using monologue as a sequencer for another synth.

[cristopo]

Hi, I bought a monologue and am wondering whether I can use it to sequence the sound of another synth, specifically the Arturia Minibrute. Which has no sequencer itself.

I'm a little new to hardware and synths and I'm not getting any signal when I put the jack into the input of the monologue.

If anyone has the time to tell me how to set it up that would be great.

[roblabs]

MIDI out of monologue to MIDI in of minibrute.

[cristopo]

Thanks a lot for the feed back.

What cable do I need to do that?

Thanks again for your help.

[moho]

Page 5 of the monologue manual explains all the connections.

[cristopo]

Thanks for your patience. I'm a bit of a confused noobish person.

[thehighesttree]

The Monologue gives you 2 sync options:

MIDI: that 5-pin jack in the back...
-what you want! This will actually transmit note data to the "slave" synth. Use MIDI for your purposes!
-a digital "hard sync" that transmits transport controls (play/stop).
-generally more responsive to changes in tempo (doesn't have to wait for another "tic", gets a constant digital feed).
-allows you to turn off note transmission, if you choose to.
-requires a special MIDI cable...they're not scarce or anything though,any large music store will have these for about 5 bucks for a 6-foot cable.

Sync: an 1/8" headphone jack system...
-the traditional way of syncing analog devices, doesn't transmit note data.
-relies on outputting a "tic" sound to the connected device to transmit tempo. The receiving device calculates the time between these tics to determine tempo.
-the resolution of these tics can be adjusted so you can, say, halve or double the speed you tell the other device to play VS. the monologue's tempo.
-compatible with Volcas and some other analog gear. You can even have, say a drum machine send tempo to the Monologue by outputting a rim shot on its own channel as the tic signal.
-a good choice when the slave device has an internal sequencer that you don't want to start/stop in lockstep with your Monologue.
-any 1/8" (stereo TRS plug? I'd consult the manual) patch cable will work here!

[megamarkd]

Hi cristopo, I'm sure we've met elsewhere heheheh. I thought it was funny that I was talking about Korg stuff there when I had just joined this forum.

I should have added, elsewhere, that it's a good idea to do a search for MIDI basics to get read-up on how to make a MIDI rig. Essentially MIDI is a digital data network protocol that runs similar to a computer network, besides needing a cable each for both in and out data. It was developed at the head of the 80's, so is quite archaic compared to setting up a regular computer network.

One thing you will need to do to get the Monologue to talk to the MiniBrute is to set them both to the same MIDI channel or nothing will happen. The MiniBrute is a dog to change the MIDI channel on, requiring a computer or a MIDI controller programmed to send the channel change message from. If you haven't changed the MIDI channel on it before, it'll be set to the default channel of 1.
I don't know how to change the channel on the Monologue, but I'm sure it is a cinch, with a display and all. Go through the pdf version of the manual so you can easily search for "MIDI channel" and find what you are looking for in an instant. A fun thing to do when you only have a single channel note sequencer attached to a synth is to run your "slaved" synth a semitone out from the "master", so detune the MiniBrute and let rip!

Until you get your Beatstep Pro, mess around with the Monologue's sequencer into the MiniBrute to learn how a step sequencer works, it'll help you be able to dive straight into the BSP when it arrives, though make sure you take a flotation device in the way of the manual when you do dive in. The machine has had some major additions to it's functionality since the first firmware, so isn't quite the "everything is on the front panel" operator it was when first released.

I'm happy to help with any questions you have with MIDI and running of your gear. We were all noobs once. MIDI can feel like secret knowledge when trying to get answers on stuff which is quite poorly explained in manuals.

[twointhethink]

This question is probably not unique to the monologue, but how does one listen to two synced synths simultaneously? I want to get the volca beat to pair with the monologue. How would I connect my headphones to listen to both at the same time? Would I NEED a mixer or is there another way to do it? If I need a mixer, then to complete this setup I would need:

-monologue and volca
-midi cable or 1/8" for sync
-mixer
-headphones
-2*TLR cables to connect to the mixer

correct?

[megamarkd]

You could run the Volca Beats through the external input of the Monologue. This will have the Beats being processed by the Monologue, so whatever setting the filter frequency is set at will also affect the sound of the Beats. I'd suggest you get a mixer. Buy one that has a good number of channels more than you need. If you are anything like me, you will outgrow a four channel mixer rather quickly! What you have listed is a good beginning of a great relationship with electronic music. Grab both MIDI and 1/8" cables as analogue sync only does clock and not notes. If you get another instrument other than a drummachine such as the Volca Keys/FM/Bass, you will be wanting to use your Monologue to play it and in that case a MIDI cable will be needed. Also I'd suggest doing some reading about MIDI. It can be very frustrating at times, but learning as much as you can about it when you are running a basic setup will help you avoid those frustrations when you expand you synth collection.