Full ASDR control via the front panel is now possible in the latest firmware. 1.1.1. • Hold ENV to assign full Amp ADSR to the 4 knobs of the matrix • Hold FILTER to assign full Filter ADSR to the 4 knobs of the matrix
So this is available with a simple update? Just plug it into your computer and d/l the firmware update? If so, that will be the difference between me buying one and me being upset over another "too good to be true" product. I mean, how can you have a filter with only 50% of the filters parameters?
Also, having a dedicated cutoff knob without a dedicated resonance knob is kind of suspect. However, if you CAN get the full ADSR on the filters with the update, it's definitely worth the really low price. I mean, not if it's your only piece of hardware, but added to a decent rig I can see myself using this little tool quite a bit.
I bought this synth on a whim last year, along with a few other well-thought hardware purchases. I won't go into technical things, just want to share a nice story. Since I had the fortune of buying multiple synths in 2018, I decided to give my UNO to my good friend Danny. He's nine years younger than I, and we first bonded over his use of a cracked version of Reason. A quiet and reserved type but with exemplary technical skill, I feel honored to show him what I can, and watch him work his magic. On Christmas eve, I gave him the UNO, and last week he asked me to visit to tutor him. What a way to start the year! He pulled out his dab rig, and we had the best time figuring the synth out between the two of us, not once consulting the manual. Between hits of thc wax and a thorough exploration of the UNO, we had one of those moments I live for, contributing to the younger generation. I see people and their gripes about the UNO, but what many forget in the fervor of their self-righteous opinions is that there are others out there who WILL indeed be grateful, who WILL indeed make good tunes with UNO, and who WILL gain valuable experience from it. All the thousands some spend on their modulars and overpriced moog (Big Brair) will never buy a cold, rainy afternoon between two homies, getting faded and making noise. That's priceless. A heartwarming memory I hope to carry always.
We have a saying here in the U.K. A bad workman always blames his tools. I think this is a great little synth for the money and perfectly capable of making some great sounds if you are willing to experiment with it like you and your friend.
Cheers for the review Nick, sounds pretty good, wonder if the 16step seq could be firmware updated, 32steps and 10 lanes, or 64 and 5 would make it more useful for me.
This slots in nicely between the volcas and the Monologue. I like the portability aspect it being battery powered. However the Monologue has more personality and character to my ears. Great to see they have an editor for it.
Portability makes it a possible sketching/doodling option, I think the limitations can sometimes be helpful forcing you to be creative. Nice budget price compared to other 2 osc desktop synths (except volca)
Thing about this is that it's way more powerful than the volca bass. The Volcas are great at giving you a selection of classic features that makes sense for each model but this is a tour de force in miniaturization and actually sounds great.
I love my UNO Synth!... Has a slight learning curve for navigating the menus but it's very satisfying and plays very well with my Volca/Pocket operator setup. Alot of bang for the buck... I hope IK adds the ability to go 32 or 64 steps with future updates however
I bought this synth with a Deepmind 12 and I'm very happy with that combination and it's under $1000 dollars for both, pull out a Korg DW-8000 two drum machines DR. 550 mk2, DR.660 and my beloved Simmons SDSV that I have for years plus the softsynths. For $199 you get a really good synth with a lot of potencial.
sonicstate Oh, I agree. I don’t like 2.5mm - they seem too small and flimsy - plus everyone up to now has been using 3.5mm. Still, when the new standard was announced a couple of months ago I downloaded the spec, and I was surprised to see that the 2.5mm is their preferred connector. So I guess we’ll see more in the future, and in selecting it IK is really doing the ‘right thing’.
Yeah a extra knob for data instead of the arrows would have been better. but they were pretty damn clever about the vast majority of interface design aspects on this. I mean you can look at the layout and pretty much understand everything by just looking at it.
if I am reading the manual correct, the AUDIO IN does NOT give u access to the filter. Can anyone confirm this ? On my uno drum, the audio in gives u access to the compressor which is not bad at all-electric
I think this Uno can sound pretty damn good from what i hear, 20 track of motion sequencing makes it 200 times better than volca Bass. And i just adore my volca bass. The price of Uno is just right also. With right marketing this should sell like crazy. Thanks Nick. We wait for that Erebus 3 review and demo :)
Good for a first synthesizer for this company, nothing is ever perfect the first time around but there are some quality features to this synthesizer as well as an interesting character to it's sound. Great review as always.
this is a cool DAW companion analog mono. It sounds really good, and it would be ideal to record into the DAW and use it for jamming as well. Less control for the live jams but enough to have fun. Serious analog sound and control when producing DAW tracks. I like it. EDIT: its not a synth to sit down and do sound design on using the front panel. I don't think any low-cost small form factor mono is. Mostly, the small form factor mono's are for jamming with other gear without futzing with the params too much. This one has some serious professional sound which also makes it ideal to use with a DAW.
Actually, the recent firmware update has sorted out that issue!!: - Press and hold ENV button down to assign full Amp ADSR to the 4 knobs of the matrix - Press and hold FILTER button down to assign full Filter ADSR to the 4 knobs of the matrix So the editor isn't need to access this direct from the front panel
I got one yesterday.. I have collected synths for decades... this synth blew me away! seriously! a feckn amazing machine!! over the moon with this italian spicey meata balla!! #nomnomnom x
I have one. Feels sturdy. I've wrapped it in a hoody and threw in my backpack for bikerides to the park a few times and it still looks brand new like 6 months later.
This caught me a few times. If you have external sync, the tempo becomes a multiplier/divider, not an absolute scale. Cool feature, except for the location of the knob. One nudge, and you're at 2x or 1/2 tempo. If I were to play this live, I'd remove the knob. The arrow buttons thing also got me a few times before I realized what was going on. Drives me nuts to lose everything.
For all its limitations it sounds great, costs very little, and has a pretty straightforward interface. It's interesting how the minilogue is the only full-size (sort of) synth whose sequencer also has modulation lanes. Even Minibrute 2S if I understand correctly doesn't have that in the sense that you are limited to the per-step parameters you can tweak with the per-step knobs.
Can you connect audio speakers through The mono input and output jacks? I’m sorry if this is a stupid question. I just don’t want to use only the pre amp and I’m glad the usb mini can work for power source instead of using batteries
Just picked up a floor model for $120 impulse buy and im having a ton of fun with it. Plays nicely with volcas too. Might pick up the UNO drum and see what the 2 can do together with some reverb etc.
Nick gets some serious sounds out of this, and frankly it seems like it's got a lot going for it. That much parameter-locking is damn cool, perhaps even overkill for this amount of parameters, and overall it seems to pack in plenty of features for something this size and price. But there's also some bits I just don't get. Like why, if they're already doing a parameter matrix, not include as many parameters as possible? They could easily have fit more lanes of parameters without sacrificing userfriendliness. As it is, one of the lanes already have a double, why don't they all? From where I'm standing it would be a miniscule difference in development, and NO additional production cost. So why not? And a software editor just isn't an acceptable "excuse". We might as well get software, if we're forced to sit mouse in hand yet again. MIDI on 3.5mm jacks is sometimes a necessary evil, which would make more sense if they all stuck to a standard, as was the whole point of MIDI to begin with. But those 2.5mm jacks are just completely pointless, it's like they're intentionally trying to be difficult! It's not cheaper to make, and the difference in space taken internally is practically the same. So I can't see any other reason than to annoy customers! I will never understand that notion of intentionally gimping a product. Why aren't they trying to make it everything it could be? Normally this would be right up my alley, but I think it would just annoy me every time, knowing it could've been better. I suppose I should just be glad it doesn't have a built in speaker...
I agree it's a shame they didn't double all of those parameters in the matrix from the outset.. they can add things with firmware updates, but it'll never be labelled on the front panel now
I agree. The good news is they have made things a little better; apparently, you can access the full ADSR controls for both EGs from the unit itself now. I hope they do that with like all the functions, if possible (and maybe it's more than the EGs? I dunno, I just learned that from another comment, heh). Not really for me, anyway (probably), but I'd still like to see it get better
Weird Music - I strongly disagree! First of all it's not practically possible to get a good speaker in something remotely this size. I think currently the speakers in the Reface series are the best in a feasible size, and they're still useless. Built in speakers as a whole, are an unnecessary pollution of the output stage, while actively wasting both money in terms of development and production costs, and space which is an increasingly limited commodity inside these small synths, as more USEFUL bits and features are crammed in. For all the incessant built in speakers, you don't actually hear anybody going "Yay! It has built in speakers!", nor anybody doing anything useful with them. At most they're seen as indifferent, but they're really not, because you pay dearly for something you don't use at all, both in terms of money, sound quality and structural integrity.
Marc the Darc I appreciate keyboards with large built in speakers. You can take it and have a jam at a friends with no need to wire anything up and its great. The Reface ones are too small. We need larger ones like on 80s home keyboards. It will never sound as nice as your sound system but its great for being creative and having fun in various spots. I am so glad my Casio HT-6000 has built in speakers. If I ever get a J 106 again I am going to get the built in speakers version.
In 2014 I picked up a Casio XW-P1 synthesizer for just £170 bran new, and this is £200...? Humm... I wonder what I'd choose if I saw both of these on display.... what would be your choice if you could only pick one ?
Haha.. by complete randomness in pausing the video at the 18:18 time mark, you can see a funny expression on Nik's face, like he's sleeping or perhaps sitting on the toilet... :-D A good one for a calendar...lol
I gave this one a shot. Didn’t need another monosynth but I grabbed it on an impulse because I was curious and I have a soft spot in my heart for little, budget synths. Long story short, I returned it the very next day. I fiddled with it for a couple of hours and just couldn’t really get it to do much more than a few slight variations of the same basic sound. I know I could use an editor but to me, life’s too short. Couple that with the limited 16 step sequencer and it really didn’t inspire me. The 2.5mm midi breakouts also just annoyed me. I really didn’t get the point of that variation. Now I’m not a hater. I truly believe that somebody can make nice music with just about anything (this included) but personally, I find a Volca Bass, Keys or FM to be a more versatile and fun synth for a little less money. Just my .02
A synth you need a computer or midi CC knob controller to get the most out of is an instant turn off. I had enough of that with the Microkorg XL and on that you could at least menu dive and get every single parameter on the unit itself. Maybe it'd be good for someone to edit and create presets at home that they won't tinker with when using in a live situation.
Best bitcrushed "full analog path" synth on market. Allways that waveform "crest", no way you can filter that out. Kind of imperfect synth with lots of modulation possibilities. Good for creativity and garage oriented kids, respectively, the design of a housing should look more the way synth sounds. MIDI implementation is nearly total. I value that so much. No posibilities to chain patterns, external midi sequencer is necessary, but than you can't recall patterns, meaning changing "gate" parameter makes no difference if you are not in a pattern mode. Small thing that would make big difference for live DAW-less performances. Maybe that can be fixed via firmware update? Finally, self resonating feature of a filter as a mark of analog synth is absent. Uno can behave oddly, be weird, do what you don't expect, ...which is a value afterall.
this is a synthesizer that you have to work at to get the sounds that you want a lot of people don't have patience for that. Plus a lot of people knocking how it looks it's not about how the synthesizer looks it's about how it sounds and this sounds incredible you have to play with it a little bit but it will produce some incredible sales
Hey, what is "sing song harmonics"? If I'm hearing that correctly. You also said it in your Minilogue video when displaying the filter's resonance. I tried to Google it but found nothing
medusa is no dreadbox judging by the sound of it. don't know who is to blame, poor demos or dreadbox/polyend but medusa sounds weak. just compare it to an erebus or abyss, it's not even near them.
+ Haut I'm not a rich man, so for now I'm content with my Alesis Micron ( poly ), Yamaha CS1x ( poly ), Yamaha QY 10 sound module/drum machine/sequencer, and my Korg Kaossillator 2s. Microbrute in my future ? Meh, possibly.
ReneeNme Wasn’t commenting on anyone’s wealth or status so I’m not sure how that’s relevant but in that price range you could get a much better synth with the Boog D, Neutron, Minilogue/Monologue, Volca Keys/Bass, Minitaur, Mother32, etc. I’d honestly choose the Uno over the Brute series. That said, it’s all subjective and every synth speaks to everyone differently :) I have a small setup myself: Behringer Neutron, Korg Minilogue, Elektron Digitakt/Digitone, a Stratocaster, and a few small boutique synths. I like the limitations it provides rather than a $50,000 studio with 20 different synths. I owned a Micron years ago. Fantastic synth that’s getting increasingly more rare. Hang on to that one.
I agree. I was just about sold on this, even replied to the OP here about the firmware update so we can have a full ADSR on the filters (I mean, who sets up a filter like this?). However, one after the other limitations are evident as you watch the video. I love the sound, but the point is, as you said, to get away from computers. I don't want to have to have a laptop in my live rig, I just don't. Even being able to save sounds, I still have to deal with a computer and learning about the interface, all for a basic analog mono synth. At the end of the day, (since I already own a Roland Gaia) I decided to add a Korg Minilouge to my rig.
Yet more proprietary IK Multimedia cables? Smh. I need an editor to access parameters? Jfc. I’d rather have shift functions. Another UI fail, I don’t want to be dependent on editors that won’t be supported or MIDI CC. Stop ✋ making hardware that requires software.
I think they should be very happy with this start to synth production. It sounds a bit Korg Poly but with all those motion sequence layers, its certainly more interesting than the Korg Volca Bass. Especially when the Volcas have a silly small number of programs. If they look to make a slightly bigger version with envelope control, custom CC edit on a knob, 32 steps, sub bass. sequence transpose via key or somehow manage to do that with a firmware that would be great. This currently is like a limited version of an Evolver+Volca love child. It could grow to be much better. You know if you also made a 4 voice version with either 4 unison or 4 each midi channel with some FM thrown in, it would be superb!
I own this and my only complaint is the control pots/rheostats are flimsy cheap plastic. I'm pretty sure those will be the first things to break. Pots on toys are better than these.
I think their aim was an "analog" softsynth. The lack of control and usability along with the software makes me think that it was intended to be a hardware plugin for a software DAW
One of the joys of analogue synths is a fine selection of knobs to twiddle on the fly. But no hands on PWM, weak filter, a limp wristed trem, Wah, delay via DSP etc. Menu diving..... No thanks. I'm happy with my Microbrute. However, the sequencer and portability are attractive. At some stage one company will bring all of this together at the £200 mark.....Uli, are you watching?
Thanks for the feedback here Fin. While I'll be sure to pass these comments along to the team, I do want to make sure we point out that the UNO does offer PWM control options, an OTA based VCF (Which we have gotten some great feedback on), WAH, and Delay functions for a $199.99 price point.
@@ikmultimedia I know it does but you're menu diving again. I'm sure you're aware that synth enthusiasts like the immediacy of complete random control without the constraint of too much rhythmic modulation. I've already said it has some great plus points but even aesthetically it looks like it belongs in my girlfriend's handbag
The synth sounds pretty good and has a pretty decent feature set for the price. It is pretty obvious that corners were cut to keep the price down, but it seems attractive as an entry-level device or something cheap to toss into a laptop bag for a trip. The biggest turnoff for me at that level is the nonstandard MIDI jacks. For someone who spends more money on gear it is sort of a yawner, though... just another mono-synth with a reduced feature set.
Sounds good. But it looks like a till from the 1990s. I like knobs a switches on my synths. Touch pads have no feeling. If it looked better and it didn’t need a pc or Mac to get the most out of it this would sell really well. Having said that if you have ableton and want a cheap way to add real analog sound to your setup this may be the way to go. Thanks for the review nick:) really great as usual.
Oh Gaawd Nick, you STILL don't know the difference between VCO and DCO..,,. :) OK,. quick lesson. VCO is VCO. Voltage Controlled Oscillator. The pitch is controlled by a voltage. Higher voltage, higher pitch. This synth is a VCO synth. The incoming midi is simply converted to the correct voltage and that voltage is fed into the VCO. DCO is a little different. You need to consider how an analog oscillator works. Let's consider a saw wave oscillator. You know how it rises and then suddenly resets all the way to the beginning before rising again? Well, in a DCO this reset is triggered from an external clock. So there is no incoming voltage that decides how fast the oscillator will reset (like in a VCO). The speed at which it resets, and thus what pitch the saw wave will have, is forced by an external pulse (usually down-converted from a very fast clock). Conversely, in a VCO you feed in a certain voltage and that voltage (through an internal mechanism involving the charging of a capacitor) will decide how fast the saw wave will rise. So the voltage ultimately decides how steep the saw wave will rise. It rises until it hits a threshold and then a reset is triggered internally. There is a problem with DCO's because the actual rise time doesn't change when you apply a different clock. So the faster you clock it (for a higher pitch) the lower the amplitude. So in practice a lot of DCO designs will change the slope as well when doing the aforementioned clocking. Another option is for the synth to adjust the level afterwards according to pitch so that the waveform stays more or less the same level. Anyway, have a nice holiday season break!
Just managed to pick it up for a penny under £160... making the most of the Black Friday deals; mostly iOS treats, but have had my eye on this pre-release ✌🏽😎
@@EnochDark Don't worry man as far as monos go I'm fine with my little phatty and my eurorack thingy:) I just can't find the apeal of this synth, so many shortcomings compared to other stuff in the market and it just doesn't invite you to play on it. And for most people who would be interested in a synth in this price range it would be one or the other (it is targeted for a more light synth users), otherwise they'd buy somthing more expensive and usable. Personally, I prefer buying one or two really good monos than lots of cheeper ones that you'll get tired of quickly but that's just my opinion. And if you didn't like the monolouge try to look at it as a noise machine I find that with the sequencer and the LFO it can make some really interesting sounds
What's the point in going stand-alone/analog if you need a computer to access basic parameters? What's the point in going analog if the synth's user interface is a bunch of souless touchpads and not tactile knobs/sliders? It sounds good but not better than Volca bass/keys nor Monologue. What's more, the Roland Aira TB3/TB03 do very similar in a fully digitised unit.
We do understand that people have different needs or opinions on what should be available on an analog synth, but note that UNO Synth is an ultra portable analog synth with quite robust functionality that can be used almost anywhere. You can see videos of many real users using UNO Synth and its available on-hand functions in this playlist: ua-cam.com/video/QF_lNY5qZn0/v-deo.html
I dunno, what was the point of the many such synths that were produced in the past? What you got against touch pads? Ever owned any vintage Yamaha or similar gear? W/e
Full ASDR control via the front panel is now possible in the latest firmware. 1.1.1.
• Hold ENV to assign full Amp ADSR to the 4 knobs of the matrix
• Hold FILTER to assign full Filter ADSR to the 4 knobs of the matrix
So this is available with a simple update? Just plug it into your computer and d/l the firmware update? If so, that will be the difference between me buying one and me being upset over another "too good to be true" product. I mean, how can you have a filter with only 50% of the filters parameters?
Also, having a dedicated cutoff knob without a dedicated resonance knob is kind of suspect. However, if you CAN get the full ADSR on the filters with the update, it's definitely worth the really low price. I mean, not if it's your only piece of hardware, but added to a decent rig I can see myself using this little tool quite a bit.
Dave Smith yes latest firmware is 1.1.4 and when you login to download the software they are now giving Oberheim OBXA vst
I bought this synth on a whim last year, along with a few other well-thought hardware purchases. I won't go into technical things, just want to share a nice story.
Since I had the fortune of buying multiple synths in 2018, I decided to give my UNO to my good friend Danny. He's nine years younger than I, and we first bonded over his use of a cracked version of Reason. A quiet and reserved type but with exemplary technical skill, I feel honored to show him what I can, and watch him work his magic. On Christmas eve, I gave him the UNO, and last week he asked me to visit to tutor him. What a way to start the year! He pulled out his dab rig, and we had the best time figuring the synth out between the two of us, not once consulting the manual. Between hits of thc wax and a thorough exploration of the UNO, we had one of those moments I live for, contributing to the younger generation.
I see people and their gripes about the UNO, but what many forget in the fervor of their self-righteous opinions is that there are others out there who WILL indeed be grateful, who WILL indeed make good tunes with UNO, and who WILL gain valuable experience from it. All the thousands some spend on their modulars and overpriced moog (Big Brair) will never buy a cold, rainy afternoon between two homies, getting faded and making noise. That's priceless. A heartwarming memory I hope to carry always.
the thing can sound outright amazing
what a great story!
Awesome. Your story resonates.
@@Saintlumen1 😂 needs filtering tho'.🐂💨
We have a saying here in the U.K. A bad workman always blames his tools. I think this is a great little synth for the money and perfectly capable of making some great sounds if you are willing to experiment with it like you and your friend.
Cheers for the review Nick, sounds pretty good, wonder if the 16step seq could be firmware updated, 32steps and 10 lanes, or 64 and 5 would make it more useful for me.
Thanks for the feedback! I'll be sure to pass your interest to the team.
@@ikmultimedia Do this please
@@ikmultimedia I'm in for that too. I really like the sounds but the sequencer could be stronger.
@@ikmultimedia what about opening up access to delay feedback level?
Nick, you make the Uno sound much better than most of the other reviewers!
Really like what you are doing @14:32
Glad the Editor runs on iOS.
did you get one? what do you think?
Brilliant, in-depth coverage as always Nick! You're a pleasure to watch in action.
This slots in nicely between the volcas and the Monologue. I like the portability aspect it being battery powered. However the Monologue has more personality and character to my ears. Great to see they have an editor for it.
not even 5min worth of video and Nick is already into nasty PWM, it means it's a good synth XD
Portability makes it a possible sketching/doodling option, I think the limitations can sometimes be helpful forcing you to be creative. Nice budget price compared to other 2 osc desktop synths (except volca)
just makes me appreciate how much they got right in the tiny volcas for what was a pretty limiting interface they really made it very functional.
Yeah, I love my Volcas. They're deceptively powerful little synths, especially if you're into lo-fi sounds.
absolutely, when layering many they sound excellent. great little machines.
This uno synth sounds great alongside the volca bass. Check out the review/comparison from Jakob Haq.
Thing about this is that it's way more powerful than the volca bass. The Volcas are great at giving you a selection of classic features that makes sense for each model but this is a tour de force in miniaturization and actually sounds great.
@@nebula0697 the Volca Bass has three oscillators, but this Uno sounds good, and its cheap.
I love my UNO Synth!... Has a slight learning curve for navigating the menus but it's very satisfying and plays very well with my Volca/Pocket operator setup. Alot of bang for the buck... I hope IK adds the ability to go 32 or 64 steps with future updates however
I bought this synth with a Deepmind 12 and I'm very happy with that combination and it's under $1000 dollars for both, pull out a Korg DW-8000 two drum machines DR. 550 mk2, DR.660 and my beloved Simmons SDSV that I have for years plus the softsynths.
For $199 you get a really good synth with a lot of potencial.
No C in potential.
I think it sounds fantastic and looks good too.
Actually Nick, the MMA standard for midi over 3 contact jacks does specify 2.5mm, not 3.5mm.
So this is compliant with the new Midi standard.
Yes sure but how many 2.5mm midi connectors do you know of?
sonicstate Oh, I agree. I don’t like 2.5mm - they seem too small and flimsy - plus everyone up to now has been using 3.5mm.
Still, when the new standard was announced a couple of months ago I downloaded the spec, and I was surprised to see that the 2.5mm is their preferred connector. So I guess we’ll see more in the future, and in selecting it IK is really doing the ‘right thing’.
the cutoff knob placement next to the tempo knob wasn't well thought out.
Yeah a extra knob for data instead of the arrows would have been better. but they were pretty damn clever about the vast majority of interface design aspects on this. I mean you can look at the layout and pretty much understand everything by just looking at it.
Does anyone remember the Red Sound DarkStar? This sounds like the synth that would have eventually become if Red Sound were still around.
I had one...but the darkstar is digital but still fat...
I had one of those once upon a time
if I am reading the manual correct, the AUDIO IN does NOT give u access to the filter. Can anyone confirm this ?
On my uno drum, the audio in gives u access to the compressor which is not bad at all-electric
I think this Uno can sound pretty damn good from what i hear, 20 track of motion sequencing makes it 200 times better than volca Bass. And i just adore my volca bass. The price of Uno is just right also. With right marketing this should sell like crazy. Thanks Nick. We wait for that Erebus 3 review and demo :)
Good for a first synthesizer for this company, nothing is ever perfect the first time around but there are some quality features to this synthesizer as well as an interesting character to it's sound. Great review as always.
this is a cool DAW companion analog mono. It sounds really good, and it would be ideal to record into the DAW and use it for jamming as well. Less control for the live jams but enough to have fun. Serious analog sound and control when producing DAW tracks. I like it. EDIT: its not a synth to sit down and do sound design on using the front panel. I don't think any low-cost small form factor mono is. Mostly, the small form factor mono's are for jamming with other gear without futzing with the params too much. This one has some serious professional sound which also makes it ideal to use with a DAW.
The fact that you need an editor for the ADSR is a deal breaker...but side note, Nick can make any synth sound good.
Actually, the recent firmware update has sorted out that issue!!:
- Press and hold ENV button down to assign full Amp ADSR to the 4 knobs of the matrix
- Press and hold FILTER button down to assign full Filter ADSR to the 4 knobs of the matrix
So the editor isn't need to access this direct from the front panel
Weird Music i can make any synth sound bad... is that a skill?
Supreme LC Anyone can ;P
@@kingstonbluesjam sick
Learned a lot in this video. Very helpful and well thought out.
I got one yesterday.. I have collected synths for decades... this synth blew me away! seriously! a feckn amazing machine!! over the moon with this italian spicey meata balla!! #nomnomnom x
Great review. Bought one off the back of this
05:50
I's not because an ocillato rcan be controlled over midi it's a DCO
This synth sounds incredible. Such high fidelity.
I LOVE the sound of this synth, but would it be a good synth to play live or would it break too easily?
I have one. Feels sturdy. I've wrapped it in a hoody and threw in my backpack for bikerides to the park a few times and it still looks brand new like 6 months later.
tempo knob snuggly mounted right beside the cutoff knob..interesting design choice :)
This caught me a few times. If you have external sync, the tempo becomes a multiplier/divider, not an absolute scale. Cool feature, except for the location of the knob. One nudge, and you're at 2x or 1/2 tempo. If I were to play this live, I'd remove the knob.
The arrow buttons thing also got me a few times before I realized what was going on. Drives me nuts to lose everything.
Re: the auto preset change late in the video, they did fix that with a firmware update, right? Thx guys!
This little mono synth, sounds very good for that price :)
K O it’s now only £120 in 2020 at some places in UK - less than I paid for one I bought used.
The lack of hard sync is a deal breaker for me. They could release an Uno 2, adressing those shortcomings you mentioned in the video.
agauerm yo @ikmultimedia update w a longer seq, tougher delay, and hard sync as mentioned.
A dedicated WAH parameter? Oh yeah baby!
Dan Wentz Whaaaaa?
FYI: The 2.5mm TRS connection is the recommended size according to the TRS MMA Spec. So they actually have it right going for 2.5mm :)
For all its limitations it sounds great, costs very little, and has a pretty straightforward interface. It's interesting how the minilogue is the only full-size (sort of) synth whose sequencer also has modulation lanes. Even Minibrute 2S if I understand correctly doesn't have that in the sense that you are limited to the per-step parameters you can tweak with the per-step knobs.
Can you connect audio speakers through The mono input and output jacks? I’m sorry if this is a stupid question. I just don’t want to use only the pre amp and I’m glad the usb mini can work for power source instead of using batteries
Just picked up a floor model for $120 impulse buy and im having a ton of fun with it. Plays nicely with volcas too. Might pick up the UNO drum and see what the 2 can do together with some reverb etc.
Can the USB noise be eliminated completely? Also does it come with midi cables? Thanks
Great review and demo, cheers!!!
Nick gets some serious sounds out of this, and frankly it seems like it's got a lot going for it. That much parameter-locking is damn cool, perhaps even overkill for this amount of parameters, and overall it seems to pack in plenty of features for something this size and price.
But there's also some bits I just don't get. Like why, if they're already doing a parameter matrix, not include as many parameters as possible? They could easily have fit more lanes of parameters without sacrificing userfriendliness. As it is, one of the lanes already have a double, why don't they all? From where I'm standing it would be a miniscule difference in development, and NO additional production cost. So why not?
And a software editor just isn't an acceptable "excuse". We might as well get software, if we're forced to sit mouse in hand yet again.
MIDI on 3.5mm jacks is sometimes a necessary evil, which would make more sense if they all stuck to a standard, as was the whole point of MIDI to begin with. But those 2.5mm jacks are just completely pointless, it's like they're intentionally trying to be difficult! It's not cheaper to make, and the difference in space taken internally is practically the same. So I can't see any other reason than to annoy customers!
I will never understand that notion of intentionally gimping a product. Why aren't they trying to make it everything it could be? Normally this would be right up my alley, but I think it would just annoy me every time, knowing it could've been better.
I suppose I should just be glad it doesn't have a built in speaker...
I agree it's a shame they didn't double all of those parameters in the matrix from the outset.. they can add things with firmware updates, but it'll never be labelled on the front panel now
I agree. The good news is they have made things a little better; apparently, you can access the full ADSR controls for both EGs from the unit itself now. I hope they do that with like all the functions, if possible (and maybe it's more than the EGs? I dunno, I just learned that from another comment, heh). Not really for me, anyway (probably), but I'd still like to see it get better
Marc the Darc actually it would be much better with a built in speaker, as long as it was good
Weird Music - I strongly disagree! First of all it's not practically possible to get a good speaker in something remotely this size. I think currently the speakers in the Reface series are the best in a feasible size, and they're still useless.
Built in speakers as a whole, are an unnecessary pollution of the output stage, while actively wasting both money in terms of development and production costs, and space which is an increasingly limited commodity inside these small synths, as more USEFUL bits and features are crammed in.
For all the incessant built in speakers, you don't actually hear anybody going "Yay! It has built in speakers!", nor anybody doing anything useful with them. At most they're seen as indifferent, but they're really not, because you pay dearly for something you don't use at all, both in terms of money, sound quality and structural integrity.
Marc the Darc I appreciate keyboards with large built in speakers. You can take it and have a jam at a friends with no need to wire anything up and its great. The Reface ones are too small. We need larger ones like on 80s home keyboards. It will never sound as nice as your sound system but its great for being creative and having fun in various spots. I am so glad my Casio HT-6000 has built in speakers. If I ever get a J 106 again I am going to get the built in speakers version.
How did you make the oscillators play two different melodies, around at the end of the video?
automated the OSC detune setting for each OSC separately using the sequencer
Hmmm... more details please...
@@valdiskrebs566 by using the motion recording feature of the sequencer, you can move the two OCS tune knobs to get melodies.
Michael T Powerful feature... and I guess you can do several different instances and save them as separate sequences.
Nice review thanks, great for the price I'd say.
so bad the VST version of the sw doesn't work :(
I like the ringtone effect at 12:24
Does this IK Multimedia Unosynth go out of tune as you play it?
i really hope you do the UNO Synth Pro
I don't need this but the filter does sound pretty nice.
In 2014 I picked up a Casio XW-P1 synthesizer for just £170 bran new, and this is £200...? Humm... I wonder what I'd choose if I saw both of these on display.... what would be your choice if you could only pick one ?
@12:21 when you press down on one of the knobs there, the other knob sinks in...
Haha.. by complete randomness in pausing the video at the 18:18 time mark, you can see a funny expression on Nik's face, like he's sleeping or perhaps sitting on the toilet... :-D A good one for a calendar...lol
I gave this one a shot. Didn’t need another monosynth but I grabbed it on an impulse because I was curious and I have a soft spot in my heart for little, budget synths.
Long story short, I returned it the very next day. I fiddled with it for a couple of hours and just couldn’t really get it to do much more than a few slight variations of the same basic sound. I know I could use an editor but to me, life’s too short. Couple that with the limited 16 step sequencer and it really didn’t inspire me. The 2.5mm midi breakouts also just annoyed me. I really didn’t get the point of that variation.
Now I’m not a hater. I truly believe that somebody can make nice music with just about anything (this included) but personally, I find a Volca Bass, Keys or FM to be a more versatile and fun synth for a little less money.
Just my .02
my first thought was "oh FFS IK, 2.5mm on the MIDI breakout?? Two "standards" was enough already -_-"
Matt Greer Music ur hating...lol...it’s a nice lil synth ...I cop one....how are you man??
A synth you need a computer or midi CC knob controller to get the most out of is an instant turn off. I had enough of that with the Microkorg XL and on that you could at least menu dive and get every single parameter on the unit itself. Maybe it'd be good for someone to edit and create presets at home that they won't tinker with when using in a live situation.
Your last sentence - exactly!
Do the Prologue
Can you save more than one 16 step sequence and have them play in the order you choose?
That would be awesome, do you know which synth can do that?
@@voreshbo7031 I’ve learned that most can do that, yes
Best bitcrushed "full analog path" synth on market. Allways that waveform "crest", no way you can filter that out.
Kind of imperfect synth with lots of modulation possibilities. Good for creativity and garage oriented kids, respectively, the design of a housing should look more the way synth sounds.
MIDI implementation is nearly total. I value that so much. No posibilities to chain patterns, external midi sequencer is necessary, but than you can't recall patterns, meaning changing "gate" parameter makes no difference if you are not in a pattern mode.
Small thing that would make big difference for live DAW-less performances. Maybe that can be fixed via firmware update?
Finally, self resonating feature of a filter as a mark of analog synth is absent.
Uno can behave oddly, be weird, do what you don't expect, ...which is a value afterall.
So I could sequence this with the digitakt via CC's ?
this is a synthesizer that you have to work at to get the sounds that you want a lot of people don't have patience for that. Plus a lot of people knocking how it looks it's not about how the synthesizer looks it's about how it sounds and this sounds incredible you have to play with it a little bit but it will produce some incredible sales
Hey, what is "sing song harmonics"? If I'm hearing that correctly. You also said it in your Minilogue video when displaying the filter's resonance.
I tried to Google it but found nothing
He means the harmonics that jump out when doing a slow filter sweep are musically pleasing
God I love these review vids, can never wait for the next.
Can you start a retro review series as well, put your J6 as first vid :) pleeeeeeaseeeee
the osc sound fatter than anything i heard from medusa. really curious about the upcoming review
Vaga no
Vaga Dreadbox kills this.
medusa is no dreadbox judging by the sound of it. don't know who is to blame, poor demos or dreadbox/polyend but medusa sounds weak. just compare it to an erebus or abyss, it's not even near them.
My favorite lowcost Mono! Thanks Nick for the review!
Microbrute.
ReneeNme Had a Microbrute ... would rather have this and a Keystep for about the same price.
ReneeNme Not a fan of the SP filter.
+ Haut I'm not a rich man, so for now I'm content with my Alesis Micron ( poly ), Yamaha CS1x ( poly ), Yamaha QY 10 sound module/drum machine/sequencer, and my Korg Kaossillator 2s. Microbrute in my future ? Meh, possibly.
ReneeNme Wasn’t commenting on anyone’s wealth or status so I’m not sure how that’s relevant but in that price range you could get a much better synth with the Boog D, Neutron, Minilogue/Monologue, Volca Keys/Bass, Minitaur, Mother32, etc. I’d honestly choose the Uno over the Brute series. That said, it’s all subjective and every synth speaks to everyone differently :)
I have a small setup myself: Behringer Neutron, Korg Minilogue, Elektron Digitakt/Digitone, a Stratocaster, and a few small boutique synths. I like the limitations it provides rather than a $50,000 studio with 20 different synths.
I owned a Micron years ago. Fantastic synth that’s getting increasingly more rare. Hang on to that one.
You mention "incoming clock" can I synch this with my Volca Bass?
Midi out from UNO, to MIDI in on VolcaBass.
Have not tried it, but I think that would work.
Great review as always Nick. Thank you.
I'm disappointed in the reliance on software. I'm looking for things that get away from computers.
Yeah I was sold until I figured out you need software to control modulation.
I agree. I was just about sold on this, even replied to the OP here about the firmware update so we can have a full ADSR on the filters (I mean, who sets up a filter like this?). However, one after the other limitations are evident as you watch the video. I love the sound, but the point is, as you said, to get away from computers. I don't want to have to have a laptop in my live rig, I just don't. Even being able to save sounds, I still have to deal with a computer and learning about the interface, all for a basic analog mono synth. At the end of the day, (since I already own a Roland Gaia) I decided to add a Korg Minilouge to my rig.
Sounds good but I bought a Circuit Mono Station before this came out. Don't think I need both.
Yet more proprietary IK Multimedia cables? Smh. I need an editor to access parameters? Jfc. I’d rather have shift functions. Another UI fail, I don’t want to be dependent on editors that won’t be supported or MIDI CC. Stop ✋ making hardware that requires software.
I think they should be very happy with this start to synth production. It sounds a bit Korg Poly but with all those motion sequence layers, its certainly more interesting than the Korg Volca Bass. Especially when the Volcas have a silly small number of programs. If they look to make a slightly bigger version with envelope control, custom CC edit on a knob, 32 steps, sub bass. sequence transpose via key or somehow manage to do that with a firmware that would be great. This currently is like a limited version of an Evolver+Volca love child. It could grow to be much better. You know if you also made a 4 voice version with either 4 unison or 4 each midi channel with some FM thrown in, it would be superb!
Looks a bit inspired by the Volca style synths in design. Pretty interesting. That drive is pretty beefy :o
Wish i could understand what he said about the 20 lines at the end of the video. I must learn a little more. 😳
He said the first 20 factory sounds are fixed, they're always there but there are a load more sounds which you can overwrite with your own
they where so close.... not enough front control but for 150 this is a great first synth for a hardware curious producer
Did you get a new camera? Looks more HD than usual.
Can it sync with midi
I own this and my only complaint is the control pots/rheostats are flimsy cheap plastic. I'm pretty sure those will be the first things to break. Pots on toys are better than these.
They are potentiometers. Definitely not rheostats.
Thanks Nick!
I just mine....on my way home...on the tube...of course I’ve opened it already...but I got my Bluetooth headphones on...damn ...can’t wait to get home
i need this keybord
Great run through! Thank you!
I think their aim was an "analog" softsynth. The lack of control and usability along with the software makes me think that it was intended to be a hardware plugin for a software DAW
One of the joys of analogue synths is a fine selection of knobs to twiddle on the fly. But no hands on PWM, weak filter, a limp wristed trem, Wah, delay via DSP etc. Menu diving..... No thanks. I'm happy with my Microbrute. However, the sequencer and portability are attractive.
At some stage one company will bring all of this together at the £200 mark.....Uli, are you watching?
Thanks for the feedback here Fin. While I'll be sure to pass these comments along to the team, I do want to make sure we point out that the UNO does offer PWM control options, an OTA based VCF (Which we have gotten some great feedback on), WAH, and Delay functions for a $199.99 price point.
@@ikmultimedia I know it does but you're menu diving again. I'm sure you're aware that synth enthusiasts like the immediacy of complete random control without the constraint of too much rhythmic modulation. I've already said it has some great plus points but even aesthetically it looks like it belongs in my girlfriend's handbag
Fin Corrigan you don’t speak for everyone. Quit being pretentious.
Said the tosser with the most pretentious handle of all time.
Fin Corrigan LMAO hahahaha hahahaha 😭😭😭😭😂😂😂😂 👌🏼 good one 🤣🤣🤣🤣 damn you got me! How will I recover? Hahahahahaha lmaolmao lmaolol l
The synth sounds pretty good and has a pretty decent feature set for the price. It is pretty obvious that corners were cut to keep the price down, but it seems attractive as an entry-level device or something cheap to toss into a laptop bag for a trip. The biggest turnoff for me at that level is the nonstandard MIDI jacks. For someone who spends more money on gear it is sort of a yawner, though... just another mono-synth with a reduced feature set.
Це музика??
Heard Come to Daddy in first demo part!
£149 Black Friday deal from Gear4Music. I dipped into my new camera fund to order one as it would have been churlish not to ;)
Sounds good. But it looks like a till from the 1990s. I like knobs a switches on my synths. Touch pads have no feeling. If it looked better and it didn’t need a pc or Mac to get the most out of it this would sell really well. Having said that if you have ableton and want a cheap way to add real analog sound to your setup this may be the way to go. Thanks for the review nick:) really great as usual.
Electronic massacre Az
Some powerful juju at 15 mins with the osc detune
They could have made better use of the real estate, while keeping the same design style. Some strange choices.
Thanks for the feedback Johnny. If you have any suggestions we are more than happy to hear what you would like to see!
See Marc the Darc's comment above for suggestions.
Good review Nick but I have one question about this little synth.....why?
Oh Gaawd Nick, you STILL don't know the difference between VCO and DCO..,,. :)
OK,. quick lesson.
VCO is VCO. Voltage Controlled Oscillator. The pitch is controlled by a voltage. Higher voltage, higher pitch.
This synth is a VCO synth. The incoming midi is simply converted to the correct voltage and that voltage is fed into the VCO.
DCO is a little different. You need to consider how an analog oscillator works. Let's consider a saw wave oscillator. You know how it rises and then suddenly resets all the way to the beginning before rising again? Well, in a DCO this reset is triggered from an external clock. So there is no incoming voltage that decides how fast the oscillator will reset (like in a VCO). The speed at which it resets, and thus what pitch the saw wave will have, is forced by an external pulse (usually down-converted from a very fast clock).
Conversely, in a VCO you feed in a certain voltage and that voltage (through an internal mechanism involving the charging of a capacitor) will decide how fast the saw wave will rise. So the voltage ultimately decides how steep the saw wave will rise. It rises until it hits a threshold and then a reset is triggered internally.
There is a problem with DCO's because the actual rise time doesn't change when you apply a different clock. So the faster you clock it (for a higher pitch) the lower the amplitude. So in practice a lot of DCO designs will change the slope as well when doing the aforementioned clocking. Another option is for the synth to adjust the level afterwards according to pitch so that the waveform stays more or less the same level.
Anyway, have a nice holiday season break!
Just managed to pick it up for a penny under £160... making the most of the Black Friday deals; mostly iOS treats, but have had my eye on this pre-release ✌🏽😎
Can someone please explain to me why whould anyone want to buy this and not a monolouge or a minibrute? It seems so uninspired /:
because i dislike those things? and again i ask why must it be 1 vs the other? sorry you can't afford more than one monosynth.
@@EnochDark Don't worry man as far as monos go I'm fine with my little phatty and my eurorack thingy:) I just can't find the apeal of this synth, so many shortcomings compared to other stuff in the market and it just doesn't invite you to play on it. And for most people who would be interested in a synth in this price range it would be one or the other (it is targeted for a more light synth users), otherwise they'd buy somthing more expensive and usable. Personally, I prefer buying one or two really good monos than lots of cheeper ones that you'll get tired of quickly but that's just my opinion. And if you didn't like the monolouge try to look at it as a noise machine I find that with the sequencer and the LFO it can make some really interesting sounds
What's the point in going stand-alone/analog if you need a computer to access basic parameters? What's the point in going analog if the synth's user interface is a bunch of souless touchpads and not tactile knobs/sliders? It sounds good but not better than Volca bass/keys nor Monologue. What's more, the Roland Aira TB3/TB03 do very similar in a fully digitised unit.
Dino Goldie I’m going to take a wild stab at it.... Money?
We do understand that people have different needs or opinions on what should be available on an analog synth, but note that UNO Synth is an ultra portable analog synth with quite robust functionality that can be used almost anywhere. You can see videos of many real users using UNO Synth and its available on-hand functions in this playlist: ua-cam.com/video/QF_lNY5qZn0/v-deo.html
I dunno, what was the point of the many such synths that were produced in the past? What you got against touch pads? Ever owned any vintage Yamaha or similar gear? W/e
Great Review! God Bless u! :)
16:47 It sounds quite a lot better than the Volcas! YiKes!!
probably the korg monologue is a better specced synth,,,proper keys and midi ports
Yep you are right.
Be nice if it had drum kits
UNO got a major upgrade today: ua-cam.com/video/1w_uJbLOUAw/v-deo.html
WOW! Thanks for the link. It truly is like a different synth in that vid.
A lot of stupid comments here. This is actually quite a brilliant little synth that is capable of some very good tones. Definite thumbs up.
Damn it, I’ve only just paid off my credit card. 🙄
The dark and red combination designs really make things difficult to read, I'd want a desk lamp next to this one
£156 amazonUK blackfriday deal 22-11-18
just put a Moog decal on it, then claim its the best sounding synth ever made.
Heathcliff if I only have Casio decals... can I still do the same?
Mmm maybe just maybe,,,,sounds kind of good.
For this price you could get used mopho desktop that has like 10x more poweful synth engine.