Audiothingies MicroMonsta V2

[rob_lee]

In development -

MicroMonsta, the small fat-sounding digital Synthesizer from Audiothingies (France), is getting a successor (V2) with more features this year

Audiothingies Micromonsta is a compact, great-sounding 8-voice digital Synthesizer with a very versatile engine (2 oscillators (waveforms + wavetables), 1 sub, multimode filter (8 types), 3 envelopes, 3 LFOs, 6 modulations slots, internal FX, MPE support and more. It is considered as an absolute insider tip in the Synthesizer communities.

Unfortunately, Micromonsta was discontinued in 2019 because of certain components no longer exist. But the good news is, the developer is working hard on a new version 2. According to Audiothingies, the hardware design is finished, will be slightly smaller but the firmware development is still in development. It will be a more powerful and different Synthesizer at the hardware & software level but with the MicroMonsta DNA inside.

Feature Teaser
In a Facebook post on April 29, the manufacturer announced that the new version will be bi-timbral, have more voices, and three oscillators per voice. Also, it will feature filter FM, an onboard lush reverb, and more. Looking forward to seeing what’s inside the new version. Some users want a better SysEx implementation in V2, which would make an editor possible.

However, it is still not certain whether it will be called MicroMonsta 2. The developer threw the name Nanomonsta into play.

https://www.synthanatomy.com/2020/05/au ... -know.html

[yellowmix]

Exciting! Wonder if it will still chain with the original version, just a slightly different patch.

[BONES]

There seems to have been quite a lot of progress on this, as in it's already on sale. That means there are plenty of videos on
Unfortunately, Audiothingies are out of stock so you can't get one today. It's cheaper than the original, though.

This is a good video to show how it differs from the original -

TBH, I am not so sure about this one. The patch demos haven't bowled me over and it seems to have lost a lot of the things I like about my MM1. e.g. There are only half the number of edit knobs, which means fewer parameters on the considerably smaller screen at once, and it's lost the cool way you used to see a full-width bar animation of the parameter you were editing. That mightn't sound like much but it gives you an idea of how close to min or max your current value is.

It is bi-timbral, though - 2 x 6 voices instead of just 8 voices in MM1 - which is a nice improvement, and it is smaller in every dimension.

Nice filter demo here -

Finally, and most important of all, how to make an acid bassline from scratch -

Right now I am not convinced but maybe gear lust will drive me to buy one anyway. What's one more tiny, little box, eh?

[multimas]

Mine ordered a week ago is on its way.....

[BONES]

Do you have the original? If so, I'd be extremely keen to hear what you think of the new one. Actually, I'd be keen anyway.

[multimas]

Do you have the original?

What does the original mean, is there a copy too? I took one of the few available on their site online.

[EvilDragon]

Hum, how did you order a week ago because the stock has been empty since before Xmas...

Next batch slated for March/April likely. I want one for sure (I do have the original).

[BONES]

What does the original mean, is there a copy too? I took one of the few available on their site online.

I mean the original MicroMonsta, this one is MicroMonsta 2.

[multimas]

Hum, how did you order a week ago because the stock has been empty since before Xmas...

I received notice that they had few pieces available, I immediately placed the order, the next day they were sold out again.

[BONES]

This has got me to fire up my MM for the first time in ages and I'm now thinking I might build a bracket so I can semi-permanently attach it to my KeyStep. The thing that stops me using it more is the difficulty in getting it to make a noise without turning everything else on. There is a tonne of room on the right side of the KeyStep for it to sit, I might just need some velcro to stop it falling off the back. I'd previously thought of doing the same thing with Rocket but Rocket is too big, MM is just about perfect and MM2 would be even more perfect.

[Fashionista]

Has anyone EVER received a Micromonsta 2 through the Audiothingies website? I've been on the waitlist a couple of times now patiently waiting for the nest production run and have never been notified by Audiothingies when new units are available. It's not like I added my name to the waitlist the day before the next batch started shipping. I've been on the waitlist for months and months.

Do I need to check the Audiothingies website multiple times per day to see if any newly manufactured units are available?

The Micromonsta 2 looks like a really fun, good sounding digital synth that is also very affordable. But who runs a business like this? If you can't meet your demand, then simply raise the price of your product. This is just Econ 101. It's literally the first thing you learn in Economics on the first day of class (i.e., how to work down your demand curve and the price elasticity or inelasticity of your product).

It's like Audiothingies are intentionally trying to make as little money as possible selling the Micromonsta 2. Sure, not every business needs to be an entirely profit-driven enterprise. But their current model is just driving frustrated customers away. Maybe I'll spend my money on a Dreadbox Nymphes instead. it's Audiothingies sale to lose.

[Fashionista]

I received notice that they had few pieces available, I immediately placed the order, the next day they were sold out again.

Please see my post above. Does anyone know what the deal is with Audiothingies? Are they an actual commercial enterprise or just some side project run "for fun" whenever the owner(s) find time to get around to it?

I think they owe it to their customers to explain their business model. Because as someone with an MBA from a top 10 U.S. business school, I can confidently tell you that this is NOT how you run a successful enterprise.

Audiothingies is leaving thousands upon thousands of dollars on the table by not meeting the demand for their product. Think what they could do with that money. They could, for instance, build a 3U hybrid synth desktop / rackmount unit with killer analog filters, a hugely expanded set of great sounding wavetables, a more robust analog modeling engine with unison detune / "supersaw" oscillators, and a wider complement of even better sounding effects. They could even conceivably bump up the polyphony to 24 voices and make the "Massivemonsta" 4-part multitimbral.

Or they could get into software and create a 1:1 emulation of the Micromonsta 2. The sky really is the limit if they would just get off their asses and decide to become a real business.

[FranklyFlawless]

I had one and sold it along with the Deluge to preorder the Anyma Omega Desktop. It was my first MPE hardware synthesizer, and I paired it with my LinnStrument. I mostly used it for its bitimbrality, along with the LinnStrument's splits.

For my absolutely first synthesizer ever though, it was brutal. I barely understood the manual and what a synthesizer was to begin with. Back then, all I knew was that I needed MPE to get the most expression out of the LinnStrument. I chose the MicroMonsta 2 due to excellent MPE compatibility, cost, and portability.

[Fashionista]

I had one and sold it along with the Deluge to preorder the Anyma Omega Desktop. It was my first MPE hardware synthesizer, and I paired it with my LinnStrument. I mostly used it for its bitimbrality, along with the LinnStrument's splits.

For my absolutely first synthesizer ever though, it was brutal. I barely understood the manual and what a synthesizer was to begin with. Back then, all I knew was that I needed MPE to get the most expression out of the LinnStrument. I chose the MicroMonsta 2 due to excellent MPE compatibility, cost, and portability.

Boy, that Anyma Omega desktop synth looks like quite the step up from the Micromonsta 2. How are you getting on with the Anyma Omega? Physical Modeling synths can be a bit tricky sometimes.

Regardless, I'm glad you found a synth that better meets your needs.

Cheers.

[FranklyFlawless]

Boy, that Anyma Omega desktop synth looks like quite the step up from the Micromonsta 2. How are you getting on with the Anyma Omega? Physical Modeling synths can be a bit tricky sometimes.

Regardless, I'm glad you found a synth that better meets your needs.

Cheers.

Well it is stated to be delivered this December 2023, so I have been preparing for its eventual arrival by upgrading my entire music setup. I have to spend thousands more just to utilize the stereophonic potential for live music, and I still need to plan out a course of action for recording my proficiency on the LinnStrument with the Anyma Omega Desktop when it arrives. All of this new equipment will have to be carefully financed in order to keep this entire project sustainable.

The main selling point why I bought the LinnStrument in the first place was to recreate the expression of acoustic instruments using one controller/interface for all of them. The MicroMonsta 2 served as a very affordable MPE hardware synthesizer into understanding MPE, but it failed to deliver on reproducing acoustic lifelike timbres, at least with my very limited sound design skills. I was also not able to utilize the Deluge in the same manner.

I am taking a risk with getting the Anyma Omega Desktop and hoping that it will support MPE out of the box, but my perspective entering this is that as an early adopter, I should expect to test and report for bugs. It should be a spiritual successor to the MicroMonsta 2 because of its commonality with multitimbrality, but it is not exactly clear if I will be able to use two different MPE timbres at the same time with the LinnStrument's splits, so I will have to wait and see.