 2024). Where a detail comes from somewhere else, or is general synth practice rather than a Korg statement, the lesson says so.

What you need:

• The monologue with six AA batteries (alkaline or Ni-MH) or a 9 V DC adapter (sold separately)
• Headphones (6.3 mm stereo jack) or a powered speaker on the 6.3 mm mono OUTPUT. There is no built-in speaker
• About 30 minutes per lesson
• Optional for Lesson 9: a computer with a USB cable, a MIDI keyboard or controller, or a Volca with a sync cable

Notation used in this course:

• SHIFT + REC means hold SHIFT, press REC, then let go of both
• Button 5 means the step button numbered 5 along the bottom row (there are 16)
• EDIT MODE > SEQ EDIT > button 6 means press EDIT MODE until SEQ EDIT shows (or turn PROGRAM/VALUE to it), then press button 6
• Knob values are written as the display shows them, mostly 0 to 1023. To see values while you turn knobs, set Parameter Disp to All (Lesson 2)
• Sequences are written as a 16-step grid, with a note name for a played step, - for a rest and ~ for a tie